Gilbert is no more

Sadly I discovered this past Friday that Gilbert had been stolen. Or perhaps he wandered off to explore the city. Either way, he lasted about a month.

On a more positive note, I came across a new horse in the Pearl.

What We Saw – Cars

Been a slow month for cars here in NW Portland as the rain, snow and general cold as kept some of the oldest, most interesting cars off the streets. I’ve also been outside less often, which accounts for the smaller number of cars here. But, here are a few pretty good ones from early January 2010.

1963 Mercury Comet

1963 Cadillac DeVille

1960 Porsche 1600 Super

Week One

Gilbert survived the first week. He’s a little battered, fallen into the street a few times, but he’s still here. If you find yourself meandering along 22nd Avenue, stop and say hello.

Basketball, the Blazers and a Cranky Old Man

Mao took me to my first Blazers’ game last night. The game was great, despite a loss for Portland. Less exciting were my interactions with the man sitting beside me during the game. Mao acquires his tickets to games online, often from season ticket holders who sell seats to particular games. I happened to sit next to a dedicated season ticket holder, a man in his seventies who became quite agitated with these intruders to his Blazers’ routine. He seemed nice enough, sporting a long white beard, carrying a handheld radio which he proceeded to listen to the game commentary throughout the night, as well as wearing a magnifying glass so he could distinguish the players on the court more easily. He first inquired of me the cost of our tickets, then displayed his disgust at the low price and offered his own seat for an increased charge. He went as far as to force his phone number upon me, demanding I write it down, then double checked that what I had recorded was correct. He began to warm to me until immediately following the national anthem we had a bit of an issue. Mao somehow managed to knock a spoon out of a root beer float of mine, causing soda and frozen yogurt to spray nearly everyone within a certain radius of us, including the elderly gentleman to my left. Said gentleman became further agitated and I helped him pick out bits of sugary bits of root beer from his beard and clothing. He grumbled for the entirety of the game, occasionally elbowing me in the chest or rib cage either accidentally or to emphasize his annoyance at my presence. He then sporadically passed out or cheered enthusiastically for the Blazers’ dancers.

When the game finished, we quietly left and tried not to disturb the grumbling, sleeping man sitting beside us.

Gilbert in the new year

We acquired Gilbert a few months ago, but it was not until this afternoon that we hitched him to the horse ring outside of our building. Here’s to a grand new year and hoping dear Gil remains in our neighborhood for months to come.

Snowy Bridgetown

For the first time since we’ve been here in Portland, the snow came pouring down. As far as we knew, it was totally unexpected. We thought maybe some rain, though it’s been pretty dry over the past few days. But at about 2:15 it started coming down and as of 6:00pm it was still snowing. Here are a few photos from our forays out into the weather. Even this much snow is a big deal here in town as it usually just rains this time of year.

What We Saw – Cars

A down month for cars, partly because of the increased rain and cold. I’ll try to be more on the ball with taking photos of interesting cars. In the meantime, here are the most interesting ones I’ve seen lately, including an SUV from Hood River.

1958 Mercedes Benz 180D

1966 Plymouth Belvedere II

1959 Mercedes Benz 220SE

1962 Studebaker Lark

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

1975 International Scout II

A Weekend in the California Sun

Over the weekend Morgen and I visited family friends in Santa Barbara. Here are a few shots of our time in Southern California:

St. Nick and a Tree

His loot

Her loot

Morgen got distracted by the chickens.

Fun Times at a Tacky Sweater Party

p.s.

Proof that we're having just as much fun two years later.