Memories, seen from a new perspective, thanks to the AHC's tour of 705 Davis Condominiums

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I took these photos from different windows in other condos--looking at the views was just as much fun for me as looking at the condos themselves.
 

On the sidewalks of NW Everett, between NW 22nd and NW 23rd--I'd have a hard time counting how many times I walked these sidewalks, in all kinds of weather, before and after work, on weekends, to and from the Fred Meyer, by myself, with Mama and our little dachshund Duncan, with my two sons, with my brother when he visited, my our friends-so-great-that-they-are-family visited from Mississippi and California, with a sweetheart of a friend from Mississippi who also became a Portlander, and with a friend I met at the bus stop who had a pet skunk. Walked with those folks in all sorts of combinations over the years. Back when we had a car, the '96 Buick, I parallel parked on either side of this one-way street numerous times--on NW 22nd also--sometimes with the ease of a hot knife in butter, sometimes not.
 

I could almost type the exact same text beneath this view, too, except that it's looking at the dead-end intersection of NW King with NW Davis. I parked the car here a lot, too. Boy, am I happy not to own a car any more!
 

Here's more of NW Davis, just east of the intersection in the photo right above this one. Mama walked the sidewalk on the right back when she was healthy enough to go to the beauty shop which was on the corner hidden by all of the leaf-laden trees. I have to tell you that when I looked out the window and took this photo, I got choked up for a little while, remembering the day she asked me to find her a beauty shop that she could walk to from our apartment. I used Google Maps Search Nearby and found us a beauty shop. I'm getting choked up right now just typing this because over the years we knew what we'd really found was a sweetheart of a woman, our friend Rosa. This woman came to our apartment in later years and gave Mama her trims and perms there because Mama's mobility lessened as congestive heart failure took its toll. The last photo of us together Rosa took with her camera after she'd done our hair in our kitchen, on the Sunday before Mama died in her sleep on Friday afternoon, January 7, 2011. I count myself blessed to still have Rosa in my life.
 

Back in the day, when Mama was mobile, we walked together to Fred Meyer a few times. We never carried our groceries home in a bag (back then the stores in Portland were allowed to use plastic bags, but not now as you can see from this paper bag in the hands of that man). We used a rolling black bag. Another thing, back in the day, we could walk right into our Fred Meyer with our little dachshund Duncan on his leash. It was hard to tell you was more popular with other shoppers, Mama or Duncan.
 

One last memory. See the mustard-colored, multi-storied building, top left? It stands diagonally across the street from our building. We lived on the top floor of our four-story building, and I seem to remember that the building we're looking at had six stories. Our living room was on the corner of our building closest to the intersection, therefore not far at all from the building we're looking at. Our TV was in the corner, with two good-sized windows in each of the two walls that made up the corner. I could sit in my chair, placed diagonally in front of the TV, and easily see most of the top floors of the building, not the two walls you can see in the photo, but the wall just out of sight to the left. Mama could not see what I could see from her recliner. Anyway, one night I'm sitting there in my chair, watching TV with Mama. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed motion in one of the windows, a repetitive, rhythmic motion. Taking my attention from the TV, I focused on that window and realized that I was seeing a man and a woman having sex in what I figured must be the living room, without any curtains shut. Her legs were straight up in the air and he was very busy between them. "My gosh," I said, "there is someone having sex in an apartment over there!" Mama said, "What? Where?" Then we decided we'd turn out the light so that she might could catch a glimpse without us being noticeably voyeuristic, but by the time we did that, it was all over over there. Truth.

Thanks to my Zipcar, here's something I saw at the Oregon State Fair, the Slingshot!

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Just released, speeding upward on some sort of giant rubber bands! Holding on and smiling. I took this photo at 2:43 p.m. on Sunday, September 1, 2013, in Salem, Oregon.
 

In no time at all, physics takes hold and spins the seat so that the occupants are heels over heads and still speeding upward. I didn't count the number of ups and downs, but I can tell you that one would be more that I could take. Have you ever been on this ride? What makes it a ride? More like a jolt.
 

