Guardians

Spotted some photographs so stopped serendipitously into Blue Sky - the Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts and was blown away by Andy Freeberg's Guardians, photos of the women who sit in Russian art museums superintending works of art. The photos were tacked unframed to the walls which added to their appeal for MAD. It sort of felt as if each of these women was opening her personal space to me.


Downtown Portland was packed on Saturday morning. Nowhere to eat breakfast without a big long line - something for which MAD has no patience. Firebird Cafe's food trailer was open at the Saturday Market. Breakfast was available there with wonderful coffee - a special blend created and roasted for them. The market stalls were a combination of Berkeley and Adams -Morgan with a little Buffalo thrown in.


Back in the Rose Garden Arena, Purdue beat Washington much to the disappointment of one of the best crowds MAD and MR. MAD have experienced at the NCAA first weekend games. Then Gonzaga beat Western Kentucky with a great ending.

More games tonight. MAD has to go watch.

Following the Tournament with MAD

No museum today or this week. Well maybe not any museums at all. Sorry about that.

But lots of good stuff.

In Portland, Oregon for the Round One and Two of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Since we've never been in Portland before we got here a few days early to see the sights.

Arrived on Monday and headed straight to Powell's City of Books which was in the nature of a pilgrimage for MAD. I would have liked to stay there overnight, but a room was waiting at the Hotel Monaco and Powell's doesn't take overnight guests.

Tuesday we rented a car to drive east to the Columbia River Gorge. Got to see Multnomah Falls and 70 year old Herman the Sturgeon who lives at the 100 year old Bonneville Fish Hatchery. Saw a lot of rain too.

Kept the car on Wednesday and drove west to the coast where we visited Allie Evans and her children. Allie is the daughter of MAD's dear friend Dede and it was a thrill for MAD to meet Dede's grandchildren. We walked to the Pacific Ocean from Allie's house and enjoyed the freshness of the air and calmness of the beach on a weekday in March.



Thursday the games started.
Pudue beat Northern Iowa.
Washington beat Mississippi State
Gonzaga beat Akron
Western Kentucky beat Illinois.

The Illinois team and hangers-on were staying at our hotel, so we saw a lot of sad faces when we got back after a detour to Voodoo Doughnuts.

Maybe a museum tomorrow but in the meantime I gotta go watch basketball.

Fill out your own brackets.