Cleaned out the shed, etc. (03-29-10)

I am amazed by everything Gary and I did today.

While Gary took down all the ratty shelves inside the shed, found a rats' nest and killed a bunch of ants, Julia and I carried dozens of 2 x 4s and put them in the trailer. After that, we took a load of lumber to the recycling yard, then went to the dump.

Later, we picked up a huge red bookcase for the living room and, best of all, we met with the tax accountant.

And I forgot to mention that all this was done in POURING RAIN, and I also met with two tree guys for estimates...

Pretty Mosaic Glass Windows (03-28-10)

I went by Portico to pick up the windows that were on hold. They are absolutely beautiful, especially the one with flowers. I placed it over the front dining room window. The one with a sort-of metaphysical hand design on it will be in my closet.

Pretty Mosaic Glass Windows (03-27-10)

I went by Portico and saw some gorgeous mosaic glass windows on display and ask for three of them to be placed on hold. I need to think about this, because it’s a lot of money.

Chosing paint colors (03-26-10)

My day was spent opening the last boxes of kitchen stuff.

The color for the upstairs bathroom paint has been chosen (big, big step, since it takes me a long time to make up my mind). It's funny, but it basically is the same color of light teal green as we had in the staircase at the other house.

First Project: Tear Down of the Lean-to (03-22-10)

This is the first project we've undertaken: to repair the shed, the crumbling lean-to must first be removed...

Gary and Valérie at work

Cleanup (03-20-10)

One roll of towel paper, a big bottle of Scrub Free with Bleach, and a LOT of elbow grease to EXORCISE the upstairs bathroom of the very gross and filthy messes. It's amazing the grime that fluffy pictures and homey plaques can cover up...

The House in the 1980s (ca. 03-10)

When we moved in the house, we found an envelope the previous owner had left to our attention on the kitchen counter. Inside, some papers pertaining to the history of the Rupert house (the original owners), but also this photo of the house and the property in the 1980s. The rear part of the property has been sold off, including the small structure with a tree in front (demolished to build a house). We still have the large structure with a lean-to behind the house. The oak tree in front of the house is still there, as are the other trees in the photo.

Vintage Photo (03-19-10)

Here is a photo of the house ca. 1902 with the Joseph and Sarah Rupert family who were its first owners. The front porch, door and windows in the photo have been replaced by the fireplace chimney and side colonial-style windows. The diamond window is still where it was. The front entry of the house is now on the right side of the view in the photo. 

Wallpaper removal (ca. 03-10)

Flowery, over-the-top wallpaper in upstairs bathroom: GONE; frilly/foofy wallpaper in Gary's office-to-be: GONE (Many thanks to Valérie, Meghan and Julia).

Boxes (03-18-10)

We're surrounded by boxes all over...There aren't enough closets in this house! Aside from the small bedroom closets, there is one closet under the staircase, and one in the family room.

Back online (03-17-10)

BACK ONLINE AFTER 3 DAYS WITH NO INTERNET!!!

Moving in and moving out (03-13-10)

We moved today, with much help from friends and family. Thanks to all!

Doodle Study in Black and White (03-11-10)

An interesting exercise to get into my Creative Zone...

Moving in and working out (03-10-10)

The house is already full, but I'm moving more boxes over today.

Every time I walk by the fireplace in the living room, and see the hearth filled with a foot of the finest light powdery ashes, it makes me think of the box of ashes we found in the laundry room a few days ago. I now regret returning it; I think the yard would have been a great place to disperse them.

I decided to clean out the hearth. I swept the ashes up carefully and filled two paper grocery bags. I set aside a few small things that haven't burned all the way: part of the header to a legal document, a torn piece of photograph, a negative...

In the middle front of the fireplace, there is a spot of hardened glue. The previous owner ripped out a plaque that used to be glued there, one of her "Home Sweet Home" or "My Heart Belongs Here" like she had everywhere in the house.

Mysteries and unanswered questions abound. Why so many ashes? Why not dispose of one's private papers by shredding them the old-fashioned way? Why rip out a stupid plaque and leave the fireplace damaged? This is too weird.

Cleaning Out the Shed (03-09-10)

I thought that a good cleanup of the shed would make a world of difference. But a closer look reveals that all the shelving and ramshackle built-ins will have to go.

Junk! Out!

