Johnny and Chonk at Laurelhurst

Dear Liza,

Thursday evening, we had a picnic. This isn’t unusual in Portland summers, as the weather can be delightful and the sunshine lasts much longer than we do. But this was a special musical picnic.

We settled into a part of Laurelhurst Park that we call The Ravine, right by the 33rd street entrance. We knew that Johnny Franco (our new favorite local musician) would be setting up soon.

While we waited, we enjoyed a dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, veggies, and wine in Auntie Esther’s picnic-safe wine cups. Very handy!

Lots of folks knew that Johnny would be here, and it was fun to see each group come in, find their perfect spot, and set up their picnic. Happy dogs and kids told me it was going to be a fun evening.

The show started with Johnny and his brother Don singing. They played about three songs, joking with the audience and each other, and then passed the show along to another group. And this was where the evening got weird and extra-delightful.

This group called itself Chonk, and Johnny gave it the nickname of The Intergalactic Curbside Band, which I really liked. Their band includes two guitars, a keyboard, and a fiddle! They opened their part of the show with Tex Beneke’s “Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette,” which I LOVE and is rarely heard outside a Dr. Demento tribute show. I was hooked.

A bunch of folks got up and started dancing…. And the group grew, jumping around and having a ball. It was a joyous scene.

Chonk performed until about 8:00, when the sun went behind the trees and the air got cooler. We started packing up just as Spencer Sprocket the juggler came out.

It was time to head home, and I wondered…. Where can I hear Chonk some more?

Love,

Grandma Judy

Happy, Quirky Portland

Dear Liza,

When we moved to Portland six years ago, we did it for many reasons. Auntie Katie, the Cousins, the Willamette and the trains, big city art and theater, all were big attractions.

We also came for the quirkiness, and we were not disappointed.

We liked a city that made walking dogs a delight.

We liked stumbling on theater and music in the parks.


Then the pandemic shut things down for a really long time. No coffee house afternoons. No dinners in restaurants. No plays or concerts. No bus adventures.

But now that restrictions are relaxed and spring is here, the city is opening up!

Our favorite dive bar is happy and crowded!

Lectures are back at the Kennedy School!

And the delightful treat of random meetings and conversation is back. Just talking with people, watching the world and being able to get out in it, is an amazing gift.

Hooray!

Love,

Grandma Judy

An Evening at Zach’s Shack

Dear Liza,

Saturday just kept going! After a bit of a rest, we walked over to Zach’s Shack to see Johnny Franco and his band.

Grandpa Nelson has been going to Zach’s for years. He loves their French fries and sodas, their pleasant back patio, Zach himself, and Riley, the resident Corgi.

I like Zach’s for the tofu Chicago dogs, cold Guinness beer, and the funky style of the place.

And this evening, there was an additional attraction! Johnny Franco, who we usually listen to at Laurelhurst Park, had set up with his band on the patio. Zach was on hand to help with props and serving… there was quite a crowd!

The band consists of Johnny, who sings and plays guitar; his guitar-playing harmonizing vocalist; a drummer; and a fellow who plays both trumpet and flute, depending on what is needed.

I like the sort of retro-modern style of music they play. Some Beatles songs, some Three Dog Night, and a bunch of very good original songs added up to a pleasant energy. Some of their songs are in Portuguese, so I can’t understand the lyrics, but they are still delightful.

Before we left, we got to chat with Johnny and tell him how much we enjoyed his music. He told us he had just gotten back from Santa Cruz, where Auntie Bridgett went to University. She was happy to hear that her old favorite record store, Streetlight Records, had been very helpful to the band and set up some shows for them.

When it started getting chilly, we headed for home, walking through a neighborhood full of soft light and the sweet summer flowers.

I felt like a very lucky woman.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Grand Floral Parade, Part 2

Dear Liza,

Once the Grand Floral Parade came down the street, we just settled in and enjoyed the show. Like the Tournament of Roses Parade that I grew up with in Pasadena, the surfaces of floats have to be covered with organic materials, like flowers, seeds, or bark.

As you can see by this loafing moose on the Alaska Airlines float, they are huge, funny, and beautifully decorated.

But for me, it is the personal connection of the Portland parade that makes it special. Sitting by the curb, we were just a few feet from the marchers, who waved, smiled or even came over to shake hands. These are our neighbors, friends, and shopkeepers.