My Zipcar, Toyota Prius Islidur. We're at my on-the-way pit stop at the Fred Meyer in Canby, Oregon. It's the best place to stop for the deli counter and the restroom, bar none, when leaving Portland and heading south to Swan Island Dahlias, Bauman's Farm and Gardens, Schreiner's Iris Gardens, the Oregon State Fair, and/or the Sublimity Harvest Festival.

And, remember yesterday's post with the sign? Today there are signs, too. Folks, pay attention to these if you're trying to decide if you ever want to submit to the Sling Shot. I didn't even have to read because I knew beyond any doubt that I would never find my boo-tay strapped into the capsule. No way, no how.

I've typed what the one one the left says for you here:

Rules
1. Please remove all loose articles: Hats, Sunglasses, Keys, Cell Phones, & Loose Change.
2. Everything must be removed from your front pockets before riding the sling shot.
3. You must be at least 48" tall to ride the Sling Shot.

Restrictions
1. You ride the Sling Shot at your own risk!
2. You cannot ride if you have back, neck, heart, or other medical conditions!
3. YOU CANNOT RIDE IF YOU ARE PREGNANT!
4. You cannot ride if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol!
5. By going on the Sling Shot you agree that you have read all the Rules & Restrictions and will          abide by them!
6. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone!
7. NO TICKETS, NO RIDE, NO REFUND!

But here's where it gets down to brass tacks, on the sign on the right:
SLINGSHOT Riders
$30 per person (the squares with the prices on them have been attached to the sign because, dontcha know it, the prices have changed, gone up, I'm sure--it's the slingshot, they're not gonna go down, are they?)
Single Rider $30
Video $the stair rail is in the way, so I cannot tell if it is $30 or $20, but I'll lean towards $30, for consistency and continuity of pricing.

DO NOT RIDE IF YOU ARE PREGNANT DO NOT RIDE IF YOU HAVE BACK, NECK, HEART or HEALTH PROBLEMS

Hot Shot Thrill Rides
TOWER HEIGHT: 190'
CAPSULE HEIGHT: 250'
APPRX. SPEED: 100 MPH
MAXIMUM G'S: 5

RIDERS RIDE AT OWN RISK

Zipcar Trip to Ikea, Home Goods, Dress Barn and Fred Meyer, and a couple of sights to see in my neighborhood.

Saturday, believe it or not, I decided to forego seeing the Porsches in Cars in the Park. I got myself a Zipcar and did some errands instead.


The Zipcar of the day, a Toyota Prius named "Plush," a hybrid hatchback. I only had to walk four tenths of a mile to get to the car--not bad at all, especially since the closer one, only one tenth of a mile away, showed up on Zipcar's Web page as unavailable when I searched for a car to reserve.


This was my first ever trip to Ikea all by myself, no son along to keep me on task, following the arrows on the floor, and not missing any details of the Ikea experience.


Here's what I got at Ikea, five additional Branas baskets for my Expedit bookcase, six more Ribba picture ledges, one table-top ironing board, one Antonius over-the-door hanging rack which just might work when I have Milton and Kay here in a few weeks, and one Lajban drying rack, which just might work if the other one doesn't. No one likes or needs or deserves a somewhat soggy bath towel.


See the C reflected in the back window? That's how I found the car again--I parked in a space near the C because I figured I could easily remember cool and/or crazy, both terms that have been applied to me, now and then.


At Home Goods, a store I had never previously shopped, I found one more over-the-door rack with an attached shelf, plus the cutest paisley fit&fresh Retro Chiller Bag which includes a lunch POD with reusable chiller pack (their capitalizations). That's the bottom of it that you see here. I figured out how to attach it to a strap on my backpack! Next I drove over and parked in front of the Dress Barn where I lucked out and found three tops, two on sale, one not but still comfortable and affordable. No photos of the Dress Barn plastic bag--I know you are thrilled at that turn of events!


