Portland Oregon, Week Thirty-Two

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo
I don't wanna leave!!!!!

I love it here and I wanna build a Yurt on the other side of Mt. Hood and live Happily Ever After.
It's all ending so fast! That is a picture of Mt. Hood from my plane to Utah. I love this shot. You can almost sense the presence of space just above the atmoshpere. If my plane flew just a little higher....but I am getting ahead of myself.

After my whirlwind weekend with The Boys, Wednesday became so quiet. Don't get me wrong, I need the sleep and all, but it was so FUN. Now I am shoved back into the reality of life on the road. I still have Don though. Only a coupe of more days though, and then I will be off again.
bummer.

Well, after Joe and Jim took off for home, I walked up and rented a car and Francesca and I drove up to Mt. St. Helen's. I always visit it when I am in town. This will be my forth or fifth time going, and in that time I have been able to see some changes myself in the landscape. I was only 10 when the eruption happened, but I remember it well and the lightest dusting of ash on my mom's car, even all the way in upstate NY.
The road to the mountain is one of my favorite scenic drives ever. There are some seriously dramatic vistas to take in and pulling over is a requirement. Then once you get to Johnston's Ridge (that's where the geologist guy was all "Vancouver Vancouver, THIS IS IT" and then bought it as the mountain exploded) you are on the surface of the moon. It looks like a different planet.
As we drove up, I was amazed that there were no clouds. EVERYTIME I go up it is usually hidden somewhat by a cloud, but the first time I go up there without Don or Joe, it is crystal clear out. I think that is hilarious. Then I noticed a small cloud, very low, close to the center of the crater. I think "Wow only that little cloud..." Then it dawns on me. That is not a cloud. The damn thing is sending up a cloud of steam! For second I got nervous. The closer I looked I realized there was steam not only coming out of the crater, but at various points throughout the cracks going down the sides into the valley below. COOOOL but freaky. I figured if she was going to blow they wouldn't be allowing us up there. Right?....
That whole area inspires quiet. If the tourists on the ridge would shut the hell up for a second, all you would hear is the sound of the wind blowing across the vast stunning nothingness surrounding it. You can tune them out for a minute.
They were having a short lecture on the current state of the volcano, and Fracesca and I were rivited to all the info our Ranger gave us. She was cool. You could really tell she loved being a part of the study of Mt. St. Helen's and she wanted us to be excited too. She explained that it is currently in the middle of a very long yet sort of subtle eruption that has been occuring over time since 2004. Hence the steam which freaked me earlier. Then we went inside and watched a movie on the history of the mountain which ended with the screen going black and being lifted, followed by the red curtain behind it lifting, revealing the real mountain through a giant window. Very Dramatical. I giggled as the volcano was revealed, but really it made me tingly. Don't tell Francesca.
Francesca was the perfect person for me to take there. It was her first time being up, and she completely got it. We had a great day. I can't wait to see how it changes the next time I visit.

On Thursday, our stitcher Angela drove me all around town to the various bead stores in the city. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed in them. They had a narrow selection for waaaay too much money. I think the problem is that it is earthy crunchy Portland. Your can't toss a cat without hitting a artist of some kind, so these stores are just a little full of themselves. This of course did not keep me from spending some cash. I just can't help myself. I bought this whole book on how to make chainmail jewelry. C'mon... with the show I am doing it is completely appropriate for me to be influenced.
LOL
OK...it's a problem, but I can handle it. I can stop any time I want. Don't judge me.

After the bead stores, I treated Angela to a dessert at Papa Haydns. We sat down and got the menues, and the list of scrumptious delectables was out of control. I had no idea what to choose, so I made Angela decide for me. I figured I had gotten some small slice of cake that would be dressed up with some fantastic presentation. The waitress comes around the corner and I literally said, out load, "You have GOT to be kidding me." This was not a piece of cake. this was a BLOCK of cake. Being someone who doesn't really enjoy the pastry side of life ( I prefer salty to sweet) I was completely overwhelmed by the display of baked meriange and fruit that was deposited before me. It was good. beyond good. It completely rocked and I was ruined for the rest of the day. Nothing worse that being a sugar high, packed tp the gills. Then the crash happens and you are still sooooo full. I wound up not eating for the rest of the day because that cake filled me up for hours and hours. Papa Haydn's is apparently a staple to the Portlander. The place was packed.

