Portland

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Happy New Year, gentle readers!  I hope you had marvelous holidays.  Ours were fun, sometimes raucous, and blissfully peaceful – that’s life for you.

One of our ever-so-generous and much appreciated presents was a gift certificate from my parents for Amazon (Thanks again!), and we spent more than half of it buying up songs for the I-Pod: click, click, boom!  In honor of that, here’s a playlist with a wild assortment of the old and new to start the year off with an optimistic shake and shimmy, just the way I like it.

Also, just in case you’re not a local, the bridge is the St. John’s in North Portland.  It is not an overstatement to say that it is my favorite bridge in the world. Sure, there are others that are more marvelous, spanning greater lengths and heights, but none of them give me the sensation of seeing this bridge.  I can remember the first time, sitting so stately and serene to the north on Highway 30.  I gasped at the exquisite color and the fantastically Gothic arches, just wanting to hover, hummingbird-like and admire its beauty.

Back to the music – it might just make you gasp, too.

“Well You Needn’t” –  Chet Baker

“Dog Days Are Over” – Florence + the Machine

“God Only Knows” – The Beach Boys

“Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo” – The Rolling Stones

“London Calling” – The Clash (also one of the greatest album covers ever)

“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” – Paul Simon

“Riga Girls” –  The Weepies

“Up on Cripple Creek” – The Band

“Let ‘Em In” – Wings

“Them There Eyes” – Billie Holiday

“Fidelity” – Regina Spektor

“Stay by Me” – Annie Lennox

“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” – Blue Oyster Cult (Oh yes I did!)

“Star Eyes” – Charlie Parker

“In Between Days” – The Cure

“A Boy Named Sue” – Johnny Cash

“Don’t Stop Believin'” – Journey

“Move” – Bireli Lagrene

“What Is and What Should Be” – Led Zeppelin

“Les Portes du Souvenir” – Les Nubians

“Expectations” – Belle & Sebastian

“L.A.Woman” – The Doors

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Memory

Symbols do not dirty,

but endure, embraced by moss and surrender.

Punctuated by memories larger than life, clear and sure as the sky.

Always there, guiding in ways large and small.

Standing the test of time.

The blue light special twenty-two summers hence.

The tall shadows.

The ripe fruits

And blending of textures that make up a life.

See beyond what lies ahead.

Forget that you have changed.

Measure only the weight of the present moment,

No matter the color,

For there is always love, light,

And lemony hues of sun and flowers to come.

Just there, more memories.

Some fuzzy.

Then clear.

Touch them before they are gone

And replaced by the barrow full

With lofty dreams

Of new places

Hanging like gifts

Buried like treasure

But always home.

In loving memory of sweet Patsy:

You made my tea with milk and warmed my heart.

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Happy Saturday!

How are you?  Enjoying fall?  It’s been a pretty terrific one here,so far, lots of dry days and beautiful evenings, with enough rain to keep it interesting and moist.  “The night was moist.”  Do you remember that from Throw Momma from the Train?  I love that movie.  Danny DeVito, you are wack-a-doodle and make me laugh.

So, to happenings as of late. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your lovely comments and support during my campaign to be a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  You guys are beyond terrific.  Truly.  As for Mr. Fallon, he isn’t banging down my door, but it’s out there, as they say, and I just feel in my bones that something marvelous will come of it all.  Indeed I do.  If anything, I certainly have a great appreciation for anyone who writes and directs.  Those one minute films take a lot of effort!

The first four photos, as you are likely to have surmised, are from Halloween (if not, maybe you should put down that cocktail!).  The hubster is, you guessed it, a crow!  Aren’t his wings lovely?  I am water and definitely drawn to the abstract.  We had a grand time at our friends Satan (Stan the Insurance Man) and the Bar Wench’s party.  There were many fine costumes, yummy drinks, and good food, like sausages wrapped in Pillsbury croissant dough.  I kid you not, those are the height of splendor in party fare!  I ate more than my fair share.

