Voodoo Doll Doughnut from ...

... the Voodoo Doughnuts van, in place at the entrance to the PDX Bridge Festival's celebration in honor of the Steel Bridge's 100th birthday on Saturday, July 7, 2012.

Official words from the Voodoo Doughnuts Menu: Voodoo Doll Raised yeast doughnut filled with raspberry jelly topped with chocolate frosting and a pretzel stake! (characteristics of Voodoo Dolls are all different) My friend Ann enjoyed every morsel of her purchase.

 

Here's the van in a photo taken on a different date, parked at Voodoo Doughnuts Too on NE Sandy.

Finally my Wifi's back in business, been off since Tuesday! And I've uploaded all of my recent photos to Flickr. Back to blogging!

More serendipity on my way to the PDX Bridge Festival's Block Party for the Steel Bridge's 100th birthday! I'm walking more blocks than I figured I'd be walking, due to some strange directions from TriMet's Trip Planner.

So, you can imagine the utter joy I felt when this yellow VW pulled to the curb as I crossed at an intersection and the driver got out. "Lynette!" she said, "What are you doing over here? Going on a neighborhood walk all by yourself?" Grinning the whole time. "Susan?" I replied. "I can't believe you're here, we're here at the same time! What are you doing here?"

Turns out Susan was somewhat lost looking for an event she planned to attend. We'd met each other at the Architectural Heritage Center's lectures and walking tours. When she learned that I was out and about, headed for the bridge birthday party, she just laughed and offered me a ride the rest of the way. Wonderful! Blissful! Serendipity! I put the address in my Google Maps' app on my iPhone, and in mere moments, Susan delivered me to the party's location.

Before I climbed out, I asked if I could take her photo for the blog. She agreed, so I snapped it and the rest of these as she pulled away, waving and smiling! Hooray for Susan!

Serendipitous find from Saturday, The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium

On my way the the PDX Bridge Festival Block Party, a celebration of the 100th birthday of the Steel Bridge, I walked up to this sight at 2234 NW Thurman Street. I admit I jaywalked, after looking both ways, so that I could get this photo and the next two.

I wouldn't have been here if my trip planning through TriMet's Web site had turned out differently. The second of three buses left early. I saw the 15 leaving as I got off the 20 to supposedly wait for it. It left maybe five minutes before it was even supposed to be there. I knew that the next 15 takes a somewhat different route but, when I got on and asked, the driver told me he'd get me as close as he could. So, when I got off, I put the destination address into my Google Maps on the iPhone and started walking. It was hot enough that doofus me, wearing a black Los Lonely Boys t-shirt soon felt a drop of sweat sliding down my back from bra to pants' waistband.
 

Found on the Web site, peculiarium dot com: Famed and yet unknown Portland adventurer Conrad Talmadge Elwood had a dream, but forgot it when he woke up. Still he spent a life time traveling the globe in search of the inexplicable and the freaky. Established in 1967, The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium is a one-of-a-kind store and snack bar devoted to Elwood’s blurry vision. Under strict instructions, Filmmaker Mike Wellins, Lisa Freeman and Eric Bute have built the Peculiarium to house previously unknown elements of the darker side of Pacific Northwest history. Visitors can discover interactive displays for all six senses, including retro candies, toys, novelties, gags, books, original artwork, tricks one-of-a-kind oddities, ephemera and more. All while having a light snack, complete with edible insects and the likes. In Conrad Elwood’s words, the Peculiarium is a store dedicated to learning and terror.



After I took the close-up above, something just inside the door caught my eye. "What the heck is that?" I wondered. I walked in, seeing no humans at first, just this gigantic hairy-fur-covered form. Then, I noticed a young woman at the register and asked, "What's this?" Her answer, "Sasquatch." Duh, Lynette. She proceeded to answer my question about its height, "Ten feet tall. It's a model based on the biggest one ever sighted." OK, I thought, thanking her for the info and promising to return someday when I wasn't about to be late for a party.