Hell Is Hot and So Is PDX

WARNING: This post is rather long. Feel free to listen to the following music while you read/view. The first song is from Frightened Rabbit, who we saw at Holocene not that long ago. The second song is from Islands, another band we watched. Enjoy.






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Finally some pictures for everyone to enjoy. The top left photo is a shot of our place taken from the cemetery across the street. Our unit is the top one. You can barely notice the barbed wire on top of the cemetery fence that helps keep the walking dead from wandering onto our property and eating our brains. The cemetery houses the graves of many famous historical Portland figures. I don't think that Darrell Glass, Chico George Galaviz, and Margarita Kujan are included in that category, but their headstones show the wide spectrum of headstone ornateness on the property. On a side note, I don't believe that zombie Darrell Glass would eat my brains were he able to bypass the barbed wire. I like to imagine that he would engage me in deep and meaningful conversations about politics, steroids in baseball, and who would win in a fight between a shark and a crocodile.

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These are pictures of the interior of our place. They are (clockwise from the top left): The living room (as viewed from the dining room/kitchen), my office inside the front door (as viewed from the living room), the master bedroom, and the dining room/kitchen (as viewed from the living room).

Since the last update, we had the privilege of a visit by Mr. Robbie Crowley from Birmingham. We showed him Portland for a few days. Activities included food, beer, and some hiking and sightseeing.

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The above photos are shots from Council Crest Park. It is the highest point in Portland (elev. 1073 ft.) and is located just outside of downtown. On a clear day you can see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Ranier, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood. It was not a clear day.

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These are shots of the Columbia River Gorge. The scenic drive starts about 20 or so minutes outside of Portland and continues for about 2 hours. I-84 runs along the southern edge of the Columbia River and is what we drove into Portland on during our initial trek. Washington begins on the northern shore of the river. The gorge is a popular spot for kite and wind surfing due to the stiff breezes that flow through it.

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Along the gorge on the Oregon side are a couple of different waterfalls. These two are shots from Latourell Falls. Robbie was brave enough to risk wetness and stand near the bottom.

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These three shots are from Multnomah Falls. It is the second highest continuously flowing waterfall in the nation at 620 feet. You can hike a little more than a mile to the top of the falls, but we opted to hike to the bridge in the middle of the first picture. That is where the second picture was taken. The third picture is of some kids who were enjoying the falls. It is dedicated to John Yam of Atlanta, GA, # 1 Asian.

What visit to Portland would be complete without a visit to Voodoo Donuts? For those of you who know a little about Voodoo Donuts, you probably know what donut this is. For those of you who know Butters, you probably know why his name is on this donut. Enough said.

Another heat wave hit Portland this weekend, with temperatures reaching the 90's again. We have no AC in our place because it normally doesn't get this hot in Portland. Thankfully someone invented box fans and that there is very little humidity in the northwest. Helen and I are making due but the cats are miserable. Colle is the only one smart enough to sit in front of the fans. This is how Thor cools himself off:

What post would be complete without a list of more oddities that have been observed in Portland? The following have been observed/experienced since my last post:

• A woman in a thong bikini playing a ukulele in the park by our house
• Homeless love quarrels, again at the park
• A 70+ year old woman approaching a sunburned "dude",who had just proudly announced to anyone within 20 feet his exploits with the prostitute he just put on the bus, and asking him if he would be so kind as to do the same with her.

With as many homeless/crazy people stories we tell, Portland really is really a respectable and safe town. Maybe I'm just getting used to things or have a low shock value, but I'm taking all of these things in stride. They just make for good stories; at least I hope they do.