Day 3: Portland, Oregon
Japanese Gardens Portland, Oregon
In the Hopes of Tomorrow
Today is a day for some winding down, so that I may wine-up tomorrow. I am gearing up to head out in the morning to wine country. Pre-departure, I had set up a tour of the Willamette Valley wineries to see the romance and process of wine-making. I have been a bartender and wine enthusiast for about 8 years, and now I finally get to see a real functioning winery. At the outset, the Supernormal Wine Tour had different intentions I was to be travelling with someone, but the fates shifted that one out of our collective hands. What a shame. I hope to make the best of ill-fortune and turn what was positive in the outset – then hopeless and empty in the middle, into something positive in the end. Here’s to two days in wine country. If the Portland scenery is any barometer, then the Willamette Valley is sure to be a show-stopper. Some strumming in the vines and a little soul-searching.
Burning Ancient Dinosaur Graves
I don’t drive. I don’t own a car and barely have a license. The AZ Driver’s license I do have exists only because modern societal discourse dictates that I keep one current. This one is good through 2043, so, I won’t have to deal with the DMV for a spell. Whew. I found that having a car makes me miss too much. And I mean more than just my four-dollars-plus per gallon. Sure the trip to the grocery store was a breeze back when I used to turn my hard-earned cash into flammable liquid, but, the walk to the grocery store is a blessing as well for better reasons than convenience. I hope that I don’t miss the forest for the “G’s” when I turn the key and press the pedal tomorrow morning. Vroom!
Mural of Hawthorne Boulevard Portland, Oregon
The Joy of having a Jive-foot
As far as getting around Portland proper goes, I waltz past every little nook and blemish of this city, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I get to see what would be a blur to the daily driver, I get to zoom in on details and see faces while others whiz by in a mad race for a potential parking space. Pedestrians are not a nuisance to the Hobo Traveller, I can’t, nor do I wish to honk at them or scream “Get out of the way!” Instead we share a “hello”, or a “pardon me” and a smile.
Front Porch Bluesman
Around 3:00 PM, I sat on the front porch of the Hawthorne Traveller’s Hostel and played through some of my tunes. I hadn’t played at all since I arrived Sunday night. So, I figured I would get the cobwebs out. Some fellow hostellers were on the other side of the porch and they would applaud and smile when I finished the tunes. Passers-by gave the standard nod of approval as they walked past. As for the daily-drivers; I doubt they ever saw me. Blessing or curse? Better or worse? Who knows?
The sun came out and the wind sneaked over the river and wafted down Hawthorne and created an afternoon very conducive to a little front porch Git-fiddle and Harmy-time. It was soul-soothing on the porch soaking up my last moments before the exodus uptown to the madness of the Dollar desk at the Portland International Airport, then out on the highway and into the vines. Excitement abounds. Even though this is going against the concept of a Public Transit Tour.
9 muses
While I was playing, another guy with a guitar came up on the porch and told us all about the show tonight (Tuesday May, 13th) at a little acoustic pub six blocks north of the hostel called 9 Muses. I mentioned yesterday about Joseph O’Brien, a busker I saw on Hawthorne. He gave me his flyer and I posted his video and information on supernormalrecords.com and now this other guy was telling me about the same show. These kids were definitely doing the footwork, and I am a firm believer that effort should be rewarded with a reward. In this case that would mean a packed house, so I committed my mind to going and tried to help remind people around the hostel to go tonight.
Tags: 9 muses, christensen, dollar rental car, Hawthorne, Hostel, portland, portland international airport, Public Transit Tour, records, supernormal, Travellers, tyler
You have good perspective about walking–I know that what you say is true. There is something about moving your feet that stimulates your brain. I’m hoping for the best for the remainder of your adventure there. Hardly ever does what we plan play out exactly the way we think it should. Make the best of it and keep the plans flexible–frequently, things turn out for the best in the long run. I’m waiting for the next edition. . .