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Moving in and bugging out (03-09-10)

I take a truckload of garden plants and miscellaneous things over to the house with Julia. We take the black and white cat with us. He does not look very happy; he promptly finds a hiding place behind the furnace and refuses to come out. I leave the cat to his own devices to take Julia to school.

I then rush back to the house to meet the pest control guy. This guy whose pickup truck is embellished with violent cartoons suggesting mob-like dedication to the task, is all smiles. I tell him about hearing that there were big spiders around, and I think we may have carpenter ants in the shed... No worries. He's gonna take a look and tell me all about the problems. He does in fact spend a good amount of time in the crawlspaces under the house and under the shed. When he emerges, there is a look of concern on his face. There are bad news, indeed: the insulation is installed upside down and rats are nesting in it; there may be wood boring beetle damage; there is carpenter ant damage in the shed; and, not to frighten me in any way, there is an "amazing" amount of spider eggs under the house…and they will soon hatch, by the thousands. The cost for treatment may seem high, but bugs get throughout a house by crawling up the walls and wherever there is an opening, -such as a heat register-, there is a way for them to get in. All said with a greasy smile and assurances, his company's services are guaranteed to the tee. There will be spraying, dousing, drilling holes and fumi-gating. Total eradication, no more, no less.
I am not sure I can trust this guy.

Moving in and sweeping out (03-08-10)

Gary rents a bigger truck and we load it up. He decides to take the black and white cat with him for the trip. A couple of people from church come by to help along. Things get taken out of the rental house that shouldn't, such as food and pots and pans...

When Gary gets to the house, immediately runs upstairs to hide in the room that will become my closet and stays there the entire time.

I start cleaning the shed out. I see a what appears to be a large sinister spider by one of the windows and keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't pounce on me unexpectedly.

Sweeping takes me a couple of hours. There is so much crap in the shed, all I can do is dump everything out the door: old rusty tools, boxes of nails, floor tiles, pieces of lumber. A dumpy looking dresser with drawers has been nailed to the walls and is attached to a hollow core door supported by wobbly feet, meant to be used as a makeshift workshop space. I start removing the drawers and notice a very sizable amount of sawdust. I suspect there may be carpenter ants in there...

There are so many boxes, they get taken in anywhere in the house, willy-nilly. I never realized we had so much stuff... I am overwhelmed by how much we need to get rid of.

Moving in and cleaning out (03-07-10)

I take a carload of stuff over to the house by myself. I decide to get organized and to clean this grimy house from top to bottom before the bulk of our things get moved in. I decide to focus on the floors in the laundry room, but before even getting started, I get distracted by the hallucinatory checkerboard pattern in the laundry room closet and start ripping it out.

The seller's agent shows up at the door to pick up the seller's mother's ashes. She hands me the check for the seller's one day of rent and congratulates me for "making a great deal." I want to laugh at her; I only foresee problems ahead.

We make another trip with my car and Gary's truck in the evening. Gary gets there before I do ans tells me he saw the greenhouse taken away in one piece on a truck; all the garden pots are gone.

I bought a beautiful fragrant Daphne yesterday to plant at the new house; I am still on the lookout for a self-pollinating semi-dwarf cherry tree :)

"Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"...Or Does She?.. (03-06-10)

Now that we're in our new home, Gary and I go about checking things out in the empty house, opening doors and drawers. The main part of the house is dusty, filthy even. The seller took the carpet runners off the stairs; something was ripped from the front of the fireplace mantel, leaving it damaged.

While I rummage around the part of the house (the family room) that had previously been used as a rental space, Gary calls me, his voice urgent. Her points to a shelf in the laundry room cupboard, where, next to a box of Miracle Grow, there is a white cardboard box. He tells me to read the printed label on top, bearing the name of a local crematorium. I open it to look inside. There is an open plastic bag filled with ashes. Looking at the label again, I realize that the seller has left her mother's ashes behind. In a cheap cardboard box. On a shelf. In the laundry room. Next to a box of fertilizer.

We call our agent, who laughs at the news of our discovery. The call he makes to the seller's agent gets an unusual response: put the ashes out in the yard and the handyman will pick them up tomorrow along with the garden stuff!

I am in shock. This is creeping me out. My heart sinks. Did we make a mistake? The accumulation of every aggravation we've experienced with the purchase of this house (which I haven't written about) is too much to bear. Gary says we'll make it work and stick it out for a couple of years and see how we feel about it then.

