We've been here since Christmas Eve, leaving tomorrow for Olympia, Washington. This is contingent on the weather. It is snowing heavily. Kate and I are loving it, but since Portland has only one snowplow and no one seems to have snow tires this is iffy. I'll make a post within the next few days with an update.
I'm a bit pressed for time, so this will be something of a collage.
We love the hikes in Forest Park, NW section of town. Miles and miles of trails through doug fir/red cedar/big leaf maple forests. We followed a delightful stream for about a mile. Lots of people were out hiking on Christmas, which was fun.
We have been in the Southeast section of Portland for the last two days. We like this better than the Northwest on the whole. It's more laid back, funky, creative, progressive, oddball - the way the Bay Area was years ago. There's a nice food co-op, and a dessert cafe called Rimsky-Korsakofsky House with wonderful desserts and surreal decor. The lighting is kind of soft violet, and things like neclaces, a picture of Shrek and an onion dangle from the ceiling. The bathroom decorations are indescribable, you have to see them when you are in Portland.
The other night we went to see a movie, "Sita Sings the Blues" in which Nina Paley compares her divorce to the old Indian epic the Ramayana. Pretty cool movie. When we got to the theatre about 15 people were lined up outside but the theatre was closed. I went into the bar next door and got the owner's address from the bartender. Someone called and he said "I'll be right there."
He showed up five minutes later and laughed, "I guess I'm working tonight." Everybody laughed.
How good natured can you get?
You can see chickens walking around the neighborhoods and bald eagles flying over the Oak Bottom wildlife sanctuary. We went to a great park on the eastern edge of town today and great views of Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and other Cascades. People are friendly on the street and in restaurants; this part of town is open and accepting. Every restaurand has veggie and vegan options. People decorate walls by their houses with toy Spidermen, Wolverines and grazing deer.
They hand tire swings for their kids over the sidewalks, build treehouses adorned with Pirate flags and jave bumperstickers like "Zombies for Health Care Reform: Prople Before Profits". Busses are efficient, comfortable and on time and it seems safe to wander about at night (at least in this neighborhood.)
I could describe more but gotta get moving. It sure is snowing!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Oregon days
I haven't posted in days, have to be quick. Oregon is relaxed, friendly. People talk to you in line in cafes, in hotel lounges,on busses, on the street. I rarely find this happening in the Bay Area. I have many ideas about why this is but will save them for now.
There are also a lot of down and out folks here. The state is having its own financial crisis - nothing like the one we have in California but worrysome. There are two initiatives on the ballot for the January election.. I don't know the details but I do know teachers are one group supporting them. They would increase taxes to support education, social services, etc. I hope they pass!
The state is beautiful of course. The Coastal region totally won us over. I need to do some research on the geology of the Coastal Mountains, that seperate the valley where Portland and other larger cities lie from the Coast. They may be volcanic; our Coastal Mts. in California have a different origin. They are formed from ocean floor sediments that were scraped onto the North American Plate when it collided with the Pacific Plate way back when. If the Oregon mts. are volcanic, you could say both ranges originated from the plate collision.
The Coastal Mt. forests are very different from the ones we have in California. Our mountains are dryer. We get chapparal and oak/bay laurel forests in the hills. Wet canyons that can gather fog can be the home of redwood trees. Here, there are douglas fir forests that are thicker and lusher than California's (except for the redwood forests, which are quite lush.) These forests grow pretty close to the ocean. I am not sure of how the trees survive the salt wind, which is toxic to many plants. Redwoods have to be a mile from the ocean.
The coast is rocky, of course... many of the offshore rocks look volcanic, but I'd have to research this. Oregon doesn't seem to get the masses of shorebirds that California does in winter. Sandpipers, dunlins, curlews and many others migrate to our region to spend the winter and forage along the beach for critters and food scraps in the sand. They come from the Arctic where they eat bugs in the summer. These die off in winters, so the birds visit us. I am guessing they can find more food in our region than they can here... I hope to find someone who can answer this question while I am here.
