On the wall at Byways Cafe

How about this great souvenir? It's one of a whole lot of stuff on display at Byways Cafe on NW Glisan, in Portland's Pearl District. Mama and I stopped there for brunch Saturday--outta sight good home-cooked buttermilk pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs. More photos later in the week. Here's a bit I found about the swell little cafe at City Search:

Editorial Review for Byways Cafe – by Rachel Bellacera

The Scene
Kitschy and fun, Byways feels like a blast from the past with its vinyl banquettes, 3-D viewfinders, friendly servers and soda fountain. The crowd is mixed: 20-somethings nursing weekend hangovers, young families and Pearlites converge for hearty, satisfying breakfasts and lunches.

The Food
The Pearl's own greasy spoon transcends diner fare by improving on the classics. At breakfast, try the Mt. Rushmore Hash, a mix-mash of potatoes, spicy corned beef, melted cheese and hot peppers. Amaretto-infused French toast is pure indulgence; creamy, aromatic brioche topped with honey butter is well worth the 15-minute wait. For lunch, attempt the juicy, 1/3-pound hamburger with tasty homemade potato salad, or the Crater Lake Cobb salad, which is done with spinach instead of lettuce and doused in crumbly blue cheese. Don't miss the sweet treats: Chewy brownies, piping-hot scones and cookies have a loyal following.

Neighborhood Clean Sweep

It's Clean Sweep time in the neighborhood. Notice the dirth of cars parked on the street? About eight minutes after I took this photo, the tow trucks would begin to clear the streets of cars not yet moved by their owners.

To facilitate the pick-up of the leaves, this water truck sprayed the streets. I took these photos while I waited for the #17 bus last Friday.

The neighborhood is divided into four parts which means the whole thing takes place on four different Fridays.

Here are two photos I took on Everett west of the photos above and at an earlier Clean Sweep this year.

These signs are put out in each area on the Wednesday before the scheduled clean sweep. Also at least twice a year a brochure comes in the mail.


To read and see all about an earlier Clean Sweep click here.

If they were taking photos, they caught everybody looking.

After work Friday, I stood at the corner of West Burnside and NW 22nd, wondering why on earth these three helicopters were there. People on all of the nearby sidewalks were looking up, too, wondering the same thing no doubt.

The two with the white paint on their sides hovered while the other one made wide loops. Every couple of minutes the two who hovered made their way a bit more north, eventually ending up on the north side of Burnside.

By the time I had walked north to the entrance to the Elephant's Deli parking lot, I took this last shot of the three, now over NW Davis. Once I got in the apartment, I went to the kitchen window to see if I could get another photo, but an apartment building stood between me and them. I never saw them come any farther north. And I don't have a clue as to why they were there either.

All together now, we go, too.

The vanity license plate on the convertible caught my eye--I GO TO. I picked up the camera from beside me on the bus seat and snapped away Friday afternoon on my way home from work.

Later that night when I downloaded the photo I realized straight away that I had captured something that I've grown to dearly love about Portland. Look out the windshield of the bus with me. You see a MAX light rail train turning from left to right, heading towards the eastbound PGE Park MAX Station on SW Yamhill, Stop ID 9758. You see the Mercedes convertible. You see a bicyclist. I'm on the #18 bus. It's 5:25 p.m., and the car, bike and bus waited calmly as the MAX glided through the corner. With the MAX out of sight, the traffic signal changed to green. We three continued our progress.

Within a quarter of a block, four types of transportation side by side. I love this coexistence, the sort of application of the multi-use concept that I believe to be one of the aspects that makes Portland a healthy city.

Below I included a Google map of the area for your enjoyment. If you zoom in and move the map around, you can get close enough to see the MAX tracks as they make the curve. The red A is pointed at PGE Park. The intersection is immediately to the right of it, SW 18th at SW Yamhill.




View Larger Map

Too Much Coffee Man

After you get over looking at this unique costume, be sure to read all about Too Much Coffee Man. Inside City Hall, I took this photo last Thursday which was the first Thursday in April. First Thursdays in parts of Portland are late-nights-out for artists and art-lovers, of all kinds. Speaking of kind, he was kind enough to get up from his chair and pose for this photo. A few minutes later, his melodious voice rang out through building, giving one and all a taste of Too Much Coffee Man.