She's finally leaving! (03-06-10)

George, our agent calls to say that we may get the house after 5 PM (Yessss!!!) I don't know how he managed to pull this off, but the seller is finally moving out!

In the late afternoon, we load Gary's truck and take a load of stuff to our new house. George is waiting for us at the house; he gives us a bunch of keys, way more than we'd ever expect to need for this house. before leaving, George gives us a present: small figurines of a duck a bunny (totally like George to tease us like that)...

Delays...again! (03-05-10)

Guess what? We ARE the owners of record, but we don't have the keys AND the owner is not moving out!

We're supposed to get the keys and possession of the house at 5 PM. Her agent doesn't answer our agent's calls or messages.

She didn't want to move out by the date of closing and she has apparently decided to take her time as she pleases.

I am furious; Gary looks beat and sick.

We're Homeowners! (03-04-10)

I was teaching my adult art class in Hillsboro today when I got a phone call from the escrow agent letting me know that the transaction had been recorded. I felt mixed feelings at the news. The house is now ours. Yipeee. I am a bit apprehensive; the last few months have been extremely frustrating.

Gary is getting sick.

Almost there! (03-03-10)

WE SIGNED DOCUMENTS!!!

But we're not done yet. Now, we're negotiating the date when the seller will finally move out... And, would you believe? We managed to get her to agree to not rent back beyond March 5th!

More delays (03-02-10)

Delays...again. (And who said that I am not patient?)

Delays (02-25-10)

...More...setbacks...and...delays...(Snore).

My Old Kitchen (02-23-10)

Fun! My old kitchen was featured on "Hooked on Houses"!

Haiku: The Buyer's Lament (02-23-10)

A poem by Pascale Steig

House sold; moving on
Looking for a house
Alas: slim pickings.

Frantically looking
Days on end, reading the ads
Hoping for wonders

It's all said in code
Where "Lovingly Restored"
Means total mess-up

Mongrelization
Of styles, periods, and uses.
Sage green, brown and grey

The tiles, all the same
Gone the trims, the cabinets
Gone, the wood built-ins

The windows, vinyl
Gone, the charm, the history
The doors, hollow core.

Done in the name of
Updates, home improvement:
Obliteration

My heart beats faster
For two words: "Historic Charm"…
Perhaps this is it..?

Alas, alas, no.
With walls, leaning to the side,
The house is crooked.

It smells; well, it stinks
Unkempt, drafty, moldering
Unfit for humans.

The agent, he smiles;
If not this house, another...
...Or another yet.

Frustrations (02-20-10)

I am getting fed up with a certain real estate transaction... Our seller seems to be unpredictable and difficult to deal with.
The home buying process ought to be simple: one makes an offer and the offer is either 1.) accepted; 2.) countered; or 3.) rejected. There is no sorcery to this; unless it is our situation, of course :(

A Springtime Yeti-e (02-18-10)

This one's a tease...

Garden Gnome Wanted (02-18-10)

I want a swell garden gnome, like the one I saw at the Garden and Patio Show.

Yard and Garden Show (02-13-10)

I raced through the Garden and Patio Show today (there was too much to see and not enough time to do it). A lot of the displays were aimed at the new suburban markets: dull concrete patios with fire pits, stock shrubbery, run-of-the-mill fence designs...

I am tired of living among boxes in a rental house. I want a house of my own. I want a garden of my own.

Elton John/Billy Joel Concert at the Rose Quarter (02-10-10)

We went to see the Face to Face Elton John and Billy Joel concert at the Rose Quarter stadium. After hearing Gary play their music for the last 29 years, I wasn't overly enthusiastic about going; but this concert was so fabulous, I was won over by the great music and the performers' showmanship. Great time.

 

This is a view of the stadium from where we were sitting. The music was so loud, I was glad we weren't sitting any closer...but it sure looked like the people at the front of the stage were having a blast.

Some sketches of Elton John, Billy Joel, a few band members and screen backdrops.

 The sketches above are of the audience near us. I drew Christopher (top right middle), Valérie (second at lower right) and Monica-Sophie (edge of page on lower right).

I found the souvenir paper sign on the way out of the stadium, near a table where T-shirts and Polo shirts were respectively being sold for $40 and...$60! What a rip!

The Big Blue Dinosaur (02-10-10)

When my daughter Valérie (21) was about three years old, she once ran from the front of the house to the kitchen and breathtakingly told me about a Big blue Dinosaur that was eating little children (!). I took notes as she urgently described what the creature was doing outside of the house, and the Big blue Dinosaur soon became the stuff of our family legends...


