Coyote Knuckles in the Hood

Over a year ago I bought a print of Portland's Bridges. I purchased two of them, one for me and one for Kristi. My plan was for us to walk each of the bridges and their neighborhoods. So far we have walked only one, the Fremont. It seems like something else always comes up instead of walking a bridge. I asked her last night if she wanted to walk one today. And we almost made it but....

I drove and parked about a block away from my favorite grade school "Buckman". We could have walked west to walk the Burnside Bridge but instead I chose to walk east to show her some of my old stomping grounds.

The first stop was the "alley" house. I told her the story of the two neighbor ladies that I had given flowers to on May Day. I had picked the iris's out of "their" yards. One yelled at me and the other came over and told my mom what a wonderful daughter I was.

We head east window peaking and get to 28th. A great vintage clothing store that we have been in before and Kristi wants to pop in again. A couple of cool purchases later....




... we are headed next door to SMUT for some great finds to use in future art projects and then head to Holman's for lunch (they have fried Mac 'n Cheese).



We walk by the Davis Street house and the current owner is outside. I met him about a year ago and sent him childhood pictures that had the house in them. We talk to the lady that lives next door and learn a great Columbus Day Storm story that I had never heard. We head back towards where we had parked and I tell Kristi that I want to walk the school grounds of Buckman (though I have driven by, I have never stopped, in over 40+ years).,

Oh how I loved my time spent in that school. Every teacher there embraced me, after school Home Ec. and Art and I was the four-square champion!




New features have been added ....





...and there is still that dreaded swimming pool where I had to take lessons. I never made it off the step in the shallow end (and I am still on that same step).



We start to head back but I stop and peer into each window and touch each brick. Kristi thinks I should teach after school art classes there - I tuck that idea in my noodle.

A couple blocks away we spot an ultra cool house and go in. Very green but....no closets and there is only a tub, no shower. I don't understand the green-ness of that, but it was still cool.




One last stop at some little shops on 7th & Burnside. Inside Zeno Oddities I find a great Orange Dream Monkey for my visual journal and up at the counter they have a tray of Coyote Knuckles....what? I think I need a couple; Kristi shakes her head.



My heart is overflowing with the warmth of childhood memories. We were poor, but so rich. I'm glad we didn't make it to a bridge today and that I got to share the hood with my favorite gal.

Around The Block - Ready, Set, Go

Too much reading and homework, deadlines be damned.....I need ART! After finishing the "body-quins", I remembered seeing another round robin type art project on Dayna's Blog. It involved arting up three blocks and sending them on to the next person. The next person will art up one side of each of the three blocks they received (with or without a theme). I asked my brother-in-law (the guy that loves seeing Tom Jones with me) if he could make me some random sized blocks - a trunk load later I am ready to go! I found five eager participants. The great thing about these five artist chicks is that they did not know what the round robin entailed, yet they still said they wanted in.

I took a break from homework tonight and gesso'd up the blocks.



They will be wrapped in tissue and sent out in the mail on Monday. Between now and the next send off swap time my three little blocks will be my only refuge from homework and research papers.

Let the Block Swap Adventure begin!

P.S. Thank You Sonny!!!!

.7 and Phi Theta Kappan - That's Me!

I am determined to wear an honor cord when I graduate. I don't know why my grades are so important to me, but they are. And that is okay.

I love receiving little notes that congratulate me....



....but why I feel the need to add the .7 puzzles me. I am sure five years from now I will have a better understanding.

And when I didn't receive the "computer" generated email congratulating me on making Presidents List, why did I feel the need to call ....



.... yet after a "few" calls, the program has been re instituted again!

But the greatest has to be ~ I am now a member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. The former presidential candidate Ross Perot (I actually voted for him) is a member, as well as Jim Lehrer.



And I bet they understand the .7 !

Will Worthy

Last month I attended an art showing. It featured four women's art. One of those artists was "my" art teacher Dayna Collins. She is the woman that led a group of us weekly through The Artist's Way. I can't begin to say how my life has changed since I first walked through her door on S.E. Commercial.

Only a couple of her pieces were still available, but as Jill and I walked over to one, we both agreed that it was the one we loved the most. AND ... it was still available!

So....I estactically bought my first piece of art by Dayna Collins! It's title Jump.





Jill wants me to will it to her when I die. I tell her that it will be her wedding present when she gets married. She writes a week later to tell me she's engaged. I change my thought and now I think I need to will it to her.

My closest friends will immediately see it's likeness to my "Bob".



I already have the perfect place for J U M P to go....I LOVE my newly acquired piece of art by Dayna Collins! It's going to and staying in a VERY good home.