A Living Magazine - Day 55 - Grease Was The Word

I woke up in my rose garden cathedral of tall trees, some of which are between 200 and 300 years old. They ran straight up and would have made really nice masts back in the day. Knowing that they were actually around back then was a fantastic thought. I lied there well past my 5:30 am wake-up time. I felt pretty fortunate to have found this place (the Rose Garden of Washington Park) in Oregon's biggest city, especially after the wet night before. And, I slept well, except for the fact that I should have laid the sleeping bag out at a 90° angle to what I'd done. I kept sliding feet first toward the cliff. Mental note made.

They open the gate for park traffic at 5:00 am, but I really didn't hear cars come up through until 6:00. I sat up and unzipped the sleeping bag, turning the black side out, so the blue wouldn't be visible (a routine I often follow in the morning). Still, I didn't want to leave yet. It was so peaceful. Maybe also, there was a touch of procrastination, knowing I had two posts to write that day.

I checked my watch. It was 6:30. A jogger passed by on a path about 20 feet below me. He could have seen me, but didn't. Time to go. The sky was overcast, but the muted light of the early morning seemed to make the flowers glow...

So beautiful.

Banana (plantain) trees. Along with palms,

many other tropical plants grow well in northern Oregon.

What a grand entryway.

I took a different route back into the city, following Madison to King Street, then down Burnside...

The face in front of Providence Park--a bit Anthony Hopkins-esque. 

I stopped outside Starbucks to see if any donations had come in and one had. It was wonderful! I'd be all set for another day and a half. So, I could go to a coffee shop to do my work for the day. 

Until very recently, I had avoided Starbucks, because I considered their prices to be unreasonable. I think this was due to an experience I had a few years ago. I must have been having a bad day or something, but the attitude of some Starbucks employee, coupled with the $5.00 they were charging me for some kind of drink really set me off that day.

Since entering Oregon, I've really softened my stance on the iconic chain. Ironically, I think it was my stay in Grants Pass and my patronage of another shop (Rogue Coffee Roasters) that helped in this regard. I just have never been part of the "coffee culture". But I wasn't part of the "wine culture" either, but learned about it in Livermore, California. Now I was at the heart of coffee country, so when in Rome (or Portland, in this case)...drink like a local.

This particular Starbucks was a good choice. There were three others in the area, but they were all lit up. This one just depended upon is large front windows, where I sat writing--for nine hours. After a coffee and a refill, an ice water and a sandwich, I'd completed the two posts and collected my stuff together. Great place to work. The prices were very reasonable for the things I bought, and I had a great office to work in for the whole day. The thing I like the most about them is their tolerance for people who stay for long periods. As long as you buy something, you're welcome to work all day.

I thanked the manager for letting me stay so long and he said, "Our pleasure, that's what we're here for!" I REALLY like that. I simply don't get why other restaurants don't follow the Wi-Fi, AC outlet, unlimited time as-long-as-you-buy-something model. It keeps people buying things, makes a social scene where they can hang out at each day, lets people get business done--all in a friendly environment. I used to find the whole barista thing a bit pretentious, but it doesn't bother me now. There really is an art to what they do, and they know their stuff. You guys already know all of this. I'm a late-comer, having not gotten out much before doing these journeys. I headed back to my cathedral at rose garden...

It rained off and on. But the forecast said it would be clearing. This was a good sign.

Serious bamboo grove.

The Kings Street Kitty. Very active little girl.

When I arrived at Washington Park I heard music echoing around the hills again. Cool! There must be an event. The amphitheater was packed.The band had just gotten done with their last set, but the announcer was talking about a movie to come.

They had a really cool way to set up the movie screen by inflating its edges and weighting it down in the back. The audio snake from the band fed the movie audio directly into the PA. And, it was a good thing too, because the movie was Grease. I'd only seen it a million times, but this would be a neat thing to do outside...

I really had a great time watching this classic and singing along with the crowd. It had subtitles for all the songs. On the last number, I thought about my high school graduation form Yarmouth High School in 1987 and walked to my sleeping place as the words, "We'll always be together!" flowed over the hillside. And, I thought to myself that now because of social media, that line is really poignant, and almost true.

I spread out the tarp (only using a half size - about 3 by 7 feet) and laid the sleeping bag down on top, in the right direction this time. It was very comfortable. I watched the cars go by below, streaming out and back to their homes as I fell asleep.