When Concordian Eden Dawn and her now-husband Ashod Simonian started dating, they did things a little differently.

“He took me to a picnic on the Washougal river,” says Dawn. “We had such a good time that we decided to do 23 more picnics,” (since 23 happened to be his lucky number and her birthday.) Their unique courtship went viral on Instagram and during one of their last picnics, the two thought about putting all of them into a book.

The experience inspired them both to eventually create The Portland Book of Dates: Adventures, Escapes, and Secret Spots, a guidebook containing over 150 date ideas and outings in and around Portland. The book was published in January 2021, has sold 25,000 copies and is a consistent bestseller at Powells. Last month, the second edition was released.

“We wanted the book to help people with decision fatigue and function like a Rick Steves travel guide but look differently,“ Dawn says. She has a background in journalism and she writes the content. Simonian does the graphics and is also the creative director of the Imaginary Authors perfume line.

In The Portland Book of Dates, the itineraries are organized by neighborhood, which the couple thinks is an important feature for a guidebook. “People want to only have to park once, they want to be able to walk, they want a cozy place where they can talk and have an intimate moment, and they want to have a variety of kinds of things to do.”

And there are other considerations for good dates, too. Dawn says she and Simonian made sure to feature dates at local businesses and businesses inclusive to all kinds of patrons. Portland Dates also includes sections on dates for busy parents, dates that are inexpensive, and dates for groups. The second edition includes content updates due to pandemic closures as well as new sections on over-nighters, in-town dates, and day trips.

Dawn and Simonian personally go on all the dates themselves, so they can vouch for the special food items and experiences they recommend and so that readers can feel like they’re their friends. “When we’re in research-mode, we go on a crazy amount of dates, like 8 in a day,” says Dawn. To date, they’ve created date guidebooks for Seattle, Nashville, and are currently working on a similar guide- book for Los Angeles.

When they’re not out on dates, Dawn and Simonian can be found at their Northwest Concordia home with their two cats, Foxglove and Daphne. You can pick up The Portland Book of Dates at New Seasons and Ecovibe.

Dina Sage is the Managing Editor for CNews and enjoys outdoor activities and engaging in the arts. She lives with her husband, their daughter and two cats.

By Cathy McCarthy

Hi, Concordia!

Last month, we were delighted to host District 2 Councilor Dan Ryan at our September monthly meeting. He shared his perspective and answered questions on a wide range of topics—from services for unhoused neighbors, to small business support, to building stronger connections with neighborhood associations. It was an open, informative conversation, and we look forward to continuing the dialogue.

I wanted to share with you that over the coming months, neighbors will have two more opportunities to connect directly with our District 2 leaders. In October, we will welcome Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and in January 2026, Councilor Sameer Kanal.

Having access to your representatives means being able to ask questions, raise concerns, and share ideas with the people empowered to act on them. These conversations are also a chance to meet fellow neighbors, discover shared priorities, and show our leaders what matters most to the Concordia community. You don’t need to be an expert—just bring your perspective and your voice.

Speaking of civic engagement, don’t miss the November CNA Board meeting when we will hold board elections and vote on our updated bylaws. All Concordia neighbors are invited to attend, and your participation is vital.

Half of the board seats are up for election this year, including Chair; East 1; Northwest 1; Southwest 1; and At-Large positions 1, 3, and 5. Even if current board members run again, any qualified neighbor is welcome to put their name forward. Membership is open to all residents, property owners, and business licensees, 14 years of age or older, as well as governmental agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations, located within the district boundaries as defined in the map below. All details are available in the bylaws.

The updated bylaws are available for review at tinyurl.com/CNABylaws.

If you have questions about the election or upcoming meetings, please reach out to chair@concordiapdx.org or to me at AL4@concordiapdx.org.

Key Dates 

Wednesday, October 8, 6 – 8 pm
Community and Board Meeting with Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney

Wednesday, November 12, 6 – 8 pm
CNA Board Elections and voting on updated bylaws

Wednesday, January 14, 6 – 8:00 pm
Community and Board meeting with D2 Councilor Sameer Kanal

By Keith K. Daellenbach | Contributing Writer

Have you ever wondered where wastewater goes when you flush the toilet? If that toilet is in Portland, it very likely ends up at the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant on North Columbia Boulevard. This facility, operated by the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), continuously serves a population of 650,000 people.

