Category: Uncategorized

Sunny Walks

Dear Liza,

Well, the rain came and went and then we had a sunny weekend. So of course we headed out for walks!

And you can’t just WALK … you need to walk SOMEWHERE. Preferably, somewhere that has food . And drinks. And shade. Fortunately, Portland is all about that!

Very close to our house is The 28th Street Foodcarts, just across the street from SideStreet Arts and with all sorts of delicious food. Friday evening, we enjoyed dinner from St. Burrito and Crave Crepes and a delicious Loganberry cider from The Captured Beer Bus. It was so much fun to watch families out and about and eves-listen a bit, like live theater.

Saturday was also too good a day to waste, so we walked quite a bit further, down to SE Division Street to Reverend Nat’s Cidery, which is right next to the Farmhouse Food carts. They have yummy sushi for Auntie Bridgett and me, and fries for Grandpa Nelson.

And the cider! We each have our favorites, of course. Straight apple for Grandpa, a sweet fall-spicy mix for Bridgett, and a bright citrus-y one for me. And since it is Bridgett’s birthday week (well, almost), charming Delphina filled a growler of Bridgett’s favorite so we could enjoy it at home.

We walked home, full and happy, through the end-of-summer sunshine.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Lovely, Drizzly Zoo

Dear Liza,

This week, Grandpa Nelson and I went to the zoo. It was the day of the first rain of Fall, and it was particularly lovely.

I took this picture at the train stop downtown, showing the reflection of a new building in a cobblestoned puddle. I was celebrating everything that was wet!

The zoo is different every time we go, of course. Different animals are active, new habitats are opened and old ones are under construction. This time was got to see a sleepy snowy owl and a grumbling brown bear who looked like we had interrupted his nap.

But it was the big cats that we enjoyed the most. The cheetah looked adorable, taking a nap in her nest by the window. I wanted to give her a snuggle!

And there was a lot of gnawing and interaction in the lion’s enclosure. The lionesses were all chewing on some large (I’m guessing beef) knuckles by the pond.

After a while, the largest got up and walked over by a rock, just as the male came by. They sniffed and snuffled a bit and the lioness walked off into the shelter.

The lion stood for quite a while, then seemed to yawn (it looked like a roar, but was silent).

Then he walked into the shelter. I wish I spoke Lion, I would have loved to understand what was going on!

We learned quite a bit about polar bears this visit. One of the docents explained that polar bears are not an isolated species, but closely related, and sometimes interbreeding, with Kodiak bears. When they are in captivity, they are more omnivorous that you would expect, eating the clover and grasses that are in their enclosure. We got to see Nora Grey rolling a log around to get at the grubs under its bark! That was cool.

We enjoyed the peace of the nearly empty walkways, the cool air, and the lovely plants. And when we had seen it all, we hiked back up to the entrance, said goodbye to the bronze goat, and headed home.

Love,

Grandma Judy

First Rain of 2023

Dear Liza,

We have had a very dry, hot summer, like most of the country. Day after day in the high 90s and weeks of dry, dry days and unnaturally warm nights.

This drying trend is taking its toll on some of our parks in Portland. The trees are getting ready for Fall earlier than usual and the grass is crackly in the sunny spots.

But today, we woke up to rain! Sweet, cool, life restoring rain! The ground smells of petrichore (that first rain smell) and the trees are sighing with relief.

And when we go out later for our adventure, there will be umbrellas! And proper hats!

And…. Puddles!


Hooray for Rain!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Friends and Music in the Park

Dear Liza,

As summer is winding down, the activities are ramping up! Sunday was a busy, exhausting, happy, musical day. First our friends John, Jennifer, Amy and Phil came by for lunch. We got caught up on everyone’s news, adventures, children and grandchildren. It was wonderful.

After lunch, I asked our friends to sign my tablecloth. They did, with John (the tall handsome fellow on the left) giving me a real challenge. His self-portrait sure makes things interesting!

When all the shenanigans were done, our guests headed off and we packed some leftovers and went to Laurelhurst Park for some music.

The Providence Stage Band is a very talented group of doctors from our local hospital, and they were performing a concert. We love their Big Band and Jazz era music, and the vocals were classic. “Ain’t that a Kick in the Head?” and “Queen Bee”, “Too Darn Hot” and other songs from the 40s and 50s bounced among the Douglas Firs and picnickers.

As usual, though, the real joy was watching the people! Youngsters dancing by the stage made their own show and got just as much applause as the band.

Couples dancing under the trees had romance, music, and conversation.

There were Dads carrying infants while supervising young stick-collectors.

And of course, everyone brought their dogs!

The air got cooler as the sun went down behind the trees, and the band ended with “In the Mood”, my favorite Big Band piece of all time. We packed up the chairs and walked the three blocks back home, worn to very happy nubbins by the day.

Thanks, friends! Thanks, Providence! Thanks, Portland!

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Ole Bolle Hus

Dear Liza,

I took the bus out to the Nordic House again this week, to get practice in Danish conversation and to see something that didn’t even exist until last month!

This is “Curious Troll and the Trollstua”, a wooden sculpture created by Thomas Dambo and a team of volunteers in the woods by the Nordic House in Southwest Portland. The site-specific installation is part of Dambo’s Northwest Troll: Trail of the Bird King, part of his Trail of a Thousand Trolls. Like all Dambo’s work, it is made of recycled pallets and repurposed lumber, as part of his philosophy of making beauty out of things once considered dirty and useless.