Who's up for a game?

The mention of pool on the Watertrough Saloon's sign made me remember something I had forgotten--this photo of the pool table at the Helvetia Tavern. Leland says that it costs a quarter per game there, too, just like at the Watertrough. I haven't played in years. How about you?

ABC Wednesday - L is for loud and love and Lamont and Leland!

Yep, loud. And I loved it, every single second of the February show at Doug Fir on East Burnside. Loud. Loved it. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

I first heard Grupo Fantasma in Jackson a couple of years ago at a Crossroads Film Festival after-party at Hal & Mal's, one of my favorite hometown places to listen to live music. Grupo Fantasma, as I found on their Web site, is a "band incorporating elements of funk, mambo, merengue, and cumbia." I don't know what cumbia is, but I recognize the rest of those nouns and know their infectious beat. From personal experience I have to say that it's impossible to be still when this band plays. Besides blasting away to a Latin beat, the crowd of musicians enjoyed themselves a whole lot, just like the crowd on the dance floor. That night I bought their two CDs and played them often enough that I could almost sing in Spanish, phonetically, of course, not understanding a single word, but lovin' it!

So, the Wednesday that I knew Mama would probably get to come home on Friday, I read in the Willamette Week (a local alternative newspaper) that Grupo Fantasma would be at Doug Fir the next Wednesday night. Ah, I quickly realized, Kay would be here to help with Mama's transition back to apartment-dweller, so maybe, just maybe, I could go to the show.

I grabbed my cellphone and called our friend Chris who tends bar at Doug Fir. He's from Jackson; we've known him for 25 years, since the guys were all in elementary school; he's now a Portlander, too, and I love him like a son. I asked him to please check to see if the show was sold out. Nope, it wasn't, and he said he'd see if he could get me on the list as his guest. Whooppee!

Naturally our sweet friend Kay thought it would be grand for me to go, that she and Mama and Duncan would be just fine, so the night of Feb. 20 I got on the #20 and rode right over the Willamette River, 30 blocks to certain, rhythmic fun!

Chris had called earlier to tell me that I was on the list, plus one. To join in the fun, Lamont figured that he would ride his bicycle over after his dinner shift at 3 Doors Down Cafe. What more could a mama ask of her first born son than he be her plus one at a live music show?

Having been to Doug Fir's downstairs show venue in the past when Chris was spinning records, I realized if I wanted to sit down, watch people and wait for the show, I'd best get there early. What I didn't realize was that some other group was opening--they were OK but I don't even remember their name. Some people danced which I think is always good for a band's morale when there's a dance floor right in front of 'em. I sort of chair-danced a little bit, but mostly I was saving my energy for what I knew was to come.

When Grupo Fantasma started playing, the dance floor filled right up, practically packed with people moving to the pulsating sound. I stood up right where I was and had a blast, groovin' to the music, watching the musicians, watching the dancers. During their second song, Lamont showed up, and we had ourselves a fine time. The band played for almost two wonderful hours. I took some photos, and I bought their newest CD and a T-shirt. Lamont walked me to the bus stop across the street, and soon I caught the #20 back to the apartment. It was such a great night that it didn't even rain!



Yep, it was loud, and I loved it, and I loved being there with Lamont. If Leland hadn't had to study for an exam, he'd have been right there with us. I believe I'll throw in lucky as my final L word 'cause I'm one lucky Mama.

If you're of a mind to, go to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place for loads of other ABC Wednesday blogs! You'll need to look at the comments at her blog to find out who is participating this week.

Mixed messages at a neighborhood watering hole?

Sandwiches, pool, soap ... food, drinks, fun.

I haven't been inside, but I just had to take a photo of these signs for y'all. I'm loving that skunk-like tail on the horse who has arrived at the trough and has yet to drink--it looks like he's reading the sign and grinning at the offerings, doesn't it? But I can't find anything enticing about the ol' coot and a horse in the watertrough.



