Dear Liza

Hitting the Street in the Mississippi

Dear Liza,

On Saturday, Auntie Bridgett got to have a table at the Mississippi Street Fair. This is the largest neighborhood street fair in the city, being half a mile long and stuffed edge to edge with booths, tables, and food trucks.

Rather than worry about traffic and parking, we took the bus. The Magic 15 got us downtown, then we transferred to the 4 to get us north. It took about 40 minutes, but we would have spent that much time driving around looking for parking. And we got to sit back and relax!

We got to the fair just before noon, and it was crowded! Looking down the length of it was like looking down a river of humanity.

Along the banks of this river were booths selling all sorts of things. Besides Auntie Bridgett doing commissioned cat cartoons, there were other artists selling puzzles, ceramics, and paintings.

In overwhelmingly White Portland, Mississippi is a neighborhood with a higher-than-usual African American population, and this was happily reflected in the fair.

This lady was selling her sparkly puzzles, and Author Joyce McNair was selling her book The Amazing Sweetie Pie, which I bought. It is a creative, inclusive story that shows the commonality of children.

Down the road, our dear friend Jack Kent was selling his newest book, Sketchy People 6.

And there was plenty of food for when all those people got hungry. The most popular was the barbecue, with at least five booths and trucks pumping out delicious smells and luring long lines of folks.

But there was also caramel corn, burritos, and delightful ableskivvers (with lingonberry jam and lemon curd) from Broder Nord. Yum!

As the day warmed up, staying cool became a priority for everyone.

By 4:00, we were done in. Tired feet and too much sun got the best of us and we caught the bus home. Lots of water and a long nap got us in shape for that evenings’ Shakespeare in the Park.

But that’s another story.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Summer Evenings with Shakespeare

Dear Liza,

With Covid either passing or just becoming the norm (whichever you believe), most aspects of life are returning to their pre-Pandemic conditions. One of these, thank goodness, is Original Practice Shakespeare in the Park!

Our own Laurelhurst Park is hosting eight of Shakespeare’s play in July, and we plan to see all of them. We love watching the Portland world go by on bicycle and foot, walking dogs and pushing strollers, as we wait for the play to start (and after it has started, as well).

We love the informal outdoor venue, sitting in the glen as the sun goes down, allowing ourselves to be carried away by the actor’s imaginations.

We love the Original Practice, which means the actors prepare and perform as in Shakespeare’s day, not rehearsing as a company and carrying only small scrolls of their lines. This keeps the acting fresh and, sometimes, hilariously spontaneous.

The first play was one I had never seen performed, Measure for Measure. It was surprisingly timely, having a theme of government-enforced morality, draconian punishments and official hypocrisy.

All this was handled with such wit and humor, cleverness and final retribution and made for a delightful, hopeful evening.

Saturday, we got to see one of our favorite plays, Much Ado about Nothing. It is a comedy about romances gone wrong and righted again with lots of funny dialogue and side stories. The scene where the ‘lying knaves’ are arrested was delightfully slapstick.

As we laughed and cheered during the play, the sun went down behind the huge trees, making everything more magical.

I look forward to our next FOUR Shakespeare plays to be performed in Laurelhurst Park, next weekend.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dungeons, Dragons, Sword fighting and Cake

Dear Liza,

Cousin Kestrel turned 11 on Friday, and there was a lovely party to celebrate.

We all met at the gazebo at Anerbethy School because the weather was gorgeous and there is lots of room to horse around.

The main organized activity was a game of Dungeons and Dragons. I was happy to see the playing board I made for Cousin Jasper is getting used! I don’t know much about the game, but Kestrel’s Daddy Dave explained it to me as organized story-telling. It was sure fun to watch! Auntie Katie was the ”Dungeon Master” (the person who is running the adventure) and, fabulous storyteller that she is, made it all fun and interesting.

In between moves, some impromptu swordplay broke out. One of the guests had brought these nifty swords made of hard rubber. Though they would certainly hurt if they hit you, they were mostly safe for reasonable kids. And that’s good enough.

Character creation is part of the game, and can take a long time, but everyone enjoyed the process. And there were snacks.

Birthday cake and presents rounded out the afternoon. Kestrel used the old tray storage shelves in the gazebo as a present opening space, with help from her friends.

It was a delightful, exhausting, entertaining party!

Happy Birthday Kestrel!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Creating Postcards Part 2

Dear Liza,

I have been making postcards again! This is sort of a new thing for me, and I am not consistent about it. I will go weeks doing all sorts of other projects, and then make three or four in an afternoon.

For the base, I use those annoying junk mail postcards that sell everything from candidates to wheel alignment.

For the images, I use Portal magazine from the Portland Art Museum, Better Homes and Gardens, Via from AAA, and old magazines, postcards and greeting cards I pick up at garage sales and give away boxes. There are also bits from Ruthie Inman and daubs of acrylic paint.

I mix them together my weird brain and trim, paint and glue. Then I decide which friend is best suited to the card. Yes, I do have some weird friends.

The images can be cute or disturbing, artsy or just silly.

I’m glad that art lets me take the weird out of my head and send it to the ones I love!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Old Pal

Dear Liza,

When you were here in April, we couldn’t take you to our local HobNob because they had closed. The business-killing Pandemic and the owner’s own fight with Covid caused this fun local favorite to close up shop.

But now a new place has opened up in the same building. It is called Old Pal, and is run by Jeremy Larter and Emily Bixler. According to the website, they have an environmental approach to food, using low-carbon footprint, local, organic ingredients.

