Ohh! I caught the glimpse of a lovingly rendered Plaid Pantry and instantly felt at home. 🫶🏼 They have so much of my money. Love your work! Thank you for this quick roadtrip home.
Oh! Thanks for saying nice things about Portland, brought back so many happy memories (including the time when a rain logged layer of posters separated from a pole on Hawthorne and it was at least six inches thick with flyers.
My tour would be of Irvington, which has beautiful houses (and one two-level that overdoes the white Christmas lights each year and looks like a grounded UFO). 🛸 Maybe the tour would be called SECRET ART, identifying the artist who makes 2x4 inch paintings on all the telephone poles going down NE Klickitat, the artist who paints oversized plastic horses crazy colors and attaches them to the old horse rings on the curbs, the small toys and items that adorn the crevices of giants trees in the neighborhood, and the spontaneous street art, which the other day was a book titled MADNESS that somehow got stuck 12 feet up a tree on 14th and each day moved a bit closer to the ground.
I adore the idea of a Cat Tour, where parents pushing small children in prams mingle with retirees and AirBNB tourists on holiday. "Look, hon'! There's Sir FuffsALot." "I see the Schneck's got a new tabby. What a beauty!" :)
My neighborhood is what you might call depressed, which is depressing. But hidden away across the main drag is a fire road. This is where the goat/horse/other critter tour begins. First is a field of goats and sheep. Then a yard that sometimes contains a horse that has little braids in its mane. Then, a ways down, a flock of peafowl fluttering around a parking lot. Soon, we reach a proper trail, at the head of which is another field of goats watched over by a single horse. The trail passes little ranches. Sometimes we'll see goats and their kids hopping around with endless energy. More sheep, with a single alpaca. A horse and a donkey who are lifelong friends. Then, the best part of the tour, the horse rescue. This is a ranch full of horses who have been saved from malnutrition or worse. Signs on the fence say not to feed them, that they're on a special diet. We will just marvel at their beauty, check on the ones who last time were too skinny, and feel relieved all over again that they are somewhere safe where they're getting the care they deserve.
I am so pleased I had the good sense to sign up for your art classes and your newsletter! It all pleases me every single time it hits my inbox. I am astonished by how regularly I am delighted by how your mind works and the places it takes you and that you take us along on the journey. I am grateful for the ride. Merci beaucoup 🙏 p.s. I am picking up my copy of your book from a local bookseller next week!
That is utterly fascinating, and makes me want to do a sketch tour plus walking tour. I think I would love to do one of the free libraries in my neighborhood, and another for bus stops.
I’ve never wanted to visit a convenience store more than I do now, after reading your description of Plaid Pantry.
Since I’m a mom of young children my neighborhood tour would feature the playgrounds as named by my then 3 yr old daughter and which have just stuck: the Short Park (because it was a short walk from our house), the Far Park (because it was a longer walk), and the Bouncy Park (because why not? I’m not sure on this one). We may or may not also pass by the Jump Off, which is not a playground per se, but rather an empty lot where the neighborhood kids like to ride bikes and make jumps for them.
Loving your book that I was able to check out at the library. And the tours you suggested got my husband and I on a roll from our former home in Fort Worth to our small town in Colorado.
Oh, what a delightful walk around your neighborhood. I loved this so much. Back in 2009 I had a blog and I followed another blog that posted a theme for a town shoot-out. (photography) One of the themes was yard objects. I walked around my neighborhood snapping photos of all the interesting things I found in other people's yards.
We must be NW neighbors. I've lived in (for most of the time) and adored (all of the time) NW Portland since I moved here in 2000. So my neighborhood tour would be "All My Favorite Plants" which, depending on the time of year, would be, "All My Favorite Plants That We Can See Right Now." Of course many of those would also come under the sadder category similar to the Places That Used to Be Here (I'm looking at YOU Coffee People!), and I would point at the new wooden fence where the sweet woodruff used to spread out its tiny white stars like a blanket of spring snow. But on at least one walk, we'd visit my old friends the bleeding hearts (and I'd still call them Dicentra spectabilis because I'm old school), a cheerful patch of forget-me-nots, the most radiant display of crocosmia against a blue victorian, giant purple lilacs taking over a green garage, the most impressive wisteria vine in the Alphabet District, a glorious rudbeckia that's been here as long as I have, a surprise succulent! (hint: it's an agave), and my all time favorite, the foxgloves.
ps. I was in my apartment when the explosion happened and it shook my windows. RIP Noah's.