I extended my Zipcar reservation by using the app on my iPhone, drove home and unloaded the back of the car, ate a quick lunch of tuna salad and saltines, accompanied by a small Mt. Dew in a can. Then I drove to the Hollywood Fred Meyer and shopped for groceries, etc. Once I had made my purchases, I filled the two rolling black bags in the anteroom, grocery cart area, exited for the Zipcar with the Northern and the Brawny and one of the bags in the grocery cart, pushing the other rolling black bag. That silver sliver you see beneath my rolling black bags and the bag of Brawny is the removable thing that you attach somehow to the inside of the back of the car so that what you have in the back of the car is out of sight--it goes up and down with the opening and shutting of the hatch. Of course, someone who drove the car prior to me had taken it loose, I am not sure how to attach it, nor did I really need it. One of these days I may have to figure it out, but not yesterday.


I unloaded everything with 15 minutes to spare, drove the Prius "Plush" to its home, and walked back to my apartment. As I crossed the street, something shiny inside the open door caught my eye. I walked in and talked for a few moments to the nicest woman inside the Tip Top Cleaners , locally owned and operated, on the corner of East Burnside and SE 20th Avenue. The sidewalk you can see is along NE 22nd Avenue, heading north. That's my path between the apartment the "Plush," the Zipcar Prius.


"These mosaics are great! Did y'all do them yourselves?" "I did," she replied, smiling. "This is Mt. Hood!" I exclaimed. The lady replied, "My Mama thought I was going too slow, so she put some things at the bottom (to finish it), but that's the thing with mosaics (it didn't hurt it)!" I agreed with her and asked if I could take some pictures for my blog. She gave the OK. The pieces of mirror on the sides of Mt. Hood had reflected the sunshine, catching my eye as I walked by on the sidewalk.


The other counter says, "Welcome." I wish I had thought to ask if she worked on the mosaics elsewhere or here on the base of the counters. I will stop by again some time and ask.


As I left, I told her how much I enjoyed their neon sign, a comment that garnered me another big smile. Then I took this photo and continued on my way, for a few steps.


Then I stopped, looked at the sign painted on the window, glanced back south on the sidewalk and decided to take this photo. See the white car in the distance, about to come out of the side street?


That side street is where "Plush" lives. The closer white car in on East Burnside."Plush" at home, behind the 76 station.


A close-up of the sign on the window. I really like how the outline paint's color closely matches the color of the neon at the bottom of the arrow. Besides going back to ask about the process followed in making the mosaics, I need to get back over there after dark and take a few photos of the neon sign. Then I'll share them with you.


In the meantime, here's the same photo as above, altered at Picnik with the effect known as Lomo-ish.


Another couple of steps and I couldn't resist this oh-so-professional-looking Alterations, expertly painted across the three windows which such confidence in its ability to make someone notice what it says.


One final colorful local place caught my eye as I walked by, Spunky Monkey Coffee Roasters .

No. 3, May 16, 2011

Right about now good-sized raindrops begin to fall. She moves her right arm in advance of opening her umbrella. She scrunches her eyes shut. I'm across the street, thinking, "Rain, rain, go away!" I am lucky to be standing beneath a narrow strip of roof attached to the Fred Meyer's outer wall.

Flickr, Picnik, Create, Boost lessened from the default percentage, Focal B&W.

Grocery Glory!

Why glory? I'll be happy to explain what happened on December 1, using photos taken in available light and lots of words shaped into sentences. Let's start here, just inside the front door of our apartment. You see here the rolling black bag, handle up. The black and white bag with the circles functions these days as my purse/carry-all, while the pink and white black with the huge black circles is a thinly insulated bag that I bought recently at Fred Meyer after Fred Meyer decided to never-ever-again use plastic grocery bags. (I knew I'd never-ever make it home with loaded paper bags because the handles just might come unglued--besides, why take part of a tree every visit to the grocery store?)


