19th Leg: Northwest to Central Library

Date of run: May 10, 2014
Time: 2:00 pm
Temp: 59 degrees F (feels like 59)
Conditions: Mostly cloudy, wind 8 mph
Distance: 1.8 miles out, 1.9 miles back (3.7 miles total)

This part of the Library Challenge is like getting to the heart of the artichoke - it's the best part: Running downtown. More people to run around, but also more to see. Too bad I'll be passing back out of here so quickly. But for now...



First interesting sight: A Peculiarium, a combination joke shop and game store. Cool, hope they do well with that. They're in the right consumerist neighborhood (Northwest 23rd area) for it.



And from stores for people who need more stuff, just 2 blocks later a guy who has (I assume) just what he needs:



Just a little further on, a nice view of the Fremont Bridge from below. Fun, because it's usually viewed from the top as I zoom over it:



And then...Whisk(e)y Town. I love how they put the 'e' in there as optional, so no one can complain they spelled it wrong.



And of course, you shouldn't have a Whisk(e)y Town without a dumpster and an ambulance nearby:



A quick jaunt past two small city parks, Tanner Springs (lots of foliage) and Jamison, which features water in the summer, and is lined by a funky cool wobbly-looking, leaning wall.







And less than 2 miles from the start, the majestically large Central Library:



Immediately upon entering, visitors encounter this beautiful marble staircase, with inspirational words engraved on every few steps, like EXPLORE, CREATE, and BECOME. They actually encourage kids to bring sheets of paper and make tracings of the designs, so they can take part of the library home with them. Nice.





At the top floor (where the CDs are), there were many aisles of books, as well as some nice views of the library below and the light rail train outside.







I also passed some people waiting patiently, in the Collins Gallery, for...what?



As I was leaving the top floor, I found out. It was a two-person performance...Shakespeare perhaps? Sorry to say I didn't stay long enough to find out. But it was pretty lively, volume-wise, for a public library. And the audience seemed quite entertained.

On to the CDs: This time for some reason I was drawn to some harder/stronger stuff. Dillinger Escape Plan is one of those bands I've read a lot about ("critical darlings") but haven't heard much. And Front 242, well that looked interesting just from the cover art, and that it took a few minutes just to figure out who was the band and what was the album title. (Album art with no text can indicate some great music, with some good examples by Porcupine Tree, or arguably the masters of the practice (thanks to Storm Thorgerson), Pink Floyd.



Heading north toward Burnside, I jogged past Providence Park (recently renamed from Jeld-Wen Field, formerly PGE Park, previously Civic Stadium, before that Multnomah Stadium, which was originally Multnomah Field). Many red-scarved people were milling about the front, and I realized that I was about to miss another performance, this one by the Portland Thorns soccer team. Guess it's good I did, as they suffered their first loss of the season, 0-1 to the Seattle Reign (haha, good name).



A quick run back down 21st and 23rd Avenues, past a local Trader Joe's to pick up some cheese and bananas (because, you can always use bananas), and past my favorite float tank place, then back to the starting point, the Northwest Library.





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LAST WEEK'S MUSIC

Charles Mingus, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963)

I don't listen to much jazz, but when I do, it's the masters of the 50's and 60's - Brubeck, Monk, and in this case Mingus. This album had a few tracks with a big band feel to them, including this one. Random thought: I prefer rock music, but I often whistle along in a jazz style, improvising over the straightforward rhythms and note structures. Maybe that's why I like rock so much: It's very "predictability" allows me to be adventurous in my interactions with it. Hmmm...




Yaz, Reconnected: Live (2010)

And then there's Yaz (known as Yazoo in the UK), a synth-pop duo from the early 80's who didn't release much but were well-regarded because of their powerhouse singer, Alison Moyet, and ultra-talented songwriter/keyboard player Vince Clarke, who had left Depeche Mode (who did just fine without him, thanks to equally talented songwriter/keyboard player Martin Gore). A friend of mine suggested I give their debut album a chance, and judging by this live retrospective reunion release from 2010, I think I should have. It's good stuff!