We are in Portland, and will be here until Tuesday. Portland is a relatively laid back city, more relaxed and friendly than many cities I've passed through. There are huge forest parks in town...
we hiked through a doug fir/red cedar/big leaf maple forest today, about 9 miles in all.
The city seems pretty shut down for Christmas. Almost no businesses are open. A few restaurants are operating - we just had a great Thai meal. The place was packed and getting busier; we noticed this in other businesses we passed. It's interesting - Christmas seems to be a very private holiday in the US. Things shut down and many people stay in their houses with their families. It is a more public holiday in some other countries. We found street parties in a town in Mexico's COpper Canyon a few years ago. People came out for a pinata breaking and music, and brought food from their homes to share. We also found a festival and a parade in Pokara, Nepal last year.
I hope the US can change to celebrate in this way. Thanksgiving and Christmas can be very lonely and sad days for people who are far from their families, or who have no family or community. Public events would improve the holidays for them.. and people who do have families around might enjoy attending them too.
That's all from me for now... much more to say but I'll save it. Take care.
There are also a lot of down and out folks here. The state is having its own financial crisis - nothing like the one we have in California but worrysome. There are two initiatives on the ballot for the January election.. I don't know the details but I do know teachers are one group supporting them. They would increase taxes to support education, social services, etc. I hope they pass!
The state is beautiful of course. The Coastal region totally won us over. I need to do some research on the geology of the Coastal Mountains, that seperate the valley where Portland and other larger cities lie from the Coast. They may be volcanic; our Coastal Mts. in California have a different origin. They are formed from ocean floor sediments that were scraped onto the North American Plate when it collided with the Pacific Plate way back when. If the Oregon mts. are volcanic, you could say both ranges originated from the plate collision.
The Coastal Mt. forests are very different from the ones we have in California. Our mountains are dryer. We get chapparal and oak/bay laurel forests in the hills. Wet canyons that can gather fog can be the home of redwood trees. Here, there are douglas fir forests that are thicker and lusher than California's (except for the redwood forests, which are quite lush.) These forests grow pretty close to the ocean. I am not sure of how the trees survive the salt wind, which is toxic to many plants. Redwoods have to be a mile from the ocean.
The coast is rocky, of course... many of the offshore rocks look volcanic, but I'd have to research this. Oregon doesn't seem to get the masses of shorebirds that California does in winter. Sandpipers, dunlins, curlews and many others migrate to our region to spend the winter and forage along the beach for critters and food scraps in the sand. They come from the Arctic where they eat bugs in the summer. These die off in winters, so the birds visit us. I am guessing they can find more food in our region than they can here... I hope to find someone who can answer this question while I am here.
We are in Portland, and will be here until Tuesday. Portland is a relatively laid back city, more relaxed and friendly than many cities I've passed through. There are huge forest parks in town...
we hiked through a doug fir/red cedar/big leaf maple forest today, about 9 miles in all.
The city seems pretty shut down for Christmas. Almost no businesses are open. A few restaurants are operating - we just had a great Thai meal. The place was packed and getting busier; we noticed this in other businesses we passed. It's interesting - Christmas seems to be a very private holiday in the US. Things shut down and many people stay in their houses with their families. It is a more public holiday in some other countries. We found street parties in a town in Mexico's COpper Canyon a few years ago. People came out for a pinata breaking and music, and brought food from their homes to share. We also found a festival and a parade in Pokara, Nepal last year.
I hope the US can change to celebrate in this way. Thanksgiving and Christmas can be very lonely and sad days for people who are far from their families, or who have no family or community. Public events would improve the holidays for them.. and people who do have families around might enjoy attending them too.
That's all from me for now... much more to say but I'll save it. Take care.
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Sylvia Beach Hotel
Yeah--- as I just mentioned on Facebook, Sylvia Beach founded Shakespeare and Company Books in Paris in the 1920s, so this is a great name for a seaside literary B&B.
