Category: Uncategorized

History Pub at the Kennedy School

Dear Liza,

Spring means going out more, and last Monday we went out to the McMenamin’s Kennedy School for one of their wonderful History Pubs!

We ate dinner at home, because two nights of McMenamin’s food seemed a bit of an indulgence. But Grandpa Nelson made sure we didn’t suffer too much.

We went to hear Marilyn Clint, a former Rose Queen and current CEO of the Rose Festival, talk about the history of the Rose Festival in Portland. She knows it from the inside out, and is a real history buff, too. She had a lot of interesting stories.

She told about Harry Lane, who was Mayor of Portland from 1905 to 1909. Harry was a man ahead of his time. He rode his bike from his house in the Eastside to work downtown. He was pro-women’s suffrage and pro-integration. He was the Mayor who got naval ships to come visit Portland for the Rose festival, by writing a letter to the Department of the Navy. Fleet week has been part of the Festival ever since.


Harry was also a pacifist, and as a Senator in 1917, he voted against American getting into World War I. His position was not popular and he was viciously attacked in the press. His health was not good and he suffered from stress, and he passed away the next year.

Marilyn told us about Silas Christofferson, who carried his biplane, piece by piece, up to the top of the newly built Multnomah Hotel in 1912. Then, during the Festival, he flew it off the building!

Other flight-related shenanigans involved a hydrogen balloon race that ended in two of the contestants making a crash landing in Bull Run Lake and having to walk themselves home.

Here’s a silly picture of Grandpa Nelson posing with the statue of a Royal Rosarian (yes, it is a real group) at the Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. I love this time of year, with Spring Fever hitting everyone and roses and activities blooming like crazy!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Sketchy People Year Seven

Dear Liza,

Auntie Bridgett and I took the number 20 from the Mt. Tabor Art Walk all the way downtown to see our friend Jack Kent. His newest book, Sketchy People Year Seven, was being released and we wanted to be there!

We got some coffee with Grandpa Nelson at Barista Coffee shop, then found Jack in front of Pinky, a quirky gift shop on NW 23rd Avenue. As we stood there chatting, this young man came out of the shop. He had just gotten a tattoo, right inside the shop, of one of Jack’s “Sketchy People!”

We were surprised, and Jack was stunned. That is some hard-core fan action.

We shopped and chatted, and then Jack closed up his table and we all headed off for dinner at the nearest McMenamin’s restaurant, The Ram’s Head.

Like most McMenamin’s, The Ram’s Head has a history. It is in the historic Campbell Apartment Building, which was built in 1912, and The Rams Head served as the Campbell’s dining room. In 1920, when Prohibition was passed, it became a “blind pig”: slang for a secret speakeasy, where people could buy illegal cocktails.

We loved it! The original coffered ceilings and tin wainscoting give it an old time charm. In addition to the usual quirky and delightful artwork, there are squashy chairs and a very cozy feeling.

For Auntie Bridgett to get her McMenamin’s passport stamped, we needed to find a Blind Pig somewhere… we did, finally. Right there, on the wall behind Grandpa Nelson. Can you see it?

We ate and chatted with Jack and then headed for home, via the Magic number 15. What a day full of adventures!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Mt. Tabor Art Walk Adventure

Dear Liza,

The summer activities continue! Sunday was the Mt. Tabor Art walk. We covered a lot of ground, met some lovely people, and saw a lot of art!

We decided to take the bus to get around, and mapped it out ahead of time with Trimet’s online maps. Auntie Bridgett also marked up a paper map so we knew where we were going.


We took snacks and water to avoid hungry-grumpiness and caught the number 14 to get to our first artsy neighborhood.

First on our tour was Georgina Ottavarino, who does collage and hand-made books. Her work is so precise and colorful, and she was so good at explaining things, I got inspired to do some more of both!


Georgina’s little studio is set in her backyard garden. Everything about her yard was peaceful and inspirational. I never wanted to leave.

Our next stop was a house where three artists were sharing space, and I visited with Tami Katz, who does beautiful fused glass. We talked about doing art with friends over Zoom and Skype during the pandemic shutdown, like I do with Ruthie Inman. I guess we all found ways to stay happy.

Bridgett and I ate our peanut butter and jam sandwiches sitting on a curb in the sun, enjoying the tree-lined neighborhood and the conversation of folks going by.

Our next group of artist studios were about a mile north, so we walked a block and caught the number 71 and then the 15 up the hill, to save our leg muscles. We found jeweler and artist Jo Brody’s art displayed in the front porch, and her husband Mark’s mosaics around back.

Jo does wonderful work, but I was there for the mosaics!

Mark’s work was inspirational. Large and small, quirky or not, comic or poignant, he does it all.

Mark told me about his work in progress, a giant cement toy jack, currently in his basement. When it is finished, it will be moved (not an easy task) to Lake Oswego for their Gallery Without Walls this summer.


