"Too bad few people understand interdependence these days. It’s not cool in this Darwinian moment in history."
Excellent point. Our family moved to Portland in 1965 from Montana and I left for college (need blind) in 1975. I went to Washington HS and benefited (sad to say) from white flight--small class rooms, great classmates, and dedicated teachers.
I returned in 1979 and lived south of Portand State University--the south end of the Park Blocks. But I fell in love with a Seattleite and left. I love Portland and all of its beauty. I reflect on those bike rides, taken during my high school years, in the early hours, exploring the city with no limitation.
I was a candy striper at Portland Adventist and an employee of the Naitos at Import Plaza. I loved biking through Forest Park and making it to Council Crest. Sacagawea's statue in Washington Park was memorizing.
One of the last things was being an intern at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. The gene stuff was compelling but I'll never forget those peacocks. All of us joked about having peacock instead of turkey for Thanksgiving.
Life goes on, I've lived in eight states, but Oregon is special (ah, those trips to Ashland as a high school student--why my honeymoon was in Ashland :D ).
My daughter lived in Portland for 5 years in the mid-90s, between finishing college and starting grad school. We drove up from the SF Peninsula to visit her regularly and liked it so much that we went back multiple times even after she left. Having grown up in Wisconsin, I always felt there was a bit of a midwestern feel to Portland — just the look of certain neighborhoods and the folksy attitudes of people we encountered. We missed all the years of deterioration and are living in Wisconsin now, so haven’t been back. Glad to hear there’s a renaissance in progress.
Loved the Portland & Seattle conventions. Never got a doughnut from Voodoo, but loved the farmer's market (complete with live music). Aerial tram was a nice way to get a photo of Mt. Hood. Just read about the AAEC/SPX joint meeting. Let's see if I can get life together to host something at my place.
It's nice to read positive views and recollections of the city I love and have lived in or near for most of my 70+ years. Portland may not be perfect and has certainly had growing pains in the past 10 years especially, but it's pretty great and as it's been said around town, we've done well to "keep Portland weird".
Your departure from the Oregonian was disappointing as your drawings were, as they are now, interesting and thought provoking. I've been delighted to find you again thanks to Substack.
Thanks. I appreciate your memories of Portland. And your understanding of times it has gone through. I continue to love the state I was born and raised in even though we moved across the Columbia to Vancouver,Washington in 1992. I try to tell people that the protests only were in a few bocks of downtown but due to blatant disinformation most people think Portland is in ruins. Also, others say to me that Portland will never come back but I’m 75 years old and have seen Portland come back time and again…all places have their struggles. But those folks shake their heads and don’t see how it could happen. It already is.
Thanks Jack. That was nice to read. Appreciate your perspective. We love P-town💚. We know it is getting better but the Trump cuts will be brutal.
Would you consider a speaking engagement here? I have utterly no connections but The Old Church Hall is a terrific venue. Your storytelling along with your political art would be a sold out hit here.
I know you must have no time for this though. I can’t believe your schedule when you wrote about it awhile back.
Have fun on your return trips! Rose Festival is here. Twilight Parade this weekend and naval ships coming in 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Love the Twilight Parade. Loved it more when it was the Merrykhana Parade during my childhood. Got changed because it was too “Wild”. Those were the days.
Jack, too many parallels. We moved to Beaverton in the mid-80's and loved it (though we never viewed mowing grass in the rain as normal). It was very formal back then, so Armani would fit right in (Nordstrom was where we bought nearly everything 😊). Powell's bookstore was a revelation. Before everything was computerized the employees knew in their heads where virtually every book, and the number of available copies, was located. The Blazers were the real deal, with an eye-popping number of continuous arena sellouts. We moved to Sacramento 30 years ago and have gone into Nordstroms perhaps half a dozen times - can we say "less formal". We've only been back to Portland a few times and downhill slide was dramatic. The homeless problem, which no one seems able to solve, was extreme. The Portland in olden days was a fabulous place, as was the mid-70s Austin. Both have suffered mightily over the years.
