Feelin’ the blues

July 6, 2018

Moving day. Last day in Portland for about a month. We pack everything in the Jetta and lock the door to our apartment on Burnside, for perhaps the last time. We’ve stayed here twice now and it has worked out well for us; but I suspect that in the future we’ll base ourselves closer to the core especially after we ditch the car.

We finish packing the car right at 11, the check out time. At the last minute Rachael walks next door to the optometrist’s office to see if her new glasses have arrived. She’d be fine without them, since we found the missing ones a few days ago; but she’s excited about the new frame and lenses (bifocals, for the first time). It would be great if she had them for Canada. Remarkably enough, they just arrived in the mail this morning, perhaps fifteen minutes earlier. Yippee!

Move ‘em out! Rodriguez and the Straggler leave Kate’s place for the last time.

Tomorrow night is mom’s birthday dinner, but tonight we’ll stay in Kelso, part way up to Seattle. We’re doing this because at the time we made our Airbnb reservation months ago we didn’t know what day mom’s celebration would be. We left open the possibility that it could be today (her actual birthday), so we didn’t have a plan for tonight until a few days ago. We forgot about this and in the meantime got tickets for today’s blues festival, which doesn’t wrap until about 10 - too late to drive all the way to Seattle tonight.

The first blues act we’re interested in starts at 4, so we have some time on our hands. We fill it by dropping off a few last items at the storage locker, running some errands, grabbing lunch, and then enjoying a lazy walk through the South Park Blocks and PSU campus. This is such a lovely part of the city - no matter how often we come this way it seems like there’s always something to grab our attention. Today it’s the repainting of the Simon Benson House, the magnificent new Karl Miller Center, and some Oregon Juncos.

Built in 1891,the First Congregational Church is the most prominent of the fine heritage churches lining the Park Blocks.

I was surprised that this Oregon junco would allow us to approach so close until we saw that she was trailing a fledgling. From time to time she’d pick up a seed from the ground and wait for her youngster to hustle up to pluck it from mom’s beak.

This impressive Queen Anne is the Simon Benson House. Built in 1900, in 2000 it was relocated a few blocks to its current site here on the PSU campus.

The Benson House is getting a fresh coat. We need to remember to come back and check it out when we’re back in town.

Simon Benson was a noteable philanthropist, leaving Portland and the region many noteworthy gifts. Among them are these beautiful bronze drinking fountains that are scattered throughout the city’s core. One explanation for them is that Benson, a teetotaler, wanted to promote reduced alcohol consumption by his workforce during the noontime break.

The visually striking Karl Miller Center had its grand opening just last September, while we were out of the country. It’s off our normal beaten path, and I’ve never seen it before today.

The Karl Miller Center, the home of PSU’s School of Business and it’s Office of International Affairs.

New street art on Sixth Avenue, in front of the Miller Center

Didn’t we just see these in Bruce and Andrea’s back yard? Why weren’t we paying better attention?

Davis Street provides some light reading material to peruse as we walk down to the waterfront.

The annual Waterfront Blues Festival, in its 30th year this summer, is a very big deal. It’s the largest blues festival on the west coast, and the second largest in the country. Lasting four days, it draws enormous crowds. We make it down for an evening every few years, depending on the weather (we don’t really care to sit around in the sun all afternoon if it’s too hot) and whether it conflicts with mom’s birthday or other events.

Today was about as good as it gets, in my view. The weather was perfect - topping out in the high seventies, it was quite comfortable. We were lucky and found a good spot to sit in the shade of a tree, midway between the two main stages. Hour-long shows alternate between the two stages all afternoon and evening, with one starting up just as the other ends. Sitting in the middle, it’s like being a spectator in an ultra-slow tennis match - you look to your left for an hour, then to the right, then back again.

Tonight’s lineup was attractive, but for me the best was a chance to hear Curt Salgado one more time. One of the modern-day blues giants, he was among other things an inspiration for The Blues Brothers - Salgado turned John Belushi on to the blues when they met in Eugene. My favorite Waterfront Blues Festival memory is still the evening years ago when Salgado was the closer on the Fourth, with the fireworks display beginning just as he was wrapping up his act.

We almost lost Curt to liver cancer about twelve years ago, when he was saved by a transplant. Every time I get to see him again now it feels really special - it warms my heart and inspires me.

About 9:30 we packed up and drove north, checking in to our motel in Kelso a bit before 11. On the road!

What a day! It doesn’t get much better than this.

Who’s that hot chick in the new glasses?

The amazing Nikki Hill at the Waterfront Blues Festival

The Blues Festival is a rich environment for people-watching.

It’s a gift to hear Salgado perform again. We’re lucky to still have him with us.

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Ron SuchanekIt's great that you and Rachael make time to experience the town. When I was working it seems like I was too tired all the time. I look forward to seeing if that changes when we park in Portland later this summer.
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