I haven’t been back since the first one, but this year it was time again to sing in the square with Pink Martini.
I went in 2013, and this was not very different. It was still lead by Thomas Lauderdale, China Forbes and members of Pink Martini. (No Storm Large this time.) There were still free umbrellas. There were still free songbooks. This time, there was free Salt and Straw ice cream. And this time my friend Tara came with me. We had a great time singing.
Also this time, there was a woman wearing a full-on wedding dress. The man with her was wearing a t-shirt tuxedo and so were the two boys.
Partway through the singing, a cluster of buff and shirtless young males wandered in and observed the proceedings. They did not sing.
Turnout was smaller than the first time I went. I’m not sure if that’s a general trend or a just a this-year thing. I enjoyed myself immensely and hope to sing again in the future.
When I discovered Anna Faris a few years back, more than one person mentioned they liked her in this film, which was a film that was not in the holdings of the Multnomah County Library. Now that I have access to movies via my TV, I could see Ms. Faris’s performance. She, as usual, had great comic timing, although the Happy Madison production company tends to produce films that are not to my tastes; this was no exception to that rule.
Cost: $2.99 via Google Play (though free due to credit) Where watched: at home, movie four of four while recovering from a migraine.
Of note: the four movies I watched were all via different movie delivery methods: streaming via Hoopla, DVD from library, Netflix, rented via Google Play.
My second viewing, I still love how director Taika Waititi takes everything really good about the Thor movies and adds a layer of comedy that completely works. Cate Blanchett makes for a worthy villain and even though the humor is turned up to 11, the stakes are still high. This is the best Marvel movie to watch when you want to laugh.
Cost: Netflix monthly charge ($7.99) Where watched: at home, movie three of four recovering from a migraine
Another Lynn Shelton film to delight in, this is a story of steadily rising stakes, both between the two friends, Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard, and also Duplass and his wife. One-on-one conversations are the main reason to watch this, with layers upon layers of nuance. It’s a story that is mostly uncomfortable, but in a pleasurable way.
Cost: free from library, streamed via Hoopla Where watched: at home, movie two of four while recovering from a migraine.
I consider it a mark of success when a movie can have a character I would be judgmental of in real life, yet I enjoy her company in the movie. While Carrie Pilby does have her problems (being a Harvard graduate by the age of 18) her father is also paying for a one-bedroom New York City apartment, her living expenses, and her therapy sessions. Still Carrie manages to delight–probably due to Bel Powely’s talents–and that made this film worth watching.
Cost: free from library Where watched: at home, movie 1 of 4 while recovering from a migraine.
Director Lynn Shelton excels at telling normal-life-type stories and making them compelling. In this movie, Rosemary DeWitt develops an aversion to bodily contact at the same time her brother–played by Josh Pais (so great!)–develops an ability to cure his dental patients TMJ pain. There are some hilarious moments–such as Pais and Allison Janney in a Reiki healing session–and some sad moments and I could have hung out with these people for a good long time.
Today we needed to get gas and, after a stop in Tillamook to refuel both car (gas) and people (food), we explored some random places.
Munson Creek Falls State Natural Area. It’s not often that my life arranges itself so I can notice a sign and then take a detour to explore what’s going on with that sign. But this was vacation and I could! We took the turn and were rewarded with a short hike to this lovely viewpoint, which the state website tells me is 319 feet tall, and the tallest waterfall in the Coast Range.
It must be something to see after a good rainstorm. Look at all those trees piled up. This area is also a salmon spawning ground.
Self portrait at the falls.
Sitka Sedge State Natural Area was our next stop. Here’s what the website says about this park: “Sitka Sedge State Natural Area is all about the views–of open water, tidal flats, saltwater marshes and forested wetlands of Sand Lake estuary; of the estuary animals, birds and plants; and for those willing to hike, beach views stretching from Haystack Rock to the south and north to Cape Lookout.”
We did indeed see all those views. Here’s a tidal flat.
And a salt marsh.
I became less enamored of the trail when it turned to sand. I don’t love hiking in sand as I learned on this hike in Olympic National Park in 2016.
However, we did make it to the beach, just in time to see this contraption fly by.
The signs alert to a Western Snowy Plover management area. There are a few areas along the coast where activities are restricted during the Snowy Plover nesting season. I was excited to lay eyes on these areas because I remembered the letters to the editor published when these regulations were put into place. There were angry feelings. “Why can’t I let my dog run on the beach?!?”
This natural area had a very nice bathroom, and also many places to lock your bike, as well as a bicycle assistance station. Being right on the Oregon Coast Bike Route, it makes sense to have these amenities.
Our last stop was Clay Meyers State Natural Area at Whalen Island. Here we took another walk until we found the ocean.
Cape Lookout, while being an excellent state park–the campground is right on the beach–also has an incredible hike called the Cape Lookout Hike.
And we saw a whale!!!!!! This was the first whale I’ve ever seen in person. It was very exciting.
Many other people also stopped to take a picture of the whale. This dog wasn’t super interested in what we were looking at, but waited patiently for the humans to be done with their sightseeing.
Matt checks out the drop from the edge. (Of note: the black in the corners of this picture are because my lens cover was not fully retracting.)
The water was very sparkly in the sun.
Our view at the trail’s end.
What I thought was a buoy turned out to be a small boat. (You’re looking at a camera in maximum zoom.)
