Seasons Greetings & Happy Festivus from The Pavilion

The Day After

Yesterdays forecast was pretty much spot-on.

As predicted, the Oregon coast received hurricane force winds, up to 114 mph. The peak inland gusts were in the 60 + mph range and arrived pretty much on schedule, around 8:30 pm. Today Portland General Electric is reporting 245,000 "customers" lost power during the night. In some areas there was significant damage, mostly involving pine trees falling onto houses. Local news coverage is depicting scenes of homes that were smashed open by tree trunks, slicing clean through their roofs. A truly unsettling sight and an important reminder of the costly hazards posed by tall trees located too close to dwellings. Given that specific factor, today I feel quite fortunate. There was no damage sustained here at The Pavillion. However the power of the wind was definitely felt and left a couple of visible reminders; the basketball hoop with it's weighted base is now lying on it's side near the street curb and a section of fence in the back yard is sagging over. Thankfully the trees here weathered yet another storm without incident...

Batten Down The Hatches (again)

Maybe this blog should be called "PDX Weather Hype."
The latest word has it that there's another big storm a' comin and the news outlets are eagerly responding as per their usual fashion. Unlike the previous dire warnings though, this storm appears to have more potential behind it. Satellite maps show the jet stream furiously T-boning the West coast in conjunction with a low pressure front. Local meteorologists have been comparing the possibly expected wind speeds to those of the December storm back in 1995. That was another event that didn't quite live up to it's predicted ferocity but the metro area did experience some very strong wind gusts that did more than just a little damage. At the peak of that storm, I was standing in the backyard with my video camera rolling and happened to catch a tall, skinny pine tree blow down in a neighbor's adjoining yard. With that in mind, I once again consider those two very tall pine trees here on this property. Although I take these scary forecasts with the appropriate grains of salt and chuckle at the talking heads whipping themselves into a frenzy, a large tree coming down on a house is no ones idea of funny. The fact remains, it's known to happen around here sometimes...

The main brunt of this storm is predicted to arrive sometime around 8:00 PM tonight. Already I'm observing some healthy wind gusts here at The Pavillion. The camera batteries are charged and any interesting developments will be noted here throughout the evening. I'm hoping it won't be anything too interesting...

The Big Chill

Although winter officially begins on December. 21st, it's practically here already. Of course the local news media is hyping an urgent developing story, more commonly known as "The Weather."
This time the spectacular hazards involve cold temperatures and a little snow in the lower elevations. If that weren't bad enough, this stunning "wintry mix" could also include some ice and slick spots on the roads!
It's almost as if the weather reporters have already forgotten the snowstorm of 2003, which blanketed the entire metro area all the way down to sea level. More likely the news peddlers are just resorting to the old practice of freaking people out in order to sell their product.
The fright market must be doing pretty good around here these days, given the vast numbers of new residents who (apparently) aren't the slightest bit familiar with the effects of seasonal rain and snow. Many of them will unwittingly risk lives in the course of figuring it all out. Maybe the "urgent storm bulletins" will help educate some of these new folks about other useful tips along the lines of:

-This is the Pacific Northwest. It rains often and even gets freezing cold here. Just ask a native, if you can still find one.
-Utilize your wardrobe accordingly. Shorts and flip-flops might be uncomfortable for a time.
-Sometimes when the weather gets bad, the power goes out, trees fall down and rivers flood.
-Posted speed limits don't necessarily apply when asphalt becomes wet, or coated with ice.
-No matter what you thought you heard at the dealership, your SUV is subject to the same laws of physics as any other automobile, or even a skateboard for that matter.
-Unsure of how to drive in challenging conditions? Study up or better yet, please do yourself and everyone else a favor by staying home.

For people who don't need any of these reminders, it is wise to consider the presence of those who do; especially when braving the conditions out on the roads. Maybe that "alert" should be added to the local media's "Winter Survival Guide."

Happy Tryptophan Day!

