The Righteous Breakfast

I got up early this morning to finish The Righteous Mind. This nonfiction book is my assignment for tomorrow's book club, and I have one last chapter to read. I had been a little intimidated by it (it's 419 pages thick), but it has surprised me by being a very enjoyable read. Also, the last 100 pages are end notes and an index, so it's not as long as it seems at first glance.

This final chapter is tying everything together, from the psychological differences between people who tend to lean conservative vs. liberal, politically, to the Team Spirit aspect of partisanship. It's seriously fascinating stuff, and written in a way that's very clear and easy to follow. I highly recommend the book, which I would never have picked up if not for book club.

And, instead of finishing it, I can't tear myself away from this.

It just called to me from the shelf, and before I knew it, it had jumped into my lap right on top of The Righteous Mind.

I reviewed the first edition of Paul Gerald's breakfast book in October of 2008. This "2nd serving" edition has been out since 2011 and I should have run out and bought it immediately but I have this tendency to procrastinate. Then Gerald sent me his newer book, Peaceful Places, Portland, so I had to read that first.

I loved it so much that I'm feeling inspired to write a series of posts where I go to the book's peaceful places which I haven't been to before, and let the book help me discover them. Because when you've lived in a city and loved it for 20 years, there's something magical about finding a person who can show you something new. Paul Gerald, with his collection of Pacific Northwest hiking, camping, and breakfasting books, has proven himself to be that person. So, that'll be a blog post or two at some point this summer, I hope.

And in the meantime, even though the 2011 Breakfast in Bridgetown is now slightly out of date (Gerald posts updates on his website), it's so fascinating (the Hollywood Burger Bar used to be a trolley stop?!) and funny that I can't put it down. Not even to get myself dressed so I can go get breakfast at one of those places I've been meaning to try.

Incidentally, yesterday marked the 5th anniversary of Worducopia. I went back and read some of my old posts to reminisce a little bit, and decided that I should really write some more of those book review-type posts one of these days.

Murals by Happenstance

I had an eye appointment that was inconveniently timed. Our family has one car (my husband commutes to work by bike year round) to serve not only the 3 drivers in our house but also Chris's parents, who are legally blind and (obviously) can't drive. On this particular Monday, we had to juggle my 8:10 eye appointment, my mother-in-law's 9:30 appointment across town, and a late morning appointment that Chris had.

Our solution was for Chris to drop me off, and when my appointment ended I would start walking the 4 miles home. We knew he'd be able to pick me up long before I got all the way home, but a walk through Portland's neighborhoods on a sunny morning sounded much better to me than sitting in a waiting room for an hour.

On my way home, I came across this mural, informally painted on the side of a garage that faces an alley way. This is the uncropped photo that I snapped from my cell phone. I like how the roughness of the photo matches the setting of this modest neighborhood and the mural's theme with the money flying off the tree.

I also came across a mural in progress. I can't find any information about it. The white spots are numbered, clearly waiting to be filled in. I'll go back in a couple of weeks to see if any progress has been made, or if this is an unofficial project destined to be painted over by Portland's graffiti abatement program. I doubt that's the case here in the upscale Alameda neighborhood, an unlikely spot for renegade street artists.

I ended up having a fantastic walk through Portland's diverse neighborhoods, then Chris picked me up and we had just enough time for coffee and fresh doughnuts at the fabulous Pips Original before I had to drop him off at home to prepare for his appointment, before I headed across town to pick up his mom at the end of hers.

Here's another brand new mural I came upon recently. A few months ago, Ben got his ears pierced, and I snapped a photo of this bee mural outside the tattoo/body art/piercing studio. As you can see, it was a little worn, with sections of paint flaking off.

When we went back a couple weeks ago for some follow-up care, we found that the bees had been replaced by pigs! I shot this photo with a smudge filter, straight into the sun for dramatic effect.

Translation: the light was terrible for a photo facing west and I had a smudge on my lens. In other words, this is a really bad photo that no self-respecting photographer would post on the internet. 

I love street art, but even more than that I love coming across it unexpectedly as I go about my day. Even if the lighting and the lens aren't perfect for capturing the moment.
______________________________________
See more photos, or add your own Saturday Snapshots, at West Metro Mommy.