G'pa Dick VanderMeulen was a huge fan of your cartoons AND an avid (mild term) fisherman. He was a died-in-the-wool Democrat, old school labor organizer and not a fan of Reagan. When Gpa Dick had heart surgery, you did a large, color cartoon for him that had Reagan bellowing "Get out of bed!" When my grandparents had a bad house fire, that cartoon was one of the things that survived. I still have it...a bit singed.
I first visited the city in 1990... that's a verrrry different Portland than it is today.
Traffic is the number one reason I avoid Portland these days. We are beginning to see many Portlanders in Hood River (where I moved in 2003 -- from Bend) already this year. I had to wait for a line of about 40 cars before I could turn left at a stop sign this morning.
I do still love many things about Portland -- McMenamins, museums (OHS, JAMO, Lan Su Chinese Garden) Architecture, The Hollywood Theatre, and miss many things (primarily the old Oregonian when it sold for 50 cents).
This oldster sees a real, positive revival in Portland thanks to many people who continue to care about the heart of Portland. Traffic, homelessness? -- both are problematic in most metropolitan areas. (Been to Bend recently?) I'm still hopeful of Portland's next positive chapters for the sake of my kids and grandkids. The new PDX mayor seems to be a positive step in working towards better times. BTW: I'm forever grateful of your sharing your time and talents with students in Beaverton School District those years ago. Simple deeds and generosity of one's time are seldom forgotten. Thanks - you are missed in the PNW but we are so grateful to find you here.
"Too bad few people understand interdependence these days. It’s not cool in this Darwinian moment in history."
Excellent point. Our family moved to Portland in 1965 from Montana and I left for college (need blind) in 1975. I went to Washington HS and benefited (sad to say) from white flight--small class rooms, great classmates, and dedicated teachers.
I returned in 1979 and lived south of Portand State University--the south end of the Park Blocks. But I fell in love with a Seattleite and left. I love Portland and all of its beauty. I reflect on those bike rides, taken during my high school years, in the early hours, exploring the city with no limitation.
I was a candy striper at Portland Adventist and an employee of the Naitos at Import Plaza. I loved biking through Forest Park and making it to Council Crest. Sacagawea's statue in Washington Park was memorizing.
One of the last things was being an intern at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. The gene stuff was compelling but I'll never forget those peacocks. All of us joked about having peacock instead of turkey for Thanksgiving.
Life goes on, I've lived in eight states, but Oregon is special (ah, those trips to Ashland as a high school student--why my honeymoon was in Ashland :D ).
Best to all
Nice, Jack. Heading up to my son play at the 1905 jazz club this weekend. Portland has a funky heart.
Albee wrote in “Zoo Story,”
— sometimes you have to go a long way out of the way, to go a short distance correctly.
Portland has always been on my list of places I want to visit. You've certainly made it more appealing to consider.
As a Decemberists fan, I absolutely must make it out there some time and catch a hometown show!
My daughter lived in Portland for 5 years in the mid-90s, between finishing college and starting grad school. We drove up from the SF Peninsula to visit her regularly and liked it so much that we went back multiple times even after she left. Having grown up in Wisconsin, I always felt there was a bit of a midwestern feel to Portland — just the look of certain neighborhoods and the folksy attitudes of people we encountered. We missed all the years of deterioration and are living in Wisconsin now, so haven’t been back. Glad to hear there’s a renaissance in progress.
Loved the Portland & Seattle conventions. Never got a doughnut from Voodoo, but loved the farmer's market (complete with live music). Aerial tram was a nice way to get a photo of Mt. Hood. Just read about the AAEC/SPX joint meeting. Let's see if I can get life together to host something at my place.
It's nice to read positive views and recollections of the city I love and have lived in or near for most of my 70+ years. Portland may not be perfect and has certainly had growing pains in the past 10 years especially, but it's pretty great and as it's been said around town, we've done well to "keep Portland weird".