In an all-too-often mixed up country, that's splashed with over-bloated holiday themes, it's important not to lose sight of the fact that there truly is much to give thanks for... All year long.

Big storm a comin!!! (Maybe)

Once again the big four local news outlets are sounding an alarm over a potentially severe weather event on the way. They’ve been known to over-dramatize their weather forecasts before. On December 12th 1995, a storm brewing off the Northern California coast headed into Oregon. Wind speeds approaching those of The Columbus Day Storm were predicted as “likely” within the metro area. This scenario scared the living crap out of anyone old enough to be around during that rare, devastating blow. Portland homeowners scurried to secure anything that wasn’t anchored to the ground, while local news crews were dispatched and visibly eager to cover the destruction, -which never happened. It’s fair to say the same over-zealousness has been applied to numerous snow and ice storm forecasts that melted away to nothing. However tempting it is to discount some of this current forecast as media-driven hyperbole, November hasn’t exactly been a placid month so far and it doesn’t take 50-plus mph winds to do serious damage. The recent, massive rainfalls have over-saturated the ground, which makes for dangerous conditions when combined with tall trees and strong(er) wind gusts. It’s this aspect I don't underestimate, given the two pine trees looming high over The Pavilion.

As of now at 6:00 pm, the local newsies are sticking to their prediction of 50 mph wind gusts in the metro area. The “wind watch” extends between 10:00 pm and early tomorrow morning. There’s no sign of the wind yet, but it’s raining steadily.

The sky opened up and the earth did tremble

Yesterday and last night's rain was noteworthy even to us PNW natives, due to the amount and intensity. No matter how long one has lived in this region, it's a real change after such a dry summer and fall. If the rain wasn't interesting enough, there was an earthquake to talk about. It struck at 9:34 pm and was measured at around 2.6 in magnitude, lasting for several seconds. Evidently it was felt all across the metro area. (I was cat-napping at the time.) The last quake experienced in this immediate area was on January 28th and was a 3.1 in magnitude. (I definitely felt that one where I was at out in Milwaukie.) What's particularly interesting to me is the location of these quakes. Last night's epicenter was supposedly located "near" Southeast 18th and Belmont, while the January 28th event was believed to emanate from a fault line near Laurelhurst Park, (39th & Belmont) which was also the same location as a magnitude 2.7 quake back in June of 2005. There is one other common factor that's interesting to consider. This area is at the base of Mount Tabor, an "extinct" volcanic cinder cone, which stemmed from a network of ancient shield volcanos and lava fields. Just a coincidence? The January quake was said to be "shallow," emanating from 7-9 miles under ground. In any case, this area sure seems active. I wonder what a geologist might say about this. Lastly, it's been quite warm during the night. As of 3:30 am out here in the eastern hinterlands, the rain has subsided and the wind has picked up. The temperature outside The Pavilion is just a hair under 65 degrees. -No, that isn't typical for November.

Welcome to November

What a difference a couple of days makes. Halloween night was one of the chilliest I can recall, yet clear and windy. Last night the rain arrived, with slightly warmer temps. This morning, strong wind gusts came rolling in to compliment the scene. (Some power outages are being reported in the area.) Looking outside at the rain and wind snatching leaves from the trees, makes for a classic portrait of November.

Ode to Halloween past

*Technical difficulties prevented me from posting this on the official day.

I lost my custom-made, prosthetic vampire fangs and my red contact lenses were discarded after eventually dissolving into a saline-based jelly. Nowadays I don't go crazy for All Hallows Eve like I used to, but I still love this holiday and it's fun to relive some memories.

Each year I ask myself, "Is Halloween" a time when some people put on disguises.. or take them off?

The last bachelor pad I resided in, often referred to as "The Powell House" was the ideal place for throwing great Halloween parties. With the tireless help of an enthusiastic best friend, my old roomies and I went to insane lengths to trick the place out for the occasion. The results were better each year. The house (which I learned was recently demolished to accommodate one of those grotesque, cookie-cutter apartment complexes) was perfect for Halloween; a large three story structure with a naturally creepy basement. Supposedly it had been built in the early 1900's so it already possessed part of that special "charm."