We walked up the street and found Pat Stevens, who makes prints. I love her work, and how she uses bits she doesn’t like as quilty pieces! We talked about getting together with grand daughters who live far away. Her Elena is in Montana, much closer than you are in Denmark!

When our eyes were full, it was nearly 3:00 and time for the second part of our day. I’ll tell you about that tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Art Picnic at Colonel Summers Park

Dear Liza,

This past Saturday, we took a picnic and walked to our first Art Picnic. Auntie Bridgett had heard about this event too late to join, but we wanted to see how art and picnics would work together.

We walked through the neighborhood, enjoying all the roses that just started blooming in our newly-summery weather. This one is called “Scentimental.”

The park had quite a few people milling around and artist’s tents set up, but we found a nice piece of lawn in the shade of a fine old tree, got comfy, and checked out the scenery. I love the old brick building at Colonel Summers Park, but I’ve never seen it open.

The first artist we talked to was this talented and quirky fellow who makes heads of all sizes from ceramics. The teeth are made from acrylic fingernails! Adorable in their own way, but a bit creepy for everyday.

We found our friend Jack Kent, who does a series of cartoons called “Sketchy People.” He released his seventh collection book this past weekend.
Auntie Bridgett looked around and chatted with folks for quite a while, but Grandpa Nelson and I decided to relax in the blanket in the shade.

As you can tell from our naked legs, it was shorts weather! What a lovely day.

Grandma Judy

Thursdays in the Park with Johnny

Dear Liza,

One of the great joys of living in a big city is that interesting things are happening all the time. Since living in Portland, we have stumbled onto fabulous food trucks, Shakespeare in the Lone Fir cemetery, and neon-lit naked bike rides.

And a few evenings ago, we found Johnny Franco! This talented musician/performer from San Paolo, Brazil, and his group were playing Beatles-esque music near Firwood Lake in Laurelhurst Park.

In the glowing light of early evening, a hundred or so folks sat on the grassy slopes around the lake. People enjoyed picnics, drinks, dogs and kids as bicycles and skateboards whizzed by.

The music inspired a few young ladies to dance along, adding to the festivities.

And judging from the chalkboard posted near the stage, this is a regular, free, Thursday night performance! Maybe we should make it part of our Thursdays. After all, summer doesn’t last forever.

Love,

Grandma Judy

All the Gardens

Dear Liza,

I started the other day in the vegetable garden, giving everything a water, writing in my new Journal and reading “A Year in Provence.” The temperature was predicted to be in the 90s, so I got started early.

Later, after watching some how-to videos for courage and direction, I wired and trimmed my larch in the Hundred Acre Wood. It was getting too lanky and needed some shape. Bonsai are always a slow work in progress, it helps me exercise my patience.

I had a rest and got up to make dinner, and then Auntie Bridgett and I headed out for a bike ride! The weather is pleasant in the evening, with the sun filtered through the trees. We rode to Ladd’s Addition, where I helped Auntie Katie plant her new Rhododendron.

He is a ‘Tall Timber’ Rhododendron and she has named him Barney because he’s going to be six feet tall and purple.

Life gets very full in the summer! I’ll keep you posted on all the adventures.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Changing Journals

Dear Liza,

I have fallen in love with keeping an Art Journal.
For a long time, I was intimidated by trying to do ART that was good enough for a BOOK.

But now I see it differently. It is a way to corral my art of a certain period, so I don’t end up with a floating cloud of sketches and color experiments. It also can show my growth as an artist, like we used to keep student portfolios… baby pictures growing to better pictures. (With a fair number of screw-ups in between, of course.)

When I retired, Krista Sabaska gave me a large format journal as a retirement gift. I started using it in 2021. It started out as an “Art with Liza” journal, for drawings we did together during our Zoom calls. You would give me a phrase and I would draw it. This one was “The Paranoid Android is surprised.”

As time went on, it became a place where I could put ideas for other projects. I made a bunch of sketches for Cousin Kestrel’s Christmas present in 2021, then stuck them in the Journal so I would have them all together.

I got more comfortable with making art in the Journal as my insecure ‘student’ brain got used to the fact that I was not going to be graded! It is MY book.
I used it for processing lots of ideas, like you moving to Denmark…

And me getting older, by keeping my birthday celebration alive in a collage.

And now, the inevitable has happened.
This friendly Journal with a year and a half of art in it … is full. But I can’t stop keeping an Art Journal! It is fun, gives me a place to doodle, and makes me brave by keeping my ideas safe from prying eyes.

Fortunately, Auntie Katie gave me this Journal years ago, and it has been waiting for me.

I knew I needed to do some collage in it right away, to break the ice and introduce myself. The first two pages are very much where my brain is…

And I think we are going to be friends.