And speaking of personal! The IBEW, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, uses Rosie the Riveter as their symbol. This reminds us of the valuable work women electricians did, and have done, since World War II.

This year’s float featured nine ladies who worked for Boeing during the war, who are now in their nineties (and one lady is over 100!) Seeing them waving and happy brought tears to my eyes, because my Momma did that job, too. That might have been her or her friends sitting and waving to the crowd.

Your Grandma Judy is a big crybaby.

And while I was still wiping my eyes, a large group from the local Ukrainian community came marching, carrying banners reminding us all that there is still a war going on that we have a moral (and very practical) responsibility to help win.

Between the laughter and the tears, I was pretty worn out when the parade finally wrapped up and the street sweepers came by. We walked down the street, got some cold drinks at PushXPull Coffee, and caught the Magic 15 home.

Love,

Grandma Judy


Grand Floral Parade, Part 1

Dear Liza,

This past Saturday Grandpa Nelson, Auntie Bridgett and I headed off to watch the Grand Floral Parade. Rather than deal with parking and traffic, we took the Magic 15, then transferred to the B loop streetcar, which took us right to the parade route along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

As usual, the “before the parade” show was delightful. Kids, dogs, bubble machines and a wonderfully cool, sunny morning made for all the street theater you could wish for.

This lady and her dachshund were very entertaining, and the glass spires of the Portland Convention Center reflected the morning sun.

Grandpa Nelson enjoyed his coffee and waited impatiently for his beloved marching bands to some by.

And in the meantime, there were the pamphleteers. Quiet polite ones, loud obnoxious ones, all telling us (in large, brightly colored letters) that they knew THE WAY and we didn’t.

No, thanks anyway.

And soon the parade started, with the Care Oregon float featuring fresh veggies and Auntie Bridgett’s favorite, BEES!

I’ll tell you about the rest of the parade tomorrow.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Telling Time

Dear Liza,

I found this book last week in a tiny free library. It is called “How to Tell Time”, published by Klutz Press. It is sort of a board book, like I have worked in before, but a slightly larger format, about 7 inches square. The cover is a board, the 24 pages are heavier-than-usual paper, and the binding is wire. These are the reasons I picked the book up.


I even spent an afternoon coating each page with some of Auntie Bridgett’s gesso, to get it ready for whatever I chose to do with it.

A few days later, I was feeling the need to do some thinking-through-collage. An idea was trickling through my brain but I couldn’t pin it down. When I started sorting through my collage papers, the trickle became a stream of thought, and pretty soon turned into a river.

Pieces of paper that I have looked at for months started fitting together to make part of a story. I pulled these out. A bit macabre for me, I admit. But then it made sense.

In the blink of an eye, the book “How to Tell Time” became about much more than using a clock. It became a way to outline my existence on this planet. How did I get to where I am now? What came first? What comes next? And what comes last?

I started laying the papers down and realized that the WHITE paper was too white… so I got it damp, sprinkled some loose tea and turmeric on it, and let it dry. Voila! Instant parchment.. You can see it here as a wing, and again as the plain piece just below it. It blends in well with my idea.

I liked it well enough to start gluing, liking it better as I went along. When the papers dried, I played around with colored pencils, then some very strong instant coffee, to get a warmer feel for the whole thing.

And it kept looking more like my questions.

So I’m going to use this book to collage my way through the timeline of my life. I figure this page will go at about page 22 out of the 24. Maybe I’ll even think of some more questions as I go along.

Love,

Grandma Judy


A Sunny Lunch Out

Dear Liza,

One of the best things about our sunny summers is that it is so easy to get around Portland on foot. The other day I had a lovely walk down through Ladd’s Addition to have a lunch out with Auntie Katie.

We walked a few blocks from Books with Pictures to Spielman’s Bagels on Division. They have a lovely back garden with just the right amount of dappled sunshine. They also serve delicious sandwiches.

Katie and I caught up with news. She told me how proud she was of her kids’ volunteering at the latest SOAK weekend (a regional version of Burning Man) and her trials in maintaining the hundred-year-old building that Books with Pictures is in. Roof, then walls, then windows…. Oy vey. Expensive and stressful.

Still, she finds ways to relax and look great.

I told her about the story I am writing about the “Grandma Judy Commandments”.

