Judy – Page 126 – Dear Liza

Not Quite Rainy Day

Dear Liza,

This week I got to spend a day with the Cousins. I had expected it to be pouring rain, so I thought we would to catch the number 70 bus to Lloyd Center to watch the ice skaters and play.

But it wasn’t raining, and we didn’t go. Friends of Auntie Katie had been hit by tragedy and needed help.

A house fire had burned up a whole family’s things, including every stitch of clothing, doll and stufftie. Auntie Katie had collected some clothes that would fit the children and Kestrel quickly pulled out some of her toys to donate, including a Cabbage Patch doll from many years past. “Cabby”, as we came to call her, had only one flaw: she was naked. It seemed rude to give a naked doll.

Kestrel found a doll sized blouse in a box, along with
some red fabric. We decided to make pants for Cabby. Kestrel, who is eight, knows the theory of pattern making, but needed a little help. We worked for about an hour and finally produced a presentable pair of pants, got Cabby dressed, and put her in the bag to join the family.

After we took care of a few more chores, it was time for me to head home through the very cold, darkening afternoon. The leaves are just about gone now, and many trees are loaded with fruit that will keep birds fed during the winter.

This pyracanthus tree will keep a whole flock fed for a month!

There were other sights in gardens that made me smile and happy that I live in Portland.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Hot Sardines

Dear Liza,

The other evening we got bundled up and took a Lyft car downtown. The rain was taking a break and the city lights were so pretty, reflecting on the Willamette River as we crossed.

We were headed to the Newmark Theater, a small theater in the same complex as the larger Arlene Schnitzer Theater, where we have seen concerts before. We stopped for dinner at The Art Bar downstairs. Affordable, comfy and delicious, we had quiche, pasta and fries, along with some Acrobat and Charles and Charles wines.

The Newmark is up a sparkling spiral staircase, and since we had balcony seats, we got to have good views. We were there to see The Hot Sardines.

Auntie Bridgett and Grandpa Nelson introduced me to this band last year, and when they told me the name, I thought they were kidding. We know and love a group called Pink Martini. Hot Sardines sounded like a parody, like they were making fun.

But the Sardines are real, and incredibly good. They play, sing and (yes!) tap dance to Jazz from the 1920s to 1940s. Sophie Tucker’s “Some of these Days” from 1926 was the earliest song they performed.

The Hot Sardines performs with seven or eight folks, and the group is lead by vocalist Elizabeth Bougerol and Pianist Evan Pallazzo, backed by a trumpet, clarinet, trombone, guitar, bass, and drums.

Evan Pallazzo and the bass player (whose name I forgot!)

There is even a tap dancer, A. C. Lincoln, a percussion musician whose instruments are his feet. His skill and humor, including bits where it seemed his feet were getting away from him, added immensely to the fun of the show.

The musicianship and talent of the band is totally matched by the joy they clearly feel performing with each other. We clapped, snapped, and even sang along to “Your Feet’s Too Big”, “I Want to Be Like You”, in the style of Tito Puentes, (which was used in the animated version of The Jungle Book) and “Bei mir bist do shoen”.

In between songs, Elizabeth and Evan told stories and cracked jokes. After the show, the whole group went downstairs and signed autographs. Since I didn’t take pictures of the performance because that is rude, I took some candid pictures in the lobby.

It was a fine, fun, musical evening, and by the time we caught a Lyft home, we were humming, happy, and exhausted.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Sewers Too Close to Home

Dear Liza,

Well, for weeks now we’ve seen and heard the work coming closer. Huge excavators, dump trucks, ditch witches and jack hammers have torn up (and put back together, mostly) street after street.

The work is to modernize the sewer system for our neighborhood and to install swales to help clean the street run-off water. I am glad the work is getting done. Poor Pacific Grove, down by Monterey, hasn’t done this sort of work for a hundred years, and they have sewer spills almost every month in the summer, making their lovely beaches into smelly, unhealthy messes.

But man, is it noisy! Pounding to get through the asphalt, then scraping to get the asphalt into the dump trucks. Then comes the digging to get to the pipes, then the schreeching as the pipes are dragged into place.

Oh, and the vibrations! Room sized piles of gravel dropped from tall trucks sound like avalanches, and the steamrollers feel like rolling earthquakes.

It seems now that our street will be torn up just in time for Thanksgiving, and probably stay torn up until Christmas. Barring, of course, delays because of weather… snow and sleet are in the long forecast.

Cross your fingers!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Kid Friendly Art at the Zoo

Dear Liza,

As I have said before, the Oregon Zoo here in Portland is delightful. They take good care of the animals by giving them large, interesting enclosures. The keepers make sure the animals get healthy food and enough exercise.

The zoo also educates people about animals and how we can help take care of them, both in the wild and in captivity.