There are four Citysearch reviews of the Watertrough Saloon, 4815 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Two of the four are five-star:

This place RULES!!!!! 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended 04/02/2008 Posted by YOMAMA35

The Watertrough saloon boasts some of the cheapest beers in town. The chili is awesome (and at 3.25 a bowl? hell yeah!!). the bartenders are always cool and never too busy to get what you need...The pool tables are just .25 a game and the jukebox is kickin with a variety of music genres to fit any taste. SHUFFLEBOARD $2 AN HOUR!!! LETS GO TO THE TROUGH!!! The little known GEM on SE Hawthorne

Pros: Awesome bartenders super cheap beer, shuffleboard

Cons: no windows

It will become your livingroom 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended 12/02/2005 Posted by mgorby

The best, and one of the few remaining, taverns in Portland. Cheap beer; four pool tables offering $0.25 games; bartenders with massive personalities; great juke box; did I mention CHEAP beer... I don't know what the other review was talking about the food. It's not a restaurant so it isn't fancy, but it's not bad. The owner makes the chili and chili dip, which are taste treats. They also have veggie corn dogs. If you're looking for flashy, this is not the bar for you: Don, the owner, hasn't changed ANYTHING since the 70s. If you're after a solid place to drink with your friends, or sit at the bar and enjoy the bartender, this is your spot.

Pros: Cheap beer, Cheap pool, Excelent Bartenders

Cons: Gets smokey

Here's the one-star: I need antibotic after going in this place 1 Star Rating: Not Recommended 10/15/2007 Posted by spark35

CLEAN this place is disgusting. Clientel tweakers and old burnouts and I'm talking about the bartender too.

Pros: ummm I didn't get the plague

Cons: I thought I would get the plague. CLEAN this place

And the oldest review: dont eat the food & you'll be okay 3 Star Rating: Average

01/05/2003 Posted by merdock21

25 cent pool tables, $1.35 tall boys of PBR, even the brokest of the broke can frequent this place.

Pros: cheap, cheap, cheap

Cons: cheap, cheap, cheap

Creative use of a marquee

The Guild Theatre is not open for business, regularly; it is used for film festivals. Yet its marquee is, as you can see above. Its location exactly one block east of the Central Library makes it the perfect spot to advertise the Friends Store. Here's what City Search has to say about the store: Located just inside the doors of the central library and to the left, this adorable little store is a godsend for the book fiend in your life. It's operated by the Friends of Multnomah County Library, and all proceeds benefit the county's library system. Readers of all genres will appreciate the variety here--from bookends and over-the-shoulder canvas bags to book-themed ties and decorative pillows shaped like William Shakespeare's head.

When I've been to the library, I always noticed the carts of used books for sale, too. I have to stay away from them because I don't have enough room right now for any more books. That's why I'm so lucky that the library is on my bus route home.

I took this photo Saturday afternoon, through the windshield after I'd cleaned off the raindrops with the wipers. I had just parked the car--you remember the parking ticket machine?

Weather changes, March 30, 2008, from 04:51.42 p.m. through 4:57.51 p.m., outside our kitchen window.

4:51:42 p.m. By the time I decided to get the camera, it had been hailing long enough to coat the roof of this parked car and change the color of the soil in the bed at the foot of the Elizabeth Apartments from solid brown to near white. I raised the kitchen window and started taking photos.

4:51:59 p.m. The Elizabeth is directly across NW 22nd Avenue.

4:52.13 p.m. The Rose Plaza is diagonally across the intersection of NW Everett and NW 22nd.

4:57.16 p.m. The sun came out as quickly as the hail had started earlier.

4:57.51 p.m. The hail on the fire escape melted from opaque ice balls to shiny wetness in the bright sunshine.

This was the third or fourth day in a row that I'd seen hail, followed by bright sun. Finally, a visual definition extraordinaire of what Portland's weather people call sun breaks.

Daffodils among the red tips on a sunny Saturday afternoon

I suppose I should have also taken a photo of the wall that these carefully trimmed red tip photinias made at the back of a narrow parking lot off SE Hawthorne Blvd., so that you could see how pretty it looked in the bright sunshine. Mainly, though, I concentrated on getting the Buick into the narrow parking spot. It was only after I got out of the car that I saw the daffodils peaking out of the brilliant red leaves in two different spots, so out came the camera.

