Books with Pictures

Books with Pictures Pop Up!!

November 8, 2025

Dear Liza,

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Auntie Katie has a new Pop Up shop for Books with Pictures in Portland! It is part of the PDX Pop Up Program to encourage more foot traffic and shopping in the core of downtown, where there are too many vacant store fronts.

As excited as she is to have 2,000 square feet of prime retail space free for two months, it hasn’t been easy. She got the keys to the place just 8 days before opening, and there was lots to do.

The floors were filthy, walls needed patching and painting, and the enormous windows were covered with adhesive film and city grime. Still, Katie is not one to flinch at hard work. And she had some help.

She cleaned floors and windows, I sanded, and Cecily painted. Friends and neighbors offered rugs, tables and chairs to “homey up” the big empty space. Twelve hour days paid off, the day before she opened, it was looking pretty nice.

And opening day, folks came in to look around and buy things! I am currently recovering from Covid, so I couldn’t go, but Grandpa Nelson headed down to say Hi and take pictures.

And as they were chatting, folks started coming in! First a few, then more! The theory is that a crowd draws a crowd, and I guess it’s true. I hope they stuck around and bought lots of books.

The Books with Pictures Pop Up will be open 12-6 PM, Wednesday through Sunday, until January 6th. It would be lovely if you could come visit.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Starting Early on Christmas!

October 29, 2025

Dear Liza,

I love it when two of my favorite people (who don’t even know each other) work together to give me good ideas. Let me explain.

Last week, my ZOOM art teacher Ruthie Inman taught us to make these tiny books.

You cut six strips of white paper 1” wide, then fold and cut 1” sections. Each section will become one book. Make the fold really sharp, then staple at the crease to hold the tiny pages together. Make sure the ‘feet’ of the staple are outside the book, so they will be hidden by the cover.

For the cover, choose slightly heavier decorative paper , and cut it just a bit longer than the book. Apply glue stick and use a bone folder to press it down.

Then fold the extra long edges over the first page to make a ‘dust cover’ edge. Really give this a good fold and press. And voilá, there is your tiny book, about one inch by one inch.

They are easy enough to make, I did 10 in a little more than an hour.

Then came the next favorite person. I was visiting with Auntie Katie and told her about the tiny books. “Could you string them…. Maybe on tiny twinkle lights… to hang on a Christmas tree?” She asked. Katie owns Books with Pictures here in Portland, and can always use pretty decorations.

Of course you could! The awl from my book-making kit (a gift from Ruthie), and a string of tiny lights ( from my SOAK jellyfish costume), and there we have it!

They look best in low light, of course, but very sweet even in normal light, giving the impression of flying, glowing books !

Could these be the newest Christmas tree sensation? Stranger things have happened!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Books with Pictures Comic Con Part 2

Dear Liza,

Besides family, friends, and artist tables at the Books with Pictures Comic Con, there were all sorts of activities. The Garden Stage (in the beautiful garden Katie has been nurturing for a few years) was home to a cosplay contest for kids and adults.

Elias, a very young Jedi, won the kid’s division. He had forgotten his light saber at home, so Katie gave him one of hers, made for Free Comic Book Day from a pool noodle. He was delighted!

There was a cartooning duel, with pairs of artists trying to out-think and out-draw each other. The first contest had a random doodle as the prompt, which led to these awesome drawings….

A windsurfing puffin and a coffee drinking moose.

Douglas Wolk hosted a Trivia contest with really hard questions! Besides being an author of books about comics (“All the Marvels” is his latest), he also teaches classes about them. These were really interesting questions, like “Which American comic strip has run since 1914 and only had three artists?” I’ll let you look up the answer, if you like.

There were also discussions and interviews, featuring Kelly Sue Deconnick, Leela Cormac, and Carl Sciacchitano.

The last act of the day was Lizzy Kirby, who plays guitar and sings lovely songs about love and cats. She sang my favorite, with the catchy chorus of “Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow.”

To make sure we had ann exciting day, between all the art, contests, and interviews, we had a few spats of strong winds that blew in rain and hail and tried to carry away the inventory!

Tents rattled, comics went flying, and folks scrambled to hang onto their banners. Each storm lasted about ten minutes, then we would have sparkling sun for an hour or so.

It was very …. Let’s say entertaining. More tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Books with Pictures Comic Con Part 1

Dear Liza,

This past weekend was the third BWiPCon, an outdoor comic convention held down at Auntie Katie’s book shop. It was amazing!

The event was bigger this year, with the street closed for a whole long block and the garden being used for performances, interviews, and contests. Fifty vendors sold books, art, jewelry, and all sorts of beautiful, cute, and delightfully odd stuff.

Auntie Bridgett had her Auntie Beeswax booth, of course, and met lots of folks who read her comic in The Willamette Week newspaper.

We helped with set up and got to meet a ‘new’ cousin! Grandpa Nelson’s Aunt Bonnie had seven kids, and her eldest was George. George’s son, who goes by D, came up to help with the con. He worked like crazy!

