Tag: Portland

Downtown to the Sixties

Dear Liza,

My buddy Cynthia and I headed downtown last week to our Portland Art Museum. The remodeling work is still going on, so floor space is limited, but what they have on display is really interesting.

Upstairs, there is a collection called Psychedelic. Mostly, these are posters for rock concerts in San Francisco in the mid to late 1960s, when I was too young to go to rock concerts. Still, I knew the posters were cool even then.

Groups like The Byrds, Moby Grape and The Jefferson Airplane gave concerts at the Filmore Theater, and posters like these made sure everyone knew this was The Happening Place. We enjoyed the incredible colors, and wondered how they would react under black light.

There were also mannequins with fashions from the era standing about. Mini skirts in metallics and wild colors took me right back my days as a wanting-to-be-cool pre-teen.

Downstairs was a collection of photos taken by a very young Paul McCartney when the Beatles were on their first tour of America.

Since I was all of eight years old, I remember the mood of the time very well. Any news about the group was BIG news, and their music was in all of our ears.

Considering the frenzied energy that went wherever the Beatles did, Paul’s photos capture a more playful, relaxed mood.

Cynthia and I chatted about all sorts of things (as we always do), as we looked and remembered our own 60s journeys.

And when our tummies were empty and our feet were tired, we headed past a leafy church for lunch at McMenamin’s.

Days out with friends are good for the soul.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Saturdays are for Fabric, Coffee, and Art

Dear Liza,

After we had our usual ZOOM chat with you and your folks Saturday morning, Auntie Bridgett and I headed off for an adventure. We drove up to Bolt Fabric. I needed to have my scissors sharpened and to pick up some new fabric for the ongoing crazy quilt.

The store has moved since November, and it took a while to find it! The new shop is at Alberta and 29th, and is a larger store, with lots more selection and fun displays. I left my scissors with Sharpener Marc Matis, who has a shop on Sandy called Sharpening 4 U, and we looked around a bit.

I was feeling a little light headed, so we found The Great North for coffee and pastries across the street. This place is also new, and very bright and sunny. And delicious!

We found the fabric I needed, along with some thread, since I have been going though a lot of it with the quilt, and picked up the nicely sharpened scissors from Marc. I love that his business sticker is on a bandaid!

On the way back to the car, we found a tiny new art gallery called The Blind Insect. Pepe Moscosos displays his art as well as other artists’ work. I like Pepe’s work, though they were hard to photograph because of the strong afternoon sunlight. He has traveled to photograph deserted places in the U.S.and then uses the photos as the basis for story-evoking multi-media art. I enjoyed making up stories about them.

When we are done, and done in, we drove home and I washed the new fabrics.

Some will work for the Crazy Quilt and some won’t, but they are all pretty… and certainly won’t go to waste!

Have fun, dear Liza!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Teens at the Zoo

Dear Liza,

I got to spend the other day with Cousins Jasper and Kestrel. We took the train to the Oregon Zoo and spent a few hours, and it was a wonderful day on so many levels.

Spending time with these smart, funny young people is always a joy for me. At the incredible ages of 14 and 12, they bring different music and movie references, and always teach me something.

But mostly, we just walk around and play with whatever comes handy.

The eagle exhibit has a nest to be silly in,

And Jim Gion’s lion statues become set designs for more hanging out.

As you can see, Kestrel is now officially one bronze lioness long.

When we had seen all the animals, had lunch and were just about done, we caught the train back downtown and then home.

Kestrel remembered taking pictures at certain places, so we took new ones, to compare.

The one with Kestrel’s white dress was taken just last year. Here’s the same pose now.

I cannot believe how quickly everyone is growing! Everyone gets older, except me, I guess. I’m still the biggest kid in the place.

What a great day!

Love,

Grandma Judy

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