Sunshine came softly through my a-window today . . . Donovan, 1965

Y'all patient folks, thanks for visiting. I'm going to have to wait until the weekend to catch up with my visits because I'm trying to nap in between the after-work and before-bed walks with Duncan. He keeps waking me up at about 4 a.m. so any extra sleep I can grab seems pretty doggone important right about now.

Union Station's tower, reflected in a nearby window

I took this photo last September, and I think it's high time I posted it, don't you?

Thanks to everyone who has visited and commented--I'll catch up with y'all soon, promise--that's one of the neatest things about this CDPBing, visiting all over.

ABC Wednesday - K is for . . .

Kick up your heels for joy, as in this dog having a blast at Tom McCall Waterfront Park last Saturday.




Kindred spirits, as in this photographer and all of us CDPBers.


Kindred spirits, again, as in all Portlanders who have enjoyed our double row of cherry trees beside the Willamette River, between the Burnside Bridge and the Steel Bridge, seen here in the background, and all Washingtonians who have enjoyed their cherry trees at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.




If you're of a mind to, go to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place for loads of other ABC Wednesday blogs! You'll need to look at the comments at her blog to find out who is participating this week.

Look who I found among the daffodils!

Ok, so she's no spring pig, but she has got to be the cutest chalk pig I have ever seen!

If she were mine, I'd trim that little branch from in front of her saucy face. But it could be that the people who live in her house on NW Everett only look at her in profile, from the yard side of the wrought iron fence.

The spring continues

Up NW Everett, and I say up because there's an incline, one comes to the corner at NW 23rd Avenue. On that corner, which is actually the southeast corner of the intersection, there stands the Portland Rose Apartments, set back so that it has a nice front yard complete with flower beds, shrubs, trees and two sidewalks, one that goes towards NW 23rd, the other that goes to NW Everett, at a right angle to each other as they leave the building's front door. This flower and several others like it are in a bed alongside the second sidewalk. Later on when leaves fill the trees and shade blankets the yard all day long, the blossoms will be gone, but the green plants will remain, filling in the bed quite nicely.

Blossom by blossom the spring begins ... Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909)

This teensy flower, colorful, delicate, with hardy-looking leaves, is among a short row planted in a concrete-walled bed at Elephant's Delicatessen, half a block south of our apartment building. I like this bed because it's almost waist high which makes taking photos quite easy. I don't like this bed because they've left way too much naked dirt. And I don't think it's because they've left room for these little plants to become bigger since they've set them out close to each other.

What I'm hoping is that the naked dirt is destined for less hardy blooming things as soon as the temperature moderates into what spring really is in Portland, not these near freezing nights and 50 degrees or less days. Our average high in March is 56 degrees while the low averages 39 degrees--today we're predicted 47, 31, while Wednesday's predicted 56, 36 comes closer to the average for March and that will be April 2, of course. I'm not complaining one bit, just reporting. I love Portland!

Does anyone know the name of this beauty?

It was pretty where I was, while it lasted on Friday, March 28.

From the work window I can see a small park-like spot that is actually inside a circular street ramp. So that you could see the snow, I zoomed in on it and took a few photos as it snowed. By the time I could have gone outside at break to take photos, it had turned to mere rain. That's life.

8:48 a.m.

8:49 a.m.

8:52 a.m.

8:56 a.m.

I know the time and date of these photos thanks to my splendid digital camera, the Nikon D50, which I am proud to have in my hands, strap around my neck, at any given time.

I didn't post these Friday night for Saturday because I needed a nap and ended up sleeping until time to take Duncan out for his last walk of the day. I have to tell you something about that little guy and sleep and hunger, or hunger and sleep. Which to list first is a sort of chicken-or-the-egg thing.

Last Sunday I had to quickly take Duncan to the vet because his diarrhea returned. Thank goodness they were open on Easter Sunday because once he got back on the antibiotic and the steroid, it only lasted about 5 outdoor walks (through Monday), with no accidents in the apartment. The vet says that it appears his irritable bowel disease is worse than we'd want it to be since this diarrhea return happened just a few days after he had taken his last steroid from the previous prescription.

As the week went on and he continued to wake up any where from 3:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., I thought more than once, "How am I going to last however many years of this we've got coming?" Since I take him out for that last walk of the day between 10-11:15 p.m., that just doesn't give me much sleep in a row.

