The Enchanted Contact - Portland Trip
Here is the long-awaited (haha, I never know how many people actually read this) Portland report. I have included pictures Click on the green dragon thumbnail on the homepage.
pre-Day 1:
Moira and I have a GA marathon until 4AM! yessssss......it was totally worth it!
Day 1:
Adriana is picking me up soon and I promptly lose my right contact, presumably in my dry eyeball (GA marathon related? Still worth it!). I don my crooked eyeglasses and immediately proceed to freak out. Zen Master Adri says, "I have a theory, every vacation has one thing that goes wrong, and then the rest of the trip will be trouble-free!" Adri drops me off reminding me how good it is to have friends. :) After a frantic, unsuccessful calling of eye doc, I accept Adri's advice and I chill. I travel all day on planes and arrive at the hotel just in time to get my welcome packet. Freebies!!
Day 2:
My first class with Daniel Essig "Windows, inlays, and closures". My first foray into wood. I filed, hammered, drilled, used power tools, it was AWESOME. I get my first trade which is a cool Art and Soul ring that I wear the entire trip. Trading was incredibly fun. I made "My Little Secret" books and "Bookwyrms Notes". I have a whole bag of stuff that people traded with me.
Day 3/4:
I am taking "Wooden Coptic Book" with Daniel Essig. Two more days of power tools and the most complicated sewing that I have ever done on a book. I LOVE it, I have TRUE LOVE for it! I can't wait to adapt it to what I am doing. Meanwhile, I have become the collector of scraps. I have come home with loads (a word for you HP fans) of wood, bits of leather, and random fun stuff donated by Dan and classmates. YAY! "Centipede binding" class in the evening of Day 4. But I chicken out on adding it to my book. Drilling is such a commitment! But I did take a picture of my lavender practice board. Just so you can see what I mean.
Day 5:
I poke my head out of the hobbit hole. I must confess that up until this day, I have not left the hotel! In my own defense I was art-ing it up all day and all evening. I had to finish up all of my trades and talk on the phone! HA! My weekend was free of classes and I had one goal in mind. To visit Powell's City of Books, the biggest bookstore in the country! On the way there on Portland's MAX, which is like DC's Metro, I hear the pleasant robotic announcement for Lloyd's Center which I vaguely remember from my frantic eye doc callings on Day one. I hop off on a whim and visit the Lloyd's Center, which is a sprawling mall. By now, I had completely accepted my view askew, but I thought, why not? So I pop into the Lens Crafters and WHA-LALALALA I come out with a new (free) right contact! WHEEEE!!!
The trip by the way, as predicted by Adri, has been incident-free and a little freakishly amazing. In the wee doubting place in my mind I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far...nothing, all is well. It is not even raining (sorry H)!
I devote 4 hours at Powell's for reconnaissance, since I fully intend on coming back Sunday for more hours of bookish mecca. The charmed trip continues when the MAX temporarily breaks down and I decide to walk to the famous Saturday Market. Why not? Moira has trained me well on the walking of DC and the warping of my perception of "not too far". I am then adopted by Mya (random passerby) who briskly takes me through the streets of Portland, passing a graffiti of Falcor, leading us through her bar like rockstars, arriving right next to a secret entrance to the Saturday market, into a warm embrace. People are nice. :)
I have about an hour before the market closes, so I am walking fast. I am flying by booths and then almost trip as I come upon the artwork of Theo Ellsworth (check out "links" to see his stuff!). I spend all the time I have left looking at and buying his amazing comics. Look out for a Theo/Patty collaboration in the future, just as soon as I get going on my end! :)
Day 6&7
All day swim in a sea of books. But I managed to come out with only 4 books and three dragons....GOSH was that hard. Note to self: Next time bring a suitcase just for books! Also re-visited Theo and got a clay dragon whistle! TWEEEEE!
Last day in Portland, I take the "Ultimate Passion Book" class and work for the first time in gesso. Saw Dan on his way out and he gives me the idea to apply to various art programs. The seed has been planted. :)
Adri picks me up from the airport and the journey ends as it began, with good friends and dreamy thoughts. :)