The Sandy River is a great local swimming spot. Of course being Oregon the water never gets super warm but when the temperatures reach the mid to upper 80’s the Sandy River provides great relief and I have always found that after the tough initial plunge in I get used to the water quickly.

The Sandy River is about a 20 minute drive from Portland. The quickest way to get to the Sandy River is interstate 84, take Exit 18 to Lewis and Clark State Park/Historic Columbia River Highway. A great alternative to I-84 is Marine Drive which hugs the Columbia River, on a clear day you can get great views of Mount Hood on the way. The day of the week you visit and your river pleasure will give you direction on where to park.

Lewis and Clark State Park is your first opportunity to park and provides free parking as such this stretch of the river is always be the most crowded. Typically the only time I park at Lewis and Clark is when I am tubing, in that case, this is a great place to park as you need two cars to shuttle back and forth from your put in. More on Tubing later…

Your first right headed east you can go over a narrow bridge to Depot Park. This park is a City of Troutdale Community park with a nice beach, however this area tends to get very crowded very quickly and has limited parking. The best time to visit this park would be during the week - I would not recommend this park on weekends.

Proceeding east on the Historic Columbia River Highway (past the narrow bridge) there are many turnouts where you can have a little piece of the Sandy (more) to yourself. Be careful of where you park, last summer I noticed new “No Parking” signs. Once you find a suitable place to park, be sure that you have a decent pair of shoes to hike down to the river. Most of the access is higher on the bank and can be slippery.

For tubing, I recommend going with two cars, parking one at Lewis and Clark State Park and putting in at Dabney State Park . If you want to make a day of it, Dabney has a Frisbee golf course that I have not tried yet, but looks really fun. There is a $3 day use fee. In the past I have found it a bit of a bummer to have to pay to enter a state park that you would think our taxes would pay for. In the end I suppose it is a use tax, but at least this park is very nice. There are lots of amenities, a nice beach, trails, the Frisbee golf, and lots of great picnic areas. The other advantage of the day fee and limited parking is that the park is never too crowded, particularly when you consider a healthy number of cars in the lot are parking just to shuttle for tubing. The tube ride is approximately two hours you go over a few minor rapids but it is mostly a nice relaxing float.  When you float by keep your eyes out for places you might want to come back to swim if your just looking for a place to take a dip.

Much further up the Sandy is Dodge Park. I have not tubed this stretch of the Sandy yet, but it is my personal goal to do so this summer! Hard to believe but this 14 acre park is actually owned by the City of Portland Water Bureau! Decades ago an old trolley line took hundreds of visitors from Portland to the park for quick get-aways from the city.

The major downsides to the Sandy can be littering, it is really nice to bring a trash bag along to collect a little. It can be very crowded at times, and often there can be unleashed dogs that have inconsiderate owners who don’t control their dogs properly.

The upsides are that it is a great opportunity to connect with the river and cool off, plus there is always great people watching and a fun opportunity to have some random interations with people either floating by if you are on the beach or being a floater.

On the way home I would recommend stopping by McMenamins Edgefield a great place to stop for a handmade brew you can drink outside at the Loading Dock Grill. Be sure to check out the new Ruby’s Spa where the geniuses at McMenamin’s have built a new outdoor heated soaking pool that is very nice. I would not necessarily recommend this in the summer, but maybe a fun preview of an activity for the fall or winter. While there be sure to tell them that your friends at Popina sent you. We sell some of our our one piece bathing suits at Ruby’s Spa.

This just the tip of the iceberg for recreational opportunities on the Sandy River. Go out and explore and create your own favorite place! But this will definitely get you going off on the right foot.

If you would like any personal tips on swimming at the Sandy please do not hesitate to ask me when you visit my Portland Swimwear Shop.

How important is a name?

I have mixed feelings about this topic after finally securing the Trademark Popina for my swimwear brand. Initially when I informally started my business, I chose a name that seemed unique enough……I knew I needed to secure a trademark at some point, but felt that I had some time and would get to it once I became more serious about my business. That time came two years later after purchasing my brick and mortar retail store signage and website url. The result of not first choosing a solid business name caused unnecessary legal fees, frustration and redoing work to establish our name in both the brick and mortar world and on the internet.

STEP #1 in starting a business if you are manufacturing a product is to make sure the name you are using is available. This is a very easy thing to do and potentially fun. The USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) has a database of all registered and pending trademarks (See Trademarks => 3 Search TM database (TESS) => New User Form Search (Basic)).

It is wild to consider that there are only so many names out there that actually sound like something. As life goes on it will be harder and harder to secure a name that is not just a set of random consonants and vowels as many of the best names have already been taken! As you search the TESS database keep in mind that just because you see a name that you are interested in that appears to have been taken it does not mean that the name is unavailable. Trademarks have different classes of goods, for apparel the class 025 - do a search for Popina on Tess and you will see our Trademark Serial # 77048989. One example, if you were interested in using the name “snowden” for your company (search on the USPTO as of today you will see there are multiple current uses). Although “snowden” is being used, it is not being used by class 025 so it would potentially be free to use for apparel. Trademarks are established by use, just becuase the Trademark has not been registered on the TESS database a further step is needed with legal assistance to do a comprehensive search for me that search cost about $500. All in all from start to finish if you choose a name that appears free on TESS without any hiccups on your comprehensive search you can anticipate this process to cost as little as $1,000.

In retrospect a name is very important to a business, I really liked my initial name enough to ignore the legal opinions of three different lawyers to try to keep a name that I was emotionally tied to which is very easy to happen. The result was costly, frustrating and took energy away from other aspects of my business. This is all the more reason to check TESS before you start using a name! In reality a name does not have virtually any meaning until you give it meaning by establishing a quality brand. So have fun, work to find a name you can live with, hopefully that you like, and go out and make it mean something!

Vinideus Wine Shop is located in Northeast Portland’s Beaumont Wilshire Neighborhood.  My sense is that Vinideus was set up to serve the immediate neighborhood, ex-pats from France and Americans who love France.

In attempting to create a French styled wine bar, there is a level of authenticity that may only be attainable from being French.  The decor is simple and warm, decorated by racks of wine, tables, a few couches and a long 10 foot bar whose top which looks like a long cross cut of a giant wine vine. 

On the weekends they always manage to attract great musicians, this past weekend, it was a duo of acoustic upright bass and fiddle.  So you find yourself in Northeast Portland and are looking for a fun escape to South of France without the jet lag, be sure to check out Vinideus and sample some of their private label wines from France and Oregon.

It is always fun to discover a fun, well formatted web site with great content. For those of you out there who love retro fashion like I do have some fun exploring ReTRo HouSeWiFe. Self described as “a site for the modern day housewife with household tips, recipes, fashion and a look at the historical housewife”, Retro Housewife offers an extensive chronicle of Retro Fashion and Advice & Tips for domestic goddesses. Explore articles on personal finance, traveling with husbands and a great travel section.

We have been wanting to start a Blog devoted to Retro Swimwear fashion, travel and all things related to recreational swimming for sometime at Popina Swim.  Since we have begun our swimsuit venture we have recieved a lot of questions ranging from being a small business owner to starting a business to the most important questions related to fashion and design.  Thank you for visiting the Retro Swimwear Blog!

Pamela Levenson, Owner/Designer Popina Swim