Monday, August 1, 2011

Last day of sales

I'm so sorry I didn't post anything this morning concerning my last day of sales at this event in Portland! My friend Wendy and I holed up in our usual coffee house in the morning, but we ended up talking instead of writing (or posting, in my case) and since I won't be seeing her for a long time, visiting with her took priority.

So here's a recap of the last couple days in Portland. Lots of photos in this post, so hang on to your hats.

Every morning for the run of the show, Tim (Wendy's husband who worked the booth with me) and I would get a Subway sandwich which acted as both lunch and dinner for us. I noticed this little sign (sorry it's blurry) in the Subway shop. What a pity they had to post it.


On Sunday morning, the early sun shone through this tall flag. I wish the breeze had billowed it out more, as it would have been a spectacular shot.


The cityscape never fails to fascinate me, especially this knot of highways over the river.


A charming couple named Mike and Sue (blog readers) stopped by to visit and have me sign their book. Sue was a bit shy about having her photo posted so I asked if I could just get a picture of her holding the book. It was so fun to meet them!


Sunday's sales were unusually high -- 35 pieces!! By the end of the day we had removed a second shelving unit as well as the lowest shelves on the remaining units. Whoo-hoo!


Sorry if this seems a little crude, but a woman stopped in the booth next door and I noticed she sported a skull bra, clearly visible through her shirt. Interesting fashion statement.


Not as many good T-shirts today, just a couple:


After the event concluded last night, Tim and I broke down the booth and re-packed the car. Then this morning, after I left Wendy and Tim, I treated myself to the once-a-year indulgence I look forward to every year in Portland -- Powell's Bookstore!


Powell's bills itself as the "city of books" and it's not far from the truth. The main store takes up one entire city block and is four floors high. It's hard to keep from drooling whenever I walk in there. For a bibliophile like myself, it's a little bit of heaven on earth. I come armed with a long list of books to search for, and can often find them used (meaning, cheaper).


And no, they didn't carry my book (yet). But I'm hoping to arrange a booksigning in October or November.


Because I lingered in Powell's longer than I should have, I shot straight home as soon as I left the store. But while still in Portland traffic, I noticed this amusing bumper sticker:


It really is something to be driving through Portland and see the spectacular peak of Mount Hood looming above the city.


A bit of dramatic scenery near The Dalles:


The massive windmills in the Columbia River Gorge are certainly impressive. I wonder how tall they are? Seems like hundreds of feet high.


This is the bridge that flung me over the river into Washington State.


This southeast corner of Washington has lots and lots of nothingness... except for areas of rich crops heavily irrigated by the Columbia.


Getting on Hwy. 395 north toward Spokane, still nearly 200 miles away.


Considering most of these photos were taken by just holding up the camera and hoping for the best, I thought this pic of an abandoned shack turned out pretty well.


Long before I reached Spokane, I took a cutoff road toward the town of Colfax, where the terrain gradually became more agricultural.


A lot of farmers were working hard, getting the wheat harvest in. This area well west of Colfax is drier and the wheat was ready to harvest. Closer in toward Idaho, the wheat isn't quite ripe yet.


Fields that have already been harvested are getting plowed in readiness for the next planting.


Round bales of grass hay.


I love barns.


This view just beyond Colfax is one of the rare times I stopped the car to take a photo, because the views from this hilltop are spectacular.


This was the sign I was waiting for!


Inside the Idaho border, farmers are already burning their crop residues, which is legal in certain areas.


Ah, what beautiful vistas! Portland was fun, but it sure is good to be home.


An old house near Potlatch which I think is abandoned.


Almost home!


I had a warm and wonderful welcome to a beautifully cleaned house.


And the girls pointed out how Lydia hasn't stopped "grinning" since I walked in the door. Her flock is now intact.

14 comments:

  1. Is saying welcome home the wrong way to put it? Oh well, glad you made it back to where the heart is, safe and sound. Great to hear that your sales went well

    v/r

    Rob

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  2. Thanks for the photos of Powell's Books. I've ordered some books from them, but had never seen the store. Maybe I'll take a trip to Portland afterall. ;)

    Skull bra? Yikes!! I'm not even gonna speculate about the design on her panties.

    Glad you had a profitable trip and got home safely, and to a clean house no less.

    Anonymous Patriot
    USA

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  3. Thoroughly enjoyed all your pictures and comments on the way back home.

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  4. Beautiful pictures. I love barns also. Thanks for posting these - nice to see different parts of our beautiful country.
    Kay

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  5. Glad you had a successful trip. A few days away really can make you appreciate home.

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  6. Love the "Ass" family tee shirt. I tease my house mate some times for using the "ass" descriptive so much. It seems, though, "big" and "fat" were left off the family tree.

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  7. I just had to comment about the bumper sticker. My husband is an accordion player and plays polka music for a living...not the typical job choice for a 31 year old! I loved it! And if your local library ever wants a great program pintsizepolkas.com is where to find him :)

    He is going to laugh since there aren't a whole lot of people who love and play the instrument anymore. He started when he was 5 and plans to play until the day he dies. And yes, our 3 year old has one already and his 1 year old sister seems to want one for herself now too. She keeps taking his and making him mad!

    Love your blog and happy the sales went so well for you again this year!
    Heather

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  8. Glad your sales went so well. LOVE that bookstore. My daughter has asked me several times what I liked doing when I was her age and I tell her "read". I have also enjoyed reading. Thank you for posting the pictures of the drive. I recognized several of the locations from our trip in June. Boy, did it sure make me miss Idaho and want to relocate even more.
    What I nice welcome home sign. It's the little things are children do that let us know we are loved.
    God Bless
    Stuck in CA

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  9. While I hate to admit it, I have used a Cell Phone at Subway, but in my defense, I think Subway is one place where if you are picking up dinner for the family on the way home from work, you almost need to use a cell phone to place the order since there are so many selections of what to put on the sandwich.

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  10. Welcome home, Patrice! Thank God you made it safely.

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  11. glad you had a good trip truly enjoyed the pictures love old barns too.... a reaser

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  12. the wind turbine towers in our neck of the woods are 300 feet high. love your blog!

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  13. Powell's is the one reason I enjoyed business trips to Portland. Don't forget to check out their technical bookstore which is a couple of blocks away (downhill as I recall). Hope you consider doing 'Art in the Park' here in Boise some year! - Dennis

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  14. Every time I see an abandoned house, I itch to go inside and poke around. I blame the book, Honestly, Katie John, for that desire. :)

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