Judy – Page 147 – Dear Liza

Save the Cat!

Dear Liza,

After enjoying Cousin Jasper’s school show at Abernethy School, Auntie Bridgett and I walked down to Powell’s on Hawthorne to hear Jessica Brody talk about her new book, “Save the Cat” Writes a Novel.”

Jessica is a very successful author of children’s and young adult novels and this new book is a How To guide to her method of developing plots and characters. I figured that I was ready to get some help with my story…it is good, but needs help here and there to be GOOD ENOUGH. Because after all the research and mapping I have done, if the story doesn’t have a character people care about, no one will read it!

“Save the Cat!” was originally a guide to screenwriting by Blake Snyder. It talks about “beats”, or plot points, that stories need to be satisfying to read and successful in the marketplace.

Some of these include a flawed hero (someone with problems who we follow and learn to care about), stating a theme (which we will see play out in the story) and a catalyst, (which forces the hero to actions that lead to their growth and redemption.)

Also in the book are analysis of other books, like Pride and Prejudice or The Kite Runner, pointing out the “beats” and how they apply to every genre. This will be helpful in my fictionalized history of Portland, I am sure.

Jessica spoke to a crowd of about 60 people at Powell’s, most of us writers or wannabes, looking for guidance. We were all happy with her clear, approachable advice and most of us bought her book. If I am typical, there will be 60 people in Portland today, flipping through “Save the Cat” and their own stories, figuring out what is wrong and how to fix it.

Wish us all luck!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Downtown Fun and Folks

Dear Liza,

Spring is coming, one step forward, one step back.

In the meantime, Wednesday was a cold and rainy day. So, naturally, I got Auntie Bridgett to go downtown with me.

The bus was crowded with folks headed off for rainy day fun. A neighbor and his son were off to play miniature golf in a basement somewhere. Other kids got off at the bowling alley on Belmont. We got off at 9th and Washington, and went into Woon Winkel for a while.

This is a cool shop we have passed many times. Woon is Dutch for ‘living’ and Winkle means ‘shop’. It is a housewares shop for dishes, coasters, coat hooks and such, all very modern nifty. But what caught my eye was this mosaic in the floor.

The lady explained that this building used to be an Owl Pharmacy, a chain here in Portland. I love it! I will be looking into this, you can be sure.

When we felt ready to go out into the rain, we headed up to the Portland Art Museum. On the way we noticed this:Portland Heritage Tree number 2! It is a huge Plane tree (sometimes called a sycamore) and is on the way from the bus stop to the museum…how have I missed it all these times?

The current show is called Modern American Realism, and it is very popular! I have never seen this many people in the museum. One of my reasons for coming was to have a quiet, inspirational space to think about my story….that wasn’t happening today. Once I got over that, I enjoyed myself.

The museum doesn’t let you take pictures in the featured galleries, but you may in the rest of the museum. We saw two really different types of art. Today I will tell you about the folks.

This fellow is a resin statue of a Dishwasher named Otto by Duane Hansen. It is so realistic that it creeped us out! Otto looked so tired, not just physically, but spiritually, as well.

Very close by Otto the Dishwasher was A Muse by Brancusi. It was not realistic, but smoothly serene and modern. It did not creep me out. But it didn’t capture much of the soul of the model, either.

One of my favorite paintings in this portrait called The Little Pastry Chef ( Le Petit Patissier ) by Chaim Soutine. It is so adorably cartoony that I just love looking at it. It was painted by Soutine, a poor Prussian Jew who left home in the 1920s to study art in Paris. He was successful, but when the Nazis invaded France, he hid in the woods and only returned after the war. He died soon after, but his works were saved.

In a different gallery is a very different piece, this larger than life bust of a man called Likunt Daniel Ailin by Kehinde Wiley. He looks so proud and also a little sad, like he would like to relax for a moment but is afraid of letting his guard down. I spent quite some time walking around and around him.

On our way back to the bus stop, we walked south a bit to pay our respects to Teddy Roosevelt. A statue of him, called The Rough Rider, by Alexander Proctor, stands between the Art Museum and the Historical Society.

Tomorrow I will tell you about some other weird and wonderful things at the Portland Art Museum.

Love, Grandma Judy

Another Abernethy Show

Dear Liza,

I had a busy night last week. It started off at Hosford- Abernethy School to see Cousin Jasper’s class show. I love the auditorium at these wonderful old schools, with their soaring ceilings and expansive walls that have lots of room for bright murals.

Jasper’s show was an retelling of the Frog and Toad stories that have been popular since before your daddy was born. Frog and Toad are friends and like each other very much, but don’t always agree. The show started with an argument between the two friends.