Last week, we got to attend their opening. It was delightful and delicious.

The interior has been redecorated to be more modern, with deep blue walls for accent and white ceilings for brightness. The ping pong table is gone, and there is a check-in desk right by the door to eliminate the awkward entrance.

The furnishings have cleaner lines with smaller tables. There are no booths, which makes the space feel bigger, but also creates some echo. The art is very earthy and woodsy, adding to the ’land-friendly’ vibe.

Since we are three, we were seated at “The Godfather Table”which seats four. We were served by Marika, who brought some wine and answered our questions.

I had a Narragansett barratta, which is a creamy cheese wrapped up in mozzarellas, set in a tasty splash of strawberry and basil with pickled rhubarb. Eaten little by little with the crusty bread from Ken’s Artisanal bakery, it was like a very rich cheese sandwich with touches of jam and pesto.

Grandpa Nelson had wine and Auntie Bridgett had a big salad, and we chatted with neighbors as they came and went, eager to hear news and their opinions of the place.

Old Pal is a new friend, and I’m sure we will spend many happy hours there, eating and chatting and watching the world go by.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Day After BwiP Con

Dear Liza,

On Saturday, Books with Pictures was FULL of people for their first annual comic con. Hundreds of people came, shopped, drew, and had a great time. The day after, however, was another matter.

The bookshop was open, but the scene was quiet and peaceful. Auntie Bridgett was by to help clean some new graffiti off the mural.

Some kids made chalk art while their Momma shopped.

I filled up the watering cans and gave all the little live things a drink.

Amarette Gregor opened up her shop, Pup Tent Flowers and Gifts, and made lovely things.

And Auntie Katie finally got to read in the peace and quiet of her own garden.

I love Books with Pictures, whatever is happening!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Finding the Silly at BwiP Con

Dear Liza,

When I was growing up, a “Convention” didn’t sound like very much fun. A big room full of businessmen talking about business. Ugh.

Comic Conventions helped change that. The Stumptown Comics Festival, in 2004, included a Comic Art Battle which was described as a “combination of Pictionary and wrestling”.

BwiPCon at Books with Pictures had lots of silly, as well.

Since it was an outside event, there were bubbles. Really big bubbles. Seeing a hundred people through the lens of a giant bubble is something I never even knew I was missing!

There were dogs.

Since it was comics, there were costumes.

There were trees, and a garden.

And sometimes there were bubbles and dogs and trees all at once!

I look forward to BwiP 2!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Comic con at Books with Pictures

Dear Liza,

This weekend, Auntie Katie’s Books with Pictures was not only full of people, but surrounded by people! Hundreds of them! It was amazing.

It was the First Annual BwP (say it BWIP) Comic Con. There were thirty artist vendors (including Auntie Bridgett).

There was a book signing by comic artist Steve Lieber and a comics trivia game run by Douglas Wolk.

And finally, a wonderful talk, Q and A and book signing by comic artists Kelley Sue DeConnick, David F. Walker, and Brian Michael Bendis.

Hundreds of people shopped, played, listened, talked, and had a wonderful time.

Adding to the fun were Rob Courage, who played music on his guitar to start the day; April, who makes giant bubbles,

Paulette, who runs a digital photo booth,

Maia doing face painting, and Cousin Kestrel giving people temporary tattooes.

The vendor tables were set up around the three sides of the shop. There were all sorts of things for sale. Books, clothes, jewelry, stickers, and original art.
I will tell you more about BwiP Con in tomorrow’s blog.

What a day!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Riley

Dear Liza,

Grandpa Nelson visits his favorite lunch place, Zach’s Hot Dog Shack, a few times a week. It is about a mile walk away, has great french fries, and everyone there is friendly. They also have a ping pong table and a corn hole game.

Sometimes I go along, too. I like the Chicago dog, and now that I am limiting my meat intake, I have all the spicy goodness on a soy based dog. Very tasty!

And there is Zach’s pet Corgi, Riley. She is a delightful dog. She is friendly, hardly ever barks, and has a sweet, subtle way of letting you know she likes french fries.

In fact, she likes them so much that she is getting a bit chunky, even for a Corgi. Since Zach is a conscientious owner, he has decided to help her stay healthy by putting her on a one-french fry-per customer diet. Grandpa Nelson and I do our part to keep Riley well. We eat all the fries ourselves!

So far, it is up to the customers to limit Riley’s intake, because she has no self control and can’t count very well. I hope the other customers help too, because I would like to enjoy Riley’s company for many years to come.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Almost-July Garden Journal

Dear Liza,

Summer, which dawdled like a kid going to the dentist, has now arrived and has taken off like a freight train. I am in the garden everyday, making sure everything is watered and rejoicing in every new sprout or blossom.

And I am recording it all in my garden journal. When I started my first illustrated journal last spring, I was not confident in my ability to draw anything and make it look right, much less pretty or enjoyable.

But Auntie Bridgett and Ruthie Inman gave me courage and support, and I have really enjoyed both the process and the product!

To be honest, I don’t write or illustrate my garden journal while I am IN the garden. There is nowhere to sit and I don’t like sitting in the sun for very long.

I take pictures and notes on my phone and then use the images to draw in pencil, then watercolor, then outline with a micron pen.

It is like writing an illustrated story, but one where I am IN the story, snd I don’t know the ending yet. Good times.

Love,
Grandma Judy