Portland Old Town/Chinatown Walking Tour

My boys and I took a guided walking tour of the oldest section of Portland yesterday. We've done several of these over the years, and with every one I learn more about and feel more connected to my chosen hometown.

 This tour started at the Chinese Garden, which is a profoundly amazing place that I highly recommend if you live in or visit in Portland. We didn't pay to go in this time, but Evan took this photo of one of the boulders at the entrance. He's always had a great eye for photography and is actually one of the people who most inspired me to take it up.

We made our way through Old Town--where Portland was originally settled back when it was the Wild West and mostly made up of men under 35 who lived in boarding houses and hotels and spent most of their time working and hanging out in saloons. (Some of the saloons had little troughs at the base of the bar, so the fellows wouldn't have to lose their stool when nature called. Classy, right?) The Merchant Hotel, below, was one of several built by lumber barons during this time.

In the 1890s, this part of town became known as Nihonmachi (Japantown). The Merchant Hotel housed the Japanese-language newspaper and a store that sold Japanese goods (Now there's a pizza place and a Japanese American History Museum).

During World War Two, when everyone of Japanese descent was forced out of their homes and sent to internment camps, these buildings were vacated and eventually re-inhabited, mostly by our Chinese American population. Now it's more of a nightclub hot spot and fairly seedy. Not many people live here anymore. The "China" part of our Chinatown consists of a really cool gate and a few hold-out Chinese restaurants that haven't moved to the outer southeast quadrant. The "Japan" part of Japantown was mostly erased during that tragic portion of our history, though we do have a lovely memorial garden nearby that pays tribute to the Americans who were interned and  who fought for the U.S. during the war.

The gate to Chinatown

I love this close-up of the Fu Dog guarding the gate--sorry that I couldn't keep the raindrops off the camera lens, though. 

Cherry blossoms

I couldn't resist this shot with the graffiti, the Chinese characters of the Chinese Language School, and the billboard stating "Rethink Possible" right next to the two flags, American and Taiwanese.

This last shot shows two fun facts that I learned at lunch at the Hollywood Burger Bar after the tour. See that white bottle to the left of the ketchup? I like malt vinegar and salt on my fries (a remnant from my time living in England), so I'm always happy when restaurants offer it.

I went to shake some on my fries, and...

• Fun fact #1: Malt vinegar and pancake syrup look more similar than you might expect.
• Fun fact #2: Pancake syrup on a french fry tastes exactly as bad as you might expect.

Luckily, I only ruined 3-4 fries before realizing that the viscosity was all wrong for malt vinegar. Quick and observant, that's me.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home With Books. To participate, post a picture that was taken by you, a friend, or a family member, and add your link. 

Snapshot: A mural and a not-mural

Last fall I created a Portland murals walking tour for myself (I posted some photos of one of the murals here). I was hoping to offer public access to the route, but after walking it with my husband and son, I realized it was a bit too long for the average walker. I'm working on separating that walk into two, and also plotting out more for other Portland neighborhoods. I'm sure I'll be posting photos of those murals this spring.

Have you ever noticed how, once you start thinking about some specific little thing, it pops up everywhere? This has definitely happened to me with murals. I can't believe how many I used to drive right by without even seeing them.


Here's one I know I wouldn't have missed! A few weeks ago, Chris, Evan and I were walking in the northwest section of Portland. I was delighted to come across this mural along the way. Apparently it was just done in December, 2012.

I'd never heard of Mellow Mushroom but it seems to be prolific in the eastern part of the country. I have no idea what their pizza is like, but I sure like their mural. The artists are Travis Czekalski and Jon Stommel, who have done murals for two other Mellow Mushrooms in other states.



On the same walk, we passed a self-storage place.
It's not exactly a mural, because the decoration is made of metal instead of paint, but I think it's fabulous. It must be relatively new, because it doesn't show up on the pictures of the building from the company's website, but I can't find any information about the artist.

Just goes to show you, anything can be made beautiful with enough effort!



Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home With Books. To participate, post a picture that was taken by you, a friend, or a family member, and add your link. 

