Tag: Portland

A Different Sort of Shakespeare

Dear Liza,

Saturday evening was warm and pleasant, so we headed out for a walk around Laurelhurst. We found a totally new (to us) group of actors putting on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

This is not the Original Practice Shakespeare, or the Portland Repertoire, or the Reed College Theater. Apparently we live in a city with FOUR Shakespeare theater troupes!

We chatted with the director, Eleanor Johnson, and decided to pull up a piece of lawn and enjoy the show. And, even as the evening got cooler and the ground got damper, we stayed. And, after years of studying Shakespeare, I understood Julius Caesar as I never have before.

Oregon Adventure Theater rehearses extensively and works to understand and present the relationships between the characters. In this production, Brutus and Cassius do not just yell at each other; they disagree, hurt each other, cry, and make up. They are human beings, doing human things for human reasons.

Julius Caesar is not an evil person, but a flawed leader who has become dangerous because he is caught up in his own image of himself. The emotions and motives felt very real in these post January 6 times.

As the sun went down and the lanterns were lit, the drama became more dramatic and everything felt wonderful and magical.

When the final bows were taken, I was stunned to see that the entire play (with a cast list of dozens) had been performed by EIGHT actors. This shows great dedication and talent. Hooray for Oregon Adventure Theatre!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Tempest in the Park

Dear Liza,

Summer is Shakespeare season here in Portland, and last week Laurelhurst Park got a few. First, Original Practice Shakespeare performed The Tempest, Shakespeare’s last play. Grandpa Nelson and I headed over.

In this production, Mikki Lipsey played Prospero the Wizard. Prospero has been stranded on a desert island for twelve years with her daughter Miranda. She has enslaved two magical creatures, the lovely Ariel and the monstrous Caliban, to do her bidding.

Prospero conjures up a tempest which causes a ship carrying her old rivals from Milan, including the Duke’s son, young Ferdinand, to crash on the reef. Of course, Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda !

As the play goes on, two different sets of underlings decide to kill their masters and take over, but drunkenness and foolishness get in the way. By the end of the play all is well, and Prospero casts aside her staff and her magic books. This was Shakespeare’s way of saying farewell to his own magic of playwriting and retiring to Stratford.

Watching plays in the park is always interesting. Since the actors are dealing with airplane noise, dogs and other distractions, the audience has to work harder to suspend our disbelief and get into the story.

But we also enjoy the parade of happy humanity as it passes through the park. Cyclists, dog walkers, families and skateboarders keep things lively!

And as the sun went down and the play came to a close, we packed up our chairs and popcorn and head home. Another summer evening well spent!

Love,

Grandma Judy

European Lunch in Portland

Dear Liza,

While we were downtown, Auntie Bridgett and I had lunch at a place we had been eyeing for a long time. Maurice advertises itself as a French/ Scandinavian cafe, and the pastries in the front case looked amazing. So we stepped in.

We loved many things about Maurice. First, our friend Ruth, who manages the Blair Community Garden, works there.

It was fun to see her familiar face, and her colleague Megan was good at explaining everything in the menu to us.

Kristen is the owner and head chef, and runs a quiet, civilized space.

Once we ordered, we took some time to appreciate the simple and very European decor. Open shelving shows off the beauty of the baking utensils and allows the small place to feel open and spacious. Tiny carnations decorate each table.

And the food…. was….. gorgeous. My smorbrod (rye bread, crème frais and gravlax open-faced sandwich with shaved beets on top) was delicious and filling as well as being a work of art.

Auntie Bridgett had hot tea and I had iced tea, and the serving for each was unique, yummy, and lovely.

And dessert was just as wonderful. I had the Meyer Lemon pudding mousse cake, topped with a warm date.

We spent more than an hour in Maurice, enjoying the friendly service, delicious food, and charming decor, and were finally ready to move on with our day. As we paid the bill, Ruth brought us some cookies and a scone as a ‘thank you’.