Your departure from the Oregonian was disappointing as your drawings were, as they are now, interesting and thought provoking. I've been delighted to find you again thanks to Substack.
I’m more delighted you found me!
Thanks. I appreciate your memories of Portland. And your understanding of times it has gone through. I continue to love the state I was born and raised in even though we moved across the Columbia to Vancouver,Washington in 1992. I try to tell people that the protests only were in a few bocks of downtown but due to blatant disinformation most people think Portland is in ruins. Also, others say to me that Portland will never come back but I’m 75 years old and have seen Portland come back time and again…all places have their struggles. But those folks shake their heads and don’t see how it could happen. It already is.
Thanks Jack. That was nice to read. Appreciate your perspective. We love P-town💚. We know it is getting better but the Trump cuts will be brutal.
Would you consider a speaking engagement here? I have utterly no connections but The Old Church Hall is a terrific venue. Your storytelling along with your political art would be a sold out hit here.
I know you must have no time for this though. I can’t believe your schedule when you wrote about it awhile back.
Have fun on your return trips! Rose Festival is here. Twilight Parade this weekend and naval ships coming in 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Love the Twilight Parade. Loved it more when it was the Merrykhana Parade during my childhood. Got changed because it was too “Wild”. Those were the days.
Good idea. Can you help with that?
Jack, too many parallels. We moved to Beaverton in the mid-80's and loved it (though we never viewed mowing grass in the rain as normal). It was very formal back then, so Armani would fit right in (Nordstrom was where we bought nearly everything 😊). Powell's bookstore was a revelation. Before everything was computerized the employees knew in their heads where virtually every book, and the number of available copies, was located. The Blazers were the real deal, with an eye-popping number of continuous arena sellouts. We moved to Sacramento 30 years ago and have gone into Nordstroms perhaps half a dozen times - can we say "less formal". We've only been back to Portland a few times and downhill slide was dramatic. The homeless problem, which no one seems able to solve, was extreme. The Portland in olden days was a fabulous place, as was the mid-70s Austin. Both have suffered mightily over the years.
*nonagenarian
Sexagenarian error.
I applied for Social Security a month ago ;-)
Love this! Going to print it out for my nonegenarian folks, who miss your cartoons and remember your kindness to my grandfather.
What did I do for your grandfather?
G'pa Dick VanderMeulen was a huge fan of your cartoons AND an avid (mild term) fisherman. He was a died-in-the-wool Democrat, old school labor organizer and not a fan of Reagan. When Gpa Dick had heart surgery, you did a large, color cartoon for him that had Reagan bellowing "Get out of bed!" When my grandparents had a bad house fire, that cartoon was one of the things that survived. I still have it...a bit singed.
Oh my! I have no recollection of that! (I’m 64).
Thanks Jack for the memories of Portland.
I first visited the city in 1990... that's a verrrry different Portland than it is today.
Traffic is the number one reason I avoid Portland these days. We are beginning to see many Portlanders in Hood River (where I moved in 2003 -- from Bend) already this year. I had to wait for a line of about 40 cars before I could turn left at a stop sign this morning.
I do still love many things about Portland -- McMenamins, museums (OHS, JAMO, Lan Su Chinese Garden) Architecture, The Hollywood Theatre, and miss many things (primarily the old Oregonian when it sold for 50 cents).
This is a column I'll keep and send on to others.
This oldster sees a real, positive revival in Portland thanks to many people who continue to care about the heart of Portland. Traffic, homelessness? -- both are problematic in most metropolitan areas. (Been to Bend recently?) I'm still hopeful of Portland's next positive chapters for the sake of my kids and grandkids. The new PDX mayor seems to be a positive step in working towards better times. BTW: I'm forever grateful of your sharing your time and talents with students in Beaverton School District those years ago. Simple deeds and generosity of one's time are seldom forgotten. Thanks - you are missed in the PNW but we are so grateful to find you here.