Lake Oswego -- Oswego Heritage House and Museum

We went and visited the outside of the house about ten months ago. I delayed writing about it because I wanted to get inside. 

While admission is free, the hours do not correspond well with the average working schedule (an issue for many interesting attractions). 

As we finished other Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory Heritage Trail locations, that concern became more urgent. 

I couldn't quite give up, and then I happened to check the events calendar. They were have "A Haunting History", where one could meet various ghosts from the area, and have access to the house.

While events are not frequent, there are some interesting ones, like a presentation on Oswego suffragettes scheduled for November 6th. 

That presentation corresponds with current (timely) displays.

The house was built in 1928 and became the home of the Oswego Heritage Council in 1999.

The archives preserve 22,000 items, including journals, press clippings, and artifacts.

For the haunted evening, we met with a drowned artist whose painting was hanging in the room, a quartet of grave robbers, and a woman who had spoken on behalf of women's suffrage when they were attempting to get it passed.

There was a wide range in how convincing the "ghosts" were, but it was a reminder that these are local people presenting local history.

One of the most impressive things was that after, when the audience was asking questions, how quickly the non-ghost council members were able to fill in details. Local historical societies rise and fall on the devotion of their members.

There was a bit of a wait, but there were refreshments and activities provided, including a scavenger hunt.

I was glad that we finally got to see, and in a pretty interesting manner.

COVID: It is very much inside, and I did not see a lot of masks besides my own. I did not see any special attempts at ventilation, so use caution, especially when it's crowded.

Accessibility: The front of the house does have steps, but entrance is from the West and accessible. Some of the passageways might be a bit narrow, but the bathroom was technically accessible. Not the best, but not the worst.

There is parking on site, but also overflow parking at the church across the street, as indicated by signs.

https://www.oswegoheritage.org/Heritage-House 

Milwaukie, Oregon: Davis Graveyard

I love Halloween decorations, and I am starting to see more elaborate ones popping up. 

That should make me happy, but at the same time, a lot of them don't have much art to them, becoming mostly just a bunch of plastic, sometimes including multiple 12 foot skeletons.

There was so much art and creativity at the Davis Graveyard.

First of all, just the apparent chapel and boarded up house and the many tombstones are a good start.

Then, as you take a closer look at the stones, there is an affection for actors and the characters they have played, showing humor but also tenderness in remembering them.

Then there are the unexpected touches. Is that a man in a rain slicker? Has he been there all along?

Okay, it's a mannequin, but it made you look.

We went to see the graveyard during the day, though there was still an eerie haze descending over it. So weird for Oregon in the fall.

There are other experiences available, including behind the scenes tours and classes and materials for creating your own tombstones.

There is also lighting at night. 

With a little creativity and training, you could take your yard up a notch. Don't bury those talents!

COVID: The graveyard can be viewed outside and there are virtual classes. Tours and other class options may take place inside.

Accessibility: The viewing area outside the gate is relatively flat and easy to navigate. I can easily imagine that becoming more difficult in the dark and with more traffic.

Going behind the scenes will also involve different terrain. 

As it was, I am glad we went during the day because navigation could be a little tricky, with lots of turns. Then we suddenly found ourselves in downtown Milwaukie without understanding how.

Spooky.

https://davisgraveyard.com/

Progress Ridge: Dot.Sugar

Dot.Sugar was a little bit too much. I should have guessed from the name.

You can get waffles, pancakes, churros and lokmas (like the loukomodes at Greek Fest), but they will come smothered in Nutella or Oreo or Kinder Bueno or whichever flavor you choose, and it will be a lot.

I suspect the target audience is teenagers and young adults, where there metabolisms are still high and there isn't a lot of wear and tear on their pancreas. 

We shared some different dishes. One thing I noticed is that there was almost no flavor to the waffle. I suspect that was to prevent it from overpowering the toppings, which makes sense, but it could have provided some contrast.

I think the peanut butter (while very sweet peanut butter) in the Reese's crepe made it the best dish. 

The medallions with the company logo were surprisingly good.

COVID: Obviously this is a situation where you are eating, but there is outdoor dining space, and there are online ordering and catering options.

Accessibility: Navigation should be okay, and then of course there is still the option of ordering for delivery.

Also, do be aware of potential allergens, especially nuts. (And keep blood sugar in mind.)

https://dotsugarpdx.com/

PDX -- Coraline's Curious Cat Trail -- ENDS OCTOBER 13th!

I love events where you go around viewing art installations over the city. 

Portland has been really good for that lately, with Bloom Tour, Illuminate, and the Winter Light Festival. They provide an interesting way of seeing the city and noticing new things.

Our current event in many ways takes me all the way back to 2002's Cow Parade, with a base sculpture that multiple artists put their own take on. Those sculptures decorate the city, then are sold for charity.

Let me repeat: I love the concept.

I have also enjoyed the cats. 

Based on the cat from the movie Coraline (from PDX-based Laika), the cats are kind of ugly (which cats are not) but also have a certain charm (which cats do).

There have been some real problems with the execution.

I don't blame the organizers for the temporary abduction of cat 23, Keep Portland Weird. These things happen, and the cat was found and restored pretty quickly.

However, the web site is terribly inaccurate.

The plan appears to be that people will use the app, available through either Apple or Google.

If you were trying to use the map, many of the locations are wrong. 

For example, cat 30, Rose Kitty, says it is at City Hall. The map shows it located at City Hall. City Hall was under construction; Rose Kitty is at PSU. 

It is not next to the other cat at PSU, Descent (20). Descent is by the Millar Library and Rose Kitty is more by the MAX and streetcar stop. 

When I asked at City Hall, the guard told me it had been moved to Pioneer Square. I suspected he was wrong because I had already found Cat Usher (18) there. 

However, when I was talking to two separate couples at Perfect Weather for Gardening (28), one of them told me Rose Kitty was at PSU.

The funny thing there is that Perfect Weather for Gardening was supposed to be at the Standard Plaza Building but was actually two blocks West, at Standard Insurance. Maybe they wanted something to draw attention away from the naked fountain?

Just kidding; everyone is used to The Quest by now. At least the security guard knew where the statue really was.

Cats were generally in more open spaces (though not 14, Alebrije), which may have explained some of the placement.

Somehow, though, I thought that meant that 26, Hero Sculpture at OHSU would be at the OHSU Commons, and not tucked behind the Knight Cancer Research Building. Again, at least someone there knew.

For other map flaws, 2, Nine Lives of News, looks like it is right by Keep Portland Weird. It isn't. The South Park Blocks (25, Garden Time) are not on Clay, and Burnished Joy is not on the map at all!

I guess that makes Burnished Joy number 31, and I can confirm is located at Midtown Beer Garden (5th and Oak). Other than the things mentioned, most locations are only off by a block. Great?

People seemed to do better with the app. I have seen some complaints about some cats not having codes, and others saying you can get the codes from security guards, which works as long as there is a security guard available.

If it were only an app thing, fine, but public art should have multiple access points, and if you are going to post information on a web site, it should be correct.

In many ways the concept worked. I never went without finding other people looking and taking photos.

In talking to them, several had just seen a cat randomly, and then started looking for more.

This is a great idea that needed to be done better.

COVID: Almost all of the cats are outside, except for 22, In Plain Sight, at Pioneer Place.

Accessibility: The map flaws could be a real accessibility issue for some. For mobility issues specifically, there are some long paths to get to some of these cats. Technically there are always ramps or something, but there can be a lot of walking, and a lot of walking in the wrong direction. 

https://www.coralinescuriouscattrail.com/