WELL SAID: “Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.” — Malcolm Forbes
WELL DONE: Produce man Carlos Alvorado from Rosauers’ deals with social distance reality by wearing a sign on his back reading: “10 Miles Apart: My Charm May Be Contagious. No Carlos Hugs Until Further Notice.”
LITTER-ATURE: Have those light-blue disposable masks overtaken plastic bags hung in trees as our most ubiquitous form of litter?
WORDS OF WISDOM: At a recent 301 Gallery exhibit, Hood River artist Tassie Mack stated via one of her paintings, some words for our time: “Winning will depend on not wanting other people to lose.”
MIXED NEWS: Sign at Mt. Hood Town Hall: “Cans and Bottles Full Until Thursday ...” Container receipts are a major source of revenue for the community center during the pandemic.
SURF WAGONS REDUX: Custom vehicles seen in Hood River that are unrelated but similar in their ways: A Ford van with Alaska plates, hand-painted with “Adventure Is Out There” and the house and massive balloon bunch from the Pixar film “Up.” Then, a Tiger trailer with a hand-painted “Terrapin Station” train depot image, guitar and amplifier waiting on the platform. Are those two images really all that different? It was 50 years ago that the Grateful Dead brought us “Workingman’s Dead” and the song “High Time” with its great line, “Nothing’s for certain, it could always go wrong/Come in when it’s raining, go on out when it’s gone ...”
SOLO TOGETHER: In the north fence of Mosier Community School, someone left the message “WE (Heart) U MCS XO” by arranging red Solo cups in an affirming message to the school. There was also a bonus message on the same fence: A vinyl sign reading “Thank You Firefighters.”
SEEN AND HEARD (and smelled):
Wall Dogs creating new murals in mural-rich downtown The Dalles ...
Pregnant woman, engrossed on her phone, walking mask-less into Rosauers, where an employee gestured toward her face, causing the woman to smile and do a 180-back to her car, all the while still talking ...
Woman comes into her office, makes several calls at her desk and nearly a half-hour later wonders aloud to co-workers why it is so dark in the room, then says, ”Oh, I still have my dark glasses on!”
Used beer glasses etched with lace-like markings tucked away behind a wall at a pub ...
“My Dog Digs Hood River” car decal ...
Book titled “Divorce Your Car” in windshield of a car parked in downtown Hood River ...
Restroom “Sea and Sand” air freshener scented not of the elements but suntan lotion ...
And just what would Little Trees air freshener “Black Ice” scent actually smell like? ...
“Please knock for service. Or just do a dance in the window/ 10 percent off your bill if that dance is really cool” — sign at Dirty Fingers bike shop
“I want to find out who’s living in my basement.” — customer at G. Williker’s Toy Shoppe, while the man was buying a Ouija board, an item the shop always keeps well-stocked in early fall.
COOL MEMORIES: In the previous edition of The Porch, the topic of “jam” events at Fourth and State sort of slighted the more recent events there, such as last summer’s “Freestyle Rap and Skate Battle” held in the forecourt of Oak Street Pub.
— Kirby Neumann-Rea
What is The Porch? An occasional set of reveries about the humorous, unexpected and offbeat pieces of community that don’t have to go unnoticed. Seen or heard something to share? Set a spell on The Porch and send it to kirbyn@gorgenews,com.
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