Before 1952, raw sewage went directly into the Willamette River and Columbia Slough. Today, through nearly 75 years of incremental investment, the treatment plant processes an average of approximately 70 million gallons of wastewater per day. During periods of wet weather, the plant can process up to 450 million gallons per day. The big pipe system, a $1.4 billion investment (ca. 2011) that nearly eliminated combined sewer overflows, can hold 119 million gallons of sewage – sewage that would otherwise overflow into the Willamette River.

Large screens at the incoming Headworks Facility (built in 1996) filter out sticks, rocks, and litter, which are then trucked to a landfill. Next, the wastewater flows into an array of primary clarifiers, which are rectangular, concrete-lined pools, causing solids to settle as the wastewater movement slows. A bottomscraping mechanism removes sludge. Then, the liquid flows into aeration basins, where air is supplied. Trillions of microorganisms break down the organic material in an aerobic reaction, which creates byproducts of water and carbon dioxide. The wastewater then moves to the secondary clarifiers.

Circular clarifiers are the final step in separating fluids from solids. Alongside the eight existing secondary clarifiers, two new secondary clarifiers (each of which is 28-feet deep by 150-feet in diameter) were recently added to the plant and substantially increased its capacity. Wastewater from the aeration basins enters from the bottom center of these large clarifi ers and slows to a carefully designed fl uid speed, allowing remaining solids to separate for collection. These new clarifiers, located at the north end of the plant adjacent to the Columbia Slough, are part of a $515 million, seven-year upgrade aimed at increasing treatment capacity and reliability. The entire project is scheduled for completion in early 2027.

Given that the plant is in a low-lying area just above the water table on unstable soil, the potential for liquefaction during a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake is very high. Sophisticated construction methods were employed to construct a grid of concrete grout columns within the soil, extending nearly 70 feet down to provide a foundation designed to allow the new clarifi ers to remain operational following a signifi cant earthquake.

As the wastewater leaves the plant, it is treated with sodium hypochlorite to kill microorganisms. This disinfected effl uent is conveyed 2.3 miles north in a pipe to the Columbia River at river mile 105.5, where it is dechlorinated before entering the main stem of the Columbia River in approximately 43 feet of water off the north side of Hayden Island.

Waste also departs the plant as a biosolid. It is collected from the clarifiers, and, unlike the liquid effluent, is broken down in an anaerobic process that is largely free of oxygen. In ten large, above-ground, 90-foot to 120-foot diameter tanks called “digesters”, the sludge is heated to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, where microorganisms reduce the biomass content with methane and carbon dioxide byproducts. The solid, digested material is dewatered via fi lter presses and centrifuges, and then trucked 200 miles east, where it is applied to agricultural land in Eastern Oregon as a nutrientrich source of fertilizer to grow crops for animal feed. Nearly 100 percent of the renewable methane biogas byproduct is captured and added to NW Natural’s gas distribution network to serve as truck fuel eliminating the need for 1.3 million gallons of diesel valued at $3 million annually.

Investing in wastewater treatment plants replaces aging infrastructure, accommodates population growth with additional capacity, and responds to new regulations requiring enhanced treatment. Portland is famous for its pristine Bull Run drinking water supply near Mount Hood. At the other end of the water-use cycle, we are fortunate to have the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant in North Portland. Through continual investment and upgrades, BES protects Portland’s public health and the environment.

By Kyle Stuart

CNA and Concordia News mourn the loss of our longtime contributor and friend, Marsha Sandman, who passed away on August 2nd from chronic lymphocytic leukemia at the age of 76. Her son Kyle would like to share her story.

Marsha was born November 24th, 1948 in the back bay of Boston to second-generation Jewish immigrants. Her uncles were the first bagel bakers in Boston and started the Boston Bagel Company. Marsha had an older sister named Ronda.

Always the black sheep of the family, Marsha got married in her early twenties and moved as far away as she could to Los Angeles, where she began pursuing her education in art. Marsha initially studied ceramics, but one day wandered over to the metal-smithing classroom and never looked back.

She was a free spirit and after she finished school, left L.A. without her husband and headed north to Washington, settling in Duvall. There she continued to explore her creative expression and jewelry making, and generally refused to conform to the norms of society at the time. Some called Marsha a hippie, a title she wore proudly.

Her wanderlust soon took hold and she headed north once again to Fairbanks, Alaska, where her creative talents – and business – blossomed. She launched MJ Sandman Jewelry and by the early ’80s her fi ne silver and gold jewelry, inspired by the raw Alaskan landscape, was carried in galleries across the country. Fairbanks is where she met her second husband, Bill, and they had me. During her time in Alaska, Marsha worked on the Alaska pipeline and in real estate.

