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Entries from July 2020

Friday, July 24. 2020

Party In Portland

Since I haven't been to the Justice Center area downtown Portland for a while, since the night of July 4th exactly (wow these last couple of weeks flew by) I decided it was time to go and see what's new down there. I mean even the mayor (Ted Wheeler) supposedly got teargassed the other night and I definitely do not want to miss out on any excitement. And exiting it was ! It was a party in Portland.....if this continues and from the size and looks of it I think it will, I can just get my bike out and pretend it's Burning Man in Portland this year! There is a ton of food if you are hungry, not for me but the majority are not vegetarian (SADLY). Live music.....which was awesome. And dancing. This was my favorite place because it was FUN and people were truly enjoying themselves. So whatever scary stuff you hear about Portland on the news.....ehhhhhh forget about it! I am inviting you to come here and partake in the festivities, I am offering you my services as your personal downtown tour guide. I can't guarantee it but chances are high that you will also see fireworks, hear loud bangs....it's only mortars being thrown around so nothing to worry about and you might also get a whiff of teargas and hear rubber bullets fly around. When I try to describe Burning Man to people, which is difficult to describe because you have to experience the event to understand all the beautiful and amazing qualities of Burning Man....but when I do try to describe it I usually say that it is like stepping into a Salvador Dali painting. To describe Portland I would say it is like stepping into a movie called "Escape from New York". If you haven't seen that one yet you should. I have been down to the Justice Center are in Portland several times now and I am still alive and unharmed.

Monday, July 20. 2020

Hot

It has been a hot week here in Portland. I volunteered today and it was fun as always but I had to seek shade, I don't like the sun burning me. I thought that I would go back to the area were the protests have been going on for 53 nights in a row tonight but I am way too tired and I have a meeting at 10 am. So no rioting for me tonight! I haven't been down there to watch it for I think almost two weeks.
If you have seen the picture by now of a naked woman, Naked Athena, facing the police, sorry to disappoint everybody but it wasn't me. Great idea though! I should had thought about that first. I wonder if more naked ladies will follow to line up to face the police? Or naked men? Perhaps it is a new trend on Instagram? I should probably go and check out the situation tomorrow night....I have been a bit lazy and I also don't want to get chased down, arrested or shot although I am "only" there as a observer but it kind of makes you guilty by association at this point cause things are getting pretty serious at night here in Portland.
Instead I am in bed enjoying some ice cream, this one is a favorite. Try it if you can get it where you live. And I am trying to decide on which foot massage machine to buy.....there are many and I want to pick the right one because I will stick my poor feet in it daily.

Tuesday, July 14. 2020

Some Snippets

Today I had a super busy day but also a good productive day, one of those days when you feel like there are not enough hours in it. I am finally in bed and can do some reading and writing. I should make a living reading and writing already! ;-) Yesterday I had a calmer day and here are some snippets from it....First of all the weather has been so nice and I have been enjoying that. Felt an undeniable craving for a waffle at a place called Smaakens where I have been before, it's a food cart inside a food cart area located on the South East side of town. So I drove there from my part of town, the South West and had a delicious waffle with whipped cream and drank a hibiscus iced tea. So yummy! I like the recycling station at this food cart place. I am a fairly diligent recycler. Absolutely no littering. After my waffle I went on a looooong walk through the city, across two bridges. I love walking, exploring and seeing new things. Like this, I had never noticed this until yesterday, the Bill Naito Legacy Fountain. A beautiful poem is inscripted into the steps. FOR THE PEOPLES OF THE FIRST NATIONS WHO CAME TO FISH THE RIVERS AND INHABIT THE LAND – FOR LATE ARRIVING PACIFIC EXPLORERS AND TRAPPERS – HAILING PROUD FLAGS OF RUSSIA – BRITAIN – FRANCE – SPAIN FOR THOSE WHO BLAZED TRAILS OVER THE WIDE INTERIOR – AND FOR THE MULTITUDES WHO DROVE THOSE TRAILS IN A GREAT WESTERN MIGRATION – AMERICAN PIONEER ADVENTURERS – THE HEADSTRONG – THE HARD PRESSED – THE RESOURCEFUL – STAKING CLAIMS – FELLING TIMBER – TILLING SOIL – NAMING VILLAGES FOR THE IRISH – GERMAN – CHINESE – JAPANESE – JEWS FROM THE EASTERN PALE – SWEDES – FINNS – DANES – NORWEGIANS – ITALIANS – ROMA IN CARAVANS – GREEKS – MEXICANS – CHILDREN OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA – REFUGEES FROM WARS AND TYRANTS – BUILDERS OF BETTER FORTUNES – FOR THE HISTORIC WAVES OF MOVING PEOPLES WHO BECAME NEW NEIGHBORS NEAR THESE WILLAMETTE BANKS FOR MERCHANTS AND LABORERS – AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES – WORKING THE ROADS AND RAIL LINES – THE DOCKS AND SHIP YARDS – THE FACTORIES AND MILLS – PLANTING FARMS AND ORCHARDS – TENDING STORE COUNTERS – FILLING SCHOOL HOUSES AND LIBRARIES – GATHERING IN CIVIC CLUBS AND SOCIETIES – HOUSES OF WORSHIP – SALOONS – PARKS – MUSIC HALLS – RIVER LANDINGS – TRAIN STATIONS – STREET CORNERS – FLOWER GARDENS FOR ANCESTORS WHO TRAVELED COUNTLESS PATHS FROM OTHER LANDS TO THIS PLACE – WHO CAME BY TRAIL AND BY OCEAN – BY RIVER AND BY RAILROAD – BY HIGHWAY AND BY AIRWAY – IN COURSING HUMAN STREAMS – DREAMING IN MANY LANGUAGES – FOR THOSE WHOSE VOICES STILL ECHO TODAY AND FOR THOSE WHOSE LEGACIES ARE QUIET – A PORT CITY HARBORS THEIR HOPES – AND A FOUNTAIN FLOWS HERE IN THEIR MEMORY.

Monday, July 6. 2020

4th Of July

For 4th of July I went to Trillium lake and Mount Hood. I needed some nature. It was a gorgeous day and a full moon the night between the 4th and 5th as well. Mount Hood is an active volcano about a two hour drive from Portland, there is a historic lodge up there called Timberline Lodge. Well worth a visit if you are ever in the area. I watched the sun set and the moon rise.



That's Trillium lake in the background.



I really like this dragon door knocker.



Masks in public places are enforced in Oregon now.







I also went to downtown Portland last night and got all the fireworks I needed for the 4th. It sounded like bombs were going off although it was mortars randomly thrown around by "protesters", I am not sure what to call them anymore. That is not protesting, it is straight up disorder. There was a riot down there, quite intense.