Wednesday evening as I sat at my ibook Honk, working on the blog, commenting at other blogs, I rested my head on the wall, mulling over what to do about the little dog and my lack of sleep. A thought--he's waking up hungry, not because he has to go outside. This entered the mull-mix after that morning's episode--before I could get his leash attached, he had disappeared from the kitchen. I found him on the doggie steps that lead to his warm spot beside Mama, under the covers.

Steroids increase the appetite. Duncan's always enjoyed eating, an understatement of great proportion. We don't want him to gain too much weight because it's not good for his spine, so we had taken it upon ourselves to cut his lunch third of a can in half. Why not give him that other half before the last walk of the day, I wondered? Then it would not be around 12 hours between meals. Maybe he'd sleep until after my alarm clock went off?

He did, bless his little heart! Thursday and Friday mornings he didn't wake up until about 15 minutes after the alarm, and this morning he made it until 5:30 a.m. which is OK even if I didn't have the alarm set.

I'd like to think that this idea is my most brilliant one for the first quarter of 2008, but I can't take credit for it. I was talking about it with a sweet lady at work when she grinned at me and said that on Wednesday she had thought, "He is like a baby. He needs to be fed something so that he will sleep through the night." But she didn't get a chance to tell me. I grinned back at her and replied, "Oh, you told me, just not verbally. Thanks!"

Now Duncan has eaten, gone outside and is back under the covers with Mama. I'm about to eat something and crawl back in myself, for a warm and cozy read, maybe a nap, until they wake up later on.

Too choice to pass up

Saturday, still on that trip to get Duncan's dog food--hey, it's 17.4 miles as the MapQuest flies from our apartment to PetSmart--I'm stopped at a traffic light, looking around, the camera on the seat beside me. I'm thinking, "I wish I had had the chance to take a photo of that jewelry store before ... oh my! That man's scratching his back on the support of that TriMet bus shelter, right beside that advertising poster for the Oregon Lottery!" I grab my camera and get a single photo before the light changes. I hope it's a decent photo because the situation was just too choice to pass up.



Here's why. One of the Oregon Lottery's campaigns involves Scratchercise, a totally tongue-in-cheek, advertising program to get your fingers in shape, using coins to scratch cards and find out if you've won any money. And there stood that man, right beside that big ol' word, Scratchercise, rubbing his back from side to side on that metal pole holding up the frame for the poster!

Har-tee-har-har!

In the seconds that it took me to get the camera focused on him through the windshield, naturally he stopped scratching to check that hand-held device, but I know y'all trust me. Thanks!

Creative Creation

As I walked by one of my favorite local shops on SE Hawthorne Blvd., Presents of Mind, I stopped to window shop--I would have gone inside, but I had made it only a few bites into a cup of Ben and Jerry's yummy ice cream. Upon closer inspection of this dress, I realized it was made entirely of paper! I took several shots, all with the reflection of a vehicle, doggone it. Still and all, I cannot resist showing this creative creation to you. I'm going back soon to take a look at their wrapping paper selection--I like both of the bodice papers enough to hope some remains in stock.


Bodice

Neckline

Skirt and ruffle


Here's the Info from the store's Web site: Presents of mind is the brain child of Cinnamon Chaser. The store opened on the Historic Hawthorne Blvd. in 1989 with the goal of being a one stop gift store for people who wanted something beyond the big box generic and the teddy bear cutesy. These days the store is run by Cinnamon’s business partner and daughter, Seasons.

Since 1989 we have continued to pursue the latest and greatest, the classic and trendy, and all things cool. We are constantly on the prowl for new and unique items and dedicated to carrying & supporting local and independent designers, and companies that use environmentally friendly products.

Now we have this wonderful website to be able to offer a selection of our great goodies online. We have also secured several local Portland designers to sell on our site making it truly unique and allowing you to get something wonderful you probably won’t find anywhere else. Please enjoy and check back for new additions, as just like our store we are always adding new finds…

Our storefront is located at:
3633 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR 97214
503-230-7740
Hours: Open 10 to 7 everyday
presentsofmind.tv@hotmail.com