18th Leg: St. Johns to Northwest Library

Date of run: May 5, 2014
Time: 4:05 pm
Temp: 61 degrees F (feels like 61)
Conditions: Partly cloudy, wind 7 mph
Distance: 6 miles out, 6.1 miles back (12.1 miles total)

Ships, Trains & Automobiles

Twelve miles! Okay, so I walked about a third of this, and I did take a 15 minute "downpour" break, but 12 miles and no cramps or pulled muscles. So, WIN.



First fun sight: One of those "art cows" that populate the city in various locations (like at the Childrens Museum near the Oregon Zoo), as well as a nice clock in St. Johns to remind me it was getting late in the afternoon.





Soon, I was headed over the majestic St. Johns Bridge, pausing to look up at one of the impressive 408 foot gothic towers, and then looking down to my left toward the road to northwest Portland (aka "Hipster Paradise, West version).







To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to the long slog down heavily trafficked (and under-sidewalked) St. Helens Road, and would much rather have taken a slight right up Firelane 7A, toward one of the best Forest Park Trails there is. But today was a "Library Run" day and it had to be done, so on I went through industrial Portland, with lots of cars whizzing by at 50 miles per hour, and quite a few trains (with ships parked nearby). Somewhat surprising, as I'd never noticed, there were a few residential houses dotted along the main road. These people must sleep with earplugs!







After a few miles of this, the skies suddenly darkened and it started to pour. I had been an optimist and left without rain gear (or more importantly, a plastic bag for my iPhone), so I ducked under an awning of a Subway sandwich shop. (I almost felt like I should go in and buy something as a gesture of thanks for being there, but didn't.)



After about 20 minutes, the skies gradually cleared enough for moderately soak-free running, and I was soon in northwest Portland, where I passed this neighborly wall mural, and soon spotted the attractive and aged-just-right building of the Northwest Portland Branch Library.





Today must have been "Left Side Face Day," because I was drawn to these two albums, one by Yaz (aka Yazoo in the UK), a new wave duo who released this live comeback album in 2010, and Charles Mingus, highly regarded jazz master from the 1950s through the 1970s. Jazz! Because, variety is good!



Heading back out, I came across - Oh no, not this - a French bakery. Well, impossible not to stop in at this one. Why fight it? I did compromise and only got a mini-sized Chaussons aux Pommes. ("Item in picture is smaller than it appears.") So small, but so good...



But then, after some fun twisty stairs, it was back to St. Johns, up the long lonely road with more views of electric grids and such industrial things, until I viewed once again the welcome sight of the big green suspension bridge.











I will always have fond memories of this bridge, from crossing it 2010 en route to completing my first marathon (all walking). Ah, how the years flow by, and I find myself somewhere down the lazy river...




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LAST WEEK'S MUSIC

Flash Hawk Parlor Ensemble, Plastic Bag In A Tree (2007)

Love the album title, fitting for an artist now residing (I believe) in recycling-minded Portland, Oregon. I don't know how this slipped under my radar, but this one-off album by multi-insrumentalist Chris Funk (Decemberists) was a must-hear when I spotted it at the St. Johns Library. The music on the CD is split, one-half folksy acoustic, and one-half progressive/weird, with synthesizer flourishes, like the ones featured on this track. Overall, a really pleasant listen:



The album also features a very nice cover of the Fleetwood Mac gem "That's All For Everyone." I would have included the Ensemble's cover, but couldn't find a link on the 'net. Bummer, guess you'll just have to buy it! :-)


Family, It's Only A Movie (1973)

This band started as a psychedelic outfit in the late 60's, then evolved into a prog-rock band led by singer/bassist John Wetton (later of mid-70's King Crimson fame), then finished up with this album, more of a blues rock effort. I'd heard much of their earlier stuff but hadn't caught up with this one until I spotted it on the rack due to the eye catching humorous gunfighter pose on the cover. This lead track is more representative of their earlier work, but it's easily my favorite on the album, so there you go. It's also very much like early work of 10cc (later know for the FM hit "The Things We Do For Love"). Sonically busy, quirky, musically adventurous. Oh, I wish there were more stuff like this going on today!