When you stand off from the piece, the troll seems almost child-like. But as you walk into the little house you get this ominous feeling of being watched by something very big. Not dangerous, especially, but BIG.

Of course, what has brought the Troll to the house is right there in the table, a pretty cake and basket full of pastries resting in a beautifully embroidered tablecloth.

A poem is posted on the wall, telling us what the Troll is thinking.

“There’s something in the air, that something makes my belly rumble,

Something smells so strong, it hits me almost makes me stumble

Could it be the little people cooking something smelly

In the big red cookie jar, so I can put them in my belly.”

So, it seems, the troll thinks the house is his cookie jar!

I love this mixture of whimsy and danger, adorability and slightly menacing. My conversation group compatriots Char and ElseMarie posed close by to give some scale. Char told me that the troll is 15 feet tall!

I hope this whimsical troll will be here for a long time. I can imagine that weather and rain will only make him more beautiful.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Things You See in Portland

Dear Liza,

We moved to Portland, six years ago now, for many reasons. One of the main ones was the quirky, artsy, never-know-what’s-next culture.

For example, this delightful tie-dye inspired picnic table at the Short Box food court by Books with Pictures. Isn’t it pretty?

Up the road, these hard working city employees were laying down some new sidewalks to keep the kids heading to Abernethy Elementary next week nice and safe. I never knew road paint got sealed with a blow torch! It’s hot work on these August days.

At the South Rose garden in Ladd’s Addition, the roses are getting near the end of their season. I love how their whole life cycle can be seen in a small cluster of flowers. The intense pinks are newly bloomed; the paler ones, middle aged; and the white ones, ready to lose their petals. C’est la vie en rose, for sure.

Here’s a twist on the “Make Love, Not War” protests of my teenage years. This one seems to aimed at social media. Make Love, Not Content.

And, getting back to art, this newly painted plaque was installed high on a power pole. The artist, who goes by @mizchaos, has a way with color that I really like. They also use bits of glass for texture, like a made-up mosaic. Nice.

In case you are wondering, yes, I still love Portland!

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Gift of Squash

Dear Liza,

This time of year, fresh produce is all over the place! We have even enjoyed apples, figs and Asian pears from front yard boxes labeled “Free”. It is marvelous!

My neighbor Jason has a garden plot, as well, and made us a present of one of his yellow squash. Here is the giant veggie with Mouse for comparison.

Squashes this size tend to be a bit woody, so I decided to chop this one up, freeze it, and use it for some yummy pumpkin-y soup when the colder weather gets here.

Step 1: Peel it. It got really slippery once the skin was off!


Step 2: Seed it. I know I could have kept the seeds, but I didn’t. Into the compost with them.

Step 3: Chop it. About 1 inch chunks, for quick freezing. This squash filled two baking sheets!

Step 4: Freeze it. I put the chunks on a baking sheet lined with silicon pad, annd froze until each piece is hard like a rock.

Step 5: Bag it! I scooped the frozen chunks into freezer bags to save until the evenings get chilly. Roast it, pan fry it, or make it into a nice, creamy soup.

That’s all for now!
Love,

Grandma Judy

A Banner for Auntie Beeswax

Dear Liza,

One of my recent sewing projects is a new decoration for Auntie Bridgett’s booth where she sells her Auntie Beeswax books, buttons, and artwork.

We chose fabrics in colors that Auntie Beeswax wears… orange, green, and blue. Some of these were fabrics I’d had for years. The orange cat print had been kitchen curtains in our house in Salinas, and I made the stripes out of scraps from other projects. We did buy a few new fabrics at Bolt, and added them to the collection.

Once we chose the fabrics, they needed to be cut into triangles, sewn, turned, and pressed to make nice sharp flags.

I love the way all the colors work together!

Next, all the flags needed to be sewn to a length of seam binding to make a long banner. This got tricky! The seam binding was so narrow, it took some careful maneuvering and pinning to get it put together.

But now it is done and ready for het next art fair, which is the Art Picnic on September 16th.

Love,

Grandma Judy

August Garden Update

Dear Liza,

It is still very warm most days, but Fall is coming. Some leaves are turning annd falling, and the mornings are cool.

The garden is showing signs of summer ending, as well. The lettuces, which have been giving us free salads every day since May 26th are finally done, pulled, and composted. We will miss them!

All four varieties of tomatoes are bearing fruit, enough to eat, share with the neighbors, and make tasty relish. Isis Candy is the biggest cherry tomato, and bright yellow and orange. Purple bumblebee is purple with orange flecks. Chocolate cherry is almost brown, and Sweet Millions are bright red and tiny.

Our dahlias, Laverne and Shirley, continue blooming giants.

And Ribsy and Picky-Picky (named after the pets in Beverly Cleary’s stories) are still with us. Ribsy is turning orange and seems to have stopped growing, but Picky-Picky just keeps getting bigger. I love this time of year!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Finishing Up the Quilt

Dear Liza,

Making any kind of quilt takes a long time. My latest baby quilt has taken about two weeks, working a few hours every day.

Once the top was pieced, I decided to quilt the whole thing by machine. This would keep the look of the quilt modern, with straight lines that looked like window panes.

It is important, on a quilt, that it looks good from the back as well as the front. I like how the pink lines show up so clearly in the black and grey backing.

So now the quilt is done, washed, dried, and wrapped up, waiting to get sent to its new owner, little Emily.

Love,

Grandma Judy