There is a Hemingway room, one for F. Scott Fitzgerald, one for Gertrude Stein - denizens of Shakespeare and Company. Also Tennessee Williams, Melville, Virginia Wolfe (the room is called "A Roof of One's Own", of course) and many more. We have the Tolkien room which includes the riddles Gollum and Bilbo asked each other painted on the door, murals of Middle Earth forests, a mushroom shaped lamp and a painting of Sauron's tower on the bathroom wall and more. Lots of fun except for the orcs stomping through and someone hissing "Preciousssss..."
The hotel has a board game and reading room with windows facing the ocean. They serve free hot spiced wine at night - we only had a little, it was good. The coast itself is amazing this time of year. It is cold and rainy and windy, indeed, and very beautiful.
We are in the town of Newport, btw - heading for Yachuts (sp?) down the coast for a few days shortly. Happy winter solstice, have a cup of hot spiced wine.
There is a Hemingway room, one for F. Scott Fitzgerald, one for Gertrude Stein - denizens of Shakespeare and Company. Also Tennessee Williams, Melville, Virginia Wolfe (the room is called "A Roof of One's Own", of course) and many more. We have the Tolkien room which includes the riddles Gollum and Bilbo asked each other painted on the door, murals of Middle Earth forests, a mushroom shaped lamp and a painting of Sauron's tower on the bathroom wall and more. Lots of fun except for the orcs stomping through and someone hissing "Preciousssss..."
The hotel has a board game and reading room with windows facing the ocean. They serve free hot spiced wine at night - we only had a little, it was good. The coast itself is amazing this time of year. It is cold and rainy and windy, indeed, and very beautiful.
We are in the town of Newport, btw - heading for Yachuts (sp?) down the coast for a few days shortly. Happy winter solstice, have a cup of hot spiced wine.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
We're still alive and rambling
Hi all. This time we are rambling through Oregon and Washington for a few weeks. We took an allnight train from Oakland to Albany, Oregon and a bus to Corvalis. Trains are a joy, very soothing to the body mind and spirit. It's amazing, we took the Coast Starlight which is notorious for being late. Amtrak rents tracks from rail companies and the trains have to stop wien a freight train comes by. This time we were only 20 minutes late, which is remarkable. I wonder what changed? We passed through the Cascades - forests of cedarss, Ponderosa pines and firs.
Volcanic cones were everywhere. WE wanted to get out and hike, but 'twas not to be.
Corvalis is a really nice town - artsy without being pretentious as far as we can tell. There is a very nice riverfront park. We joined a peace vigil that has happened every day since 2001 -
that takes strength and commitment. Apparently they have worked it out so the core group comes frequently but others come on other days. Good strategy, nice folks.
There are huge flocks of migrating geese passing by. I've also heard nuthatches, jays and chickadees. There's lot of public art and public gatherings on holidays... that is great, public festivals on Christmas are a rare thing in the US but a necessary one; many people are far from their families. And another nice thing about Oregon is you can find many veggie options in most restaurants.
Gotta run, Just want to let you know we are rambling and always will be. PG
Volcanic cones were everywhere. WE wanted to get out and hike, but 'twas not to be.
Corvalis is a really nice town - artsy without being pretentious as far as we can tell. There is a very nice riverfront park. We joined a peace vigil that has happened every day since 2001 -
that takes strength and commitment. Apparently they have worked it out so the core group comes frequently but others come on other days. Good strategy, nice folks.
There are huge flocks of migrating geese passing by. I've also heard nuthatches, jays and chickadees. There's lot of public art and public gatherings on holidays... that is great, public festivals on Christmas are a rare thing in the US but a necessary one; many people are far from their families. And another nice thing about Oregon is you can find many veggie options in most restaurants.
Gotta run, Just want to let you know we are rambling and always will be. PG
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