We also spent a lovely rooftop evening at a fund raiser for one of our new favorite places, Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center.  There was an awesome band called Stumbleweed (traditional bluegrass for all your high lonesome needs), cocktails served up from the stellar and local House Spirits (the Bees Knees!), and lots of delicious food prepared by Opal Creek’s uber-chef Rebekah.  Not surprisingly, we met some very fine folks just as interested in keeping this gem of a place intact for the ages, including the architect for the rather deluxe and tallest building in the the blurry photo below.  How cool to be engaged in conversation and ask, “Would I know any of your work?” and have her grin and say, “Well, yes, that building right there.”  Huzzah!

Finally, a little update on the Subaru.  After some reflection, we’ve decided to donate it to charity.  The hubster is a happy bicycle commuter three days a week, rain or shine, and we just don’t need it.  Besides, the Portland Rescue Mission has what looks like a pretty terrific program that trains people to work on cars like ours before selling them to benefit their charity.  It’s a pretty sweet deal all around.  I am even slightly grateful to the thug who stole our car for bringing this about.  Life is pretty sweet.

Be well!

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What a great way to begin.  Do-si-do.

We actually completed this walk weeks ago, but this is the first I’ve gotten around to bringing the photos to you.  We were rather excited about this one, as it is pretty much our stomping grounds, Mt. Tabor and the surrounding neighborhoods.  What’s more, and I suppose, usual, is that we learned much that we didn’t know and walked streets we hadn’t seen.  Sure, we knew they were there, houses sprinkled in the distance of more familiar routes, sometimes daily ones, but it was such a treat to actually walk among them and marvel that there could be so many gems so close yet so hidden to us for the past twelve years.

I think that’s what the hubster and I like most about these books.  They give us the opportunity to take our blinders off.  So much of our lives are lived up close and with great convenience, speed, and efficiency in mind.  We don’t often give ourselves the time to take the long way home, make a “wrong” turn, or just plain wander.  Yet the rewards of doing so are plentiful and fine – gorgeous flowers, great views, and new four legged friends among the few.

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Can’t you just hear the Jackson Five?  A-B-C, as simple as 1-2-3, do-re-mi, 1-2-3, baby you and me girl!

I’d like to start with a shout out to our fabulous neighborhood newspaper, The Southeast Examiner.  It’s a neat publication of, as you would imagine, all things local.  It’s always worthy of an afternoon.  One of my favorite sections has listings of fun activities in the area.  Without it, we would not be here today, or, for that matter, out at that fine square dance, for both were found there.    I also scored a 10% off coupon for one of our favorite wine shops Mt. Tabor Fine Wine, getting a delicious Toro Albala 1982 PX Sherry.  We had a glass at Genoa (a phenomenal meal in celebration of our 17th(!) wedding anniversary a few weeks back) and liked it so much that a bottle had to be procured.  Unlike any other sherry I’ve tried, it’s very dark, starts out tasting like a port but finishes like a sherry.  Delicious.

Anyhoo, to today’s topic.  Last Sunday, when the weather was utterly fine, unlike the steady drizzle of today (good for pulling weeds and spreading bark mulch, however), we got up early and rode our bicycles to the Viking Pancake Breakfast.  It’s been listed in the Examiner for ages but this was our first time giving it a try. It’s located in the basement of the Norse Hall (no surprise there, I hope), a fine building erected in the late 1920’s.

It’s kitschy and lovely and filled with sweet people of all ages noshing on crepe-like pancakes with berry compote, the breakfast links of my childhood, fresh strawberries and cantaloupe, orange juice, and a bottomless cup of coffee or tea, if you so choose, all for $6.  We loved every bite and moment.  One of the highlights was the cute gentleman serving coffee and telling joke after joke about a funny couple named Helga and Olaf.  We’ll definitely be back and maybe upstairs, too.  They also have dances!  Square dances sometimes.  Yippee!

After all of that eating and drinking, and because it was so lovely out, we took full advantage of the weather, riding south on the Esplanade and Springwater trail to Sellwood, then back north, and home.  It really could not have been a finer day.

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Birthday Bridget!

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