Four street scenes all within fifty yards of NE 15th and Fremont, expose Portland’s big beating quirky heart:
The first to catch my eye in a thirty-second span is a hand-painted sign on a rickety weathered fence: We Love People. Another sign, this one on a post outside a Starbucks, had read: No Skate Boarding. Someone has erased the “N” and inked in “G.” Sauntering past is a young woman dressed as if winter’s arrived, down to a woolly hat with fluffy flaps and rabbit ears that are pink inside. The finale is a can collector pushing a grocery cart laden with the day’s haul. He belts out a soulful song, though his jolly mood appears artificially induced.
Despite the rain, my day suddenly looked brighter.
