Actually, it’s more like in the sky– to-ing and fro-ing. Palmer was great Saturday, Fireside books is a terrific store, and it was really neat to see how the bookstore, a cafe, some shops, and the city have totally revitalized downtown Palmer into a charming little community center. Haines can learn from them.
My plane was delayed yesterday, so I didn’t get into Portland until late and had a busy day today– TV, radio, and then Powell’s for a reading at 7 tonight. I’m better at this than you’d guess. Chip is amazed I even made it to Palmer on my own, much less Portland.
Here are a few scenes from the Portland waterfront, which has all the parking across the street by the way–, and the walkway is set back from the banks in some places, too. Also, skateboards, bikes, roller blades, jogging strollers, scooters- all are totally fine in this city. The signs just ask for courtesy, and it seems to be working. I think if Haines is the Adventure Capital of Alaska, then we should take notes, and let those heli-skiers and summer adventure seekers, and our own kids, skate, roll, and ski away in our downtown. Here’s what I saw today: a girl walking while reading a fat library book, a man in a nice suit on a skate board weaving through traffic, homeless people in a tarp tent on the park lawn, a cyclist pulling her Golden Retriever in a baby trailer, a Cinco De Mayo carnival on the park strip, smokers huddled by back doors, dragon canoes being paddled down the river, a crew team practicing, twin toddlers riding on the back of a recumbent bicycle for two pedaled by their parents, many Priuses, flowers everywhere, hipster guys with plugs in their ears and skinny jeans, and women runners training for the Portland Marathon.