Frog feels badly about it, and asks some snails to deliver a letter to Toad. Cousin Jasper played the part of one of the snails, singing,

“We’re carrying a letter, a most important letter,

A letter Frog has written to Toad…

We’d love to stay and chat, stick around and chew the fat,

But for now we’ve really got to hit the road…”

Being snails, it takes them most of the show to get across the yard from Frog’s house to Toad’s. During this time, we see Frog and Toad having adventures together…sledding down a hill and going for walks.

In the end, Toad gets the letter and the two understand each other better. The show used songs borrowed from videos and other song writers. Bruno Mars’ “Count on Me” was a lovely last number, telling us that even when friends are different, they still care for each other.

It was wonderful seeing Jasper be so brave and clever on stage, along with all his third grade classmates. They acted their parts, sang nice and clearly, and got on and off the risers without hurting anyone. As a former third grade teacher, I know the amount of work and concentration this all took, and I am impressed.

After the show we walked with Kalman and Saul and their family over to Pastini, but I didn’t stay for dinner. I had a lecture to go to at the Powell’s Bookstore on Hawthorne! I’ll tell you about that tomorrow.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Taking a Chance

Dear Liza,

Since it is winter, Portland weather can be depended on to be cold and wet. But I have seen folks and plants lately that seem to be braving the elements.

The first folks were these roofers working on a lovely steep-roofed house on Stark Street. They have stripped off the old shingles, leaving only a bare framework of slats. Knowing they need to get the plywood, tar paper and shingles up before the weather changes must be a strong motivating factor.

Then there are plants which seem to be preparing for their best even while the radar is predicting the worst. The Daphne bush in out patio is getting ready to bloom.

In another yard in the neighborhood, this very low to the ground plant with big leaves is also defying the winter cold.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Small Shrine

Dear Liza,

On the way to the Sidestreet Arts Gallery, where Auntie Bridgett shows her art, there is a beautiful shrine to nature and art, which has been created and maintained by some lovely soul.

The shrine started out as a tree stump in the parkway on 29th Avenue. Maybe the person who maintains the shrine loved the tree before it was cut down and is remembering it, or maybe the stump was already a stump. However it happened, it is now a beautiful, growing piece of art.

The tree stump has been repurposed, while still embedded in the ground, as a home for a new cedar tree. Small flowers have been planted where the roots form cavities and crannies. The climate here has encouraged ferns and mosses and waters everything.

Small ceramic suns have been placed around the stump, letting us know for sure that this is no mere accident of nature.

I love that Portland is home to so many people who respect and care for nature, and who put their heart and soul into making their neighborhoods beautiful, interesting, and loved.

Love,

Grandma Judy

More Out and About

Dear Liza,

After we had seen the Chinatown Museum, Grandpa Nelson suggested we walk south and see what we could find out about Dr. Wo’s neighborhood on Alder and 3rd. We walked, looking around at the buildings. I took pictures as we went past old buildings so I could look them up later.

It turns out, there are quite a few buildings in this neighborhood that were standing in 1903. The Hamilton Building has beautiful clean lines and a modern look, but another (whose name I didn’t see) is very ornate and looks almost too pretty to be real.

The Bishop’s House from the Old Portland Cathedral is still standing, next door to where the Cathedral used to be. It was torn down and another cathedral rebuilt over on 19th Street, away from the danger of floods on the Willamette. But the Bishop’s House is still here.

We stood on the corner of SW 3rd and Alder, where Dr. Wo’s office stood in a small building. There is now a four story parking garage in its place. All the buildings at that intersection are modern and less interesting that I had hoped. I have to take a deep breath and chant “cities have to change or they die” a few times to come to peace with so much history coming down to make way for … cars.

Heading back to our car (yes, I know, I hate parking lots but I do sometimes use a car) we saw this old tiled entry in front of a deserted building. It means the building is probably from the 1890s, but there was no plaque to tell me.

It turns out Grandpa Nelson wanted some ice cream before we headed home, and there is a branch of Salt And Straw, a fabulous ice cream shop, in the Pine Street Market. It is called The Whiz Bang Bar and was delicious…chocolate shake for Grandpa Nelson, a vanilla custard swirl for me.

As we got into the car to head home, I noticed that we were parked behind the Kells Bar, which is famous for being “haunted”. But what I loved was the silly sign on the back, to make sure you didn’t forget where the bar was.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Crows

Dear Liza,

It has been bright, sunny and COLD the last few days. I have had fun taking pictures of the flowers that are thriving in the cold, and some noisy crows, as well.

Crows do really well in Portland. They drink out of the bubblers downtown and enjoy over ripe fruits and leftover take-out food here in the neighborhood.

They have something to say (I’m still not sure what) to everyone who passes by, including dogs on leashes and cats on porches. I reply and try to understand, but they don’t seem particularly motivated.