Carved mural in the Pacific Northwest area

But the zoo is also beautiful. Even in winter, when trees and gardens go bare, there are sculptures and other kid-friendly art. When I can walk slowly and really look around, I see more.

Cousin Jasper, hanging out with the goats

There is a stack of goats just near the entrance which is a great photo op for families. You and the cousins climb on it every time we are there!

The late Jim Gion’s lion sculpture, called Lunchtime, is a favorite with kids. They love sitting on the adults and rolling on the ground with the babies.

The other day when I was at the zoo I noticed two sculptures that I had never seen before. One is a frog about two feet high, called Sunning. It is in one of the buildings with small, tropical animals on display.

My biggest surprise was an outdoor sculpture group near the penguin enclosure. I couldn’t see any plaque giving the name or artist, and haven’t been able to find this information elsewhere yet.

Auntie Katie has identified the man as Charles Darwin. Grandpa Nelson wants to call it Mansplaining, which I kind of like. But I’ll keep looking for the correct name!

Sculpture group at Oregon Zoo, title and artist as yet unknown

Other art, like the stone sculpture garden, is meant to be climbed on.

At a wonderful event called ZooLights, the art is meant to be seen but not touched. Only open at night in winter, most of the zoo is lit up with beautiful colored scenes and animals that seem to swoop and run. It is chilly, but worth the extra layers.

I love our zoo!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Messages at the Zoo

Dear Liza,

I love that our zoo here in Portland works hard to care for the animals and make sure they are happy. I also love that they want to educate folks to the need for responsible action.

This past visit, we were met by Daisy the Polar Bear just as we entered. From a distance, she seemed soft, almost fluffy. When we got closer, however, we saw that she was made from plastic trash.

Plastic lighters, medicine bottles, and cooler lids, washed up onto beaches and collected by volunteers and sorted by color, were used to make Daisy. She is one of a collection of sculptures called “Washed Ashore” and designed to raise awareness of the hazards of littering and pollution.

The zoo is currently making a huge new habitat for Polar Bears, with a larger pool, indoor and outdoor exercise areas, and lots of ways for people to learn about these wonderful bears. Climate change seems to be ruining their wild homes, but our zoo wants to make them a safe haven. I like that.

There are also non-language signs that make it clear that people need to be careful of their behavior at the zoo. Items that end up in enclosures can be eaten by the animals and make them sick. I overheard several moms explaining this to their child, and I was pleased that both seemed to realize their responsibility.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Hello, SUN!!

Dear Liza,

With fall getting grey and damp, I had sort of given up on sunny days. But yesterday I wanted a long walk and Grandpa Nelson wanted to visit the zoo, and we got to do both under piercingly blue skies.

We walked through the neighborhoods down to the river and across the Morrison Bridge.

Amazing new building with giant flower pots!!

Because of the elevated bridge approaches, there are a few blocks by the river that feel sort of spooky and underground… not places to be after dark, anyway.

But being there on foot gives great perspectives on new buildings going up. This colorful new building has huge flower-pot shaped planters attached to the outside with trees growing in them!

We crossed the Morrison Bridge, enjoying the brilliant sunshine reflecting in the Willamette. The stiff breeze made my wool sweater and leather jacket feel just about right.

We could have continued walking once we got downtown, but the climb to the top of Washington Park would have worn us out. We took the train and then the super fast elevator up to the top of the hill. ZOOM!

The zoo was practically empty, just the way we like it. A few groups of moms with small kids in strollers, some brave grandparents, and us. We got to spent quality time with the giraffes, talking with their keeper, Virginia. She told us that the zoo tries to never anesthetize giraffes. Becoming unconscious means falling down, which can be deadly for the tall, spindly animals.

While she was feeding the Masai and Reticulated giraffes their carrot treats, we got to see their twenty inch black tongues! It was adorable and creepy at the same time.

We got to watch as the cheetahs prowled their enclosure. We felt a bit anxious realizing that we were just one pane of glass away from becoming lunch. The graceful cheetahs could run us down like a rocket. It was delightful.

I will tell you more tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Thinking about Turkey

Dear Liza,

Momma Billie Evans, in her Lompoc kitchen, circa 2009

It is now just a week before I get to start fixing things for Thanksgiving. The day before the holiday will also be Cousin Jasper’s 10th birthday, so there will be party preparations, as well.

It is odd that when I look back on past Thanksgivings I remember the family and games, but when I look forward to the upcoming one, I think of the food that needs making. Particularly, the turkey.

Salinas Thanksgiving set-up and eight year old Kyle

For whatever reason, I have never had any success with roasting the enormous birds. They are never done right, either too pink or stone dry, and investing that much money and energy into something that I have no confidence in was, and is, exhausting.

Back when I was a kid, Thanksgiving was a dizzying blur of family and food. An assortment of my dad’s large family would show up early in the day, and we would climb trees and ride bikes until tons of food magically appeared, weighing down Momma’s old table. We ate, watched football, and played cards and Scrabble until the day just faded away.