The decorative preparations included removing all of the window blinds/curtains and replacing them with tattered sheets and cheese-cloth. All natural lighting was outlawed. Colored bulbs were installed, so there was literally NO room in the house, including the bathroom with a normal, white light source. Barely functioning, *old* TV sets were located on all levels of the house, all showing the same "splatter montage" from a video tape that was painstakingly edited to depict scenes from classic/cult horror films and stuff that was just (as at least one person described) "simply sick and wrong." The television sets were all wired to one VCR via a network of coaxial cable and AV splitters.

The audio presentation was equally elaborate and schizo. My friend and I pre-recorded several hours of music that we felt best expressed "a festive, Halloween mood." -White/Rob Zombie, (of course!) The Doors, Ministry, Alice In Chains, Creedence, Black Sabbath, (of course!) etc, etc. All of it, blasting through large speaker cabinets on the ground floor. Beer was dispensed in the aforementioned creepy basement, with a designated "Beer-Tender" on duty to minimize keg anarchy. (That one approach prevented buttloads of problems we'd experienced during previous Halloween parties at "The Powell House.")

One year, the appropriately unsavory icing on the cake was undoubtedly "Carl, the one-eyed Indian." He was a very large Native American dude who we "hired" to stand guard at the front door to enforce the "No Costume, No Entry" rule. True to his title, Carl literally had only one functioning eye. The other socket contained a dead, white orb that sometimes oozed a clear liquid. Carl needed no costume whatsoever. He was authorized to turn away costume-less dorks *or* hand out a cheap, token "Lone Ranger mask" in the event that a sizeable group wearing costumes showed up, with the one "undressed" person accompanying them. We also provided Carl with an assortment of feathered opera masks for any chicks that showed up sans costume. Carl did an excellent job as a "peace-keeper," along with his primary duty of making sure that *nobody* got in without some sort of disguise. To the best of my knowledge, there were no arguments.

During the last Halloween bash before the rental property was sold, we counted well over two hundred people attending the final Halloween party at "The Powell House." That was similar in size to year 1 when KGON, the local "classic" rock n roll radio station stopped by in their tricked out "KGON Coffin Cruiser." Although the DJ's had other parties to attend, for some reason they didn't make it any further. - Apparently the "designated driver" ran across a chick at our party serving up straight shots including her special "Flaming Dr. Pepper cocktails." By November's early light, that guy was vigorously dry-heaving in the back yard and there were some assorted KGON DJs passed out in uncomfortable positions on the floor in the living room... By then I wasn't at the top of my game either, but I stoked up enough ambition to brew some coffee for myself and the overnight refugees. One of the DJs, clearly the most hung-over and sickest looking of the bunch said to me: "Man, if you ever have another one of these parties... Please don't forget to invite us." Sadly (or not) for him, KGON discontinued their Coffin Cruiser publicity stunt, thereby missing out on the final Halloween bashes at "The Powell House."

Lately I've been reading that many modern Europeans dislike the spread of commercialized, American Halloween traditions. I can't help but think their scorn is a bit ironic given the root customs originated among ancient Celts and various peoples of Northwestern Europe, who later imported them to North America. For those early immigrants arriving in The USA, an introduction to pumpkins must have offered a major leap in pagan/ritual technology, -after centuries of carving Jack O' Lanterns from turnips. Imagine how tedious that must have been!

Happy Samhain to all!

