Author: Judy

Dear Liza,

It was another lovely sunny day today! Auntie Bridgett had to work at the SideStreet Arts Gallery, so Grandpa Nelson and I walked her there, then got snacks at Whole Foods up on Burnside, and walked back through Laurelhurst Park. We found a lovely piece of grass close enough to the lake to hear the ducks, and stretched out on your striped blanket with our books.

The theater of life that is the park played out around us. Since we were lying on the ground, our perspective was a bit odd.

We heard the osprey dive into the lake and hit the water, causing ducks to fly in all directions, and seconds later flew we saw him overhead with a good sized fish in his beak.

A trio of girls played cards and chatted on the grass, visiting with all the dogs that passed by.

The sun had a halo, which means that somewhere in the atmosphere there were ice crystals. The barking of dogs and encouragement of their owners echoed from the dog park area. “Don’t go in the lake, no, please don’t….” Seconds later, “Oh, good girl!”

A couple practiced their circus/yoga/ acrobatic moves, much to everyone’s enjoyment, while another young lady played on her bongo set.

The grass was so soft, Grandpa Nelson fell asleep, and I sat up on a picnic bench to look around. Kids negotiated with moms about when it was time to leave.

It was a lovely day, and we were sad when we had to head for home, but we can go back again tomorrow, when a different cast of characters will act in their own plays.

As we got home, I got good news on the patio! The maple and birch seeds I stuck into flower pots last fall have opened up, and I now have the beginnings of of fine bonsai trees! I will keep an eye out at thrift shops for some traditional pots for them.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

We had a perfect, sunny day yesterday! So after we had a visit from a lady measuring for our new window blinds, we headed out for a walk.

Auntie Bridgett has been telling me all winter how bright and colorful the spring is here, and now I know she wasn’t exaggerating. As we walked north through the Laurelhurst neighborhood, we saw layers and layers of color from azaleas, dogwoods, maples and camellias. It was amazing.

Our goal was Coe Circle, which was the end of the streetcar line back in the 1900s when this upscale neighborhood was developed. Once the streetcars were removed when cars became popular, the circle of lawn became a traffic circle, controlling the flow east /west on Glisan, and north /south on 39th.

Into this circle, in 1925, was placed a gold covered statue of Joan of Arc. This is a copy of Emanuel Fremiat’s “Jeanne d’Arc”, which is in France. It was paid for by Dr. Henry Waldo Coe as a gift to the city in memory of the Doughboy soldiers of World War 1.

In the traffic circle is also a huge cherry tree which has been blooming with great exuberance. This combination of statue and tree had been what I wanted to see…it was why I wanted to walk there.

And this was a bit of a let down, and a lesson. The statue was beautiful and shiny, as it always is. But the tree had faded a bit, as all spring blossoms do. It was lovely, but not at its best. Next year I won’t wait to walk up.

I have always heard the line “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may”…now I know the same goes for photographing cherry blossoms.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

In the story I am writing, the main character is a girl named Clara who has moved from Brownsville to Portland, a distance of about 100 miles. Yesterday, Grandpa Nelson took me there so I could learn more about it.

Brownsville is an old town, founded in 1846 as a place for Kirk’s Ferry, a way for folks to get across the Calapooya River on their way to and from Portland. Compared to the Willamette or the mighty Columbia, the Calapooya is tiny…but if you wanted to cross it before there was a bridge, you would need a ferry.

Since my story takes places in 1903, I was most interested in buildings that would have been standing at that time. I wasn’t disappointed! There is the Moyer Mansion, built in 1881, on the way into town from the train station. The Masonic Hall was build in 1865, and the Starr and Blakely Drug Store was built in 1875, so my Clara would have known them. The City Bank was built in 1903…it would have been the newest thing in town.

I found a nice mix of housing styles, some stylish and majestic, some small and cozy. I found one that I will use as a pattern for Clara’s house, though I don’t know when it was built.

The buttes that loom above Brownsville give it a snug feel, not like it is out on the wide flat land, but nestled and comfortable. They seem to be too small to have names, at least on the maps I have found online. Washburn and Ward buttes, way far out of town are bigger, but don’t have any effect on the feel of Brownsville. I will keep looking.

The Brownsville Ditch is an offshoot of the Calapooya River, hand dug in the 1860s to power the woolen mills of the town with water power. It was great to get a sense of where my girl is from, the place that would have been her homebase.

Dear Liza,

While I was having a nice visit with Aunt Bea, Grandpa Nelson did some exploring on the internet and found interesting things close by.

In Albany, just ten miles from Corvallis, is a Carousel…. a BIG one.

This beautiful piece of art, history and fun is the passion project and brain child of Wendy Kirby.