Anyway, here is the Big blue Dinosaur, as I drew him for fun in my sketchbook.

"He was a Big Blue One"

Haunted-Looking House in the Old Neighborhood (ca. 03-09)

The Estate Sale over, it sat empty and forlorn, like a cursed, silent sentinel recalling terrible things passed.

The house came on the market two months after we bought our house in 1994. On a sunny afternoon, I went down the street to take a closer look at the house. I tried to peek in through the back windows, to see how it compared to our rambling fixer. Priced at $20,000 more, it was a clearly nicer house: cedar shake siding, boxed-beam ceilings, two staircases... A couple bought the house shortly thereafter.

Over the course of the following year or two, they embarked on a grand-scale remodeling project. Money was apparently no object. The roof was removed down to the attic floor, the siding was replaced after an earthquake-proof retro-fit of the outside walls, the attic walls were raised 3 ft., then the roof was rebuilt. Everyone in the neighborhood had an opinion about the project: they were either daring pioneers updating an old beat-up house in dire need of attention, or wild-eyed heretics bent on damaging a classic neighborhood landmark.

One day, when curiosity finally won over me, I knocked on the door and introduced myself. The wife, D., seemed pretty nice. She invited me in and offered to give me a tour of the house. I admired the curtains D. made out of brightly colored translucent silk to cover the small living room windows; but without a fireplace (removed to expand the back of the house), the space was now just like a large entryway. The dark stained furniture was Asian and Far Eastern; candles, statuettes and figurines were set on low tables and on shelves. D. told me of her plans to paint over the Pepto-Bismol Pink walls in the dining room, which clashed with the inviting cushions on a couch against the wall. I wished my house also came with glass chandeliers adorned with crystals. D. showed me the kitchen next. Even though it was spacious and one of the nicest new kitchens I'd ever seen at the time, it didn't fit with the Arts and Crafts details in the house. Her husband, J. had removed the service staircase; the back of the living room had been merged into an eating space and two columns were awkwardly merged into a wall. Still, I couldn't help comparing it to the orange Formica eyesore-of-a-kitchen in my own house. I felt envious. Right off the kitchen, French doors opened to a peaceful private yard fenced with tall bamboo. Back inside, D. led me to a wide, airy staircase going up to the upper floors. The rooms upstairs were spacious; the bathroom was old-fashioned and lovely, with a great clawfoot tub; there was ample storage space in a linen cabinet nearby. On the third floor, the attic had been transformed into a Master Suite/Palace with skylights, luxurious-feeling carpeting, a balcony at the back, and an amazing bathroom with expensive fittings; beautiful tiles covered the floor and walls. I wondered why I'd ended up with my ugly house, while these people had been fortunate to end up with a house I would have loved as it was before its unnecessary remodel, Craftsman detail et all.

I disliked D.'s husband J. as soon as as I met him: here was the driving force behind the dismantling of some of the things that had made this house great from the start. J., when asked, said they had moved from Northern California, and was vague about his occupation: he was, he said, and entrepreneur. Looking around at the messed-up living room, I thought that meant "Nouveau Riche." J. was clearly proud of his work on the house. To remove the chimney, he had instructed his stepson to go down to the basement and hammer away at the chimney's base with a mallet until the chimney came unraveling down the walls! J. then bragged that he would sell the house for over $300,000 in a few years' time (this, after buying it for a mere $160,000), and then he would buy himself five acres to raise sheep. What a jerk, I thought. He had messed up a perfectly great house.

As the years went by, and even though we lived down a block around the corner, I lost sight of D. and J. Although two of our children were the same age as theirs, we just ran in different circles. But I shook my head in disgust every time I drove up the street and saw the large 80s style round window looming at the top of the stairwell; it was like an open, unblinking eye. And like the rood over the side porch entrance, it was ostentatious...but, I had to admit, it somehow fit. Perched on top of a small earthen berm, the house, with its steep roof and tall trees nearby was grand.

Time went on. I rarely saw any activity near the house, only dim lights on the inside. The ubiquitous Tibetan prayer flags were frayed from flapping in the winter winds and faded from the hard summer sun. The concrete walls supporting the property were leaning a bit more each year; moss covered the slowly crumbling porch stairs.

