10-11 June: Everything but the Parade

Saturday, 10 June 2017

At last, after skipping several weeks, I did walk two blocks (with the motivation of finding a couple of tomato plants) to

Ilwaco Saturday Market

Northwest Natural made a waterfall of their concrete leaves.

asparagus from De Asis Farm

all shopped out

the cutest booth

Our port office garden (and Basket Case Greenhouse baskets)

The Wood Elf

tomatoes!

I did get three more tomatoes and walked home in pouring rain, which made me happy because it means less watering.

reading

At home, because of the rain, I took the time for the book I had been wanting to read in one sitting.  It is the story of the author’s mum and dad’s  life in England from about 1930 to 1970.

Oh, how wonderful it was, and thanks so much to my “imaginary” (online) friend Lynn for recommending it to me.  She got to see an advance showing of the film made from the book, which will be released in the USA next October.  As she said, “There’s gardening!”

Installing an Anderson shelter in the garden.  I just love that they say “antirrhinums” for snapdragons.

the terror of WWII bombing, laying down flat in a cabbage field

the garden

For beautiful illustrations, not deliberately off angle snaps, I do advise you to get the book.  Oh how I cried at the end.  I am counting the months till the film.

in love with this book

And then I went out to plant my tomatoes and pepper plants for the greenhouse and got them all done, just in time to go to a book reading at

Time Enough Books

our bouquet for the event

author Kathleen Alcalá

We were the only ones who showed up!  That made me sad; however, after the reading we had a good long conversation about the world’s problems (which we did not solve) with bookstore owner Karla and the author and her spouse, and bought a copy of the book.  (I’m halfway through a library copy.  If it were winter, I’d have read it in two days.)

Karla and the author and her spouse

There was one thing I did not like about the book so far: One short passage in which the author says she does not like to see “overweight people buying pallets of food at Costco.”  I took the opportunity to recommend that she read Body of Truth by Harriet Brown without chastising her for her “People of Walmart” judgement.  I had written the title down for her.  She seemed open to reading it.

 

At 7:30 PM, the light outside was gorgeous.

looking west, Time Enough Books garden

poppy and penstemon

looking east

coming home

evening light

greenhouse: messy but tomatoes are in!

Sunday, 11 June 2017

The main feature of today was the glorious Astoria Pride Parade.  That will be tomorrow’s post because it deserves to stand alone.  Meanwhile, here are some photos taken while we were in Astoria.

As we parked, we saw this shopkeeper decorating.

Allan’s photo

Some of the curbside gardens on Marine Drive:

the best one…

by Jessica Schlief

O Jessica, what is this?

Jessica’s garden

poppies and cerinthe

The other curbside gardens could not compare to Jessica’s floriferous display…

with salal

and just plain weeds

We joined the parade.  A few non parade photos as we walked along the Riverwalk.

trolley stop

I don’t want to add this old age story to the parade post:  During the parade, Allan was on his own taking photos.  After falling back to the end to get photos of the entire procession, I could not keep up with the parade and with five blocks to go till the rally, I was way behind.

The end of the parade is now the people far far in the distance walking away from me.

the pleasant view with freight ships lined up waiting for the tide

My slowness was rewarded because as I approached the rally, Darcelle was just getting off the trolley, and, in fact, I got a hug from her. (I’ve seen the grand Darcelle show a couple of times when it has come to Long Beach.)

The famous Darcelle, left, longtime performer from Portland, Oregon

After the rally, we walked back to town.  Very very slowly.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo of the tour boat that goes all the way upriver

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

A young man told me I could have taken the trolley.  But it has a big step to the ground and even with the step box that they provide, it is very tough with knee problems.  Easier to walk.  Although I did wonder if I would make it and I reminisced poignantly about how, not so many years ago, Seattle Carol would spend the day in Astoria walking all up and down the hills or the whole length of the Riverwalk and back just for fun.  In those days, I lived up to my last name, Walker.

Allan’s photo

the cute bus that goes with the riverboat tour (Allan’s photos)

Allan’s photo

I was pleased to make it to downtown.

in a shop window (Allan’s photo)

And I was even more pleased to find something I had forgotten about: The Astoria Sunday Market was in session.

Every time we saw someone with something rainbow, we exchanged “Happy Pride!” greetings. I found it most joyous.

Allan’s photo

We bought a hummingbird sculpture.

Allan’s photo

bouquets

At the market, we encountered our friends Pam of the Seaside gardens and Sean and his darling dog.

Sean’s photo

Allan is in this photo, too.

plants for sale (Allan’s photo)

Then, I was so tired and we were hungry.  We ate at one of my favourite Astoria restaurants.

Fulios

Pasta Puttenesca for me

squash ravioli for Allan

back to where we began

Allan’s photo

At home, I thought all I would be able to do was sit down and process photos.  And then, with the help of a handful of wake up beans, I managed to plant most of the new ladies in waiting that were slated for my own garden.

yesterday

this evening (and the three on the bench are Allan’s not mine!)

Meanwhile, Allan mowed three lawns: Ours, Devery’s, and the J’s.  That is not unusual becuase he does seem to have boundless energy.

Tomorrow: The Pride Parade itself.