Commonwealth Lake Park - Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District

We used to go walking at Commonwealth Park all the time in the '80s. We liked it because of all the ducks and geese.

As much as they were the draw, they were also not the best influence. The water was very murky; I guess you could call it be-fowled.

Things are looking a lot better now. Signage commemorates it, but you can also see a lot of repair of banks.

Previously it would have been easier to chase a bird into the water. Some boundaries make it better for everyone.

It is still a good environment for humans. There are scenic decks and resting spots, and the path is smooth walking in a nice environment. Parking still isn't great, but you have to choose how space is used, and the park and lake are in the middle of the suburbs.

It is still a good place for the ducks.

I am not sure what steps they took to get there. I remember a lot of domestic varieties being there in the past, for both ducks and geese. Now it is mainly mallards (with some coots), and it is a much smaller population.

The water is clearer, and I suspect that's good for ducks and humans.

It's still a nice place for a walk.

http://www.thprd.org/parks-and-trails/detail/commonwealth-lake-park

Rodin: The Human Experience at the Portland Art Museum

I don't remember what year it was, but when I was attending University of Oregon (1991 - 1992 and 1995 - 1996) at one point the school's art museum (conveniently near the history building and the library) had a Rodin exhibit. I fell in love with The Kiss, and liked many of the works in general, but thought the bust of Balzac was horribly ugly.

As it was, being a Romance Languages major led to me having a Balzac/Stendhal class (French) at around the same time we were learning to talk about art in a Spanish conversation class. In addition to visiting the museum on our own, we were going to each pick one piece of art and then visit as a class and talk about our selected pieces.

While reading Balzac I had seen at least one picture that did not seem to resemble the bust at all, so I brought in a picture and we gathered round the bust and talked about that. As my classmates gave their impression of the piece, they described a personality that sounded very much like all accounts of Balzac. I realized Rodin knew what he was doing.

I have a fondness for the piece now, so was happy to see it at the Portland Art Museum as part of their exhibit Rodin: The Human Experience. I learned a lot more.

The arrangement of an exhibit and the descriptions that are chosen can detract or enhance. This exhibit was done very well.

One of the points they made was how the cavernous depths of the holes Rodin uses for eyes add to the expression. I agree. They said it, but also they had the art displayed in a manner where you can readily see it. The bright lights were helpful here. I remember the Jordan Schnitzer museum as pretty dim. It set a quiet mood, but it is only now that I realize how that can downplay important details.

I had never seen the Fallen Caryatids before. They are emotionally moving on their own, but a little bit of explanatory text made me think more. They have sunk down, not tipped over. They are fallen but they are still carrying their burdens, at least partially. Maybe that means more to me now. They are beautiful.

They put the best context on The Burghers of Calais that I have seen, but part of that was separating them so you could get a sense of the individuals.

I liked this bust because the soft features and delicate braids are a reminder that even if Rodin often chose to make things blunt and overstated - maybe even grotesque - he did not have to.

Sadly, what we do not have is great pictures of any of them. If you notice a weird angle or centering on anything, it's probably because I was trying to crop out people. All part of the human experience.

And altogether it is a reminder that no matter how wonderful art is on its own (art for art's sake), my enjoyment has been greatly improved through teachers, language, friends, and thoughtfully designed exhibits.

https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/rodin-the-human-experience/

http://jsma.uoregon.edu/

Transition: Italy to Oregon

That's all the travel information I have for Italy at this time, but I will always hope to go back. There are lots of places that I haven't seen, and even if there weren't there are still wonderful cousins.

One thing we have talked about is them coming to visit us. For family visits, it is easier to send people from the one family in the States to Italy then to bring all of them here, but it would still be nice to get some of them here and show them what Oregon has to offer.

There are a lot of things to think about there. Travel involves the sites that are beautiful or interesting, but it also involves how normal life goes.

So even in a fairly localized area here, there are many ways of experiencing Oregon. If you want to do your mountain climbing and biking and hiking and windsurfing, that is one type of experience. Going to a Timbers game would be a different one. (Though it would probably seem pretty tame to them.)

Even just showing them pizza in America would raise questions. Chicago Deep Dish is a legitimate style, perhaps hard to find here, but then there is think crust New York style too. Completely different; both valid.

(I feel comfortable saying that, though if I were from Chicago or New York I think that could get me in trouble.)