Ms Kirby wanted to have a carousel for Albany like one she remembered from her hometown of Missoula, Montana, so in 2002, she gathered support from friends, local artists and businesses, and started creating this wonderful thing. It opened to the public in 2017. At the opening, she was overwhelmed by the support she had received, and said “This is what six millions dollars can get you.”

The mechanism that turns it is 110 years old, originally from a 1909 Dentzel Carousel in New Jersey. It has been completely restored by volunteers. The 30 animals are hand carved and painted by local craftspeople and sponsored by local people and groups. These are one of a kind, because the sponsoring folks get to decide what they look like!

The singing elephant, Daisy, is a memory of the joy of music. The salmon, Chinook, was sponsored by grandparents to remember fishing with their grandson. The whole creation is a noisy, happy testament to the town of Albany and the people who live there.

And as if the carousel isn’t enough, the town built a building to protect is, as well as to house a gift shop and carving and painting shop to make more animals, and a museum of old carousel-related goodies.

We walked around and chatted with the ladies who volunteer at the shop, who call it “our happy place”. Their joy is contagious! We walked down to the Monteith River Park, where we got views of theWillamette River and some bridges. It was moody, lovely, and peaceful.

As I was preparing myself for the long trip home, feeling a bit sad that our day out was ending, Grandpa Nelson said, “How far is it to Brownsville?” And off we went!

More about that tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

Your Great Grandpa Lowell had nine brothers and sisters, so I had lots of uncles and aunts. But I think my favorite is my Aunt Bea. She is funny and sweet and we have always gotten along. Her voice always sounded like everything was going to be all right.

Aunt Bea used to run a flower shop in Salem, and when she got tired of doing that, she taught flower arranging classes out of her house in Silverton. She put on flower shows there.

At the top is a picture with my Uncle Bill, Aunt Veralene, with Aunt Bea in the center, taken at a big party. The bald fellow is Veralene’s husband and the one wearing the tie is my Uncle Benny. Aunt Bea was always in the middle! We always said that she didn’t leave a party, she took the party with her.

This Easter Sunday, I decided it was time to go visit her in Lake Oswego, which is part of Portland. Grandpa Nelson offered to drive me, so I got in touch with Bea’s oldest son, Larry, to find out where she was staying. But she’s not here anymore!

She has moved to Corvallis, and is currently in the hospital there, after a fall. Well, poop. But Grandpa Nelson said he would enjoy a drive through the country, an hour and a half to Corvallis, so we packed some haroset and some Peeps (it’s Easter, after all) and headed south.

There is a lot of country, millions of grape vines and thousands of filbert trees, between here and Corvallis. But it was all spring lovely and almost sunny. We drove in quiet or chatted for an hour and a half, and found the hospital.

Bea is eighty seven, and no one looks their best after a stay in the hospital. But once she woke up (I had gotten there at nap time) and had some lunch, we had a nice conversation. We remembered funny stories about her kids, and what they were doing now. It was a good, two hour conversation.

I could tell Bea was getting tired, so I took a picture and hugged her tiny frame, and said goodbye. Aunt Bea is small and frail, but she is still sweet, funny Aunt Bea. I’m glad we went to see her.

I’ll tell you what happened next, tomorrow!
Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

Yesterday was warm and sunny in Portland! After weeks of cold clouds, it was like seeing an old friend. Auntie Bridgett was working at the gallery and Grandpa Nelson was reading, so I decided to go for a walk to do some neighborhood looking for my story. I took the number 20 bus to Burnside and 14th to get in the right area.

In my story, which happens in 1903, I have a working class boy named Henry and his slightly better off friend, Frank. They need to live within a block or two of each other, a few blocks from rich old Mrs. Schumacher, and close to the old North Central School. Yesterday, on my walk, I found what could have been their homes!

It was fun to stand where the school used to be, which is now a parking lot, and imagine the views of the Willamette and Mt. Tabor, and even Mt. Hood, that my Henry would have seen while he was thinking about how to change the world.

When I had seen all I could see, I walked past incredible tulips and dogwoods down to Belmont Street and caught the magic number 15 bus home. We call it the Magic Bus because it is one of the few busses in town that runs from way east, through downtown, and way west, all while staying the same number. It can take you everywhere!

When I got home I put some of the descriptions in my story and printed it out so Auntie Bridgett can read it and give me feedback. She is traveling to see family for Easter, and I wanted her to have it in an easy-to-read format.

We had a chat with you, birthday girl, after dinner. You turned six today! I miss you very much.

The day stayed warm, so after dinner we walked down to the Pied Cow for dessert. The garden is getting leafy, the traffic sounds were soft, and the people watching was fun. We had a blueberry and lavender pie…fabulous!!! And Grandpa Nelson had his beloved ginger cake.

When the sun had gone down we said goodbye to a perfect day and walked home.

What will happen tomorrow?

