Monday Off to Portland

I rose at 7ish and watched the darkness fade. I had no plans but maybe to meet Joan S and take TriMet into Portland. Maybe a visit to the museums (though the Portland Art Museum, PAM, is closed on Mondays again). While I was enjoying coffee, Irish-style ginger molasses cake, and writing the blog, the imagining folks called. I have a mass in my neck on the left side by the jaw joint, and it needs to be checked out. I scheduled a Thursday mid-morning ultrasound at Good Samaritan in Portland. They take my insurance.

I continued writing, finished the blog before 11, and dressed. Joan S and I agreed that she would pick me up, and then we would enter TriMet’s Max at Quatama Station. Soon Joan S picked me up (my car is at the mothership), and we boarded a train after a short wait towards Portland. We both had heavier coats as it is cold.

We arrived at Library Station in Portland. We then walked up the hill to PAM and learned that it was closed on Mondays. We crossed the park on Park Street, then paid for admission to the Oregon Historical Museum and enjoyed their third-floor display. There I saw sandals made by indigenous people back in 7500 BCE, and items carried by the Lewis and Clark folks. There were models of ships, but I did not see a picture or model of one of the 50 “jeep” carriers built in the area during WW2 (none were preserved as museum ships). Still, it was a fun display, and I learned a few things.

We broke for lunch, but did not get back to the museum. We headed to a favorite haunt of mine, Southpark Seafood. There, Joan S and I split two boards: one with cheese and the other with local fish. Their bread and butter is excellent too. A two-inch thick soft Focaccia served with garlic butter. This would be lunch/dinner with a snack later of more Irish-style cake.

We took Max back, and Joan S dropped me back at my house. A good day and lots of walking. I got a note that Charles Stross’s new book, The Regicide Report (Laundry Files Book 14), was released on Kindle. I had pre-ordered it, downloaded it, and started reading.

Stross’s Laundry Files is one of my favorite stories, and it often, with an American spin and less dark, colors my own hero, Howard, and some of my Call of Cthulhu TTRPG (i.e., Table Top Role Playing Game) adventures. I was happy to spend the rest of the evening reading.

Deborah was on a snow day. I spoke to her on and off during the day. We finished her day together. We have a little more than two weeks before we see each other again.

I went to bed early as I had to take TriMet again on Tuesday. Richard offered to pick me up at the nearby Max station. We play at 9:30 with James, the cooperative board game with hints of RP Tainted Grail.

I soon slept, and the morning game came sooner than I liked at 6:30. I remember no dreams.

Thanks for reading.