Category: Uncategorized

Between the Pages

Dear Liza,

Auntie Bridgett and I took the number 15 bus down to the warehouse district last Friday to visit an art space called Creative Variables. This is a renovated industrial space that Mary Hlastala (yes, the H is silent) has turned into a gallery, creative meet-up and retail space.

The space is light and cheerful, thanks to open shelving, white walls and murals by Chemisa Kellogg.

The show we went to see was called Between the Pages, which featured about 15 artists. Each artist displayed a sketchbook and a finished piece of art, which was for sale.

Each sketchbook was so different from the others, and led so clearly to the finished art piece, that I spent a long time just staring, comparing, and getting inspired.

Sadly, I didn’t make note of all the artist’s names, but those shown here are my favorites. Mandy Arroyo’s gouache sketches of our old stomping grounds of Carmel and Big Sur were so well done they made us homesick.

I kept falling into the pages and seeing new ways of drawing things. This one reminded me of Cousin Kestrel’s characters, a sort of faerie fashion show.

Our friend Brian Johnson, who does a cartoon called “Robot of the Day” had his sketchbook there, and I got to see the development of his very human robots in Copic markers and micron pens. We bought this darling picture of a robot visiting a bookshop. Because, you know, bookshops.

On the other side of the space, tables were set up with markers, colored pencils and pens, and suggestions for drawing. I joined a fellow named Butter, who drew a wonderfully melty pizza. It was so much fun to draw and chat!

Auntie Bridgett added her pizza character and we drew until it was time to head off.

We walked the two miles home, enjoying the warm summer evening and the cafes and restaurants with people, music and conversation. It reminded me of all the reasons we moved to Portland, and of how lucky we are to be here.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Public Art in Eugene

Dear Liza,

Our visit to Eugene reminded me of how much I enjoyed living in that city, many years ago. Your daddy and Auntie Katie were born there!

There always seems to be new public art sprouting up. This enormous “Rooster on a Stump” is a bronze chicken on an actual (extremely tall) stump, and pays tribute to the poultry plant that has been converted to the 5th Street Public Market.

We had lunch in this pleasant plaza populated by some delightful food trucks and a statue of Ken Kesey (local author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) reading to some people.

It is by Peter Helzer and is called “The Storyteller.”

This blue crane by Jud Turner is about 16 feet high and built of bicycle parts! It stands in the middle of the road at 15th and Alder and looks magnificent.

And as you can see, even the bus stops are adorable. On that hot day, anything with shade and a bench was appreciated.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Scandinavian Festival in Junction City

Dear Liza,

Since you have moved to Denmark, we have been paying more attention to all things Scandinavian. So of course, our trip to Eugene included a stop at the Scandinavian Festival in Junction City.

It was nearly 100 degrees, so we spent a lot of time finding shade and sitting down, but enjoyed the offerings of the festival. There were beautiful decorations and costumed people (who were in good spirits despite wearing fur!)

I found the ladies doing Danish hedebo embroidery and learned that each square inch takes “an hour, if you don’t dawdle”. There is a lot of patience and skill there, and the joy of creating beauty out of simple things.

We saw jewelry and wood carvings, cookies and embroidery decorated with ancient runes. There was so much to see!

By noon, we were faltering. An air conditioned lunch at The Raven Grill House saved us, with Swedish meatballs and a root beer float restoring our will to live.

We even found you! Well, sort of. Grandpa Nelson made sure everyone knew where you live!

Sending lots of love from very far away.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Emeralds Baseball

Dear Liza,

While we were in Eugene, Grandpa Nelson thought we should see the Emeralds play on their home field, PK Park. The Eugene Emeralds are a farm team for the San Francisco Giants, who we love.

After snafus at security (Only transparent bags! Who knew?) we got inside and realized it was Harry Potter night. This fabulous young lady was happy to put a spell on me.

We had good seats behind home plate, and watched the Emeralds face off against the Everett, Washington Aquasox. Yes, it seems an odd name for a team, and some of the players follow suit. There is Harrison Ford, who goes by Harry; then there is Walking Cabrera. Yes, Walking. I assumed they were teasing a fellow named Joachim by misspelling it, but nope. That’s his name.

