March 13, 2022 to March 14, 2022
The final shuffle
The time changed this weekend, over the evening we returned to Portland. I like this because when I walk over to Cafe Umbria when it opens at seven the crows are awake, agitated, raucous, and twitching to disperse across the city. It might drive some of the residents a little crazy hearing this every morning all winter long, but for me it’s a delight.
And one other significant change went into effect this weekend: Oregon’s mask mandate and Covid state of emergency were both lifted at midnight Friday night. Overnight the town suddenly feels freer, brighter and more optimistic.
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We’ve returned to Portland a day earlier than planned. When we first started plotting out this final week before departure we anticipated returning to town on Sunday night rather than Saturday. The thought was that having all day Monday and Tuesday morning for final preparations for departure was sufficient, and we wanted all the days we could get for last minute biking in Walla Walla / Hood River / Corvallis / wherever. By the time we settled at the last minute on Corvallis though all the reasonably-priced rooms at Corvallis Hotel were already booked for Saturday night, so we decided to just return to town a day early.
We’re both pleased that it’s worked out this way. There was no good riding to be had on Sunday anyway, and we’re really enjoying the more leisurely pace we’ve ended up with. We have time to sort out our belongings and finalize packing without feeling pressured and still have room for some last minute visits and activities.
Saturday night after finally checking in at the right hotel we rushed off to Eleni’s and enjoyed a delicious Greek dinner and the joy of seeing the complete faces and smiles of waitstaff we’ve never seen unmasked before. Afterwards we rushed over to Cinema 21 to take in an excellent, moving Finnish/Russian film, Compartment No. 6. Later, discussing a provocative film as we walked back in the dark to our car on streets that feel significantly cleaner and safer than they did a year or even just a few months ago, this troubled city felt almost normal to me again.
Sunday was spent on a miscellany of tasks and errands - final trips to the hardware store and REI, another trip to the storage unit - but we had plenty of time so it was a relaxed day. The evening though was really special for us - a concert at Alberta Rose Theater by Peter Mulvey, a long time favorite folk musician that we’ve probably seen five or six times over the years. It’s the first ‘real’ live music we’ve heard in over two years, and it felt like a great void was being filled. Suddenly musicians are on the move again, and we felt rueful when we saw that another of our great favorites, John Gorka, would be in town next week too.
Originally from Wisconsin, Mulvey spent his early years as a busker in Ireland before returning to the country and making enough of a name for himself to be able to survive on the concert circuit. I thoroughly enjoy his music (he performs solo with his acoustic guitar singing mostly his own songs), his social commentary and his humanistic message; but I was especially drawn to him from our first concert when he described his latest tour through rural Wisconsin, bicycling from one venue to the next with his guitar on back.
His concerts are always a mix of old favorites and new songs (probably his best known song is one of his earliest, Shirt); but the one that brought the house down tonight was this delightful new creation:
Before the break he surprised his long-time fans by informing them that he’s newly a father - his son was born sometime last year - and suggested that we could help out the family cause with a trip to the merch table during intermission to pick up a CD or vinyl of his latest album. So I stopped by.
I briefly explained our situation - no home, no record or CD player, because we’re on the road living the dream for the foreseeable future - but I wanted to support him anyway with a fairly generous cash contribution. He insisted that I at least walk away with a third item he had available - a limited edition lithograph of the album cover for his new album, signed by all the performers and the cover artist, Guzzo Pinc.
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Monday morning we dropped in on Bruce and Andrea for coffee, Andrea’s fantastic scones, and a fine visit - one that will have to last us for the nine months until we’re back in town again. While we were there since we don’t have a wall at the moment we left off Peter Mulvey’s gift for them to watch over until we finally settle down again someday.
Afterwards I’m off for a last coffee date with Elizabeth and a brief driving lesson to refamiliarize her with the Raven and give her some last minute coaching on parking it in her fiendishly narrow parking space. And in the evening: dinner at Jakes, final packing, checking us in for our flight, and registering our Covid vaccination information for our admission to Spain. We’re good to go now, just counting down the hours.
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2 years ago
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I think youse are flying today. Safe and happy travels!
Look forward to seeing you in Barcelona.
2 years ago
2 years ago