So we could order Pizza Hut or Domino's, and that would be one type of experience, or Schmizza or Nonna Emilia's, and none of them would be like what we get in Vicenza; which would be most important to experience? If I wanted to introduce them to casseroles for American food, or a steakhouse or a place that focuses on fresh local food, those are all possibilities. Personally I think one of the best things about here is that we have restaurants with food from so many different countries. I don't really go out for US food.

I guess food carts would be a necessity.

The next few posts will cover places we have gone as a family in Oregon this summer. Close may not be exactly the right word, because they include jaunts to The Dalles and Florence (the Oregon Coast is way different from being on the Adriatic), but they were all day trips.

And while I value those trips on their own and for the blogging material, there is always that question, would I want to share this with my cousins? Would they enjoy this thing more, or that other thing? There never enough time for everything, so you have to choose.

Italy - Try the gelato!

I can't say this is dining in Vicenza, because it is everywhere. We had gelato in Vicenza, yes, but also in Marostica, Soave, Verona, and Rome (at the airport).

The very first time I went to Italy it was in October. Even so, I had gelato at least twice, once in Venice. Every other time has been in spring (usually May, March once), and with the warmer weather comes more gelato.

I couldn't usually tell you the names. I took a picture of this sign because of the unusual spelling. Chocolate is cioccolato. The only other name I noticed was Venchi, which we had at the Rome airport. A map shows me now that there was a Venchi in Il Centro in Vicenza too, but I hadn't noticed it then.

I'm not sure how much it matters. At Ciokkolatte, my cousin told me that it wasn't the best gelato there. I thought he meant in Vicenza, but when I asked him, he mentioned a place in Venice.

That was interesting, because he got me gelato twice on the same day in Venice (in October) and was not satisfied either time. I know it was because he wanted to give me the parlor experience when you get fancy cookies adorning the gelato, and we kept only finding cones available, but it was okay. Cones are portable and a good time, and gelato needs no adornment.

My only real regret is that I should have tried the Palladio flavor. Palladio is a famous architect who designed many of the buildings in Vicenza and was an influence on Jefferson and Monticello. What flavors would capture a 16th-century master architect? Apparently it involves a hint of lemon.

I don't have any insider tips for gelato. Some places probably are better than others, but none of them have been bad. Just have it, multiple times. It is pretty standard to get two scoops, and I appreciate this because it means I can try new flavors while still always having stracciatella.

We all scream for gelato.

Dining in Vicenza - McDonalds

"Dining" and "McDonalds" in the same sentence? Yes, I don't have a problem with that.

Again, this was our first time staying in a hotel instead of with my aunt. The groceries I brought were fine for most of the breakfasts, but for a break I wanted to have at least one breakfast out. Initially I thought it would be in the hotel restaurant, but they kept being disappointing, as previously mentioned.

There was a McDonald's nearby, and walking there and back would allow me to get a closer look at some other nearby businesses. It was scary making my way through the roundabout - which clearly did not have pedestrians in mind - but I made it.

The first nice surprise was seeing that the Superfriends Happy Meal had a better than usual gender balance. They had to pull from super villains to do so, but lots of popular characters spend times on both sides of the line now.

I also immediately noticed these kiosks. I placed my order with the staff, but I later used a kiosk like this at the airport. It was interesting in terms of the general move toward automating everything, but I can at least see that it makes a lot of sense at an airport, where people come through speaking any number of languages.

The menu was pretty similar, except for the desserts. There was even a McCafe.

Sometimes when traveling we have noticed weird things, like un-toasted English muffins in rural Pennsylvania. Here the cooking methods seemed exactly the same. I thought the muffin still tasted a little different, but if you have different grains growing in different soil, there can be subtle differences.

And the doughnuts were delicious. They were cake doughnuts enrobed in chocolate, but it was a slightly different type of cake, with little bits of cinnamon and sugar. That is probably something more European, though different from Italian pastries I've had.

Actually, I know the McCafe in the McDonalds nearest to us uses a local bakery, so that may be the area where there is more innovation. It wasn't like finding lamb-burgers or black buns; it was really pretty similar to being at home. The food was still good, and it was a nice change of pace for one day.

I am not saying that if you are in Vicenza that eating at McDonalds should be at the top of your list; there are lots of wonderful Italian restaurants and bars that you should enjoy. For one meal, though, there are worse things that you can do. And if you do go, get the doughnuts.