Like other local baseball games we have been to, there are lots of other games between the innings to keep the kids interested. The ones in Eugene all seemed to be sponsored by local businesses. The Sani-Pac Recycling Bungee Tug of War and the Prince Puckler’s Ice Cream Scoop Pitch were very popular.

There was also a game for the adults, called Beer Batter. Before each game, an opposing player is chosen at random. If that player is struck out by the Emeralds pitcher, all beer is discounted for fifteen minutes! The player for this game was Ben Ramirez. He struck out quite a few times and made a lot of fans very happy.


And the beach balls! While we were all standing up for the Seventh Inning Stretch, singing “Take me out to the ballgame”, folks in the broadcast booth began tossing beach balls down. This got everyone up, tossing and cheering.

Happily, none of the balls ended up on the field, but just kept bobbing around the stands well into the eighth inning. Eventually, they were caught and kept by some kids.

The actual game was fun, too. The Emeralds were behind, then tied it up. And in the last few minutes of the tenth inning, BAM! A walk off home run sent everyone out cheering. There were group hugs and cheers and bottles of water dumped on players.

Oh, and did I mention the Sasquatch Striptease? Yes, there was a Sasquatch Striptease. Because of course there was.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Hitting the Markets in Eugene

Dear Liza,

While we were in Eugene, we all had things we wanted to see. On Auntie Bridgett’s list was the Farmer’s Market, which she remembered fondly from her visit there in 2000. It was only a few blocks from where we were staying at the Home 2 Hilton, so early Saturday morning, we walked over.

We were not disappointed! Since it was early, we didn’t have to deal with crowds, and all the vendors were as fresh as their produce. Dozens of varieties of peppers, dozens more of tomatoes, and flowers everywhere were a treat to the eyes.

We got a pint of figs so sweet they melted in my mouth. I didn’t take any pictures of them… just slurped them down, one after the other, until (sadly) they were gone.

We met Ed Jones of Umpqua Valley Pollen and Honey, selling honey and bee pollen. He told us about the benefits of bee pollen and gave us a lot to think about. Could these weird little bits of pollen help my high cholesterol? Could it relieve Auntie Bridgett’s allergies? We will do more research.

We cooled our heels in the shade for a while, then walked a few more blocks to visit one of my fond memories, the Fifth Street Public Market. This delightful warren of shops set into a 1920s poultry processing plant enchanted me when we lived here in the 1980s. It was the “anti-mall”, a tangle of small spaces fitted into interesting architecture, packed with lovely local offerings. Cheese, crafts, wine, kitchen do-dads…. It felt homey and opulent and exotic all at the same time.

It is built on several levels with an open space in the middle for sunny tables and a fountain. The fountain features “Swifty”, a rooster who commemorates the many thousands of chickens processed here over the years.

I felt very pleased that the forty years’ gap between visits hadn’t ruined the Market. It has been updated, of course, but maintained its charm. As we walked back towards downtown, we noticed Swifty-the-rooster’s lady friend, Henney Penney, up on a high pedestal. Thanks, chickens!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Books with Pictures, Eugene

Dear Liza,

We headed south to Eugene this past week for a series of adventures. First stop was the south branch of Auntie Katie’s bookstore, Books with Pictures. It is right in downtown and is run by Dr. Andrea Gilroy.

Andrea has a Ph.d in Comparative Literature, and is an expert in Comics. She is a good friend of Auntie Katie, of course, and a delightful, hard-working, clever human.

While we were visiting, Andrea and her staff were bustling around collecting inventory for a Tween Book Fair that day and the Pride Day celebration the next. It was very busy, but cheerful. A sort of happy chaos.

We met Rhae, a bundle of joy in a tie-dyed jumpsuit.

We noticed that there was a comfy couch in the shop, as there should be in any book store. You want to get to know a book before you commit to it. On that busy Friday morning, though, no one was lounging.

