Read all about it. Here.

go look if you like

It has begun. The rain is falling. It will not stop until next may. We know this, and are strangely fine with it.
Winter has descended on Portland, and like any good mammal, we begin hibernation and a lifestyle change.

What sorts of change? Well, in the summer we are used to long days, an abundance of sunshine, and warm weather. Our winter means that the sun goes down at five-o-clock. This means if you are lucky you get ten hours of sun, which comes on the heels of over fourteen hours a day during summer. So what is our response? We hide. In our homes, pubs, theatres, bistros, it does not matter. We feel the need to hide. If we do go outside, it is to get food and go back in.

Also, because of the warmer weather in summer, we walk and bike nearly everywhere and lounge about on patios, decks, and sidewalks. In the winter we will walk, but only short distances, so as to not get too soggy. Bicycling becomes a practice for the brave, and occasionally foolhardy. So how does our bohemian, European city get from here to there? Mass transit. Oh yes indeed. The bus is a humid, cramped, drying machine for the damp masses. It sails down flooded streets, sending up a wake onto the sidewalk like some wheeled boat of the road. The train has a permanently wet floor, and we stand far away from the doors. When we walk, it is without umbrellas, as those set you apart as a foreigner, and usually a hat or hood to protect yourself from the constant drizzle.

We use these transit choices to get to hiding spots. Pubs are nice. You can get a beer there to warm up, some soup or fries to help you dry out, and conversation to help you forget that it's been dark for hours already, and the sun won't show for another month or two. Movies are good, also. You can use them as a sort of transporter to warm dry climates. Or places with aliens or talking animals, if that's what you're into. One of our favourite things this time of year is music. We will dance, sing, or sit and absorb, but it is there nearly everywhere you walk into. It keeps you sane.

Finally, we must add a heavy layer of insulating fat. So we eat every chance we can. Cheap food, such as burritos from the local taqueria, Medium priced food, like a big bowl of pasta with winter veggies. A fancy meal of beautiful and delicious treats. It is nearly inconsequential. Our bellies must be filled.


This is how Portland copes. This is how we deal. This is my beautiful town in the winter. I'm glad it's here, and that it will go away in a few months. But mostly, it is nice to see it again. For some unknown reason, I've missed it.