The Last Big Walkabout. For Now.

When a grill was a grill. Hang on, there's more.

Sarah works at her food creation dream job in a four days on, three days off cycle (in case, like me, you have shockingly serious math deficiencies, that would constitute the traditional 7 day week). That has nothing to do with the truck photo next to these words.




Yesterday was the last day off she'll have until I return, so when the 'what shall we do?' question came along, one of my favorite Portland pastimes was again the answer. Because it really doesn't matter where you go around here, the architecture, shops, restaurants and bar/cafe/street places are unendingly interesting to me. Even the bad stuff is good, if you get that.

Did I have this in last year's Portland bits? Does it matter?
 I could see this place a lot more before tiring of it.

Like Benjamin's wall at home, this one is also a changing art scene. 

'da Vern' to locals, (aka Hanigan's) to probably nobody , with some of the best comments on funky barness ever written, is an old Portland standard for Sarah. I think I'm almost ready for it. 

I love this mural!

No wait, I love this truck! I love that mural and this truck. It is shiny, but not too shiny.
It looks truly like it is used on a regular basis and just kept up well .Obviously,
 it is the rest of the truck of the grill photo up top there. I really love this truck.

I think it would be fun to know how to weld, just because there are so many awesome
old rusty metal things that beg to be put together to make...oh say, a sign holder. 

One of the motivations for going this direction on this particular walk was to go to the Urban Farm Store. I've walked by when it was closed, forgotten to go there, or just went the other way for the last two visits. Determined to break the cycle and see what was in there, it was now the Designated Goal. While things that seem yuppified in many places are considered very way normal in Portland (are people still called yuppies? If not, you know, gentle reader, what I mean, even if you are one), most of it is for real. I was afraid this place might be a little over sincerely live in the country but in the city yuppified. It isn't. Go to the Hawthorne Powell's store for that (I passionately enjoy that store, by the way).

What if you just want the three  chickens you are allowed to have without a permit and don't have a clue what you are doing (you want more? the permit is cheap - yes, Culebra is different but this is a city and it's pretty damn cool!) There are Chicken Keeping classes, along with gardening and preserving classes as well. I really like this business.

Out back is a big run outside the coop and some very funky chickens. 

I had to cluck a few times to get FeatherHead's attention, but it worked. These chickens, ready to go home and lay eggs for you, are 25.00. Which is probably less than you'll spend feeding them for six months while waiting for the egg laying parts. 

Inside are all kinds of chick babies, as well as 5 week old chicks, 5 and 10 dollars respectively. There are shelves of feed for chickens, cats and dogs along with all sorts of natural stuff to keep pets healthy and happy. There are even chicken coop plans they will build for you out of recycled material. And if you get a rooster by mistake and don't want to keep it? On Sundays, just bring in old cockle-doodle-do and they will relocate him for you. For free. I would love to have a store like this (and it's family owned, just in case you don't read about it) on Culebra. 

Another cool old truck. Nothing fancy here, just a good ol' truck.
I saw two VW 4 wheel drive transporters since I've been here
 - which may be on top of the list -
along with some fabulous old Land Rovers.
Vehicle lust is not usually what drives me, but sometimes...it  can.

A quiet, well built resting spot. It even has a chimney.
Which is weird, but nice for long visits in winter. I guess.

Across from the cemetery, in a neighborhood with very classic homes, is this place. If you look closely through the fence, you might see the fire hydrant decor. For those blessed with vivid imaginations, have a good time! For the rest, or if you head starts exploding with visions of doggy dinner parties, you can sate your curiosity here.

If I lived here, I would do this. But not in winter. Obviously why I don't live here.

Cedars, oh my!

Another white bike memorial. I'm not sure if the tires are like the Jewish traditions of placing stones on graves or not, but that's all I could think about without getting too sad.

An intriguing sign I couldn't figure out. Until I looked here, where you will find the
 weirdest advert for a vacation place ever written. I mean it.

Yes, I'd love to have taken a photo of this beer and movie theatre all lit up at night.
Yes, I'm sure there are just such photos online.
But you'll have to go find them yourselves. I'm waiting for the real thing.

This was going to be a great shot of this van. But my particular phone camera is not exactly swift on the click. So while I should have tossed this, use your imagination anyway and enjoy.

This store looked...sort of like someone was moving in or out of it, but it was full of masks and lured me inside. The woman was very nice; it wasn't closed or closing, they were just moving things around. She kindly let me take photos of her and her partner's wonderful work. I took other photos but they were so confusing, I'm sticking with this one. You can find out more and see a lot more masks if you go to their Belfry site here.

I do not know what these are. They have an orange inside, like a genipe.
Sarah licked the inside and said it was sweetish. If you know, please tell me! Thank you. 

We carried one of these along with us just in case I needed to give it to the
EMT while they tried to save her life. Licking an unknown fruit? Sheesh!
Happily, that was no necessito.

The piano is immortal? It's a place for funeral home pianos? What?

Suddenly, about three blocks from home, we were both tired. Luckily, we were only three blocks from home. It was time to make some popcorn and watch a movie. Well, we munched popcorn and watched Stephen Fry check out America, as good as a movie and better than a lot of them. Until I fell asleep.

Have a theatrically talismanic Thursday. Do something transitional.