This airport regularly features pictures of young kids (I could find kids from 7 years to 16 years old) who want to be adopted by a family. This is thanks to the efforts of an organization called ForeeverFamily.org.
Pro photographers work pro bono to take pictures of the kids and write up short stories about the kids and they are then put out in this airport.
Great effort.
Which airport?
Strolling along inside the airport, I came across this nice corridor with the aesthetic carpeting (which is a rarity for an airport), a beautiful art work and the long wall portraits of a few people.
Where am I?
Here is a hint – those pictures are of: Brent Jones, Dave Righetti, Tim Brown, Walter A. Haas Jr., Bob Ladouceur, Bob Lurie, Tony La Russa, Owen Nolan, Jim Hines, Jonny Moseley, Dusty Baker, Barry Bonds, Roger Maltbie, Franklin Mieuli, Anne Warner Cribbs, Jeff Kent, Peter Magowan, Mitch Richmond and Raymond Chester.
As I walked along the corridor, I noticed something on the wall that looked like a long metal box with serrated holes cut in. Curious, I walked towards it and realized that it is actually a board that has the art work of young kids from different countries like Croatia, Ecuador, US, Iran and so on. Each one of those openings are actually envelope flaps and if you open any of them, you will see a water color card made by a young school kid!!
Amazing smorgasbord of young kids’ imaginations!!!
Where am I?
This morning, I woke up early, skipped my first coffee, changed into my running clothes and went out to my rental car to head out to the spot I wanted to run from today. Last night, I had scoped out the area – there was beach about 17 minutes away and thru satellite pictures, I had spotted where I would be parking my car.
Plugged that spot in Google maps this morning and Siri said in 17 minutes I would be there. Fair enough.
After about 4 minutes or so, Siri declared that she had found an alternate path that would save me 6 minutes!! That was even more “fair enough”. If I can save 12 minutes going up and down, I can put in an extra mile or perhaps just sit in the beach and take in the beauty of the huge lake.
I did get a little suspicious about how there could be such a faster route. I had studied the map the previous day well enough to realize that something was wrong. At the next traffic light, I picked up the phone and zoomed out to see how Google Maps would cut down on my time.
And that is when I realized that it would save me 6 minutes out of 13 by simply not taking me to where I wanted to go. Siri was proposing to drop me at a completely random place!!
Check out the grey route (used to show alternate routes). It even says 7 minutes faster. Except it ends nowhere close to the end point marker as you can see way up in the map!!!
I guess it pays to do your homework. Either both Siri and I skipped coffee this morning or she has some devious designs on me 🙂
We were all getting ready to board the United Airways flight from Denver to Chicago. Frequent flyers already know this – but UA has one of the better methods for boarding people – separate queues for separate zones. Avoids the massive confusion that results when boarding starts on a Delta or American flight.
Suddenly the elderly lady at the boarding gate came on the Public Address system and announced: “I have a book that somebody left at the counter. If it is yours, please come over and collect it. It is titled…”, she peered over her nose thru her reading glasses and announced “The Seamy Side of Denver”.
We were all smiling and grinning as she leafed thru a few pages. And then came back onto the PA system and further announced “…and when you come here to pick it up, we need to talk”. Then she looked at the crowd over her reading glasses.
All we could hear were peals of laughter all around us!!! Needless to say, nobody stepped forward!!!
When I go to our Corvallis office, I usually come back the same day without staying overnight. Coming in from Phoenix to Portland and then driving to Corvallis this time, I was sure I would be too tired to drive back to Portland. So, I stayed back. Which meant, I had some extra time in the evening than normal.
That was a great excuse to go check out a local gin distillery and get a better idea about the whole distillation process. You may recollect that this year, my goal is to research and learn about gins as much as I can. Previously, I had looked up a distillery nearby but their website said they were open for visits only every other Saturday or “whenever you see our car in front of the distillery”. But our local office leader – Kris – had talked to them beforehand and convinced them to open it for a visit for me that evening.
It was a great trip. Got to know the owner Caitlin Prueitt. Missed her husband Chris Neumann. They had together started the distillery barely six years back. In fact, this might still be the only woman owned distillery in Oregon. Caitlin took me thru the backside of the distillery and thanks to her patient explanation, got to see first hand how gin is made.
The copper still was impressive. She named it “Jules Verne”. You can see it in the picture. She uses corn to produce the base ethanol and then adds junipers and other botanicals before using steam to start the distillation process. I was a little surprised by the height and size of the column. If I remember correctly, condensing thru the column ( I think it is called continuous distilling or something like that) was a big innovation in alcohol making since it reduced the number of distillations you have to do and yet have higher proof alcohol with less impurities.
I was curious about how long the whole process took. 2 to 3 days apparently. Since this is a contemporary style gin, it is ready to be collected and bottled and does not have to be aged or anything in barrels. She makes two different gins – Banker’s (this was named for the manager of the local bank that gave them the loan to get this started) and Native (which has predominantly botanicals and herbs from Oregon. 14 out of 17, I believe).
Anand and I tasted both of them and we both thought the Native was more flavorful and burst into juniper and citric aromas more boldly. I got a bottle of each and now I have left them to their fate in the hands of the those gentle and delicate folks at the airlines Shove The Baggage department 🙂 🙂
Sitting at the corner in a restaurant in Portland, I was having lunch with Tobin – an office colleague. We were going thru some business reviews when I looked up from our discussions to check the outside and saw an unique sight. As you see in the picture – there was a gentleman walking by us in what I would not even call a kilt – that is a skirt, fair and square. All pink in color! No less!
Tobin, who also saw what I saw made a quick hash of the question I did not even get to actually ask – “Ah! yes! We keep Portland weird”.
In any case, eventually, we had to order food. I was glancing up and down the menu and something caught my eye. After we placed our orders, I showed Tobin what caught my eye. As you see in the picture, it was about The Unipiper. Google “The Unipiper” or look up in Youtube. You will learn about a young guy who has been on national TV who goes around the city in a unicycle (those are the one that have only one wheel!!) playing a bagpipe usually dressed up in his Scottish kilts and a Darth Vader mask!! And sometimes he blows fire from the bagpipes!!!
After lunch, Tobin and I walked back to office and as I entered the office for the next set of meetings, I ran into Brian at the door. “Hey, Brian. How are you?”, I said. “Good, good. And you, Rajib?”. “Pretty good myself”… etc etc etc
So you are wondering what has this got to do with anything? Brian IS The Unipiper! We actually are teammates!!
How often do you read about your teammates in a menu card at a restaurant?
Totally cool. And weird. It is Portland, after all!!
… when you wake up at 3:45am, quickly get ready, rush to the airport, go to the gate and realize you misread the departure time by a clear hour and a half!!
Funny part is when I checked in my bag, as I was exchanging pleasantries with the lady at the desk, she asked “How are you?”. And I said “Way too early”. And she said “Better late than sorry”. I grinned and said “I know”. Actually, I did not know what she was talking about. I was thinking she would sympathize that I had to wake up way too early and might suggest a coffee or something.
Now I know!! Ah! At least, it is Friday.
