Welcome to Chaos !!

I feel a slight panic inside my heart area.....it is June 21 ALREADY and today is Summer Solstice. I might make a stop later at
Nordia House here in Portland (where I used to volunteer). That place is so nice and they always have great displays and exhibits.
I did receive an email from The Jackrabbit Speaks, that is Burning Man's newsletter. And there was a really nice article on the solstice, here it is copied and pasted. Source, The Jackrabbit Speaks Burning Man Journal.

"Wherever you are today at 57 minutes after this hour, welcome the solstice. This celestial moment marks the day we honor Burning Man’s inception 37 years ago — the first time Larry Harvey, Jerry James, their kids, and friends built and burned a wooden Man on Baker Beach. Burning a human effigy, and celebrating the solstice on a beach gathering are not revolutionary acts unto themselves; humanity has created these moments and imbued them with meaning since before recorded history. But the impetus that brought these two acts together ignited something new (and also ancient) in those early Burners. Maybe it soothed unmet desires for ritual, communion and continuity at a time when people were feeling increasingly disconnected.
By 1990, the original crew merged with the Cacophony Society and other instigators, and engineered a leap from beach to desert. Before long Burners were building massive fiery art and other wonders, organizing theme camps, erecting a Temple, and piloting wildly illuminated mutant vehicles.
In short, we had a city. And then we had a global community — Burners around the world made the 10 Principles their own, launching Regional Events and local Burning Man communities.
So, happy solstice to you. We hope you make time to commemorate this moment in whatever way is meaningful."

"Burning Man is very much needed in our world as a place for rehearsing things that have a deeper spiritual value, and that nourish the foundation of identity: the feeling that you're at home in the world, and at home with yourself.” - Larry Harvey

I am VERY happy to be part of Burning Man, I am a participant in this event. It is a very special moment, that dusty week in the Black Rock Desert. Some do not understand it at all and that is OK, nobody is asking you to be there. But I understand it completely, I can feel it in my soul.
Happy Solstice my friends. ❤️

The pretty sky this evening. Can you see the moon and the star?

How was YOUR day? Today I found this great deal ($8) for this whole box of organic nectarines. Got some cherries too.
I love fruit.

I drove to Bend yesterday, where I lived before I moved to Portland. Bend is located in Central Oregon, about a three hour drive East from Portland. When I go there I usually think.....why did I move away from here again? My mechanic, who is also my friend lives there and I have a room full of my stuff in Bend (storage). I dug through a few boxes and brought some clothes and some other stuff. with me back to Portland.
My car got an oil change, a new oil filter too of course. A new ball joint was put it and a new fan clutch. I like having a mechanic that allows me to be present in the shop so I can watch, learn and participate in minor car things. I have an older car and there is always something that needs to be fixed. Next on the to do list are front brakes and the air vents got something going on with them too. I do not pay much attention to cars (as in my own car), I am happy as long as I can safely go from point A to point B. It does not bother me that I have an older car that has dents and is far from a luxury vehicle. I don't care. My car has taken me across Nevada and Oregon and for that I am grateful. I can sleep in it and it is comfortable.

Car issues are stressful and about an hour into the drive home to Portland the check engine light came on. I did notice a change in how my car was driving yesterday, after it got out of the shop (of course) and I will get it checked out tomorrow, so I am stressed about that now. Of course the check engine light came on after I had already left. Sometimes it comes on because a gas station attendant did not screw the gas cap on right (you are not allowed to pump your own gas in some places in Oregon - kind of strange) and I was hoping it was as simple as that but NO. Something is not right. That will be on tomorrow's to do list. I also have a lunch meeting and I really need to do laundry.

Welcome to a small tour of the Tokyo subway! I managed to navigate on the subway on my own although it took some time to understand it. And yes it can be confusing but it is manageable. First of all, it is CLEAN. No graffiti. No trash. No destroyed seats. Nobody is loud. Nobody has their feet up on the seats. So people CAN actually behave normal on the subway?
Japan is a civilized country, the subway is just one of the many signs of that. I very much appreciated the Tokyo subway. It is amazing.

Tokyo subway guide.

You get a card (Suica card) that you add money to, you use this card to get through the gates. Entering and exiting. 

Exiting a gate.

The subway cars can get very crowded. You are not supposed to talk on the phone while riding. Put your phone on silence, use the texting function to communicate. Do not listen to music and do not talk loudly with somebody else. Be mindful of others. People on the subwat want to unwind and relax before and after work, listening to somebody else's drama is not relaxing. I totally agree with all of that. Exiting the platform can feel slightly claustrophobic due to the crowds, just relax and go with the flow. Pay attention to what side to stand on the escalators, walk the stairs. 
Some cars are designated for women only during morning rush hour. It should be like that everywhere.

This is cute. Don't rush, the trains run frequently.

While riding you get useful information about the weather and other things.

Me having fun riding the subway in Tokyo. 

Tokyo Station subway entry.

A club I have been working at for some time now closed down the other day. Riverside Corral. We (the dancers) all knew that the club was approaching its end, it was going on 30 years (in October of this year) and the rumor was that the closing would happen sometime this summer because the lot the club sits on got sold. Well, it happened earlier. 
Mike, the owner sadly suddenly passed away. And that was it. We did not even get to have the planned goodbye party due to some unfortunate circumstances.
Some of us dancers gathered last night in Sellwood Park to talk and remember. I will miss this club, I made some great friends there and I had fun times and so many laughs. One of the better stages I have danced at with good lights. A very comfortable dressing room where I would just relax, read and write. Everything was just right.
It was a special place for many people, Riverside Corral will be missed by many. It is so strange that I won't be there tomorrow night. It is over. 
Thank You for all the memories and Thank You Mike for everything. I hope that you are together with Richard and Brian now. ❤️

I went to the library today and loaned some books. My plan is to read more. I have not been reading like I used to. I rarely buy books because I do not have a bookshelf right now. I have two stacks/piles of books at my place, one in the bedroom and one in the livingroom. Until I get a bookshelf I will hold off on buying books, so for now the library is an excellent source for reading material. I got three books today, looking forward to some relaxing reading time preferably in my litle backyard.

It has been so nice outside. I want to do frequent hikes and enjoy this weather. I also have much more Japan stuff to share. Soon! Happy Saturday!

Although I have been living in Portland for years, I had not been to Multnomah Falls until today. Located in the Pacific Columbia Gorge it is the most visited natural recreation location in the Pacific Northwest. The falls are spectacular.

A friend was in town for a few days, so a perfect time to go see some sights.

There is a bridge, the Benson Footbridge that you can stand on if you so wish, (not me, I thought it was scary plus I am scared of heights so I hurried across) it takes you to a trail that leads to the top.

"The waterfall formed around 15,000 years ago at the end of a hanging valley, and was created by the Missoula floods. 
According to the creation story from the Multnomah tribe (from whom the falls take their name), the waterfall was formed after a young woman sacrificed herself to the Great Spirit to save Multnomah village from a plague by jumping from the cliff, and the Multnomah peoples were saved. After her death, water began to flow from above the cliff, creating the waterfall." That is according to Wikipedia. Not a super happy story....poor girl.

Eleven switchbacks later and you can watch the waterfalls from above. The hike is not hard, one mile one way. So I recommend that you go for it but please do not torture your dog/s and drag them up there as well. Like seriously.

We did a sightseeing tour on an open-air trolley, it was fun and relaxing.

There are more waterfalls to see and many hikes to do so I am planning on going back soon. I need to explore this beautiful area, I live here after all!