G'bye Indian Summer

So far, October has been mild, but not drastically so for this region. The rain is re-establishing a foot-hold and the nights are getting noticably chilly. Here within The Pavilion, the T-shirts and "lighter wear" are being replaced with heavier garb. R.H. and I are playing the usual "game of chicken," seeing who wimps out first and fires up the furnace. It's already kicked on by itself when the interior temps dropped just below 65 F a couple of nights ago...
The possible longterm effects of Global Warming present a horrifying scenario, but mild winters do mean lower heating bills. Nobody around here wants to (literally) pay for heavy snows, freezes and ice storms. -Not to mention that god-awful East wind that sucks the heat out of here like a blood-starved vampire.
This is the seasonal adjustment period, when it finally sinks in that any sensible person won't be wearing shorts outside for at least the next 4-5 months. Time to stash the electric fans, stock up on firewood and cuddle up to your girl... -Or- spend more time at her place!

Portland Spirit

Last Saturday night, Elaine and I finally decided to use our tickets for a dinner cruise on board the Portland Spirit. (A tour boat with three decks that offers scenic lunch and dinner cruises on the Willamette River.)

This was our first voyage and we'd been sitting on the opportunity since the tickets were purchased last December. A combination of an impending ticket expiration date and a forecast of true Octoberish weather prompted us to dial in our reservations. The official Portland Spirit website lists a "climate controlled indoor environment" but we figured we should do this before it became too cold and miserable to be able to take a stroll on the outside deck. (**Smoking Area**)

PNW Indian Summers can generate a sense of complacency, especially when they stretch well on into October, but you'd have to be a fool (or a fresh California transplant) to procrastinate on taking advantage of this seasonal reprieve. Like a temporary stay of execution, when it's over, it's all over. Wave g'bye to the mellow temps at least until mid-to-late spring.

Additional costs beyond the ticket price of $124.00 dollars for two adults began before we even stepped onto the boat. The Saturday night reservation and 6:30 PM boarding time forced us to choose between Tri-Met or pay into the downtown Portland parking racket for a garage/lot or a

street meter, the latter of which would charge for at least a half an hour before the 7:00 PM, M-Saturday cut-off time. We chose to drive and paid $1.25 at a meter, right around the block from the designated boarding ramp on Salmon and Front.

We joined a cluster of passengers queuing loosely around the seawall, where the Portland Spirit was moored. Based on appearances there seemed to be no consensus on dress code for this event. It was a mixed bag of semi-to-very-casual attire (such as ourselves) and the extreme suit & tie, evening gown variety. The couple standing behind us was dressed in jeans and sweatshirts,

while a small group in front of us was of the black tie set.

Finally when the line began moving forward, we observed that everyone ahead of us was asked to show photo ID (some nautical Homeland Security requirement?) and being herded behind a Portland Spirit life ring to pose for a photograph. I figured the latter part of the ritual was another cash scheme, but everyone in front of us took his or her place for the camera, as did Elaine and I.

We descended a fairly long, steep boarding ramp. The angle unnerved Elaine with her semi-casual footwear and I briefly wondered how it would be for someone in a wheelchair. Upon entering the boat I wasn't surprised to see that the interior was laid out like a restaurant, with a hostess podium and the dining tables placed alongside the windows. We were promptly seated at a table on the entry-level deck. Elaine was quick to notice that we got “The shit spot table” what in a typical
restaurant would’ve been next to the kitchen door. Indeed, all of the “Portland Spirit Service Staff” were conducting their duties via a service corridor just off to the side of us, which also led to the only bathrooms on the boat. Right behind my back was a small alcove that sported a lonely coat rack rod, with a dozen plastic hangers that remained unused for the duration of our dinner voyage.

We were greeted by “Farrah,” who informed us with practiced cheer that she would be our server for the evening. She rattled off some additional verbiage that mostly escaped me while I glanced at
the menu, seeing that the two available appetizers were an additional $8.00 per order, beyond the included dinner price of the tickets. We ordered one of each; sautéed mushrooms and the shrimp cocktail, along with two Spanish coffees. (Highly recommended by Farrah.) The beverages arrived about 15 minutes later and they were quite tasty, topped with cream, suspended over the coffee mix, curled around/clinging to two straws, resting on the rims of the mugs. Elaine proclaimed the drink to be “Yummy, with a kick.” Mental note to self: Take Elaine to Huber’s…