You can bet we will be back at Maurice before too long. I’ll take you next time you’re in Portland.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Taking It Downtown

Dear Liza,

I grew up in a very small town, Manhattan Beach, California. Even when I went to University it was in mostly-suburban Long Beach. I’ve never lived in a big city. But now I do.

And every now and then, Portland reminds me.

On Saturday, Auntie Bridgett and I headed downtown for lunch. We took the B Loop streetcar north, then switched to the Red Line train that took us over the Steel Bridge. The view of half a dozen other bridges…. From a train… on a bridge… was delightfully urban and exciting.

Once we got downtown, I kept noticing the heights. This new non-square building is going to be the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. It is fascinating and makes me dizzy.

Since it was a sunny day, reflections were everywhere. I got this shot of a mid-century modern building reflected in Woonwinkel’s window. It felt like a surrealist painting.

I love living in Portland. Our neighborhood on the Eastside is mostly older houses and century old trees, but in ten minutes I can be among skyscrapers.

Adventures are everywhere.

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

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

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

Fetching Kestrel

Dear Liza,

When you and I lived in the same city many years ago, I would come pick you up after school and we would hang out together. We made bread, played in the garden, and just got to be silly. We even got to know a Panther at Hartnell College.

Now that Cousin Kestrel and I both live in Portland, I get to pick her up from her school, sometimes. She goes to da Vinci Arts Middle School, so she gets to take dance, textile art, and theater as well as math and social studies. It is a mile walk from my house to the school, so we both get some exercise.

And these bright chilly fall days, we get some sun!

There is a wonderfully weird cement dragon named Leo in the schoolyard, who makes a great place to sit and wait for the bell to ring.

He has benches along both sides, but I prefer to sit on his scaly tail.

I am so happy to be able to get to know both my Grandgirls.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Other Parade

Dear Liza,

I have said before that one of my favorite things about living in a big city like Portland is watching the PEOPLE. The pandemic stole this from us for two years as we all stayed inside and avoided….. people.

Happily, our time at the Grand Floral Parade has begun to mend this gap with humanity. All sorts of wonderful folks were out enjoying the day.

Most of these were folks like us, visitors to the Parade. They made their own parade of kids, dogs, moms, and dads. We smiled at each other, chatted about the weather, petted the dogs and waved to the babies.

Just being able to watch kids play was good for my soul.

Other folks had a mission besides the parade. Several ladies were out circulating petitions to pass legislation to reduce gun violence. We signed, of course, and thanks them foe their work.

This fellow was out encouraging people to find peace in his way, politely handing out Bible verses.

All of them (even us!) were part of this other parade of humanity out and about. And I am glad for it.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Microforest

Dear Liza,

While you were visiting, you found an old wall covered with wonderfully thick moss. Before I could say anything, you had pulled a chunk off the wall.

“What are you going to do with that?” I asked. You thought fast.

“We could plant it and keep it and you could write a blog about it,” you answered. So here it is.

As soon as we got home, we put the moss into a plastic box with damp soil. While I went online to find out what else we could do for it, you added some bits of the forest to keep it company…. pebbles, sticks, a fir cone. Somehow, the tiny pagoda from my bonsai forest found its way in.

Since the moss had been growing in the north side of a tall house, I knew it would need complete shade to be healthy. We have a spot in the master bathroom that is perfect, but small. The moss would also need slightly acidic soil (all moss does, according to a website) and constant, gentle moisture.

My first instinct was to use a container we already have rather than buying something. I have a big terrarium jar that would be fine, but is too big to fit.

Auntie Bridgett found this wonderful glass container in her studio, about five inches high and round like a ball. The project was on!

We laid some pebbles in the bottom, then firmly packed some soil from my veggie plot. We put in the pagoda, then the moss, then the pebbles and a tiny stick to be a fallen log.

I am very happy with our new tiny forest. It sits right by my sink and I can have that wondrous feeling of walking in the woods every time I brush my teeth!

Thanks, Liza, for adding this tiny, peaceful place to my life.

Love,

Grandma Judy