First I carried the thinly insulated back into the living room, set it down on a chair beside the table and unloaded it: broccoli crowns, bananas, potatoes, a Golden Delicious apple, two Bartlett pears, two bags of Hershey's Kisses, two boxes of Lipton Cold Brew family-size teabags, four boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, one box of Apriva sweetener instead of Splenda which was not on sale, a can of Private Select organic pinto beans and one of a three-bean combo, also organic. In the top left corner you can see Mama's hand as she's trying to put the lid back on the Skippy peanut butter. It takes her a few seconds to realize that she's got the two flat items where she places our daily vitamins, not the lid (see it there--it's blue). Did she ever laugh broadly at herself when she realized what she had done!


She picked up the lid, continuing to laugh. So good to see her laughing! I took this blurry photo, laughing myself.


The packed rolling black bag sits on the chair. I had bought this bag in October, 2009, in particular for our trip home last year. It's one of those with the zipper all the way round that lets it expand, depthwise. I like that in a bag, but more than that I adore a zipper that stays attached to the cloth of the bag and wheels that stay in one piece despite rolling lots and lots on Portland's sidewalks and crosswalks. This bag doesn't have that sort of zipper or wheels. Every time I take it to work empty on grocery shopping day, I pray over it several times: Please let your zipper zip and your wheels turn. So far, so good.


The groceries from the rolling black bag: three frozen Green Giant boxes of vegetables, two healthy weight, one healthy heart, all with sugar snap peas which we had recently in another Green Giant veggie dish and Mama discovered that she liked them; a Pillsbury Simply Rustic French Bread; four Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Original; a half gallon Fred Meyer Lactose Free 2% Reduced Fat Milk, a half gallon Darigold 100% Lactose Free Milk, a half gallon of Breyers Lactose-Free All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream; a Lil' Butterball turkey, a bag of Fred Meyer Baby Lima Beans (thanks be these exist at Fred Meyer), a bag of Kroger Cut Okra (I haven't found whole frozen okra here and have only found fresh okra once at the farmers' market), a pot roast, bag of Farmland Fully Cooked Cubed Ham (more about that later), two packages of GenTeal Liquid Drops for Mama's dry eyes brought on by Sjogren's Syndrome, two packages of Werther's Chewy Caramels, two bags of frozen Grands Southern Style biscuits (thanks be for these tasty beauties), and two bags of Chex Mix, Traditional. You can see that Mama's drinking tea and that she's emptied our pitcher. You can see the Skippy Peanut Butter jar now has its lid. See the yellow circle to the left of the jar? That's what she had in her had, trying to put it onto the jar. It's a yellow-plastic-microwaveable chili lid, resting inside a paper-hotel-glass cover, those ones that are sitting beside the ice bucket in your room when you check-in. She puts my vitamins in the yellow one and hers in the white one.

Now, for the rest of the story. A bit of background first. At the first of November I vowed to pay attention to coupons for our grocery shopping. During that month, on three trips to Fred Meyer, I saved a total of $60.75. A little over $18 of that was from having always used my Fred Meyer Rewards card so that I got in the mail the $18+ gift card as well as four other $2 coupons relegated to specific categories--these come three or four times a year, I can't remember which.

So, without that ace in the hole, I wondered how I would do in December. I used the rewards card, thereby activating the coupons downloaded to it. I used coupons I had cut from the booklet in several Tuesday newspapers. I used coupons that I printed from several Web sites. And I used one that I got from the end of a can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Original. When the young man finished scanning all of the paper ones and the computer finished telling the cash register about the electronic ones, I had saved $23.65. Glory be! Better even than saving that money, though, is the fact that I didn't buy anything that we wouldn't end up eating. None of this getting tempted by a coupon for us!

