Yellow Tent Adventures

The gray days of winter are here. The kind of days that look like it’s perpetually 4pm even when it’s 11 in the morning. Saturated to the point the ground no longer drinks in the pissing rain, we are steeped in grayness. These are days that test the carfree. But I’m itching to move, and [...]

It is amazing what you can strap on to the back rack of a bicycle.

Life on Beacon Hill just got a little bit better yesterday. We can now ride light rail to the airport. Kat and I boarded the train around noon and ran into neighbor Andy Sodt and his son Lee. Twenty-two minutes from the Beacon Hill Station to the airport station. From there it is a 4-5 [...]

When we first moved to our little house mid-way on the hill of Beacon Hill, we quickly met many of the old-timers living within a block or so of our house. We met them because they walked. Nora raced by like clockwork on her way to and from work every day until she retired 2 [...]

This is part one of a project of photographing our small city garden for a year. Life without a car means living closer to home. At times we miss jumping into our old Subaru and heading out for a hike on the spur of the moment. But we’ve also loved the fact that we’ve learned [...]

Two cities. Two train stations. Two completely different vibes and messages. Portland’s AMTRAK station: Walk outside the doors and you see the Greyhound station 500 feet away. A light rail train glides by. Bike paths with signage pointing you toward downtown are clear and highly visible. Wide sidewalks too. The message is clear without a [...]

I love the soundtrack of a city. It is a hodgepodge of sounds. Sometimes harmonious. Sometimes just noise. The above photo was taken at Portland’s Saturday Market. On the left is a street preacher. On the right is a street musician. The audio clip above was recorded and not mixed. Give a listen. At first [...]

Portland cyclists come in every size, shape, style and color. OK, maybe not so many colors unless you include colorful jerseys worn by racers. It’s a cyclist’s playground with fun for everyone. Want a family ride away from traffic? Just head to the Eastbank Esplanade trail and Waterfront Park on the west side of the [...]

Alright. A week-long bicycle journey in the city limits of Portland with no hotel reservations. How did we do it? Sunday: Crashed on the floor of a delightful couple we met on the river trail. Monday: Camped on Sauvie Island. Camping costs $17, but it’s $12 if you arrive by bike. Tuesday: Camped in the [...]

While riding down on the train for our bike trip within the city limits of Portland, Kat and I read Clive Thompson’s article Are Your Friends Making You Fat? in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. The article goes into great detail about how our social networks influence us. Obesity, smoking, happiness and loneliness spread [...]