My tour is called Find Awe! Neuroscientists have discovered the sense of awe extends life! My awe walk this morning (actually I was on my pink bike!) Whoa! A gigantic stand of eucalyptus growing in a garden bed in front of a house by the park! Awe! A tree stump, teeny tiny was perfectly stuck in between two telephone wires way up high! Whoa! An abandoned home had the most exquisite garden growing on its own with purple phlox and cacti! Nature’s ghost! Amazing! A yellow golden dragonfly danced for me and followed me! Awe! There is a plethora of natural wonders if our eyes allow to take in these sights! Looking for awe is stupendous! 🐝
Hi Amy, our neighborhood is a circle of condos with private courtyards and we had a “Courtyards & Cocktails” meander one Sunday afternoon a few years ago. Neighbors who never saw each other got to enjoy the views behind the garden walls and it was a big success. Then we all had a drink on the largest patio and rambled home. Time to do it again!
Overpasses and underpasses. Bridges, sidewalks, trails and other thoroughfares that strategically surmount the interstate infrastructure and help sustain foot-powered connectivity between neighborhoods.
Just followed the zoom meeting at Harvard - so nice to hear your stories about the book Tree Collectors! And thanks for explaining about the sketches you made for it. I think my tour in the neighbourhood would be along the trees here together with the urban sketchers (Haarlem - The Netherlands). Guess it will be a lot of fun - making our own tree-sketchbooks! Your tree-sketchbooks are huge by the way! But great :-)
Ohh! I caught the glimpse of a lovingly rendered Plaid Pantry and instantly felt at home. 🫶🏼 They have so much of my money. Love your work! Thank you for this quick roadtrip home.
Loved the survey; on my way to the library to pick up Tree Collectors - fastest time ever for them to order a new book!
Oh! Thanks for saying nice things about Portland, brought back so many happy memories (including the time when a rain logged layer of posters separated from a pole on Hawthorne and it was at least six inches thick with flyers.
My tour would be of Irvington, which has beautiful houses (and one two-level that overdoes the white Christmas lights each year and looks like a grounded UFO). 🛸 Maybe the tour would be called SECRET ART, identifying the artist who makes 2x4 inch paintings on all the telephone poles going down NE Klickitat, the artist who paints oversized plastic horses crazy colors and attaches them to the old horse rings on the curbs, the small toys and items that adorn the crevices of giants trees in the neighborhood, and the spontaneous street art, which the other day was a book titled MADNESS that somehow got stuck 12 feet up a tree on 14th and each day moved a bit closer to the ground.
Love it!
I adore the idea of a Cat Tour, where parents pushing small children in prams mingle with retirees and AirBNB tourists on holiday. "Look, hon'! There's Sir FuffsALot." "I see the Schneck's got a new tabby. What a beauty!" :)
My neighborhood is what you might call depressed, which is depressing. But hidden away across the main drag is a fire road. This is where the goat/horse/other critter tour begins. First is a field of goats and sheep. Then a yard that sometimes contains a horse that has little braids in its mane. Then, a ways down, a flock of peafowl fluttering around a parking lot. Soon, we reach a proper trail, at the head of which is another field of goats watched over by a single horse. The trail passes little ranches. Sometimes we'll see goats and their kids hopping around with endless energy. More sheep, with a single alpaca. A horse and a donkey who are lifelong friends. Then, the best part of the tour, the horse rescue. This is a ranch full of horses who have been saved from malnutrition or worse. Signs on the fence say not to feed them, that they're on a special diet. We will just marvel at their beauty, check on the ones who last time were too skinny, and feel relieved all over again that they are somewhere safe where they're getting the care they deserve.
okay all of this sounds AMAZING
It truly is. We are very fortunate.
Oh I totally would take this tour!