Staff member Finlay was up the step ladder, making us all laugh with their silliness. Finlay is also the in-house artist who created the portraits of the staff that are the first picture in this blog. Amazing, right?


I can see that Books with Pictures will be as big a success in Eugene as it has been in Portland! Hooray for Books with Pictures Eugene!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Picnicking

Dear Liza,

On the family’s second day in Portland, we met up at our house, packed up a picnic, and walked up to Laurelhurst Park. We had seven people and so much equipment, I felt like part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Food, drinks, blankets and badminton all got carried by the crew.

We set up to eat in Picnic Area A, which usually hosts weddings or birthday parties, but it was a weekday and we had it all to ourselves.

It had a nice flat space for badminton practice.

After lunch and badminton, we packed up the gear and headed to the part of the park where the swings are. Everyone got into it!

By this time I was about worn out, so Bridgett and family went off to visit The Grotto while I konked out for a bit. Then I made supper for when they got back.

When supper was done and the table cleaned off, I got everyone to sign my tablecloth as part of my ongoing ‘memory through art’ project. It is a way of remembering all the lovely people who have eaten around my table here in Portland.

And today, I started embroidering the names so they become permanent.

Mouse helped, sort of.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Family Alert!

Dear Liza,

We had a wonderful visit this week. Auntie Bridgett’s sister Esther and her family came through town and we got to spend some time with them. We had so many neat things we wanted to show them!

They spent their first night at the McMenamin’s Kennedy School, so we met them there for dinner. Over pizza and breadsticks, we got to hear about the trip up and make plans for what to do in town.

Then we introduced them to the ghosts! Many of the McMenamin’s properties are rumored to have spirits wandering around, and the Kennedy School is one. There have been sightings of a little girl who wanders around and looks out the window. The artists have captured this eerie feeling in several murals.

As Grandpa Nelson, Auntie Bridgett and the kids were looking at one art piece, I took their picture in front of another one… and it got creepy. Look at that girl with the ribbon above Bridgett’s head. She is up to no good.

There was also art that didn’t give me shivers, of course. The skylights in the hallway all have mosaics that reflects light beautifully.

On this visit, we even got to see the inside of a hotel room, because the family had reserved one. They stayed in a room just down the hall from the movie theater. It was very nice and didn’t seem to have any ghosts.

We gave everyone good night hugs and headed home. More adventures tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Tickled Pink About Babies

Dear Liza,

I love making baby quilts. They are small and quick and you can get creative with the colors, since they don’t have to match any sort of decor. The last baby quilt I made was yours, ten years ago, and I thought my baby quilting days were over.

But life keeps handing me surprises, and a dear friend has just become a parent. So that friend, their spouse, (and their little girl) get a quilt. Our trip to Bolt Fabric Boutique yielded lots of pretty pinks. I think The Barbie Movie has given the color a popularity boost.

I browsed online to get pattern inspiration, and came up with this interpretation of a windowpane pattern.

Using a rotary cutter and careful measurement makes all the pieces straight and even and makes piecing a dream.

It took me one evening to cut the pieces, the next afternoon to sew the pieced blocks, and another morning to get the black borders added.

I am very pleased with the top, and am still deciding how I ought to quilt it. Should it be hand-stitched and folksy? Or Machine straight lines, to follow the window shapes?

I love creative decisions!


Love,

Grandma Judy

Selfie Bot

Dear Liza,

Every time we go for a walk in Laurelhurst park, there is a surprise. Saturday evening, we found Selfie Bot!

Selfie Bot is the creation of artist Kelly Fry, a local artist who does animation, book illustration, and public art installations.

The way Selfie Bot works is…

You sit in the chair and Ben Denham, Selfie Bot’s assistant, rings some little bells to wake up the Bot inside (I’m guessing it is artist Kelly Fry).

Then you smile and wait a few minutes, and your portrait pops out the front of the Selfie Bot. C’est moi, non?

I wasn’t the first portrait of the evening, and I wasn’t going to be the last, either. After me, a lady and her family stopped by and had a lot of fun visiting with Selfie Bot. Art you can interact with is always fun!

Love,

Grandma Judy