In 1989, Marsha left Alaska (without her husband again) and settled in Gleneden Beach, Oregon, to begin her most audacious adventure; raising me on her own. Imagine a 39-year-old single mother, loading up an ‘85 Toyota Tercel wagon with an 8-year old, camping gear and a dog, and driving the 1,700-mile gravel Alcan Highway from Fairbanks to a yet-to-be determined destination on the West Coast to start fresh. We settled on the Oregon Coast. I’m still in awe of how she managed, but manage she did.

We found a supportive community there and Marsha continued to build her jewelry business. To provide more steady income, Marsha pursued a career as a residential appraiser. She worked for the county assessor’s offi ce in Newport for a few years, then started Pride Appraisals – where she built a sterling reputation and a solid book of business.

Marsha loved to travel – frequently visiting friends in Hawaii, Mexico and adventuring off to the Dominican Republic, Argentina and South Korea. She was curious about people and culture, and was fearless in her pursuit of understanding.

In 2005, Marsha was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She enjoyed many years without the need for intervention, and in 2013, underwent her first round of cancer treatment. In 2014 she retired from appraising and moved in with me and my family in the Concordia neighborhood.

Marsha quickly embraced her new Portland community, embedding herself in the Creative Metal Arts Guild, the Concordia News staff , and the neighborhood at large. She continued to make jewelry and had showings at the annual Gathering of the Guilds and craft fairs around the metro area. She adored the Beatles and made it a tradition to see the NowHere band cover the White Album at the Alberta Rose Theatre. She loved a good story and attended The Moth and Seven Deadly Sins – always recounting the bravery, skill and vulnerability of the storytellers.

She loved interviewing neighbors for Concordia News. She genuinely wanted to know your story. She listened with intent and empathy and if you stuck around, she’d tell you her adventures, like the time she hitchhiked a ride on a helicopter in the Alaska bush. Or the summer she lived in a teepee with a trumpet under her bed to ward off bears. Or how she earned the nickname Fireball working the Alaska pipeline catching her boots on fire.

My mom and I were a two-person team who always looked after one another. As she got older, I did more of the looking after. My family is grateful to have shared our Concordia home with her over the past decade. Thank you for being part of her story.

Marsha was a creative, curious and vibrant woman. She leaves behind her granddaughter, Ari, her daughter-in-law, Patience, her sister Ronda, and many close friends she collected in Farmingham, Fairbanks, the Oregon Coast, and Portland. She left all her loved ones with many memories of a life well lived.

By Megan Cecil-Gobble and Patrick Cecil | Contributing Writers

Taking a walk through our bountiful neighborhood and through unique semi-rural alleyways, you will find naturalized plants bearing edible fruits or herbs. But some, like the Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), are both sustenance and nuisance. How can they be tamed to make room for both walking paths and berry picking?

We, Patrick and Megan, have been growing berries ever since we relocated to Portland in 1995. In our first year, we planted marionberries, raspberries, and gooseberries. We also tamed a Hima- layan blackberry that had rooted in our backyard. With these yummy plants, we learned the “cycles” of the berry plants.

Blackberries are a biannual berry producer. The first year, a primocane grows, reaching 10 to 20 feet long by the end of the summer / early fall. It has no branches growing from it, although it can bifurcate (split). The second year, floricanes grow from the primocane leaf junctions. These grow about one to three feet long, and end with fl owers and fi nally berries (after the local bees visit) from mid July to September. During the second winter, the cane dies. If it reaches the ground before dying, it can grow another plant at the terminus and spreads into big patches.

To clear blackberries from your yard or alley, you can hire a herd of goats (look online). Or you can cut out the new primo- canes to reduce the number of canes the following year. Patrick has been doing this in our alley for many years now, and the patches are small enough for cars and people to pass through. You may have to take time to remove older dead growth, but eventually you will see light through the bramble patch. Concordia alleys are part of our public access, and helping to keep them open is a public service. We walkers thank you.

If you want to tame berries, string up the primocanes against a fence or wall as they grow. By the middle of autumn you will have 10-20 feet of cane at shoulder to above-head height. These will retain their leaves through the winter. Cut out the dying second year primocanes to keep the patch from spreading out. When spring comes, you will have a profusion of flowers at waist and head height, perfect for picking in the late summer.

If you have a choice, plant thornless blackberries. We have several Triple- Crowns trained in our small backyard, and pick quarts of berries each week from Mid-July through August. They are phenomenal and like Curad bandages, ouch-less.

Megan and Patrick Cecil-Gobble have lived in Portland for 30 years. They continue to hike, bike, and survive happily with grandkids nearby to keep them on their toes.