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

Today was a busy day! I worked on the story in the morning, putting in more details about sidewalks downtown and what games kids played back in 1903. Did you know that another name for Hopscotch was Potsy? And that it has been played since the 1700s?

At lunchtime, Auntie Bridgett and I walked down to Hot Lips pizza on Hawthorne. Since it is officially National Pizza week, many pizza shops in town are offering slices of really good pizza for only two dollars!

When we had finished, Auntie Bridgett walked back to Luke’s Frame shop and I walked down to Auntie Katie’s new building to help her with some furniture. I got her dresser drawers finished and then she came and we got a nice tall IKEA bookcase assembled, put up, and attached to the wall so she can load it up.

Then Grandpa Nelson came by on a walk! He helped with the bookcase, then headed off to get some lunch at Double Dragon while Auntie Katie and I drove to a shop called Artifact for a delightfully quirky new/ old table for her dining room. It is painted the same blue as her new building, and has drop-leaves so it can be big enough for company or small enough for just Katie and the kids.

Once that was done, Grandpa Nelson and I walked back home, enjoying all the wonderful blooms in the neighborhood, and boy, were we tired! It turns out, it is almost two miles to the new place, so we both walked four miles. Pretty good exercise for a couple of oldies.

Now for a quiet evening.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

Spring is progressing up here in Portland. Camellia season is just about gone, which you can tell by the huge patches of petals at the base of every bush. It looks like the whole park sneezed at once!

Today we had to run out to Gateway Center, just a few miles east, for some medical tests. Gateway is also a transit hub, where two train lines and 9 bus lines intersect to let you get almost anywhere in the city. It was fun watching all the coming and going.

We were hungry after the tests, so Grandpa Nelson suggested the Bipartisan Cafe in Montavilla. On the way we saw a great new mural. Handy Hand loved it. Then he charged us a quarter for looking at it.

The Bipartisan Cafe, along with brunches, sandwiches and pastries, has political posters from both Democratic and Republican candidates (hence the name). William Howard Taft, Richard Nixon, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, all are equal on the walls.

Almost ready to head home, we drove past Mr. Plywood, the home repair shop with the cutest sign, and then made another stop.

The window blinds in our house are starting to fall apart, and we are checking to see what is available. The salesman, Don, is also the owner of the business, which we like. I hate dealing with middlemen. We had a look, talked about what would work for us, and made an appointment for Shelly, the co-owner (and Don’s wife) to come check out our windows and see what will work and what it will cost.

Now home to work on the story and have a rest.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

We have made some good friends here in Portland. One of our favorite folks is Jack Kent, a cartoonist we met years ago at a cartoon show. We got to visit Jack today at Bridge City Comics up in the Mississippi neighborhood, where he was having a book signing and sale for his new book, Sketchy People Year Three.

His books are collections of cartoons he draws of people he sees around town…. people in Dinosaur suits on the train, or rolling along on skateboards listening to music.

What was unusual about this book signing was that there was a llama. Yes, a llama, and his name is Cesar the No Drama Llama. He is an incredibly friendly, relaxed creature. Jack and Cesar got to know each other after Jack drew a sketch of Cesar on a Trimet train one morning, then looked up who this guy was. Turns out, Cesar does appearances to raise money for charity! He has raised over $5,000 in the last few years for showing up at parties, weddings, and even book signings.

Of course, the sketch of Cesar is on the cover of Jack’s new book, so he wanted Cesar to be at the signing. It all worked out.

After we had visited Cesar and Jack and got our picture taken, we went in search of lunch. The Mississippi neighborhood has dozens of restaurants, but it was Sunday, and there were long waits at most of them. Finally we found Bar Bar, which had fries for Grandpa Nelson, a burger for me, and a veggie burger for Auntie Bridgett. We enjoyed listening to music and watching ice skating and basketball on the t.v. Once we had eaten, we realized how tired we were, and headed home. It felt like a full day.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

Well, Grandpa Nelson and I got to work on the dresser for Cousins Jasper and Kestrel. We drove out to IKEA to get the replacement part I broke, then I got Grandpa to help me finish.

Between the new parts, some nice rest, and Pip’s Doughnuts to fill us up, we were able to get the main part of the dresser finished. Why do things that looked impossible all by yourself at the end of the day become easier all of a sudden when you are fresh and have help?

Because things are easier with company. When I thought I had to figure it all out by myself, I saw a few difficulties and gave up. But once I had Grandpa Nelson to help me see things, two sets of eyes (even eyes as bad as ours) made everything possible.

After just a few hours, fifty tiny screws and a few big lefts, we got it done. But the fun wasn’t over.Today I  went back to build the drawers! They were surprisingly easy, and I had time and energy left to bang out a few tunes on the old piano that came with the place. Then lunch at “Chickens and Guns” (the guns are side dishes…roast potatoes, salads, etc.) food truck and home on the bus.

Love,

Grandma Judy