I rose late, as has been my habit for the past few weeks, after 8. But then I remembered Barb was in two (Susie’s sister and Emma’s mother), and thus I hurried my way through the blog and delivered it before 10.
I found my way and was soon dressed after showering, with fresh coffee to wake me. I boarded Air VW the Gray. The flap was open. I broke the lock on the plug door when it refused to open (F**k is all I can say); it is a $300-700 repair, and I think the electrical tape holding the door gives that car a more in-use look (and I am not ready to spend the cost of a flight to Detroit for that f**king door). I am wondering whether I should replace it with a nice bit of woodwork, a brass lock, and hinges. Sort of dress it as a spellbook version of the ID.4. For the moment, the tape works. I did have to renew the tape. Three pieces of electrical tape.
I stopped at McDonald’s for a breakfast sandwich, a piece of cardboard soaked in oil, still delicious, that claimed some connection to potatoes. I ate that while I drove.
The traffic was not heavy, and I was soon texting Emma and Barb, who were at the Beaverton Farmers’ Market, and we agreed to meet in Portland later. The EV was soon parked for $16 for half a day. I ensured I had a receipt, as I have been stung by one of these lots. I use the app and ensure I am getting a countdown and a receipt; the $70 bill for their app not working was frustrating. One time, I used the same parking company’s app (Portland has three different apps required to park, but some overlap with other locations in Texas and Michigan) and did not finish the transactions, and my visit to the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival was more expensive than I planned!
With my EV resting in the parking lot, I walked towards the Portland Art Museum (PAM) and some tents. Ah, the check-in for ticket holders for the Portland Book Festival was at the tent. I got a wristband I didn’t know I needed, and some confusing papers about shows at various theaters. I did not have time for a movie. Hmmm.
I followed the crowds and found that the ballrooms at PAM were full of book-related booths, two floors of ballrooms. Excellent. I had only a few hours, but the packed ballrooms were more like style. Vendors!
The first floor was less product and more connections, and I toured the area to see who I would like to talk to. I found myself using my $5 coupon, one of the things I was handed with my wristband, for a subscription to The Militant newspaper, a real newspaper published in English and Spanish, and I was given a copy. I talked to one of the folks, Scott, about politics and learned that they aligned with some of my views and were further to the left than I was. Still, it was good to meet them and sign up.
I also talked to the local chapter (based in Seattle, but there is a local satellite here in Portland), and they were already suggesting some crime work for me after learning I was a blogger who wrote every day. They liked my Sherlock Holmes ideas, but suggested writing a story like the recent murder case where someone planned a murder on her blog and then got caught. They were excited to meet someone who blogged 500-2,000 words a day. There was energy there that I might tap into.
Next, I found my first self-publishing folks (there are many here). This person introduced herself as Ali and told me to finish my book first, then call them. I got their small flyer and a business card for their company, Indigo. I liked Ali, and they and the Northwest Editors Guild left a positive impression on me. I spoke with two more companies and bought a publication from one for $5. I had only $3 cash and used my AMEX. Next time, I’ll bring more cash, as it is faster; $5 is an excellent choice, as the prices were set to use the coupon.
On a table to the side, looking a bit forlorn, was a Native American Zine: Confluence. It is another Seattle-based group; Seattle and Vancouver are closer to their roots than Rip City. I bought their three previous Confluence issues, and they told me they are excited to be published another soon, along with their compilation. They publish native voices.
The second ballroom was a climb of six sets of stairs. I felt like I was back in Seattle now! I saw that Oregon Public Broadcasting had a table and was sporting their OP Beans for coffee (I sent a set to Deborah and enjoyed a bag myself) and chatted with them. Next, I wandered around to more vendor tables. More books for sale, small publishers, and even Cosmic Monkey Comics were there. There were other writer groups and clubs, but none drew me in.
Red Hen Press out of California did get my attention; I liked their titles and picked Taxi Dancer, a crime novel set in 1930s California dance houses. The person told me about their small publishing practice and about the novel. I liked them and bought the book; it was cheap at $15 (again, everything in fractions of $5).
I did not find anything else to draw me in, and I was also suffering a bit from information overload. I will go again next year and be more prepared, or not. It was fun and recommended. But planning ahead will likely make it a better investment.
Next, I walked my goodies back to the EV and walked to the MAX a few blocks away. Emma and Barb were already inbound, and we agreed to meet near the Oak Street stop. I was late enough that the cider-chia lattes were done for Emma and Barb; I demurred when offered one (too much sugar for me).
We then walked through Portland’s Saturday Market. I saw all the little things I often get for folks for Christmas. I will be back for them, likely during the last week, the Festival of the Last Minute, as the week of Christmas is called, and the market is open every day that week.
We were tempted but did not buy. Next, Kells was close by (though I got confused and had us on the wrong street), and we had lunch and beers there. Next, we hopped back on the MAX and took it back towards Beaverton. We popped off at one stop to check out some stores: a second-hand store filled with excellent recovered items, and a Japan importer packed with cultural home items, bringing the spirit of Japan here.
We then took one more hop and walked into the Alphabet Neighborhood, a kind of cozy, slightly rundown, can’t-quite-gentrify group of homes, apartments, and shops. We walked about 1/2 mile into it, stopped a few times, and once got tea to go. The rain stayed away, and it was a pleasant walk.
My parking was running out; next, I wished Barb and Emma well, turned around, and walked back to Air VW the Gray, about a mile walk. The hills were not too bad, but once you started downhill, it got steep. One short block looked more like a leaf toboggan run than a sidewalk!
It is hard to see the angle in the 2-D picture, but I was very careful because I worried I might slide. No problem. After going up and mostly down hills, I reached the car and headed out to Lucky Labrador.
I was thinking of finding something near the car, but my parking was running out, and I did not want to buy more. I crossed the river, parked for free in their lot, and soon had a lighter beer, a rice beer, and a bowl of peanuts. I had only ninety minutes before Richard’s game. I had a salad and read my book on my Kindle app. The app and Kindle can resync my page.
At Richard’s, we set up the board game Fromage that I suggested. I had played the other version, but I thought it was fun to play the cheese-themed one. This is a worker-placement and resource-management game with four different playing systems on a rotating board. You play the board facing you. You retrieve workers facing you, and the rotation means you will get them back after one, two, or three rotations. I made the mistake of not focusing on the one area where I had an advantage, but I did enjoy putting out little cheese markers and collecting bonuses. Richard punished this by diving into the one area that has the most points, no surprise there, and he gave no hints to anyone about what he was doing. I thought I had at least caught second place, but Kathleen, doing her usual math, max’d her points in three areas and got ahead of me. Laura had missed out and was ten points out of my score.
I love this game and will likely get a copy. I remembered Richard crushing us the same way before. But I would play it again. We next played Flip-7 but there is a new Vengence version and Kathleen again showed us who can do math better. I was last.
All great.
The drive included traffic and flooding. The on ramps were flooded and the one six stories in the air onto the bridge has flooding. Only in Portland can you flood a tall bridge over a river.
I arrived safe at home and found Corwin pulling out. He had stopped by, finished my sandwiches for me, and needed to head home. All good. I reheated a slice of pizza for a snack and watched the first episdie of season 2 of Black Doves. I got to bed near midnight.
Thanks for reading!
