Life in Portland, 2008

Click on any of the little pictures to see it at normal size. Click on the '=0=' after the picture to see it in giant size (about 2 minutes to download on dialup connection and larger than screen size). This could be useful if you wanted to really look at one part of the picture or to make a print.

They have a new employee at the Restore, Tessa. She is part time for now. They are hoping that she will be able to drive the truck in case a volunteer driver cancels, so she went out with me to learn and practice (driving one of the easier legs of the route, though the last time we tried that she ended up driving all through the Pearl District, an older district now turning up-scale, but with very narrow and busy roads, when we took a wrong turn. I kept telling her to just take it slow and careful, but then I was careless and went a couple of feet off the driveway at a pick up. Doh! That is a good way to ruin an afternoon. It really wasn't that bad, though it did delay us more than four hours altogether.
Norm lifted the front end and moved it onto the driveway and then pulled the truck about three feet forward (with me turning in as much as I could) which was enough to get the back wheel back on the driveway. Then I drove the truck forward to be beside his tow truck (thank goodness the driveway was wide there). Everyone was most patient about the troubles and it was nice visiting with Tessa and the home owner, Dave. I was sad about the bill (#259.25, yikes) and the damage to the lawn. Above is the larger pit left by the rear wheels and here is the hole from the front wheel (but up closer and showing the damaged sprinkler system). I didn't have my camera with me, but Tess took pictures of the damage with her phone which reminded me that I had my phone with me. Doh! But it reminded me that I could take pictures with my phone and I did with these pictures (they aren't as good as my camera could take, but are better than nothing).
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Later that week I they had their monthly Third Thursday Beer Nite get together at Produce Row Cafe. I worked from home that day but came by after dropping off a dead monitor at the C.R.E.A.M. (Computer Reuse And Marketing Program operated at the Jail Work Center just beyond the Vancouver Port). As C.R.E.A.M. closed at 4PM, I got to the ReStore early and took some more pictures. They closed at 5PM and people didn't head over until 5:30PM. Above is the main entrance to the ReStore. After a donation run, I back the truck into the middle bay and find the loading dock via the braille method (trying to gently nudge the loading dock so that there is only a little gap between the truck and the dock as large gaps invite injury by the people unloading the truck). Next to that is the toilet section with a sign from a previous occupant, a wine merchant I presume. Here and below are pictures from the basement area where they are now displaying the furniture that they receive. Here are big stacks of new cabinet fronts (very nice) and below are sections with the furniture.	=0=
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Molly is another of the part time staff at the ReStore. Above are pictures as she worked the cash register. Here is a picture of Joe (at the BeerNite). He now runs the ReStore, but mostly leaves the day to day operations to Jane, Darin, Molly, and Tess. Below is a picture of Tess at the BeerNite (she normally doesn't work at the ReStore on Thursdays, but had instead worked cleaning houses so was able to change into nicer clothes before turning out). Would you believe that early on I had once gotten Molly and Tess confused (but after only having seen Tess a couple of times and never having met Molly and after a couple of week gap). Also below is Joe and his wife Colleen.	=0=
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Here is another picture of Tess and click here). When I got home that evening I parked my car. When I next wanted to use it on Saturday morning (Feb 23, 2008) to go a breakfast, it was gone. Yikes! My car had been stolen. It was recovered with no problem. I wanted to take pictures of the events, but my camera battery was discharged (I forgot to charge it) and I forgot that my phone has a camera. Doh! So, there are no pictures and it turned into yet another rambling tale (all words, no pictures). As I already had a rambling tale about challenges, which starts with the tale of my stolen car and problems.	=0=
This is another of the volunteer drivers, Ahtio, who drives Tuesdays. However, he just got a Monday to Friday job, so we may be competing for the Saturday drives. Jane and Eben were just to my right, but I had gotten picctures of them previously.	=0=
When I drive to pick up donations, I often go out with a different crew. It is nice to meet and work with new people. Here I am with Russ and and his son, Roman. They are both programmers and it was great fun chatting as picked up the different items.