Love,

Grandma Judy

A New Baby for the Hundred Acre Wood

Dear Liza,

I have told you about my bonsai forest, The Hundred Acre Wood. I’ve been nurturing it along for a few years now.

This past winter was extra cold and long, and the cotoneaster didn’t survive. In this picture taken back in March, you can see that the larch is sprouting a bit and the bunchy juniper is fine, but the cotoneaster is not waking up.

I have been on the lookout for a tiny Japanese maple to put in. I love the delicate umbrella shape and the tiny skinny leaves.

And it just so happened that on a walk the other day, sharp-eyed Auntie Bridgett saw this tiny tree growing under exactly the sort of tree I was looking for, not a foot from the sidewalk! Being careful to not disturb the soil or the tree and to be gentle with his thread-like roots, I peeled away some moss and dug the little guy out, carrying him home in my loving hand.

I chose the right sized tools for the job…

Removed the dead cotoneaster and loosened up the soil…

And ever-so-gently placed him in his new home. I laid the moss from his home bed around him to make his new spot feel like home.

Here is the new Hundred Acre Wood, with its newest addition, Mr. Naito.

I named the baby Japanese Maple after Bill Naito, who was a Portland businessman and leader of the Japanese community here in Portland back in the 1970s. Our Naito Parkway which runs along the West Bank of the Willamette River in downtown is named after him, as well.

I will keep him watered and let you know of his progress.

Love,

Grandma Judy

May Flowers, Part 1

Dear Liza,

Ruthie Inman is at it again! She has our Zoom Art class making lovely things and having fun. Since we are all in different places (Metamora, Illinois, Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh, Scotland) we meet over Zoom. Since she likes an element of surprise, she usually gives us just enough directions to get part of the project done, without giving it all away at once.

Her first direction was “collect newspaper, black and white text only.” This took a while, but having an artist in the house helps.

While we were in the Zoom meeting, Ruthie had us paint our sheets of newspaper whatever colors we chose. I pulled hand-me-down acrylics out of my box and slathered them on while we all chatted. I laid them aside, making sure they were mostly dry before they got piled up.

Our papers had time to get completely dry by our next meeting, and the next direction was “cut the papers in irregular circles, to stack into five layers, largest on the bottom, smallest on the top.” This needed some thinking. How big? Which color on the top? Which on the bottom? My biggest layer ended up being about four inches across.

Flowers. We were definitely making flowers.

After some fiddling around, I made my choice and started snipping. I love things that don’t need to be measured!

Then came the tricky bit… putting all the layers together. Depending on what we had handy, we all used different techniques. I chose five shafted buttons and, at Ruthie’s suggestion, used small twist-ties to keep them in place. Here’s how they looked, front and back.

Ruthie sent us a guide for the next part of the project, a mosaic art piece of a bicycle and a basket, and I trimmed and traced it into a piece of heavy watercolor paper for the mosaic to come, editing it as I went.

The theory is that the bike’s basket will be overflowing with the flowers.
I’ll show you what comes next at the end of the month, when we get it done.

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Ducky Mother’s Day

Dear Liza,

Sunday was Mother’s Day. It was also almost 90 degrees F here in Portland.

Still, I was determined to spend the day somewhere pretty with Auntie Katie and the Cousins. I walked through a very pretty neighborhood full of azaleas to Ladd’s Addition and helped Katie pack a wonderful picnic. When Jasper and Kestrel arrived, we took the Orange Line train to Bybee station and walked a ways around the golf course to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.

There was a certain amount of grumbling about the heat, of course.
But we found a shady spot by the lake and settled in. We enjoyed delicious hunks of bread with creamy cheese, strawberries, and radishes.

And as we sat there, a Momma duck and her three babies swam over, hopped out just by our feet, had a grooming lesson and then fell asleep. Right there. It was magical.

And of course, when you get to witness magic, you want to share it. Kestrel quietly walked around, letting people know there were adorable sleeping baby ducks right over here, if they wanted to see them. Many did, and it was nice to see grown up people go all Gaga over the fluffy babies.

When we were full and rested, we packed up and walked around the lake. We found that there was a sale of Rhodies and azaleas, to share the wonderful plants and help support the garden. Auntie Katie found a plant for her garden at Books with Pictures.

The garden folks would haul the heavy plant to the entrance on a wagon, so we were free to make our way back. But we couldn’t carry the plant on the train, it was too heavy and the weather was just getting hotter.

We took some silly selfies and appreciated the incredible blooms, and debated how to get home. Lyft? Uber? Call home? That was it. Grandpa Nelson said he would come fetch us.

And after a very warm day and a very crowded ride home, we all got to relax in our cool houses.
It was a Mother’s Day much like motherhood itself: a bit busy, a bit out of control, but full of love and memories.

Love,

Grandma Judy