Able to Enjoy Outside Again

Dear Liza,

For the last week, it has been uncomfortably hot in Portland, over 90 degrees during the day and barely dropping to 70 at night. It has been hard to sleep and impossible to go for walks.

But today, it was blissfully cool! Auntie Bridgett and I walked all the way to the Fred Meyer store, almost a mile away, to buy ink for the printer. It is time for her to print and send out her zine, which is called Art-o- Rama. This month it is about her study of Picasso and experimenting with abstract art.

As we passed Sunnyside Environmental School, we met a boy named Jase. He was dribbling two basketballs at the same time and had misplaced his dad. The two of them were on the watering crew for the gardens around the school. Jase used Bridgett’s phone and left a message, but headed off to find him. I had great confidence in a happy outcome, so we headed off.

We did the shopping and headed home, passing Sunnyside School again, and there was Jase (and his dad) and some other boys playing basketball. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes.

The rest of the afternoon, we all worked on our own projects, then had dinner. The weather was still lovely, so we three walked to the Postal Annex to send off Bridgett’s zines. Walking in our neighborhood is always a treat. The oldest trees make pockets of deep shade, younger trees make dappled patches, and bright sunlit yards are full of tomato plants and flowers.

Since the new surface on our balcony isn’t dry yet, we enjoyed our shady patio downstairs instead. We haven’t done that much, and it was fun! We got to visit with new neighbors Kara and Trevor and watched some crow drama. The sun went down and it was time to head inside.

The forecast is for just a few more days of pleasant weather, then it’s supposed to get horribly hot again. We will enjoy what we can and take lots of pictures to remember this once the seasons change and it starts raining.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Author: Judy

I am a new transplant to Portland from Salinas, a small city in Central California. This is a blog about my new city. View all posts by Judy