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Virus Shut Down

The Governor is about to put us in lock-down over the CCP virus so now is not a good time to visit Portland. It is also not a good time for doing research on places to visit in and around Portland. I just started work on my self guided driving tours and once lock down happens getting out to explore will come to an end for a while. With what material I have on hand I still have several weeks worth of work to do on research and description writing. Along with that I have more organizing and planning for when the lock down is over and when I can get back out and explore. It should be interesting to see how Portland and Portlandia fair through this time.

One project that I can do while lock down is work on a description of what is Portlandia and how did it come to be and yes, Portlandia was more then just a TV show. The TV show was just trying to capture the spirit of what was going on here. This of course will be my personal view and how I experienced it living in Portland during the time it came about. Also, how that dream of Portlandia has almost died out now.

So in the mean time there will be less foot prints on our trails and no lines, along with no people, at the popular attractions. For the most part I think we enjoy visitor coming here and we will miss that for a while.

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Stumbling over Portlandia

This is what is fun about Portland, you head off to do visit one thing and even after 25 years of being here you find new cool places. This happen to me the other day. I had headed over to photograph Peninsula Park Rose Garden now that the roses are in bloom. I got that done shooting sooner then planned and figure I had time to pop over to Kenton to photo big Paul Bunyan, another selfie landmark. I had to park my car a block away and started walking over and came across a place I did not know about. The sign on the build was about bamboo. I thought was weird because normal Portland is not a bamboo kind of town. So the door was open and I thought I would just poke my head in to see what was going on. It turn out to be everything you didn’t know existed about bamboo. It ranged from bamboo pole to use for something to a four story tree house built out of bamboo. So I thought ya this is part of Portlandia.

So I continue on over and to Paul Bunyan and get my photos and I am heading back to my car by way of another street. I walk past another business that had been locate up a block and now at this new location. I new they did salvage lumber and again the door was open. Ya, they had a few old 2X4s but then I started to find they had so much more. In the lumber yard area they had slabs of wood now. So not only doing reuse of timber from old building but also working with folks who have lost trees to bark beadle or fire. That wood becomes a source for wood workers and designers for furniture and home décor. Plus they now have a showroom for ideas of how to use materials and making some of their own furniture. Reuse of material is definitely Portlandia thing.

So in Portland you can head out for something you know and come across entrepreneur who take weird ideas and make them into successful business.

Roses, fountain and bandstand are seen in this photo.
Front of the building and entry.
Bamboo in all sizes for your next project.
All thing related to bamboo.
The ultimate lawn art. Old truck with bamboo.
Big tree house out of bamboo. I am not sure how it stays up but it does and you can go into it.
For some this is a selfie spot. Located in the Kenton neighborhood. Paul stands about 25 ft. tall and is locate at the corner of N. Interstate Ave. and N. Denver Ave. He is right across the street from the MAX line stop.