Peaceful in Portland

Today I'm reading Peaceful Portland, by Paul Gerald. I absolutely love this book. It's full of ideas for local outings--some well-known, some hidden away. If you live in or visit Portland, I highly recommend having a copy on hand.

I found my own peaceful reading spot, next to the fireplace . . .  and then spent 45 minutes trying to figure out how to post my Instagram photos on my blog, which was not at all peaceful. 

I finally gave up and just posted the raw photos here. To see the fancy versions, go to my Instagram page.

Estellagram Challenge prompt: Nonfiction

The teaser in the photo below is from Peaceful Portland's description of a hike on Mt. Hood. In case you can't read it in my photo, the text version is below.

Book Soulmates Challenge prompt: Teaser Tuesday

"Whenever I go to Eagle Creek, I expect to see fairies. It's really that magical: waterfalls plunging from all around into a lush, green canyon; a mountain stream rolling along at the base of vertical cliffs; a trail that seems suspended in midair."

Now, if that doesn't want to make you visit the Portland area, I'll bet it at least makes you want to read the book!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 

Two Announcements

Announcement #1 is that I've become one of three contributors (well, four, if you count the site founder, Gabe) on Reading Local: Portland. I'm excited for the opportunity to increase my focus on local authors and events. Whether or not you're local to me, I hope you'll stop by and read my report on Luis Alberto Urrea's reading at Powell's last night. Here are some secrets I didn't share:

• Recommended reading: As soon as I started this book, I thought of 3-4 friends to recommend it to, including my husband. Once I told him the premise, he started reading it as soon as I put my bookmark in it and set it down.
  
• Swag: When Urrea offered to mail out book-related goodies to people following him on Twitter, I passed. Is it kosher for a reviewer--albeit a lowly amateur one--to accept gifts from an author before reading his book? What if I didn't like the book and gave it a scathing review--what if he TP'd my house while in Portland?
• Swag, part 2: The first thing Urrea did when he arrived at Powell's was to walk up to Bethany and I (she's easy to recognize in her gorgeous dreadlocks) and bestow us with swag. I didn't get a playlist CD, though. And I really want one. He has kindly offered to send me one once he's home. Will the fact that Urrea is the nicest author ever affect my review? Stay tuned and judge for yourself. 150 pages to go.
  
• Most Dedicated Author Family Award: Sadly, Urrea's mother-in-law died this week, in Seattle. He and his wife had to cut short his east coast book tour, fly home to get their kids, and fly to the west coast to attend the funeral this weekend. The whole family was at Powell's (his cutie-patootie daughter passed out fans to the audience), and then drove the three hours to Seattle after the reading and signing ended. I think they left Portland at 10:00 p.m.
  
  
  Another thing I'm really excited about participating in this month is the Nerds Heart YA tournament of underdog young adult books from 2008. The judging panel worked together to choose 16 titles that have been well-received but haven't gotten the press, or buzz, that others have. After my great experience participating in the Mock Printz Award workshop, I'm looking forward to delving into YA lit again. Between now and June 21, Lenore and I will be choosing the winner between these two books.
  
  Any predictions about which will come out on top?
  
  The rest of the Nerds Heart YA bracket is available for your viewing pleasure. I have strong opinions about three of the early brackets, even though I've only read one of the two books in each:
• My Most Excellent Year
• Last Exit to Normal
• Cracked Up to Be

I probably won't have time to read the books they're up against, though, so I think I'll keep my opinions to myself! But you don't have to. Feel free to make bets about who the winner will be and heckle the judges: Valentina in Valentina's Room, Jodie who is Book Gazing, Natasha of Maw Books Blog, Mary Ann at Libr*fiti, Trish of Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin', Vasilly at 1330v, Kelly at YAnnabe, Becky of Becky's Book Reviews, Kailana at The Written World, Heather at A High and Hidden Place, Amy as in My Friend Amy, Laza of Gimme More Books!, Stephanie at Confessions of a Book-a-Holic, Nicole on Linus's Blanket, Renay who is YA Fabulous, Susan who is Too Fond Of Books And It's Turned Her Brain, Chris of Stuff As Dreams Are Made On and Nymeth, to whom Things Mean A Lot. You can heckle Lenore and I, too. We can take it.