It was about 45 minutes before the boat detached from the seawall and began its southward journey down the Willamette. Without seeing the lights slipping by on the riverbank, there would have been little detectable sense of motion. Us diners were introduced to the Portland Spirit Captain, who gave a required spiel about life jackets and a plug for the gift shop, which was
followed with a serenade by a handful of “Portland Spirit Service Staff gals.” They sang a cheery little welcome song that reminded me of Summer Camp (or) Outdoor School. A baby grand piano was located on each of the two dining decks and a heavy-set pianist was multi-tasking, settling her cheeks on both benches. The Captains’ monologue and the "welcome song" were repeated on both of the dining decks as we got underway.

The photographer from earlier appeared at the service hallway, flipping through a catalogue of photos harvested from the pre-boarding session. Working his way forward, browsing the diners.
Elaine and I were the first to be offered a print from the “mandatory photo-shoot.” The photographer allowed us to see our picture before making his ten-dollar pitch. We both immediately agreed that the photo was hideous and he quickly moved on in search of other takers.

Our appetizers arrived along with fresh bread. The bread was actually quite good, with a hint of baked-in garlic. The appetizers were also pretty good; a full plate of sliced ‘shrooms in a garlic
butter sauce and large, fantail shrimp with zesty cocktail sauce. A memorable couple was sitting at a table, just forward of ours. “He” was a beefy dude (early to mid 40s) dressed in an expensive looking suit and his date/companion was a slender younger woman, in a red gown, topped with a white, fur shoulder coat. They both reeked of dough. One of the only snippets of conversation I overheard was between “Mr. Beefy” and “Farrah,” when she said: Oh, you’re from New York?” Elaine was sitting with her back to the couple, so she overheard much more from their table, including their frequent complaints, etc… Mr. Beefy: “These mushrooms are terrible!” Ms. Fur coat: I can’t believe this f***ing service!”

For dinner, Elaine ordered a chicken breast with rice pilaf and I had the roast beef ‘entree. Even though the cruise itself was shaping up to be a bit cheesy and overpriced, neither of us had complaints about the quality of the food. The portions were quite sufficient also.

The other local passengers of note were a large group of twelve, seated forward of “Mr. Beefy” & “Ms. fur coat.” They were apparently celebrating a birthday party and drinking heavily. At one point two of the drunken partiers leaned into our table-area to gaze into a dark porthole, trying to pick out landmarks against the interior lighting glare. Elaine and I decided that was a good moment to have a smoke on the upper deck. As we were leaving our table, Elaine whispered: “Did you hear that New York couple?? That fur coat bimbo just cut a loud fart. The guy said, ‘did you just fart?’ The bimbo just laughed proudly about it.” Elaine was laughing in shock. I’d already figured the New York pair looked like “a date gone wrong,” but that cinched it. I was glad to get away from our table for some otherwise fresh air.

At first we had the bow of the boat to ourselves. It was a bit chilly but not too uncomfortable. We saw a few other people on the outer deck above us, but later discovered that some other passengers (wimps) had gathered on the rear deck, to avoid the wind. A few of the braver couples joined us on the bow as we floated back under the inner city bridges; Sellwood, Marquam, Hawthorne, looking up at cars humming/suspended over our heads on a thin, steel grate.

Upon docking, the ever-perky “Portland Spirit Service Staff” was singing their farewell song as a restless group of passengers crowded around the exit door, ready to jump ship. -All said, I’d rate the voyage as a 6 out of 10. If I’d ever board the Portland Spirit again, it would be for a “Lunch Cruise” or a “Blues Cruise.” …Anyone know if those are still going on?

Departure

On the eve of D.T.'s departure to places unknown (as per military obligations) it seems fitting to post a picture of The Pavilion in deliberate, Technicolor glory.

-All will be cool here until your safe return, Cousin...

The Pavilion

:::W E L C O M E:::