Keep Oregon Weird

I have been delegated Lindsey's blog for the night.  She is just too busy, tired or something.  I do admire her keeping a daily blog for a year and a half now.

Today was a business meeting in Portland, Oregon.  I left early in the morning for the airport and just returned.  The meeting was well, but what I enjoy about Oregon the most is the people.  There are bumper stickers that say "keep Oregon weird".  Amen - keep it weird.  It is really one of the coolest, weird places in the country.  When we lived in Eugene, Oregon about ten years ago, we noticed the wonderful weirdness.

One day I was riding my bike to the bus station to get to the university when a car stalled.  About 10 people immediately stopped their bikes and cars, and helped this individual get their car to the side of the road.  Where else can you arrive to a work meeting and half the people are soaked from head to foot from riding their bike in the rain as well.  Where can you see someone in the grocery store and quack at them and get a quack back.  Where else can you go to see ducks walking down the street?  (BTW - ducks are my favorite animal).

When I visit Portland on business, I can fly there in the early morning, grab the train at the airport, be downtown in 30 minutes, back on the train after and home on the early evening flight.  Honestly, what a high functioning city, beautifully green and again, wonderfully weird people.  I think I had the best gyro in my life today for lunch in Old Town Portland.  About half way into the gyro it kept slipping out of its wrapper and getting everywhere.  I asked the cashier for a fork and knife so I could eat it. The owner/chef of the place overhead me and came out from the back frustrated saying, "you are supposed to wrap it, let me show you".  She proceeded to wrap the gyro again tightly and then put aluminum foil around it showing me how to rip it off and eat it.  The demonstration was so wonderfully weird.

I was in a souvenir store in the Portland airport and saw a t-shirt with the saying "keep Oregon weird" again.  I looked up and the cashier was staring at me with a blank look, wearing a green T that said the same phrase and sporting a beard that would make the Boston Red Sox jealous.  He said, "keep it weird man".  I reciprocated and left smiling.  I had to leave Oregon at that moment for a plane, but I hope that when I return, it is still weird.