Category Archives: Travel

One of my favorites at the Portland Art Museum

2 Replies

I don’t know why I like this sterling silver boar so much. Perhaps because it reminds me of the large wild boars that would wander down from the mountains during dry spells when we lived in Kaaawa. Maybe it’s the contrast between the rough looking boar and the delicate silverwork. But I was glad that it was included in a exhibit from the Portland Art Museum’s permanent collection that opened over the weekend.

From it’s catalog listing: Gianmaria Buccellati, Boar, last half of 20th century, sterling silver.

The video might be a little slow in loading, but be patient.

Another look at those radios

2 Replies

What a difference a little change of perspective can make!

My post here yesterday shared a photo of a wall of old radios. I was concentrating on the radios themselves, and cropped the photo accordingly.

Our friend, Robin Beechert, captured the same scene but with a different “eye.”

Her version tells a lot more about the store’s preparations for the weekend before Halloween!

The weather takes a turn

3 Replies

Lucky you live Hawaii!

That was my thought when seeing the weather this morning and the forecast for the next few days here in Portland, Oregon.

We didn’t pack for this kind of weather, so we’ll just have to layer up a bit, I guess.

It drizzled on and off all day yesterday, which is typical for Portland. People can probably tell that we’re from out of town because we carry umbrellas. Portlanders seem to almost ignore the rain. It must be an acquired skill.

Sunrise is at 7:42, more than an hour later than in Honolulu. Sunset just after 6 p.m., only a few minutes later than Honolulu.

Today’s plans include a long walkabout in Powell’s Books, the huge bookstore in downtown Portland. Back in the 1970s, we would visit Powell’s before the store grew to fill the entire city block. Near the entrance, Mr. Powell would typically be seen next to a pile of used books, examining each one and separating out the “keepers,” which went into a separate pile. It was all part of the Portland “scene” at that time, before the gentrification of the surrounding Pearl neighborhood got rolling. Today, gentrification and homelessness are engaged in block-by-block conflict.

Trip planning is a continuous process

4 Replies

We’re planning a short trip in December to the San Francisco area to visit family and friends. I set up the basics, flights, rental car, and hotel reservation, over the summer. It’s a simple trip, one destination, one hotel, a car. All booked online.

But I’ve learned that it pays to check back later because there’s often money to be saved.

That proved to be the case again today.

When I originally booked a car through Costco, the price, after all the fees and taxes were added, was a pretty steep $588 for the 8 day trip.

This afternoon I checked again and I was able to save close to 20%. Same airport, same rental company, same class of car. Price quoted today was only $480.

Luckily, Costco makes it easy to cancel a reservation and then simply rebook it.

Usually I compare Costco’s price to the price if booked directly from the rental company. Costco usually wins. I also comparison shop with AAA, and AARP, which both offer travel services and car rentals.

I haven’t had as much success with finding better hotel deals, but I do make a habit of checking anyway. Several times. Just in case.