Even when my kids came and I was THE MOM, we still went to my parents’ house for the holiday. I helped, of course, but the dinner-making magic was still my mother’s magic.

Grandpa Nelson, me, Auntie Christy and Uncle Jim, in Lompoc

The year my sister-in-law Christy suggested my then-85-year-old Momma order the dinner from the local Von’s Market was a revelation. Food and family without wearing out the Mom! Thanks, Christy!

After Momma passed we would go to visit Auntie Bridgett’s family for the holiday. There were three turkeys, three cooks, and literally a twenty-foot-long table. Again, I was off the hook for the BIG stuff.

We are staying home this year. There will be fewer folks around Momma’s same old table. And, at the urging of Grandpa Nelson and Auntie Bridgett and thanks to Christy, we are ordering our turkey already roasted from the local market. I can now look forward to family and games.

Thanks, guys!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Books with Pictures Update

Dear Liza,

I have told you about Auntie Katie’s store, Books with Pictures, down on Division Street here in Portland. After thriving in a rented space at 12th and Division for three years, her new shop opened this past July 6th, after a huge building renovation and a community assisted, bike-centric moving day. It was a lot of work!

Katie was able to buy the 1927 building with the help of investors, and paid for the move and repairs with a Kickstarter campaign. As with all Kickstarters, she posted it on Facebook.

Auntie Katie stepping up and learning new skills

She offered different rewards for different levels of pledges, and raised more than she asked for! And yesterday, the pledge rewards arrived. The shop is full of them! Art prints, t-shirts, tote bags and other goodies are in boxes, waiting for Katie’s supporters. Many local fans will come by and pick the goodies up. Those destined for folks out of town will be mailed.

I am so proud of Auntie Katie. She has taken her wild dream of owning and running an inclusive, community supporting bookshop, and made it happen. When lack of money got in the way, she figured out how to get it. When too much work was the obstacle, she worked harder. She learned about plumbing, electricity, and woodworking. She hired skilled friends and worked with them.

And all this while raising Cousins Jasper and Kestrel to be kind, confident, and well-read kids.

Word has spread that Books with Pictures is THE place to go for comics, graphic novels, and illustrated books. When I am out and about in town and I mention Books with Pictures, people know it and love it. “Katie’s your daughter?” They say. “She’s wonderful!”

I agree.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Across the Banfield

Dear Liza,

I wanted to go for a walk the other day., and Grandpa Nelson decided to come with me. It looked like it could rain, so of course we left the umbrella at home.

Walking through the Laurelhurst neighborhood, we kept a sharp lookout for early Christmas decorations. We had read about a family that got scolded by their neighborhood association for putting up trees and such “too early”. But we didn’t see any!

What we did see was evidence of Thanksgiving and football loyalties. This turkey looks bit puzzled, as though he suspects his owners are not committed to his long term good health. His family also supports the Washington State Cougars.

Down the block we found this house with an inflated Bernie Beaver out front, so there is a lot of college football love around here.

Going north, Grandpa Nelson showed me this nifty pedestrian bridge over the Banfield Freeway. It is very noisy, going over ten lanes of traffic, but gets you safely across, anyway.

What is odd that the little bridge transports you from the tree-heavy, arts and crafts neighborhood of Laurelhurst smack dab into the middle of the bustling Hollywood District.

By now I realized Grandpa Nelson’s hidden agenda: Fleur de Lis Bakery! Of course, I was a willing participant. The croissants were lovely.

By the time we walked back home, we had covered about 5 miles and were well worn out. But what a nice adventure into the fall colors!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Winter Comes Dripping In

Dear Liza,

I know winter doesn’t really start until December 21st, but it feels like it has already landed here in Portland.

The leaves have fallen from most of the maples. The ginkgoes are still blazing yellow, as if trying to hold off winter’s arrival. But it is cold. It is dark. And it is wet.

Inside where it is warm and dry, we are planning for Thanksgiving. The turkey will be bought pre-cooked from New Seasons Markets but the rest will be homemade…two potatoes, two breads, and maybe three pies, as Auntie Katie has offered two!! And cookies, of course.

Evenings are long now that it gets dark at five o’clock. I have gotten fabric out for another ‘Circles’ pillow. I’ve gotten some books from the library to read to help me with my Teacher Voice problem.

Scrabble games are a regular thing. Last night’s went wrong in a spectacular way….we managed to play ourselves into a corner and almost couldn’t finish!

And, although it seems a bit premature, Christmas movies are being listed, researched and pulled from their boxes. The Bishop’s Wife and Charlie Brown, We’re No Angels and way too many of the Christmas Carols. We have our priorities, after all.

We are ready for winter!

Love,

Grandma Judy