17th Leg: Kenton to St. Johns Library

Date of run: April 27, 2014
Time: 4:18 pm
Temp: 52 degrees F (feels like 52)
Conditions: Showers, wind 6 mph
Distance: 3.5 miles out, 3.6 miles back (7.1 miles total)

Well, it's a been a long slog in training leading up to the Edinburgh Half at the end of May - sprained ankle, irritation in the ball of my left foot, fatigue - but this weekend everything magically clicked and after Sunday I feel like I'm ready for anything! Eleven miles on Friday and seven on Sunday - that's more than I've ever done in a three day span. Wasn't particularly fast, but no ankle or foot pain, which means the careful balancing of rest and recovery with effort is finally paying off. Phew!

And so, from the Kenton branch I headed further west toward St. Johns.



Didn't park in the Kenton Library lot...only THREE spaces! Cute but rather ridiculous. At least there was plenty of parking. And you've gotta love the Portlandia-style knitting covering the bike rack.



Heading down Kilpatrick, and then Halleck streets, I passed another little league ballfield as well as a residential courtyard with a twist: A food cart! (surprise surprise) They truly are everywhere in this city now.





As I reached Lombard Street and continued west, I came across this sign, where I briefly wondered "Homeless shelter? Counseling center?"



But turning 180 degrees, I looked and realized, "No, a pub." Of course.



Further down Lombard, at an overpass I got a great view of train tracks running north-south. I love this receding viewpoint south toward Portland:



I glanced at my watch and realized I had just a few minutes before the library closed. I almost sprinted the rest of the way, and arrived tired and sweaty at the elegant looking St. Johns branch, which looked very much like the Belmont branch from the outside. I had a brief conversation with a patron who explained that this branch had undergone a major renovation recently, and while nice, they got rid of the old light fixtures. The new fixtures look great though (and damn, I accidentally deleted that photo), very much like the North Portland ones, so while a little less "historically authentic," it does look really nice, inside and out. (You'll have to take my word for it, or check it out yourself.)





With only a couple of minutes before closing, I headed straight for the CD rack, and grabbed two intriguing discs from the F section:



As I left the library, I immediately came across this restaurant, easily one of the worst puns ever for a place of business. I assumed you would feel "kung fu'd" after eating there, but checking Google reviews later, I see customers are pretty happy with the place. So, don't let a bad pun prevent enjoyment!



On the way back down Lombard Street, I spotted a nice bit of tile work (three separate panels of it actually). I got the impression if you squinted your eyes from a distance you might make out an actual design or pattern. Here's one panel:



Turning down Willis Boulevard, I (literally) ran into some funny sidewalks, that stopped and started between lawns and gardens. I decided to skip most of it and just ran on the side of the road (well away from traffic).



Then there was this sign. "No one knows who they were, or what they were doing..."



One last interesting sighting just before returning to Kenton: this structure hidden behind a fence, at a place called Bamboo Craftsman. Not sure what it's for but I thought if people could go up in it, that would be really cool. (Probably not though, it looked a bit delicate and decorative, but it was certainly tall, I would guess 30 to 35 feet?)



And as I turned right toward my car, I caught one last view of Paul Bunyan, this time of his backside. But also if you look carefully you can see a man walking in front of the statue, showing just how tall this guy is:



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LAST WEEK'S MUSIC

Massive Moth, More Scenery Than Man (2011)

Powerful little indie band from Salem, Oregon. They weren't listed on Allmusic, nor could I find the album on Amazon, but somebody at the library found it (probably sold by the band at a local gig) and I'm glad they did. Energetic, fresh and fun, I hope these guys keep going and get their music to a wider audience. Maybe they haven't settled on a specific style, but there's something here that reminds me of the early New Wave days when bands were rocking out, playing with different times and interesting lyrics (reminiscent of early Talking Heads or even The Clash).




Boards of Canana, In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country (2000)

Music to chill to on a slow summer's day, but with a nice slinky beat. Also good for lowering the blood pressure while driving my daily commute:




The Antlers, Burst Apart (2011)

Universe Alignment alert: The Allmusic review for this album name-checks the aforementioned Boards of Canada as a guiding force in The Antlers sound. And yet, aside from sitting one section apart in the library, there's no way I would've connected these two albums I'd never heard before. But this kind of thing doesn't surprise me anymore - it happens all the time. Connecting the dots...I think that'll be the title of my next blog. ;-)

The cover artwork on this drew me in, and the music held my attention all the way through. This is powerful indie rock, more than a little dark in theme, but a very worthy listen.