Out and about with Milton and Kay, Tuesday, August 23

Up early, coffee and protein drink, and then to the bus for a ride north of the apartment to try out the Cadillac Cafe on NE Broadway. I found it on the Internet and thought it looked worth a shot, plus it was near a Goodwill that we didn't make on Monday, one we could walk to after brunch.


While we waited across the street from the Lloyd Center, a great big shopping center, to transfer to our third and final bus for the trip, this hard-working young woman road through the intersection on her Soup Cycle.


We boarded the bus, and on the way to NE Broadway, I took this photo of another busy bicyclist.

Here you see my glass of orange juice, Milton's omelette, and my breakfast. Kay got the same thing I did, but with fried eggs. I forgot to take a photo of her plate. I did get two photos of the Cadillac that has its own special space inside the cafe.



We walked to the Goodwill after we ate, then walked over to the Barnes & Noble at Lloyd Center so that Milton and Kay could look for a DVD, "Oregon Splendor," that they'd watched with friends at home. They wanted their own copy to take back to Mississippi with them. There was one copy of it in the store. On the way to Lloyd Center we walked by this sculpture, "In the Tree Tops" by Margarita Leon.


After we left the shopping center, we walked south to the MAX stop so that we could get on board and ride to catch MAX Yellow Line at the Rose Garden and then ride north to Lombard where we boarded a bus that we rode to St. Johns. We got off there and walked a couple of blocks so that we could see the St. Johns Bridge. It's a beautiful bridge.


Soon we retraced our route, bus back to MAX and got off downtown so that we could make our way to the 30th floor of the Big Pink and hopefully get to sit at the windows in the bar at the Portland City Grill where we planned to have something to drink and a little snack to tide us over until supper time. From the MAX car, I took this photo of an art car at a service station. It's a hoot!


Speaking of art, here is a photo of two of the cairns on NW 5th Avenue which are part of the public art that one finds here and there along the MAX lines. I took it from inside the MAX car.

Here's what the TriMet pamphlet has to say about the Cairns:

Christine Bourdette, Cairns, 2008 Silver ledgestone, NW 5th and 6th between Irving and Glisan
My inspiration for Cairns came from the man- made stacks of stones that have historically served as landmarks for navigation, memorials, rituals and commemorative markers all over the world. Travelers on cross-country hiking trails traditionally add stones to cairns as they pass, resulting in animated and sometimes precarious stacks of rocks and pebbles. This evidence of our comings and goings, often in rather comical human form, signify safety and reassurance in the wilderness. In the urban wilderness, finding one’s way through the various stages of hurry-up-and- wait is just as significant. I am fascinated with all the ways my fellow citizens and I learn how to navigate our surroundings. My specific intention for these stacked stone forms was to mark the path to the light rail stations as well as to celebrate points of arrival and departure.
Masonry: Cliff Townsend Masonry, Inc. Oregon City, OR

Oh, before I forget. We got a table at the windows. Come back tomorrow for the views!

Candid #3

A young and fashionable woman in downtown Portland, seen from the MAX on July 9, as I rode over to Lloyd Center to exchange the extra battery for my new camera--the man sold me the wrong one. She's standing outside a part of Pioneer Place, a huge indoor, multi-story shopping center.

Colorful walks beside the MAX

Once again I'm at the MAX station near the Lloyd Center Mall. Only difference between this photo and the others with the colorful hair is that this time I'm on the same side of the fence as her.

Colorful rides the MAX

I couldn't get focused quick enough to get a photo of this woman before she got on the MAX. However, I did manage to get this one that shows her vivid pink hair after she had taken a seat. And how about that autumn leaf stuck on the fencing? It sort of looks like a feather, stuck there on purpose. By the way, this is the MAX station near Lloyd Center, a shopping mall, and it's where I saw a cute girl clown with shocking, neon, sort of purplish pink hair.

Looking through ...

... the bars at the Lloyd Center MAX station on a sunny Saturday. We both got on the MAX and ended up at the Saturday Market, me to look and shop, she to entertain and hopefully make some moola.

Our buddy Lucy's come to visit, all the way from Mississippi, via Minneapolis where her daughter's family lives

Here's the dynamic duo, headed towards the Buick as I had driven up and stopped to get them where they waited outside the airport baggage area. I had already put Lucy's bag into the trunk when I went to fetch the car. On the drive into Portland proper, Mama said for me to watch for somewhere to stop for something to drink and maybe a bite to eat.

At the traffic signal to the left of this building, I had read on their window, among other words, "coffee" and "milkshakes," so I suggested we give it a try. Both of them were game, so I circled. We parked on NE Sandy Blvd., right beside the door to Fairley's Pharmacy.

Y'all know Mama will be 83 in January, well, Lucy's two years older. Both of them had a time getting out of the car, so much so that we got the giggles.

You cannot tell from this photo, but the height of the platform running along the counter with the stools on it made it impossible for the three of us to sit there without risking a terrible fall. And I wish you could tell how much wider the building is at this point--it's one of those triangle-shaped ones seen here and there in Portland, on both sides of the river.

This splendid machine made me a fine chocolate milkshake, with the help of the skilled young woman manning the counter.

Here's my shake, with the rest of it waiting patiently in the metal container from the milkshake machine.

The soda counter turns the corner, going towards the prescription counter. Inside the small glass case we found some good-looking shortbread cookies, some even dipped half-way into chocolate.

I really like the retro-look of the "Prescriptions" sign.

The girls each ordered a 12-ounce house coffee. Lucy asked for milk for her coffee. She gave it a generous dose of what turned out to be half and half, plus some sugar. Mama takes hers black.

As Lucy stirs her coffee with my milkshake spoon, Mama pours a bit of water into hers--she always has to do that because it's either too hot or too strong. And there you see our shortbread cookies; they turned out to be very good.

Revived, Lucy called her sister Winnie, down in Jackson, Mississippi, to let her know she'd arrived safe and sound. I got Mama to lean over and smile for another photo.

Just before we left to get into the car, both of them graciously posed for me again, standing beside the stools--ain't they sweet?

After our delightful interlude at Fairley's Pharmacy, we wandered around Portland's Hollywood District, looking for the great big Fred Meyer grocery store that I had been to once, as a passenger in June, 2006. I just couldn't find that store, and then I accidentally got us onto I-84, heading into the city, so we exited at Lloyd Center, a shopping mall. You see, we were not looking for groceries alone, we were looking for a jewelry department where we hoped to get Mama's chain repaired or replaced so that she could once again where her heart pendant. Lo and behold, we found a handicapped parking spot right beside a door to the mall--Mama has a rear-view-mirror-hang-tag. Then, for more lo and behold, we found a jewelry store right inside that very door. And the store manager made Mama a deal she couldn't refuse on a new chain. Oh, joy! Mission accomplished. Then we went to our neighborhood Fred Meyer to buy some groceries before heading to the apartment. Right now they're playing a card game they love, called Hand and Foot. Duncan's curled up beside me on the couch as I blog. "Bridget Jones' Diary" just finished on Lifetime, and I'm waiting for the local weather forecast on KGW-TV.

I've taken vacation all week, and we're spending Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the Pacific Coast, in Lincoln City. Duncan can go with us, and the place has wifi! I'll keep y'all posted on our fun times.

Sunday evening we're going to 3 Doors Down Cafe for dinner; Leland and Kailey are joining us, and Lamont will be cooking, so it'll be a neat night.