Finally, about the cubed ham. Last night I stirred two thirds of the package into a boiler in which I had already put the two cans of organic beans. I had one box of the Jiffy corn muffins fixed and baking in the oven. I made a fruit salad from a banana, an apple, some raisins and some mayo. As we got situated to eat, I stirred my version of ham and beans one more time. What? Oh, no! I bent over to get a better whiff. Oh, no. I opened the frig and opened the bag with the rest of the cubed ham. Oh, no. The ham had gone bad. I didn't smell anything when I had opened the bag earlier, so applying heat must have activated the yucky stench. So, I'll be taking my receipt from Wednesday, December 1, right on back to Fred Meyer to let them know how that ham was on December 4 as well as the fact that it ruined two cans of beans. In fact, I'll be taking the rest of the package of cubed ham with me. It'll be on Tuesday, December 7, because that's the day I can shop and save an extra 10% on many Fred Meyer/Kroger store brand items, all because I was born before 1956.

Hot Dog! PBR Serendipity

My camera around my neck to make room in the tote bag for two half gallons of milk, I exited Fred Meyer on NW 20th and walked south, towards Burnside and the bus stop on the corner.

"Oh," I thought, "I'd better turn the camera on. Never know what I'll see."

I looked up as I got closer to the corner. "Like that!" Click. One chance to get the photo before he disappeared on the sidewalk.

"Yes!" I thought when I checked the view screen. "Got it!"


Uncropped.

How about a break from walking? Let's eat! And a "So You Think You Can Dance" idea.

Thursday on my afternoon work break, I walked out of the building, turned east, at the corner turned north, walked half a block and entered Organics to You, "a locally owned and operated Company, located in Portland Oregon, and has been in business, since 2001. Organics to You Delivers fresh, local, farm direct produce, along with other grocery items, directly to your home or office on a flexible weekly, every other week schedules." (From their Web site) I walked out with four ears of corn, a bunch of Swiss chard, three baby bok choys, two zucchini, two summer squash, and a ravenous hope for our supper. I walked in from the bus, ready to cook!

The zucchini, summer squash, and three Portland Farmers Market potatoes I had in the refrigerator.


Walla Walla Sweet Onions from Fred Meyer and a bit of the baby bok choy.


The baby bok choy and the Swiss chard


First I squirted some of my olive oil/canola oil combination into one of my two great big skillets and turned the electric burner to High. Then I put the chopped onion in to begin to sautee. Next I added the chopped bottoms of the baby bok choy--the white part, not the leaves. Next I added the rough-sliced potatoes. I stirred all of this enough so that oil glistened on each piece. Then I added the sliced squashes and some chopped Swiss chard stems. Oh, in between adding the potatoes and the squashes, I sprinkled some sea salt onto everything.


I let it all get hot, poured in some water, left the heat on high, and put my other great big skillet on top, upside down, as a lid.


I grabbed a handful of Swiss chard leaves, sort of wadded them up into a small mound, then sliced them across, rotated them 45 degrees and sliced across them again. When I finished with the chard, I did the same thing with the baby bok choy leaves. I took the skillet off the skillet and placed handful after handful of chopped greens atop the vegetables already in the skillet. I squirted some of the olive oil/canola oil combination here and there, sprinkled some sea salt, and balanced the skillet-as-lid back on the other skillet. I turned the heat down to four.


I let it cook a little while--I don't remember how long. (And I've forgotten to tell you that I had a slice of ham wrapped in foil, on a cookie sheet, heating at 200 degrees the whole time I was chopping and squirting and stirring.) Then I removed the upper skillet.


Here's my plate, complete with ham, the vegetable concoction and two slices of a tomato, from Fred Meyer. The plate was empty in short order. Much the same with Mama and her plate.


After I'd washed the dishes, I decided to call my sons, to tell them thanks. After all, if the two of them hadn't agreed to cook a huge meal for over 60 of our family and friends back in Jackson, Mississippi, in June, 2006, before we moved to Portland, then I would not have my two really big skillets that I now adore. I bought them so that the guys could use them that night--there was no reason for them to put what they call sautee pans in their suitcases when they flew to Jackson, not only to cook that very special meal, but to help us finish getting ready to move. Lamont flew back with Grandma. Leland drove the U-Haul with passengers--Duncan and me.