D set up a dozen tents, carried anything that needed carrying, cleared gutters, and set up the stage. I was so happy to meet him and grateful for his hard work on the busy day.

Auntie Katie worked hard, too, before, during and after the event. Her volunteers were so well organized that the vendors felt well-cared for and appreciated.

Andrea Gilroy, Katie’s business partner at Books with Pictures in Eugene, came up to help, and it was good to see her and Katie having a nice visit. Good friends can sure help lighten the load.

I will tell you more about BWiPcon tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Free Comic Book Day!

Dear Liza,

Saturday was National Free Comic Book Day, and we walked out into the Portland rain to celebrate.

At the Ladd’s Circle Park, we found Siri hosting some pool noodle Light Saber contests and handing out “Young Jedi” comics. As you can see, the rain did not dampen their spirits.

Further into Ladd’s, we found Cecily hosting photo ops with this troop of Charles Schulz’s Beagle Scouts and handing out Beagle Scout comics.Why are these little guys so cute? Because Auntie Bridgett painted them, that’s why!

We were getting pretty wet, but wanted to stop by and see Katie at her shop, Books with Pictures. After all, all these tents and activities had been masterminded by Katie and her wonderful staff as a way of building community with fun activities around comics.

We discovered that the shop was full to bursting, with a line out the door! That’s a lot of good vibes there, with folks chatting and staying dry. Sadly, there was so much going on, we didn’t get to hug Katie. A quick wave and a blown kiss will hold me until we see her.

Just up the street we found Charlie on the Abernethy playground, helping people hunt up Pokémon and giving out comics. This little fellow helped me find one!

The rain got heavier and we finally had to call it quits. We sloshed up to Floyd’s Coffee House on Ladd’s Circle for a hot beverage and a sweet treat.

Another volunteer for Free Comic Book Day was there! Felix had us draw pictures of things that frightened us and gave us a scary comic. It’s not my style, but I can put it in one of our Teeny Tiny Libraries.

When we were warm and fed, we waved goodbye to Felix and headed up to catch the number 14 home.

What a perfectly Portland day.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Grey Walk to Ladd’s

Dear Liza,

We are in The “April Showers” part of spring, and boy, is it drippy! It’s not terribly cold, though, so still good weather for walks.

I needed to get to Auntie Katie’s place to feed Hopey and Maggie while she’s away doing comic business, so Grandpa Nelson and I headed out.

The rose gardens in the Ladd’s Addition Rose gardens are getting ready to bloom! This little guy is showing color already, and by Monday when Katie gets back, there will be lots of blossoms.

In Katie’s own garden at Books with Pictures, the wild roses by the fence are fully open and making the bees happy.

They sure brighten up the corner by the stage!

The tall purple irises are up and looking gorgeous. I love how they look with the antique bed frame Katie has installed as a part of the fence.

Another way you can tell it’s April is that the neighborhoods are covered with tiny green maple seeds.

They look like tiny helicopters close up, but like a green carpet from a distance.

They sure look pretty with the pink cherry blossoms.

When I’d fed the cats and said hello to Sir Isaac Snooten, I joined Grandpa Nelson at Floyd’s coffee house to warm up and rest before heading back up the hill.

Just another perfect day in Portland.

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Little Spring Gardening

Dear Liza,

As we start to see the end of winter, gardens can need tending to. It is too early for me to start in my vegetable patch at a Blair Community Garden…. I have tried pushing the seasonal limits and been disappointed there before.

But Auntie Katie’s garden at Books with Pictures doesn’t grow vegetables. It is full of hardy perennials like rhododendrons, irises and roses. She uses this lovely spot the other three seasons for story readings, lectures and book signings, performances, and as part of her Books with Pictures Comic Con.

This is me reading to some munchkins a few summers ago.

The garden has been through its second winter now and is well established.

But our week of especially cold weather took its toll on her irises, killing off the tallest leaves and even some early buds. Old weeds have died and need to be dealt with, and the last of the fall leaves have turned to slimy muck on the ground. So I get to go over and get my hands dirty.

I love playing in the mud!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Seasons in the Garden

Dear Liza,

I’ve told you about the garden at Auntie Katie’s bookshop, Books with Pictures. It was created in the spring of 2022 by Katie and dozens of her friends out of an overgrown triangle just behind the shop.

A small backhoe, loads of topsoil and gravel, donated plants and months of faithful watering have created a wonderful oasis enjoyed by passers-by, Comic-con goers, readers, birds and bees.

And now this lovely spot is entering its second winter. The other evening, seeing it from the rooftop, I felt like a proud Garden Grandma. This little space has grown from dump to garden to welcoming haven, sunny in the daylight and glowing at night.

Once again, I am so grateful to be in a place where good people join together to make good things happen, and to be able to see them grow.

Love,

Grandma Judy

PS. Just to remind you, this is what it looked like this last July!

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

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