Friday, October 7, 2016

Birthday season drive

My birthday season is underway.    So John took me for a drive out the gorge.

The first two photos are the camera's  different interpretations of the light, depending on where I focus.








 I didn't notice the trash when I was taking the photos.  Too bad I didn't pick it up first.




Garden in early October






Friday, September 30, 2016

Recommended Video: Back in Time for the Weekend

Not so long ago I recommended Back in Time for Dinner.  Now the BBC has another series called Back in Time for the Weekend.   The BBC site says:  For one summer the Ashby Hawkins family give up their 21st-century technology and travel back in time to discover the radical transformation of our leisure time since 1950.




 I can't find a decent copy on YouTube but I found this site.

Back in Time for the Weekend


Here is a review.  It was harder to be female in the 50's.

The BBC remodeled the house for each decade:

  "Every era we completely redecorated their house, even putting in extra walls, doors, garden fences and a shed. Our art department repainted, wallpapered, carpeted and re-furnished their house, often in just three days, whilst the family were living in a rented house nearby. The family moved out of their house before filming began for the 50s and before every decade, only saw the changes as they stepped through the door on the first day of filming for each episode."

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Great White Whale

The houses being built in Portland keep getting uglier and bigger, towering over their neighbors.  I guess it is pretty cheap to build when there is no trim....  ugh.



 This is their rendering.  Note the fake trees and grass and the missing neighbor houses.


And yes, there are TWO of them, one behind the other.  Once again this is a rendering...



Here is a link from Google maps.  I think there are 8 units with 1800 sq ft each and renting for $2800 per month.  GAG.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Yachats in September

The ocean along the 804 trail.  More of the 804 trail below. 


We stopped at the Beazell Memorial Forest to stretch our legs.



We had lunch in Newport at Local Ocean Seafood.  They were getting their fish delivery.  Note the fish in midair, on it way from the truck to the big bucket.


Walking to town from the house we stayed in.




The ocean from the house in the morning.

On the 804 trail.





The hobbit trail.



Hobbit beach.  We were pretty alone in this expansive space.









Thursday, September 15, 2016

Affordable apartment in Portland (so the ad says)

Craigs list ad

This is the whole 165 sq ft apartment, for $1135 per month.  Like a dorm room....




I blogged about it when it was being built. 

And here are all the amenities you get for an apartment smaller than most rooms in my house.

  • All Utilities Included! (Power, Electric, Trash, Sewer, Complimentary WIFI, Everything!)

  • Studio furnished with a new twin bed

  • Kitchenette includes granite counter top, deep stainless steel sink, microwave, cabinets, and mini refrigerator/freezer

  • Flexible lease terms: 6-9 months (+$100), or 10-18 months (listed base rent of $1035)

  • Pets welcome! $300 Deposit & $25/Month Pet Rent (Limited Breed Restrictions)

  • Two Common kitchens on each floor, with weekly cleaning (10 within the whole building)

  • Complimentary bike parking

  • Secured Entry and Quiet hours

  • On-site laundry payable by credit card

  • Professional maintenance of common areas and grounds

  • Walk Score: 94, Transit Score: 70, Bike Score: 99

  • Large ADA bathrooms

  • Smoke Free Community





Thursday, September 1, 2016

Life in Portland, the city that does not work

My life of late has been consumed by two Portland problems: the homeless and unbridled growth.  Unbridled growth is destroying us.  Our city is overwhelmed. And our elected officials are doing squat.

In the words of  Tom McCall:  " We must respect another truism - that unlimited and unregulated growth, leads inexorably to a lowered quality of life.”

This is a shit bucket provided to the homeless in the park and emptied for them.  They haven't emptied it yet...  I think it pretty well sums up life in Portland these days.



Today is the day of the big Springwater Trail homeless camp sweep.  It's been in the works for at least six weeks and was postponed once.  The news reports that of the more than 500 people camped there, they have relocated 60, including a dozen they put on the bus to somewhere else.  And now they are going to force them off the trail into the neighborhoods.  They have been told to camp in small groups on public property  but not in parks and some other rules that not even I can follow.   They are angry.  Broken down vehicles that people live out of have become the norm on Portland streets.

I get a daily Google News alert on the topic "Portland Homeless".  Here are some of the links from the past few days.
Open Wapato jail to the homeless, says Commissioner Loretta Smith

Fire breaks out at homeless camp near Hawthorne Bridge

Police: Man tired of homeless campers throws bomb under RV


Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The Spaceship

This house is called the Spaceship because of all it's blazing lights.



Source: Stop Demolishing Portland

"This house sold earlier this year for $900,000.
It's a great example of the realities of the City's claim that we have to accept all this redevelopment to 'increase density' to accommodate the "climate refugees".

No one lives there.
It's owned by someone with an address in Vegas that's a building on the strip - $1.3-million-and-up condos.
This house is used only as an Airbnb - I got that from a neighbor, and there's a recent complaint about it, filed at the City.

It was completed in 2015 but has already had serious water-intrusion problems.
If you're familiar with University Park, you'll see how-ridiculous this house looks at the location."

Quote from Stop Demolishing Portland

Monday, August 29, 2016

Recommended Video... "Back in Time for Dinner"

I found this British series:  "One British family embarks on an extraordinary time-traveling adventure to discover how a post-war revolutions in the food we eat has transformed the way we live."

It starts in 1950.  England was still on food rationing through much of the fifties.   There is an episode from each decade.  It's really interesting.


There is also a series with the same family call Back in Time for Christmas, covering the 40's, 50's and 60's.


Loving the gorge to death

Unbridled growth is destroying us.  These people are lined up to climb over a giant log jam in Oneonta gorge.  Does this look like a natural spot?  Too many people.

Source

"It is so depressing to see such beautiful nature treated like an amusement park. I personally blame Instagram and people going places they see on there to take the same picture for "likes". The amount of selfie-sticks and pooh-bears at Oneanta Gorge the past couple of years have turned it from one of the most magical little hikes in Oregon into a barely recognizable shizshow of crowds. Side-note, someone is going to have an accident at the log-jam there and I am curious to see how this looks in 10 years..."





Source


Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Look what I found

I shared my cosmos Diablo with neighbors on the street as I mentioned here.  I was walking down the street and found this sign that Mary made.  I was touched.



Tuesday, August 23, 2016

The greedy idiots are still destroying Portland

There are lots of demolitions of wonderful houses.  Every now and then people get excited about a specific grand home and they save it.  I am more upset by the many less expensive less grand but still wonderful bungalows that get destroyed every day, especially by the hated Vic Remmers, AKA Everett Custom Homes.  May a curse be on you if you buy one.  There is already a curse on him.

Here is a grand home in Eastmoreland (a pricey Portland neighborhood) that Remmers is slated to demolish.  Boy is he ever greedy.  And Portland lets him get away with it.  I am losing respect for my beloved city.

Source

Monday, August 22, 2016

Garden in August

 I cut down quite a bit of the bee balm.  Bee balm is pretty tough here and does okay with things like being cut to the ground.  I moved a few pots in to fill the space a little.  Looks pretty good.



Here is the other side of the front.  Our yard is so small.  It doesn't look like it here, though.