July 18, 2025 to July 19, 2025
Sauvie Island
Yesterday
In a previous post I was looking for a song by Woodie Guthrie, came across his biography, and was surprised to learn that he lived for about two years with one of the more infamous landlords of the era and that it inspired at least a pair of his more bitter songs.
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Today is pretty well chopped up, in a way that doesn't promise much of a ride for me. Rhe main constraint is my meeting with Elizabeth at Caffe Umbria at 9:00. Assuming we're there for the usual length of time, by the time I can get on the road with the bike it will be too hot for enjoyment. I decide that it's a good day for making another pass at decluttering our storage unit by taking clothes we plan to donate out to Sauvie Idland where there's a drop box by the community church. After this I'll drive over to a few of the birding sites for a look, and maybe get in a short ride on the north end of the island.
Rachael and I need to go over to the storage unit together to pull together the clothing donation, so after breakfast at Ovation I make it back home at eight and Rachael and I walk across the street to the storage unit. Once we're done I head over to Caffe Umbria while Rachael goes the opposite direction on her way to Leif Erickson so she can get her miles in before the day heats up too much. Later she'll report back that she put in twelve miles and her toe didn't really bother her. So that's great news, obviously.
Elizabeth and I don't break off until nearly eleven, and the day is already feeling hot. I head home to start getting ready to head out to the island, but it doesn't take long to realize this is the wrong plan for the day especially when I realize I'm starting to nod off. A better plan is to put on a CD, lie down on the couch, and crash for the next two hours.
Our plan for dinner tonight is to drive over to the east side to Cibo, an Italian restaurant on division went ate at some time ago with Elizabeth, Vance and Laurie. I'm not sure but it was probably before Covid, and even though we really enjoyed our meal we forgot it even existed until I stumbled across it on the map.
Shortly before it's time to leave Elizabeth calls to let us know we have mail,so we stop by her place to pick it up on the way.
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4 weeks ago
Cibo is great, even better than either us remembers. Rachael loves her prosciutto, goat cheese and fig jam pizza, eating half and taking the other half home for tomorrow's meal; and I'm as happy with my chicken scallopini. Afterwards we walk across the street to the ice cream shop and sit down for generous scoops of pistachio before calling it a day.
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1 month ago
1 month ago
Today
So today's plan is yesterday's plan. I'm up early, have breakfast at home bi.
I leave the car at the blind and bike another mile or two further north to the other two nearby viewpoints I always stop in at; and although there's nothing much at either of them either, one by one I start building a list and end up with some sightings I'm excited about. And the cycling is delightful - calm, comfortable, the temperature maybe in the mid-sixties.
And as I bike I develop a fairly ambitious ride plan. I double back past Raccoon Point and then after another few miles I take the spur up Oak Island Road, a quiet dead end I should make it out to more often. After that I plan to double back and then bike up the west side to Lucy Reeder Road, another dead-end spur that I haven't explored for years. And from there I'll ride the main loop that covers the north half of the island. In all it will be a roughly 35 mile ride, ne I'm optimistic that I'll end up with a good haul for the day as one new bird after another keeps showing up. That's the plan, anyway.
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That plan becomes inoperative though when I suddenly realize my front tire is flat. Not low, flat. And it's a pretty sudden change so it seems like it's no slow leaker and the tube will need to be patched or replaced. Foetunately, this isn't a bad spot for it, conditions are pleasant and I'm not short of time. And good scout that I am, I like to come prepared.
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3 weeks ago
Even now, I still can't quite believe that I set out with two pumps, four spare tubes, a patch kit, but no tire levers. We've always kept a set on both bicycles, and I've got no idea where the one for my bike disappeared to. Whatever happened though, it's bad news. I'm nine miles from the car with an unreplaceable tube with a fairly fast leak. I'm thinking it's time to lock up the bike and stick out a thumb but I decide to at least try pumping up the tube first. And to my relief, it gradually takes air.
When I get it up to 35 psi I quickly hop on the bike and start pedaling, hoping I might get as much as a mile out of it before I need to stop and pump it up again to my relief though I make it three miles before the tire is so low I'm worrying about rim damage. The next two pumps do the same, and I make it back to the car in much better shape than I'd expected.
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There are a few other things to say about the day: I walk across the street from the Trek store to look over photos and nurse my flat white until my new tire has been installed. And Rachael makes it out to the Trek store also to pick up her recently retuned bike; and I head over to Via Delizia for dinner, and we end the day by watching the original version of Fahrenheit 451, Truffau's interpretation that came out in 1966. I could go into more detail on any of these events, but suddenly nothing feels more urgent than crashing for the night. See ya.
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Today's list: Eurasian starling, American goldfinch, American crow, Barn swallow, Cliff swallow, Osprey, Red-tailed hawk, Bald eagle, California scrub-jay, Cedar waxwing, Great egret, American robin, Song sparrow, Rock pigeon, House sparrow (15)
Today's ride: 22 miles (35 km)
Total: 210 miles (338 km)
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1 month ago
1 month ago
"If you are 70 years or older, and ask to be excused, the court must excuse you from Jury Duty. If you want to serve as a juror, you may serve."
https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/multnomah/jury/pages/juror-resources.aspx#:~:text=If%20you%20are%2070%20years,excuse%20you%20from%20Jury%20Duty.
1 month ago
1 month ago
4 weeks ago
4 weeks ago