Waiting for Matt outside of Cinema 21, I got to take a few pictures of some Trump art.
As Hollywood action figure (with enhanced mustache):
The full effect:
The close-up:
Category: To Occupy my Time
No more file cabinet
Before:
Spider detritus:
After:
A co-worker was getting rid of this table and I claimed it. It’s great for holding Matt’s computer supplies.
Thanks to the Life-Changing of Tidying Up, we have tidyied away the contents of a four-drawer file cabinet!
Mermaid Parade
It’s the first annual Portlandia Mermaid Parade! I had to be there. It was a good day to wait on the waterfront for mermaids to wander by.
I wasn’t situated in the best place for photos, (next year) but here they are:
There were at least two mermaids being pulled in wagons.
Many mermaids stopped at the Salmon Street Fountain for some pictures.
The mermaid parade was a hit!
DHM FUN at OMSI
Work took us to space! Or, more accurately, the Space Exhibit at OMSI. But first, we got a backstage tour of OMSI, which was awesome.
The iconic letters
See that staff only sign? We’re going behind that door!
It was really interesting to learn how the exhibits are built and stored. Here, our guide stands in front of a poster with principals such as font size and how to make sure people using wheelchairs can have full access.
Details from the offices of the design area. I loved the house-made cubicle dividers.
Here are some exhibits that have been recovered from storage. The team has plans to update the graphics to make them more accessible for girls and for native Spanish speakers. (Also to make them not quite so 80s.)
One principle of design for a museum catering to children is “never underestimate the power of an eight-year-old girl.” Apparently children en mass can really tear apart structures, so things must be over-designed for heavy use. The design team attributes this destruction to kids not knowing their own power. “Adults could never break something, because they know they can’t. Kids don’t know that and so they can.”
Scrap wood detail.
I loved the bins for various things.
OMSI sends exhibits around the country and also has traveling presentations. Thus, things can be neatly packaged.
So many fun things were hanging, and hanging out.
Apparently no one knows where this pterodactyl came from. It’s just always been there.
They had some really great old machines, too.
Bigger exhibits are shipped in boxes on these carts.
Another really awesome house-made item.
Getting our picture taken in front of the OMSI sign.
This shake house has been part of OMSI for a very long time. I went in it as a child, back when OMSI was located by the zoo. It repeatedly played a snippet of Carol King’s “I feel the earth move”. Apparently, it did this until just a few years ago.
Puzzling through some puzzles.
You can see some of the female friendlier colors that were incorporated into this exhibit. The informational panels are also printed in both Spanish and English.
Really fun pipes.
And then we went to space. My co-worker with her head in an astronaut suit.
And me too. That’s as close to a space suit as I will ever get.
Real-time cloud cover!
Part of space was a simulation of what it’s like to be in a gravity-free environment in the international space station. You stand, the space station spins around you. A guy watches you closely to make sure you don’t pass out.
It took me about fifteen minutes to recover my equilibrium. Space is not for me.
Sometimes the fire hydrant just needs some foil
One of the art colleges has a design studio in the building behind the hydrant. I assume one of the art college students did this. But it might have been a random person.
Pine Street Market with S&S
Sara and Shawn came back through town and we went to dinner at the new Pine Street Market, which is where a bunch of gourmet-type restaurants all banded together to sell their wares and share a big seating area. You might recognize the concept from the mall food court. But this has better quality food.
My food was good, but I didn’t love the noise level or the fact that some places had table service and some did not.
What I did love was the Wiz Bang Bar, which is Salt & Straw‘s foray into soft serve.
I got salted caramel with chocolate dip (which is more magic shell than dip–although I guess they are probably the same thing) and it was delicious!
I did not take any photos with Shawn and Sara. Perhaps when they get their posts up, there will be pictures.
Hiking the Gorge: Angel’s Rest
It’s another early Sunday morning and time for another hike. This was a quick up-and-back to Angel’s Rest.
The Columbia River from not-so-much elevation.
Matt on the trail. He would like you to note his good calf definition.
Can you see the hidden falls?
Hollow log
Bunny!
Taking stock of if we are there yet.
We now have a map. It did not help as much as the trail runner who happened by.
We make it to Angel’s Rest.
The angels have many rocks on which to rest.
Two angels, resting.
I forgot to take this picture at the beginning, so here it is at the end.
What happens when you forget to unzoom before taking the self-portrait.
More successful shot. But not a great one. What is Matt looking at?
On this hike there were long discussions of Girls Season 4, which I had just finished watching. Also Enterprise, which Matt is working his way through.
Portland Actors Ensemble: Coriolanus
I forgot my camera, which was unfortunate as there were times in this play when my fingers itched to be grabbing photos. These two were taken with my phone. (And one of them doesn’t want to load in its correct orientation)
We made this not-often-produced play a priority and I’m glad we did because the location of Pettygrove Park was a good one. The sculpture “The Dreamer” and the hills where the audience sat added a lot to the setting. Fun Wikipedia fact: the mounded hills inspired this park’s nickname: Mae West Park. Further opinion: I’m not sure anyone actually uses this nickname anymore. Or if they ever did.
The sculpture was used as a device to manufacture sound. One of the actors “played” it with rubber mallets during battle scenes which added a lot to the action.
The play was tight and held my attention, despite the intermittent rain. Arthur Delaney was a solid Coriolanus. We’ve seen him before in other productions. I also enjoyed Allison Rangel and Heidi Kay Hunter as the two tribunes.
Aside from the rain, this performance provided us unique theater-in-the-park experience. During the climax, a passerby wandered into the action, first touching Ken Yoshikawa on the back during an intense interchange with Arthur Delaney. Ken turned to see what was happening and then turned back and kept going.
The man retreated to sit with the audience on the hills talking loudly to himself, with a woman–possibly the stage manger–trying to coax him away. Just as the cast erupted into the final fight scene the man ran into the fray, grabbing Arthur Delaney by the back of the neck.
“Back the fuck off, asshole!” Allison Rangel’s voice rang out as she broke character advancing on the man as everyone stopped. He retreated immediately. “That’s right, keep going,” she yelled as he disappeared. Everyone, actors and audience, stared, following his retreat. “I apologize,” she continued, addressing the audience, “That’s my boyfriend,” she said, meaning Delaney.
In the manner of all unexpected situations things were quiet for a beat before one of the actors asked, “Shall we start the fight scene over?” There was a mutter of agreement, the cast reset and we watched Coriolanus be killed for his betrayal.
Rangel’s quick action in a scary situation and the actors carrying on while most of them must have been completely freaked out brought home what a solid production this was. We won’t soon forget Coriolanus.
Evidence of Spark Joy: laundry that stands up when folded.
Kind of amazing, eh?
Happy Independence Day
It was the usual gathering: BroMAunts, Matt and myself getting together for an afternoon meal and a game of challenge croquet. There was pie. And this beautiful flower arrangement.