Observations of Portland/ Differences.

- A homeless guy busts out a flip phone and starts texting someone. Homeless people are common and surprisingly friendly (for obvious reasons). Sometimes it's as if they chose an extremely different lifestyle.

- People are lean and beautiful here. Health is often first priority in people's lives.

- In a bar people will chat you up all night. In the street no one makes eye contact.

- Hunters are nervous about admitting they like to hunt for fear of being lectured about animal rights.

- People speak openly in public about using heavy drugs such as heroin, cocaine, etc

- People don't ask you what you do for a living. They ask you how you are doing. And they mean it.

- There is a heavy contingent of Californians here, most from Los Angeles and most are really, really fun.

- Everyone drives the speed limit. That is irritating.

- I never see police. When I do, they are in a squad car. Never on foot or horseback.

- Bicycles are everywhere, EVERYWHERE. And they get out of the way.

- You can buy beer at the gas station... on Sunday. Be jealous.

- The only place I see someone in a suit is at the bank.

- I rarely see churches.

- It always smell like a breezy greenhouse because that's what this whole place is.

- Being able to fix things is rare in most circles.

- Most apartment complexes have an exterior entrance for each apartment, like motels, but it's normal.

- Most people are really, really nice. That being said, it is difficult for people to take the step from small talk to making plans to hang out.

- Many people are warning me about the winters here. Benchmark is what? Yeah.

More later.

In the Oregon Woods

The woods are so thick that you can be in a relatively dark area one minute and then direct sunlight the next.

Jurassic Park or Oregon?

Moss on the trees

That water is 3 feet deep

Bits of Portland

There are little pieces of art like this everywhere in Portland. This one is a label someone painted and stuck to a light pole.

Ice rink inside the mall

VW Bus, The Turbo Version

Oregon Convertible

The two most popular modes of transportation

Portland Saturday Market

Puppet Master/ Street performer at Saturday Market

Pinball machines are in every bar, and I made sure to check before making that claim.

Fall in Portland: Red leaves on the ground next to growing grass

Vivid colors everywhere

And..... Here.

Easier to find than I though it would be.

Domestic

Weird Portland, Cool Portland.

Cocky bastard.

 So, I'm sitting in the living room and I keep hearing this muffled racket. It's a combo of squawking, arguing and metal being pounded. I go look out the window and I see two guys leaning over the engine of a car, arguing about how to fix it. Both of them are pissed off, yelling at each other and beating on the car. Then I hear that squawking again and I see this flicker of white inside the car. Yes, that flicker of white was the rooster they had in the car. Weird Portland.

This is an example of how commonly cool Portland can be. This is a trash blind that faces a busy sidewalk. It's made from steel stock with discarded bicycle parts welded to it. All kinds of recycling going on right there.

These kinds of aesthetically pleasing creative solutions are relatively common in residential areas.

Murder on the Mountain

"Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!"

 Remember a movie called "The Shining" where Jack Nicholson played a writer who agreed to be a caretaker for a lodge over the winter? It's the movie where he loses his mind and eventually hacks through a door with an axe, trying to kill his family, and says, "Heeeeeere's Johnny!"

That movie was filmed at a place called Timberline Lodge with is about an hour east of Portland in the mountains. I went there today with my roommate and it was incredible.

There wasn't anything mentioned about the film in the building, but there is some of the best hand-made furniture and beam-work I have ever seen in my life. It was built by a huge crew of unemployed young people during the Great Depression. They were members of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps).

The Timberline Lodge as it is today... through the fog.

Creepy Hallways

Creepy Kids

Creepy Doors

Since this is the only semi-morbid blog post, I thought I would post this nice note I found in the Tillamook forest, west of Portland. It reads "Dead Dog. Found in creek between big rocks. We ate him. 9-10-11."

There could be a false sentence in that quote, but it's hard to read that tiny picture.

The Oregon Coast

The Oregon coast is beyond description. Click on the slides to see more pictures.