If those sweet sons of mine hadn't been so gracious and ready to sweat outdoors for almost an entire day, prepping and cooking and serving, then I would not have my really big cutting board which I also adore. It's one of those white, sort of plastic ones, easy to use, easy to clean.

I only got hold of Leland. He said, "Well, Mom, I'm glad you're enjoying them," and he chuckled. I'll let Lamont know soon.

By the way, if you watch "So You Think You Can Dance," do you agree with me that they ought to have each couple dance next week to a Michael Jackson son--in his honor? Oh, how I'd love to see that!

Our buddy Lucy's come to visit, all the way from Mississippi, via Minneapolis where her daughter's family lives

Here's the dynamic duo, headed towards the Buick as I had driven up and stopped to get them where they waited outside the airport baggage area. I had already put Lucy's bag into the trunk when I went to fetch the car. On the drive into Portland proper, Mama said for me to watch for somewhere to stop for something to drink and maybe a bite to eat.

At the traffic signal to the left of this building, I had read on their window, among other words, "coffee" and "milkshakes," so I suggested we give it a try. Both of them were game, so I circled. We parked on NE Sandy Blvd., right beside the door to Fairley's Pharmacy.

Y'all know Mama will be 83 in January, well, Lucy's two years older. Both of them had a time getting out of the car, so much so that we got the giggles.

You cannot tell from this photo, but the height of the platform running along the counter with the stools on it made it impossible for the three of us to sit there without risking a terrible fall. And I wish you could tell how much wider the building is at this point--it's one of those triangle-shaped ones seen here and there in Portland, on both sides of the river.

This splendid machine made me a fine chocolate milkshake, with the help of the skilled young woman manning the counter.

Here's my shake, with the rest of it waiting patiently in the metal container from the milkshake machine.

The soda counter turns the corner, going towards the prescription counter. Inside the small glass case we found some good-looking shortbread cookies, some even dipped half-way into chocolate.

I really like the retro-look of the "Prescriptions" sign.

The girls each ordered a 12-ounce house coffee. Lucy asked for milk for her coffee. She gave it a generous dose of what turned out to be half and half, plus some sugar. Mama takes hers black.

As Lucy stirs her coffee with my milkshake spoon, Mama pours a bit of water into hers--she always has to do that because it's either too hot or too strong. And there you see our shortbread cookies; they turned out to be very good.

Revived, Lucy called her sister Winnie, down in Jackson, Mississippi, to let her know she'd arrived safe and sound. I got Mama to lean over and smile for another photo.

Just before we left to get into the car, both of them graciously posed for me again, standing beside the stools--ain't they sweet?

After our delightful interlude at Fairley's Pharmacy, we wandered around Portland's Hollywood District, looking for the great big Fred Meyer grocery store that I had been to once, as a passenger in June, 2006. I just couldn't find that store, and then I accidentally got us onto I-84, heading into the city, so we exited at Lloyd Center, a shopping mall. You see, we were not looking for groceries alone, we were looking for a jewelry department where we hoped to get Mama's chain repaired or replaced so that she could once again where her heart pendant. Lo and behold, we found a handicapped parking spot right beside a door to the mall--Mama has a rear-view-mirror-hang-tag. Then, for more lo and behold, we found a jewelry store right inside that very door. And the store manager made Mama a deal she couldn't refuse on a new chain. Oh, joy! Mission accomplished. Then we went to our neighborhood Fred Meyer to buy some groceries before heading to the apartment. Right now they're playing a card game they love, called Hand and Foot. Duncan's curled up beside me on the couch as I blog. "Bridget Jones' Diary" just finished on Lifetime, and I'm waiting for the local weather forecast on KGW-TV.

I've taken vacation all week, and we're spending Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the Pacific Coast, in Lincoln City. Duncan can go with us, and the place has wifi! I'll keep y'all posted on our fun times.

Sunday evening we're going to 3 Doors Down Cafe for dinner; Leland and Kailey are joining us, and Lamont will be cooking, so it'll be a neat night.