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Thoughts I’m Thinking

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A few random thoughts that are on my mind today:

1. The Portland Timbers rolled to an emphatic victory beating Minnesota United FC 5-1 on the rainy Friday night season opener. The Timbers scored their first goal early in the game and added another early in the second half. The Loons pulled one back in the 79th minute before Portland blew the doors off at the end. Minnesota conceded a penalty kick in the 82nd minute that the Timbers converted. Portland then scored two more goals in stoppage time. “Let it rain, let it pour; let the Portland Timbers score.”

2. Along with most Portlanders, I’m over this winter. It’s still cold, it’s still raining, and it’s still technically winter, but from the meteorological perspective it’s now spring. I’ll take it. This was the coldest winter in Portland in 38 years. The mean average temperature was 37.1 degrees. Brrrr. We had four snow events in the city, and the official snowfall total was 11.2 inches. It was also the wettest February in Portland history. We had 10.34 inches of rainfall at Portland International Airport last month. Whether we’ve needed sleds or boats to get around town this winter, enough already! Bring on the vitamin D!

3. It’s race season in Alaska. The Iditarod gets underway with Saturday’s ceremonial start in Anchorage, but climate change is affecting the race again. There isn’t enough snowfall on parts of the trail — in Alaska — for Monday’s competitive start to take place in Willow, so the starting line has been moved more than 220 miles north to Fairbanks. This is the second time the race has been moved in three years. Mushers cross the finish line in Nome later this month where it’s definitely still winter. Saturday’s projected high is 14 degrees.

4. Sorry, GOP, but this Russia thing is not going away. The question is will it be a Benghazi, meaning there is nothing there in regard to misconduct, or will it be a Watergate, meaning there’s malfeasance that brings down a presidency? The Magic 8-Ball replies, “Cannot predict now.” Apparently there is too much smoke in Washington to get a clear read on the situation.

5. One of my favorite coastal inns has closed. The Lightkeeper’s Inn Bed and Breakfast in Newport, Oregon is for sale. This gorgeous home features a panoramic view of Yaquina Bay from each of its five bedrooms and the great room. Built in 2007, the 4,457 square foot house sits on a bluff on the west side of the bayfront. The list price is only $798,000. Who wants to be my benefactor on this? Cash or check only, please.

Townhome Gardening

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Last summer I was working difficult hours and didn’t have the inclination to do any gardening at our house. With the big change a month ago came the desire to spruce up our concrete with a little color.

Yes, concrete. My wife and I live in a townhome with very little garden space. What little space is available gets planted and maintained by our homeowners association. We do have a fair amount of concrete between the home and the garden space, and that is what I use to add color to the otherwise drab gray.

With the exception of last year, each May I have my mom over and we plan what we’re going to plant. We make a trip out to Al’s Garden Center and then come home with a few treasures that are aching for quality soil. It’s a fun mother-son outing, and she enjoys it quite a bit. Mom is a green thumb and always has helpful advice.

The front porch gets morning sun and the back of the house gets hot afternoon sun. There’s little room to plant much in the back, but I do grow a tomato plant there with excellent results.

Mom and I got together on May 18 to plant this summer’s color bowls. Below are a few pictures of what we did followed by progress photos taken yesterday, June 29. Everything is looking good, but I caught a few of these plants between blooms:

We’ve had a fair amount of rain over the past six weeks. We’re currently experiencing some sun and heat, which will help growth. I’ll post more pictures mid-summer.

Hylton Family Movie Stars

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Sixty-two years ago Harry Truman was president, the Korean War was starting, Goodnight Irene was a number one hit song, All About Eve was in theaters, and the Hylton family was making its mark in a small independent film.

This past Christmas I received an interesting gift from my parents — specifically my father. It was a DVD titled, The Basket of Blessing, by Evangel Films. I had quite the bewildered look on my face and asked what the DVD was all about. I was a bit shocked to learn that my father, uncle and grandparents were cast in a religious movie in 1950 — family trivia that never trickled down to the next generation!

Evangel Films was a professional company with a Portland area studio. My grandparents had a family friend who somehow got them connected with the film project. The Basket of Blessing was a telling of the Gospel story where Jesus fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. The movie also had a present day crossover. My dad didn’t remember a lot about the movie’s production except that it took months to film, and he got out of school when the family worked on it. He did recall that the grass he walked on in a scene was sharp and hurt his feet.

The director finished the project just before dying in a plane crash, so it was close to never being seen. The film was distributed to churches and missions around the country, and apparently my father became a bit famous in church circles when people realized he was the little boy in the movie. The film was also one of the first of its kind that was in color.

My grandmother died in 1995, and shortly thereafter my grandfather sold the family home in Portland’s Irvington neighborhood. My parents thought they had taken a copy of the film from the house before it was sold but realized later that wasn’t the case. My dad somehow found a link on the internet in 2012 and discovered the movie was for sale on DVD. So, he purchased a few copies for family members. Since Christmas, I happened upon the movie on YouTube. It was uploaded by the son of the former owner of Evangel Films.

For me, it was an emotional viewing of the DVD. I watched my grandparents as young people — probably in their mid-30s — with the same mannerisms I remember them having years later. I saw my father, who is now 70, at eight years old and noticed the strong resemblance I have to him — 21 years before I was born! I also got to see my uncle at a very young age. Plus, the studio used lots of props from the family home. I recognized furniture, curtains, toys and beds that were still around when I was a child. Talk about a nostalgia trip! I could practically smell my grandmother’s perfume again.

So, I now present the one time our family was in a professionally produced movie. While the performances were a bit stilted, Dad said it was much worse when they were rehearsing. It took a long time for them to get as natural looking and sounding as they were on film. Enjoy a bit of Hylton family history in this 10-minute film short…

By the way, Dad is the earnest little boy at my grandfather’s knee in the present day portion of the movie and the child with the basket of food later in the film. I’m happy to say the fame never went to his head.