The rest of the week was all about work and Don. Friday night we met up with his friend Jen. I met her many years ago on my first visit to Portland, and I just think she is a great gal. We hung out at her local watering hole, played some groovy Elvis pinball and drank cheap beer. It was great fun and I really enjoyed seeing her. Jenn is wicked cool.

Saturday Don and I went to breakfast at Zell's, which is this very neighborhoody kinda diner. You could tell that everyone there knew each other. It made me miss home. Portland is so much like Park Slope, Brooklyn. It is one of the reasons why I feel so comfortable here. Zell's could have easily been Katina's, which is the diner around the corner from my old apartment.
It was an enjoyable meal, sitting outside, watching the people and chilling with Don. I didn't take a picture of it, but they had posted this dumbass ridculous letter from some group that boycotts various small establishments to bully them into endorsing their views on political topics. Apparently the owner's of Zell's had given money to Planned Parenthood and this group was threatening them with pickets if they didn't stop. I love that the letter was right on the front window. Don and I read it with complete shock and then giggled and the hilarity of it.

After work Don and I headed over to an Irish pub and got a bite to eat and a cocktail. Honestly, I really started getting so tired. I wanted to burn the midnight oil with my brother Don, but my eyes just wanted to shut. I didn't last lone, so we went back to my room and played some cribbage. I made the huge mistake of finishing a book that Francesca had given me, before I went to bed. What a dolt. It was the night before a two show and a load out day, and I stayed up reading. Dumbdiddley Dumb. However the book rocked.

Sunday came.
My last day in Portland. I get so sad when I leave this city. I really can see myself having a great life there. It is just toooooo far from my family. I mean, I know they never see me when I am on tour, but if I lived in Oregon, they would truly NEVER see me. That's just too much right now for me to even consider.
Don took me back to Simpatica for breakfast. I am seriously going to have to starve myself through Salt lake and Denver. all my clothes which were starting to get baggy are now starting to fit again.
meh. I blissfully ate my way through Portland. Ah well. I am sure the Mormons don't care about breakfast as much. LOL. Then he picked me up in between shows and went to Velveteria. It is a museum of only velvet paintings. Now, I originally thought it would be kinda cheesey and funny, but it actually was kinda cool. Yes, it had the Elvis paintings you would first imagine, but it also had some really amazing portraits of people. Some were nudes, which played with lighting in a way that regular paintings just could never do. I was surprised.
They wouldn't let me take any pictures for you so you will just have to take my word for it.
after that we went for gelato. I could write about how sweet the place was and all but really...it's all about the product and I think the look on Don's face in this picture pretty much sums it all up.

Don picked me up and took me to the airport at the crack of crack on Monday morning. Now that is a great friend. It was nice to have Don be my last moment in this city. Perfect really. As we were driving we saw Mt Hood in the distance. The sun was starting to rise, so it was silhouetted against the sky, with the far side back lit by the rising sun. Seriously, it was so beautiful. Scary too. The volcanoes here are very ominous in their beauty. I tried to capture it for you to see, but it is really something you have to jsut see for yourself. Hopefully each and every one of you will get that chance.

So goodbye Portland my love. Thank you Don for taking such good care of me the entire time I was there. Thank Jim for flying out. Thank you Joe for taking the last of your free time to drive all the way from Ashland to hang. Those two days we all spent together has completely filled my soul. I am gonna ride that wave for weeks no doubt. I have said it so many times before, and I know I will say it again and again, but no one in this world has better friends than I do.

I am going to go to bed before I bore myself with my own mushiness.
:) Love to all.

The Extra Pics:

Some Mt. St. Helen's shots

On the drive up.


This is the ranger who told us all about the current eruption. She was so into it. You just couldn't help getting all wrapped up in her excitement



One of the the best things about the area around the mountain, is lloking at the trees that were blown over like toothpicks surrounded by the life that is coming back to the area.



This was a menu at one of the tourism stops. Just read it. Too funny.




This is the bar we went to hang out with Jen. I really like this picture




Remember back in Dallas when my Laundry Gondola fell apart, well it happened again. nate to the rescue!!!




On Saturday the locals had a potluck for us. The food was unreal. More food. Jeez.




Tony in soumd hosted Shot Nite this week. It was some sort of Coffee/Creamy thing. Very Very yummy.




Just a great picture of the King Ni.