Visitors Welcome at R2DToo
City of Portland commissioner, Randy Leonard (center), made a visit to Right 2 Dream Too with camp organizers Mike Dee (left) and Ibrahim Mubarak (right) after a meeting at city hall to discuss the future of the relationship between R2DToo and the city.
Tony Checks Out the Library
I hadn't even made it a block away from Pedicabs, where the Street Books trike sleeps, when I stopped to meet Tony. He was intrigued by the mobile library concept, and he even found a book that fit the bill for him. See you in Old Town, Tony!
The Dragon Tattoo Makes the Rounds
Raylene returned The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo first thing this morning. It is one of our most circulated books. She wants to finish the other Street Books title she is reading before she takes another, but she said she will look for Laura on Wednesday. See you then, Raylene.
Betty, a Woman of Faith
Betty stopped by Street Books while I was stationed at 4th and Burnside today. Recently, the Right 2 Dream Too camp donated two bibles and this books of Psalms...much to Betty's delight. She was on her way to work at the Portland Rescue Mission.
A New Patron with a Thirst for Patterson
Trish isn't the only Street books patron who loves to read James Patterson's books. She was thrilled to see one she hadn't read yet. She also chose to take The 8th Confession, though she confesses she's already read it. She told me it had been a long time and she was looking forward to rereading it as much as digging into a new book.
J.C. Took Three
J.C. was passing the time on the waterfront listening to his transistor radio when we met today. He said the cold dry weather is better for him than the warmer, rainy weather. There ain't no replacing the sun he told me. As I pedaled away, he was already cracking the spine on one of his three selections.
William Hails Street Books for Curbside Service
I wasn't quite sure, but as I was pedaling through Old Town, I thought perhaps this fellow was flagging me down. He was a block and a half away and waving his arms all the while moving toward me. I made my way over to him and sure enough, he was flagging me down. "I have some books to return to you," he said. He traded two fantasy books he had borrowed last week for two more. Plenty more where those came from. See you next week, William!
Bentley Is Writing a Book of His Own
He lit up when he saw a Webster's Dictionary on the cart. "This is what I need," he said. He is writing his memoirs and with no computer, that means he is doing it the old fashioned way. We hope to have a copy of your book to loan to others one day, Bentley.
Derek Returned a Few and Took a New
I had stopped the library as I was pedaling through Old Town to meet up with a patron who was waving me down. As we were standing there, Derek came up to me and said, "I have been looking for you. I've got some books to return." We agreed to rendezvous at the Right 2 Dream Too camp in a few moments, where Derek made his returns and took a new book with him.
Erneste Was Looking for Non-Fiction
He settled on a classic science fiction book instead. A bit a of a departure from his usual choice of reading material, but he said he has always wanted to expand his mind. Issac Asimov should help with that.
Cascadas Crane Will Be Back Again
Cascadas loves to read. She asked me, "You know how you feel when you love an author and you think you have read everything he or she has ever written, only to find there is a book that you missed? That happened to me TWICE today!" She said she would be back next week. Until then, happy reading.
D.P. Loves Street Books
In fact, he seemed ready to jump into the library...literally. He browsed the cart for quite a while until he found the perfect book.
Pamela Got Her Poetry
It's been a while since we'd seen Pamela, so it was very exciting to hear her holler "Hey Book Lady!" as I biked past Skidmore Fountain. I had two books we'd been holding for her, both poetry: Selected Poems of Gwendolyn Brooks, and Ultra-Marine, by Raymond Carver. Since our patrons live outside, rarely have cell phones or mailboxes, it's hard to maintain communication with them, and it makes every meeting, especially chance ones, even more miraculous. This fall/winter has been very cold, and we're not seeing as many of our regulars on the street. We hope that's because they've secured shelter, but we still miss seeing them week to week. Here's to Pamela, to hoping she enjoys the poetry, and that she stays warm this holiday season.
Justus Chose Ken Kesey
It's hard to resist One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Justus said he'd seen the movie, but had been meaning to read the book for years. I told him I'd been to Kesey's farm years back, and had a chance to meet and talk with him. We both agreed he's a gem.
Billi Got His Harry Potter!
He's been patiently waiting for a copy of Prisoner of Azkaban, and he was very glad to get it.
James Took Two
He said that one of the titles is a book he started in jail, but wasn't able to finish. He was glad to find it in the Street Books library.
An Event & An Ailing Patron
We'll start with the ailing patron. One of our most faithful readers is Eric, a slight man in his 70s, who's been checking out books since June. If you follow this blog, you will know him by his cowboy boots, bolo tie, his One Way: Jesus baseball cap. He was also featured on KGW's channel 8 news, when Sue presented him with a pair of cowboy boots donated by a Street Books supporter. Eric has had a rough go of it lately, with pneumonia and heart problems that resulted in a recent hospitalization. He's currently got a week or two at a motel downtown, but he is weak and not eating well. A small group of people from Right2Dream, plus Sue Zalokar and I from Street Books are checking in on him and taking him meals. Our hope is that he'll soon have guaranteed shelter and can really rest and heal. We'll keep you posted. Keep him in your thoughts. The Event: Street Books is pleased to announce a book drive in conjunction with Ecotrust's annual bake sale to benefit the Raphael House. It's a great opportunity to come unload some paperbacks, and eat a tasty baked good. We'd love to meet you in person, or say hello to old friends.
Date: Thursday, December 15. 11-4 pm
Location: Ecotrust building, Atrium: 721 NW 9th Avenue (9th & Johnson)
More details here.
Thanks everybody, and hope to see you there.
Billi Caught a Fish
Went fishing with a friend, who bought him a fishing license, and though he didn't technically hook the fish himself, he says his friend let him reel it in. Street Books volunteer Amy Bradley was there, and said it made her think of Elizabeth Bishop's poem, called "The Fish." The fish in her poem ("battered and venerable and homely"), has a happier ending than Billi's fish. It's well worth the read.
