Momijigari

Jacket: The Limited (similar, on sale); Scarf: c/o Aeropostale (same here); Sweater: Gap; Jeans: Paige Denim; Boots: c/o Lulu*s

Momijigari is the Japanese tradition of visiting leaves that turn red in the autumn (the word's derived from momiji which means red leaves or maple tree). How delightful it is to discover that other languages have a word for everything! And a word for something I always make a point to do. Last weekend, in a rare and beautiful burst of cold sun, we decided that it was high time to visit the Portland Japanese Garden. We'd never been and had heard that fall, when the Japanese maples and the time to go. So we, and the hundreds of other Portland residents and visitors all headed up to Washington Park to explore the changing colors in the rambling zen garden.

The garden was gorgeous, koi swimming in shallow ponds, pretty stonework, falling leaves, moss growing everywhere. Despite being crowded with many a screaming baby (seriously, people?), we found it to be tranquil once you drowned out the external noise. I would have loved to sit down (in warmer weather) and draw the leaves or write poetry, as I saw a few bundled people doing.

I am so glad that we made our visit to the garden this past weekend as, like the rest of the cold U.S., a storm blew down into Oregon (quite literally) and is in the process of freezing me to death (we don't usually get 28 degrees temps or this kind of howling winter wind in early-mid November here, try January) and knocking down all of our trees, knocking out power, and turning all of those gorgeous red and yellow leaves into less cute piles of slippery muck.