The Silverton Murals, Part I

So here's the first in what I'll call the mural series. Mateo and I like to jump in the baby jogger (well, he does; I push it) and visit places in town. Now that we're enjoying summer, the "like to" above is more often becoming "do". It's good exercise for Dad, and yet another opportunity for Mateo to satisfy his most frequent request: "Outside?"
Our favorite place to visit is the park, which has a great new play structure, and a river runs through it. But pretty much on the way to any place we'd go is one of Silverton's Murals. The first was painted in 1992, and we're at 15 and counting. Along with the antique and craft shops, they help to make Silverton a destination in itself for those who are on their way to Silver Falls State Park, the Oregon Garden, or Mount Angel's Oktoberfest. They're a great piece of Americana and small town history that ratchet up the quaint factor almost as much as our penny parking meters.
So here's the first in the series. Everyone say hello to:

Bobbie, the Wonder Dog

Silverton Bobbie, as he's also known, was a scotch collie and farm dog who lived on the Abiqua River north of town back in 1922 (not far from a house we nearly bought when first moving here.) Later, when his masters sold him to the new owners of their farm and moved into town, he began walking the several miles to their cafe on weekends. Good training, because the next year, when they bought Bobbie back and took him on a cross-country trip to visit relatives, he became lost in Indiana. Six months later, he turned up back in Silverton and became a national sensation, starring in a silent movie, a Ripley's Believe it or Not cartoon, and in a few bidographies. Some claim his story inspired the book "Incredible Journey". The links below will fill out the story for you:


http://www.igougo.com/story-s1221155-Silverton-Footloose_and_Footsore_The_Tale_of_Bobbie_the_Wonder_Dog.html
http://www.silvertonor.com/murals/bobbie/bobbie_wonder_dog2.htm
http://www.silvertonor.com/murals/bobbie/bobbie_collie.htm
"Silverton's Bobbie" book
"Wonder Dog" Book




Here's the little guy at Bobbie's mural. His hands are up because he's clutching his brand new camera. He's been starting to say "no pictures" when mom and dad get snapshot happy, so I thought I'd need a little assist to get through this mural project. I found a little kid's camera with his hero "Lightining McQueen" from the movie "Cars" on it. I figured he'd be more amenable to pictures if he got to take some too. It worked. This is the first day he used the camera. For the first couple of days, his favorite subject was his own nose (he couldn't tell at first which direction to point the camera) to the extent that we could have produced an Andy Warhol-like series on his nostrils and made a killing with an exhibition at one of those art galleries in Portland's Pearl district.




Detail shots of the mural, including Bobbie's journey, and his press coverage.



Here's Mateo between Bobbie's statue and a replica of his house, one of the gifts lavished on him after his journey. The original is at the Humane Society in Portland, where he's buried (Rin Tin Tin laid a wreath on his grave.)




And finally, a shot destined to be remembered as the first, thoughtful work of a truly great photographer. his thumb and my studly calves frame the road in front of the Bobbie mural

Sister Beach Time

So last weekend (or the weekend before, I can't remember as time is flying by)...Rachel came for a weekend to visit & have some vacation. I arranged for us to spend two nights, three days on the coast. If you watched the previous beach post, you know the weather karma was "raining" upon me...this trip turned out a bit better...these are Rachel's feet on our deck.

Rachel tells me this is the standard "My Space" picture, where someone holds out the camera and takes a picture of themselves...in this case what a great background!

This is one of the best pictures we have taken...third time is a charm!!

Sun + Beach+ Oregon=Miracle...for confirmation, see previous ocean post pictures!!

Rachel in front of a big rock at Cape Kiawanda near Tillamook...what you can't tell is that she is standing in front of a Suburban which is parked on the beach...very strange!

We had a great time together and I am looking forward to it being an annual tradition.

Love from Oregon, Sarah

Papa's House Progress

So Papa just sent this picture of his new house from the east side of the property. We are so excited that it is moving so quickly. Here's to the first family celebration in it...we miss you Papa!!

The Beach

So leave it to us to go to the beach on the only day in the past few weeks that it rained...so we had to bundle up...but we had the whole beach to ourselves...

Mateo is sporting a hat from the "Cole O." store...and holding one of his favorite boats. It is still leaving sand everywhere we take it.

Mateo has this love for small places...he is standing in a hole here...and loving it.

As you can see, I was way covered...rain hat with sweatshirt hood on over the top, under a blanket...which was pooling with water. Needless to say, I only lasted about 45 minutes until I had enough...

This is on the beach outside of Mo's Restaurant in Lincoln City...which is where we landed to have some chowder and warm Mama's very cold bones.

Later that same week, Rachel came for a visit and we went back to the beach for some sister bonding. The weather was only slightly better...but we had a great visit. She has some pictures on her camera which I will try to post if she sends them to me! :)

Love from Oregon, Sarah & the family

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Today we went to the "Steam-up" in Brooks, a town about 20 minutes away. It's at an attraction called the Antique Powerland (http://www.antiquepowerland.com) It's a pretty remarkable state-fairground-sized place that hosts a number of independent museums, displays and a layout of model, rideable railways. They all seem to be powered by the efforts of hordes of volunteer collectors and hobbyists. We lived in Silverton for 5 years without realizing this place existed; When I lived in Portland, every time I drove down to my sister's home in Eugene, my regular 'pit stop' was the truck stop just across the street. No clue it was there. We're glad we know now. They host the "Steam-up" for two weekends each summer and we had a great time. There are loads of antique tractors, trucks, trains, and basically every historical steam, gas and deisel apparatus you can imagine. We even got home-made ice cream made with a steam-powered churn! There was a big parade of historic tractors, which you can see on the video. The little steam tractor at the top is from 1912. It's not a restored model. The guy driving it drove it when he was a boy on his family's farm and has owned it ever since. He's in his 90's. He just maintains it and takes it out of the barn for the Steam-up. Sarah and Mateo are posing in front of some of the other antiques. And also riding on the miniature trains. There was a huge 'small engine' exhibition area but Mateo enjoyed most using the hand pumps next to the pumping engine displays - and of course playing with trucks and tractors in the sand box.

-Matt