Then, one day, I saw a sign advertising an Estate Sale on the sidewalk in front. I went down to the house, wondering if the owners were perhaps moving.

The house was full of people looking for a bargain. But what immediately caught my attention were the dirty, worn floors, and the grime all over. The kitchen in disarray; cabinet doors were torn off the hinges; granite counters were broken and chipped. The yard, - the once peaceful Asian bamboo-fenced refuge -, was overgrown with weeds, its small altar askew, the steps off the porch broken. The moldy smelling basement suggested long-term problems. As for the items for sale, they suggested misery, catastrophic events, or a hasty departure: a few pieces of prohibitively priced import furniture, a collection of old Grateful Dead CDs, half-burnt incense sticks, worn, faded cushions, rusty paint cans, unidentifiable tools, a few cans of food, half empty bags of cereals, mismatched cups and plates, and scraggly potted plants sitting here and there...

What had happened? Where was D.? Was this a moving sale, I asked the weary-looking man minding the cash box set on a card table. Looking away, he reluctantly gave me the shocking news: the owner, J., had recently passed away, and D. had herself had passed away from cancer several years before...

A sketch of Marty Feldman (02-03-10)

Recently, it seems that everyone on Facebook has been posting celebrity look-alike photos as profile pictures. I wanted to do something different, so rather than putting up a photo found on the web, I decided to draw my own profile image... This drawing was inspired by a shot of Marty Feldman in his role as Igor ("eye-gore") in "Young Frankenstein" (1974).

TV: "Lost": Last Season Premiere (02-02-10)

We've been without a television since the beginning of November, so we watched the much-anticipated Lost season opener at the house of some friends of ours (delicious brownies).

Like every time I've watched Lost, I didn't understand anything to what was happening. (In a nutshell: Locke isn't really himself, 'cause he's dead; Jacob is God-like but gets killed nevertheless; Sayid dies but -just kiddin'- he wasn't really dead after-all; various alternate reality situations run parallel to each other, etc.)

I did these drawings in my sketchbooks during the show.

I wanna move! (01-30-10)

I am having a bad case of (rental) cabin fever. At least, the rental house has great water pressure and the water is really hot.

Some good news...and some not so good (01-21-10)

The sewer scope was done today. Good news: The sewer line is okay.

We're still at the stage of negotiating repairs. Negotiations still underway...(since December). ...Still negotiating... (this has got to be the longest process ever to buy a house!)

We found a house...I think (01-19-10)

This is the house we may be buying. We just had a home inspection yesterday. The thing that really freaks me out, though (aside from the many repairs necessary), is that there are hobo spiders...

House Inspection (01-18-10)

The house sale is "pending" (we are the buyers).

The home inspection was today (and it was scaryyyyy)...

Faces at Church (01-17-10)

You might wonder why there are so many entries about Church... I simply find people at Church to be an unending source of material for quick sketches.

Some familiar faces

Portrait: Moso (01-16-10)

A quick sketch of Moso, that doesn't totally look like her...

Moso?

All these efforts for nothing...so far (01-14-10)

So far, we made FIVE offers and several counter-offers on various houses...with no satisfactory results.

Mary G. (01-11-10)

This is my friend, Mary G., whose pale ethereal beauty brings to mind a mermaid or a fairy (a "fée" in French).

Church Meeting (01-10-10)

Two quick sketches of people at Church...

Woman at a Restaurant (01-08-10)

I was at Claim Jumper with Gary, and a woman sitting at a table nearby caught my attention. She was in her 40s and pretty, and with the black dress and heavy jewelry she was wearing, was clearly dressed for an expensive date. It set my imagination going: was this a "kept" woman, who was meeting with her lover?.. At Claim Jumper, of all places?

At the Endodontist (01-05-10)

The two following sketches are a good example of what the luxury of time allows one to achieve, as opposed to a rushed sketch.

In the first sketch, I was sitting in a waiting room, and with no desire to read the usual old magazines, I had plenty of time to work and complete the sketch of the other woman sitting in the waiting room, first focusing on her, and then, filling out the details around her: the walls, furniture, decor, etc. Nice.

Woman knitting

The second sketch was started while I was waiting in the chair for the endodontist to come to look at my tooth. It is a quick sketch, on a spread that includes unrelated things, with merely some cursory details about the experience. And yet... it depicts that particular moment accurately.