So I let it go.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Portland’s Chinatown(s)

Dear Liza,

In the story I am writing, there is a character who was also a real-life Chinese doctor here in Portland, Dr. C. Gee Wo. He advertised every day in the local newspaper, The Oregonian. He was very successful, also investing in other businesses and donating to charities here in Portland and all along the west coast.

In order to describe his neighborhood and office, I have been trying to learn what the Chinatown here in Portland was like in 1903. So you can imagine how happy I was when I learned that a brand new Chinese museum had opened up! Yesterday, Grandpa Nelson and I went to visit it.

But first, there was a doctor’s visit and then, lunch. We parked by a wonderful old building called The Hazeltine, which was built in 1893. Amazing stone work right out on the street!

Across the street was the Pine Street Market, which is another old building that is now being shared by about five different restaurants. Checkerboard Pizza, Pollo Brava, Markum Ramen, and the Kim Jung Grill all vied for our attention.

We ate at “Bless Your Heart” Burgers, and they had wonderful burgers, fries for Grandpa Nelson, and Mexican Coke! I only have about two sodas a year, so I need to make them count.

Then we walked across Burnside, past Voodoo Donuts, and to the Portland Chinatown Museum. As I said, it is brand new. There are still pictures resting on the floor, waiting to be hung, and the model that shows how the museum is laid out is still sitting on a back table. But there are wonderful displays of Chinese stores and restaurants, and essays and photographs that show when Chinese folks came to America, what jobs they did, and where they lived.

I met James Wong, a retired teacher who is on the Board of museum. He told me that he was born and raised two blocks from this museum in the 1950s. He explained that there were really TWO “Old Chinatowns” in Portland. The one from the time of my story, 1903, was south of Burnside, along 2nd and 3rd Streets. The later one, from about 1905 onward, is north of Burnside. That would explain why Dr. Wo’s office is so far south, on Alder.

We read, looked and walked all over the museum, bought a book called Sweet Cakes, Long Journey by Dr. Marie Rose Wong, and went off to see what else we could see.

I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow!

Love, Grandma Judy

Mr. Frank Dekum

Dear Liza,

Yesterday Auntie Bridgett and I went for a long walk. We enjoyed the dogs and trees at Laurelhurst Park, and the pretty houses of the Laurelhurst neighborhood. We wandered for quite a ways before we decided to turn back towards home.

When we did, I realized that we were very close to The Lone Fir Cemetery and that it had been a long time since we visited the folks there. So we went in.

As you already know, I love the peace and perspective of this old cemetery. We saw familiar headstones; heroic pioneers and shady ladies, revered doctors and just plain folks. And, as so often happens, something new caught our eye. Mr. Frank Dekum.

We know the name, because a big stone and brick building built by and named for him is on the corner of 3rd and Washington and we pass it every time we go downtown. Mr. Dekum came to Portland in 1853 with his family and started a very successful fruit business. He was also a candy maker, so obviously, a lover of good things.

When he had made his fortune in fruit and candy, he started investing in real estate development. He was involved in every building that went up on Washington Street between First and Third. He was on the Boards of banks and water companies, helping bring railroads and fresh drinking water to the city.

When the city was hit by a financial panic in 1893, property investments crashed and Mr. Dekum was badly impacted. He died the next year with only a fraction of his fortune intact. He is buried in our dear Lone Fir along with his eight children, so I can visit the whole family whenever I want.

Gone, as they say, but not forgotten.

Love,

Grandma Judy

January at the Park

Dear Liza,

It is winter in Portland, wet and pretty chilly most days. But it is also beautiful. After a really rainy night, I went for a walk in Laurelhurst Park.

Oh, before I forget. I met a lady walking her dog the other day, and she says we should call it “Squirrelhurst” Park.

I guess if you are walking a dog in the park, the squirrels become much more of a focus. Leash-training is a good thing.

Even though the calendar says it is mid-winter, not all the plants are shut down. These green shoots are promising jonquils, or snowdrops, pretty soon. I will keep my eye out for them!

The Camellias are beginning to bloom, both red and white, all over the park. They don’t worry about freezing temperatures, diminished sunlight and buckets of rain, apparently.

Puddles become a real thing in the park after a rain. The paths need to be walked with care, and the lowest parts are really muddy. Another reason to keep your dog on a leash!

There is a stone wall that runs along a bit of the Cesar Chavez side of the park. Because of its shape, I call it The Wallosaurus. It has gotten a nice sweater of ferns and moss which makes it even more charming.

Another wall I love on the way to the park. Cast in concrete decades ago, it sort of looks like an aerial photograph of Oregon’s Willamette Valley…lush and green with a few roads and rivers running through. Very Pretty.

Love,

Grandma Judy