I am so pleased I had the good sense to sign up for your art classes and your newsletter! It all pleases me every single time it hits my inbox. I am astonished by how regularly I am delighted by how your mind works and the places it takes you and that you take us along on the journey. I am grateful for the ride. Merci beaucoup 🙏 p.s. I am picking up my copy of your book from a local bookseller next week!
Wow, that is so incredibly nice of you to say. Thank you!
That is utterly fascinating, and makes me want to do a sketch tour plus walking tour. I think I would love to do one of the free libraries in my neighborhood, and another for bus stops.
Love that!
I’ve never wanted to visit a convenience store more than I do now, after reading your description of Plaid Pantry.
Since I’m a mom of young children my neighborhood tour would feature the playgrounds as named by my then 3 yr old daughter and which have just stuck: the Short Park (because it was a short walk from our house), the Far Park (because it was a longer walk), and the Bouncy Park (because why not? I’m not sure on this one). We may or may not also pass by the Jump Off, which is not a playground per se, but rather an empty lot where the neighborhood kids like to ride bikes and make jumps for them.
I love a park tour! And also, I think that all convenience stores deserve more credit than we give them.
Loving your book that I was able to check out at the library. And the tours you suggested got my husband and I on a roll from our former home in Fort Worth to our small town in Colorado.
That’s great!
Oh, what a delightful walk around your neighborhood. I loved this so much. Back in 2009 I had a blog and I followed another blog that posted a theme for a town shoot-out. (photography) One of the themes was yard objects. I walked around my neighborhood snapping photos of all the interesting things I found in other people's yards.
We must be NW neighbors. I've lived in (for most of the time) and adored (all of the time) NW Portland since I moved here in 2000. So my neighborhood tour would be "All My Favorite Plants" which, depending on the time of year, would be, "All My Favorite Plants That We Can See Right Now." Of course many of those would also come under the sadder category similar to the Places That Used to Be Here (I'm looking at YOU Coffee People!), and I would point at the new wooden fence where the sweet woodruff used to spread out its tiny white stars like a blanket of spring snow. But on at least one walk, we'd visit my old friends the bleeding hearts (and I'd still call them Dicentra spectabilis because I'm old school), a cheerful patch of forget-me-nots, the most radiant display of crocosmia against a blue victorian, giant purple lilacs taking over a green garage, the most impressive wisteria vine in the Alphabet District, a glorious rudbeckia that's been here as long as I have, a surprise succulent! (hint: it's an agave), and my all time favorite, the foxgloves.
ps. I was in my apartment when the explosion happened and it shook my windows. RIP Noah's.
My tour is called Find Awe! Neuroscientists have discovered the sense of awe extends life! My awe walk this morning (actually I was on my pink bike!) Whoa! A gigantic stand of eucalyptus growing in a garden bed in front of a house by the park! Awe! A tree stump, teeny tiny was perfectly stuck in between two telephone wires way up high! Whoa! An abandoned home had the most exquisite garden growing on its own with purple phlox and cacti! Nature’s ghost! Amazing! A yellow golden dragonfly danced for me and followed me! Awe! There is a plethora of natural wonders if our eyes allow to take in these sights! Looking for awe is stupendous! 🐝
Hi Amy, our neighborhood is a circle of condos with private courtyards and we had a “Courtyards & Cocktails” meander one Sunday afternoon a few years ago. Neighbors who never saw each other got to enjoy the views behind the garden walls and it was a big success. Then we all had a drink on the largest patio and rambled home. Time to do it again!
Overpasses and underpasses. Bridges, sidewalks, trails and other thoroughfares that strategically surmount the interstate infrastructure and help sustain foot-powered connectivity between neighborhoods.
I was sad when the Noah's bagels blew up. I used to live over on NW 18th and Lovejoy many moons ago.
topics for tours... farmer's markets/upick farms, random food cart pods, teahouses, Powells.
Just followed the zoom meeting at Harvard - so nice to hear your stories about the book Tree Collectors! And thanks for explaining about the sketches you made for it. I think my tour in the neighbourhood would be along the trees here together with the urban sketchers (Haarlem - The Netherlands). Guess it will be a lot of fun - making our own tree-sketchbooks! Your tree-sketchbooks are huge by the way! But great :-)