Pain and Anxiety

Back at it with another offer... (01-03-10)

Despite my feeling ill with a raging toothache, we made (another) offer on the "Ducks and Bunnies" house...

New Year's Eve (12-31-09)

We attended a very entertaining New Year's Eve party at the Watts, with a brilliant and well-researched presentation about the prophecies of 2012 by Jesse C.

Jesse C. and his audience

At Claim Jumper's (12-29-09)

It was a pleasure to see Lyndon L. again after many years. We had a good time reminiscing and sharing stories about his and Gary's time spent in Verviers as missionaries.

Still looking... (12-28-09)

We looked at houses today... Time to consider pros and cons again. It's totally a drag, honest.

I can't think of how many houses I've looked at that, and the minute I walked in, I wanted to walk out right away.

We've seen it all: stupid floor plan, close-in but minuscule house, dumpy, massive fixer, steep driveway, no yard, no convenient bathroom, really nice but unaffordable, an abundance of Home Depot kitchens...or a really cute house, but far away from the city. There is no perfect house out there.

Annual Community Messiah Sing-Along (12-18-09)

This year again, we went to the Messiah Sing-Along at Central Lutheran Church. I sing Alto, but mostly follow the melody... so it was easier to just listen and enjoy Händel's gorgeous music (a German name NOT pronounced "Handle," but Hen-del"...).

I really like these few sketches; they are representative of the variety of people in the audience and how engaged they were in singing. The last sketch is of my daughter Valérie, with her sister Julia to her right (not visible).

We made an offer...again (12-14-09)

House offer revisited. Re-wait-and-see. I'm having mixed feelings about the subject; this house selling/renting/buying has been like pulling teeth.

Counter-Offer (12-07-09)

The terms of the counter-offer were so ridiculous, they were almost funny. The seller wanted to rent the house back from us, for a ridiculous price, and for an indefinite period of time. So, we rejected her counter-offer.

Offer (12-05-09)

We made an offer on a house. Now, it's time to wait...and...see.

A page from my sketchbook (ca. 11-25-09)

A page spread, worked on over several days...

At left, Julia, and at top middle, Wendy B.

LeeAnn B. at Church (11-22-09)

LeeAnn B. is always smiling and everyone loves her classes.

LeeAnn B.

Doodle Study in Black and White (ca. 11-09)

I love using my black pens. The following doodles were done with a fine point Sharpie. I wanted to fill the page with patterns as they happened spontaneously.

Video Games Live (11-07-09)

Great concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Hall: Video Games Live. Although my knowledge of video game music is limited to the Metroid series, this was a superb concert!

From a Book of B&W Photography (10-23-09)

This sketch was done from a photograph of (I think) an industrial or banker from the 1940s, found in an older coffee table book with many photos of famous people from the last century. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know who it is...

Mystery Celebrity from the Past

An Entry for 1000 Journals!!! (10-18-09)

Such exciting news! I stopped by artFIBERfest at Reed College. One of the organizers, Tracy Moore (whose journals are fabulous) had one of the journals from the 1000 Journals project with him, and he asked me to draw something in it. I also got to draw in one of his journals.

Left: what I drew in Tracy's journal; Right: what I drew for 1000 Journals

Best of all, he drew a House Fairy in my sketchbook, with a promise that she'll intervene to help me find a new house...

On the Bus (10-16-09)

I don't do comics often enough, but here is something I did while sitting on the bus...

I want things my way... (10-11-09)

...I want my plans to be implemented; I want to reach my dreams.

Photo of the kitchen in our old house (ca. 10-09)

Here is a photo of my favorite space in our old house: the kitchen I designed. I think the project turned out fabulous, especially with the color tiles on the wall. The kitchen "made" the house and gave it personality. I hope to find a house where I will be able to get creative like this again...
(Incidentally, the kitchen was featured in the 2007 Rejuvenation Lighting Kitchen and Bath catalog; there was an article about it in the Oregonian in March 2008.)

Stan Ridgway at The Woods (10-03-09)

Well, once again, Stan Ridgway came to Portland, this time for an all-acoustic concert at The Woods. Although I prefer the louder sounds of old Wall of Voodoo and Drywall, it was a very enjoyable time... Here is my sketch of the musicians (autographs removed).

Pietra Wextun, Stan Ridgway, Rick King

Thugs (09-15-09)

This newspaper photo of three would-be terrorists caught my attention. Interesting faces.