When we had finished our lunch, I walked Katie back to the shop and spent a delightful hour watering her garden.

She found some Marvel comic figures in a give-away box last week and has introduced them to their new home.Iron Man is guarding the new rhododendron, and Black Panther is hiding among the lavender.

Stunning!

I enjoyed my walk up to the bus stop, because it took me through one of Ladd’s Addition’s FOUR rose gardens. The scent wafted me all the way up the hill.

I hope your summer is full of adventures, too.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Bike Adventure

Dear Liza,

This past weekend was so warm and sunny, we just needed to get out for a bike ride! Grandpa Nelson didn’t feel like going, but Auntie Bridgett and I picked out a destination, put some air in the tires, and headed out.

We followed a route that was on streets designated as Portland Greenways. These are neighborhood streets with low speed limits and less car traffic, so they are safer and less stressful for nervous bicyclists like me. There was a lot of bike traffic, but it’s not scary!

We rode along in the dappled shade of trees that can be a hundred years old, enjoying the sight and smell of roses as we zipped along.

And in just two and a half miles, we found ourselves at Rain or Shine Coffee, on the shoulder of our local volcano, Mt. Tabor. We weren’t even out of breath!

I knew right away we would like the place… their bike racks are made out of old bike frames! Thematic recycling is very cool, quirky and welcoming.

Inside, we found art that had so many pop culture references that my head was dancing. Beetlejuice, He-man, Star Trek, they were all there, like old friends.

And the treats were yummy.

Bridgett had a gluten free bagel with cream cheese and coffee. I enjoyed a Marionberry empanada and a cold Kambucha.

While we were eating, we enjoyed watching folks, their dogs, and their skateboards come and go. It was busy, but not crowded. A perfect spot to enjoy some Portland spirit.

We rode back on a different set of quiet streets and got home in time to watch the Giants game. (They can’t always win…)

Love,

Grandma Judy

Garden Check-In

Dear Liza,

We are now in June, with cool mornings and bright warm afternoons. Everything in my vegetable plot is up and growing.

Most of the tomatoes are as tall as their cages, both dahlias are up, the squash and pumpkins are well, and the lettuces continue to save us a fortune on salads.

I got an email this week from the people in charge of the community gardens, asking that I tidy up my plot. It is growing well, they said, but the mint along the fence was getting out of hand.

They were right, so I spent a tiring hour pulling and tugging and getting very minty-fresh! The fence was neater, for sure…. But not as pretty, in my opinion.

I also put in six new radicchio starts we got from the Portland Nursery. It was such a hot day I soaked the ground, put them in, and then moved the ladder sun screen over to give some shade until they get settled in.

It looks silly but does the job. Good luck, little lettuce dudes.

By 2:30 the edges were clear, new plants in, and everything thoroughly watered. I piled all the weeds and miscellaneous trash in my red wagon and headed home, sweaty but victorious.

Summer wears me out, but it sure is fun!

love,

Grandma Judy

The City Fair

Dear Liza,

Rose Festival season is here, and the city is so busy! Friday afternoon we took the bus downtown to see what was happening at the City Fair. This is the carnival part of the festival at Tom McCall Riverfront Park, and we haven’t gone since before the Covid shut down.


I know I am getting to be an old lady, because the rides looked terrifying! Even watching them made me fear for my life.

It was early afternoon, so there weren’t many people yet, which was fine. As much as I enjoy people watching, big crowds just make everything harder!

The production of the carnival was a bit … underwhelming. The rides were colorfully painted, but the juggler dropped everything and was clearly struggling.

The best thing to see was the Jim Neill Museum historical display about the American Rosie the Riveter Association, who celebrate the women like my momma who went to work in the aircraft Industry during World War II and saved the country. Here is an old picture of my Momma and her sister Hazel heading off to work in 1944.

The best thing to DO was, of course, play pinball! We found the Monopoly game, which had a lot going on and fun sound effects. We enjoyed our game until the machine kept our quarters, and then we said good-bye.

Grandpa Nelson found his carnival favorite, kettle corn, at a unicorn-decorated stand under the Morrison Bridge.

The best view of the day was Mt. Hood 90 miles to the east, looming over a new apartment building.

When we had seen all the things and eaten the snacks, we caught the magic 15 and headed for home. I was well and truly worn out, and happy for a bit of quiet time before the baseball game.

Love,

Grandma Judy