Humans of PDX

This man has worked as a volunteer tour guide on Oregon Museum of Science and Technology’s submarine, the U.S.S. Blueback since 1995. A navy veteran who worked on similar submarines himself, he finds solace in spending time in the familiar setting, sharing stories with fellow vets.

“Get a group of us old sub guys together for some coffee, and it’s a lot of laughs,” he said, chuckling. “We love telling old sea stories, which is just a navy term for lies.”

Despite being on board a sub during multiple torpedo strikes from communist ships, he shows little signs of negativity towards his four-year navy stint.

“There were bad times [in the navy], sure, but also a lot of good times too. So many fond memories.,” he said. “It’s good for the heart.”

This guy was relaxing with a group of friends in a park after participating in partnered tai-chi. The sun was out, the day was young.

“Usually there’s a guy who leads the tai chi sessions in the mornings here,” he said, scanning the lawn. “But it looks like it was just us today. We’ve been coming here long enough.”

He’s a Zoo Bomb regular (and reminded me that today is its 10th anniversary) and had horns made out of tin foil stuck to is helmet left from a previous “tin foil bike ride.”

“This is my only form of transportation, well this — and my feet,” he said, heartily patting his bike frame. “Haven’t needed anything else for a while.”

This woman had been painting the St. Johns bridge for five hours straight. The canvas looked finished and beautiful, but she was still focused on adding the final touches.

“It’s such a beautiful bridge, I must do it justice,” she said, with a sweep of the brush.

After moving to Portland from Mexico years ago, she had fallen in love with the variety of architecture and wildlife to capture across the region.

“I love painting outdoors in Portland, especially on days like these,” she said. “Just look at it.”

This gal was stopping by her house in town to pick up a few essentials (wallet, iPhone, cat mask) before heading to the Mt. Hood wilderness for a trans/women retreat.

“This is the third year. Each time it’s been bigger and better,” she said. “Just having fun up in the woods.”

But, she says, the end result is some sort of action to be revealed on Monday.

“Who knows what it’ll be yet, it’ll be figured out this weekend. Should be big, though!”

This guy frequents the sidewalk outside of the Powell’s bookstore on Hawthorne, selling his intricate pen-point pieces of art inspired by eastern and cosmic ideas. He also uses the sidewalk as his public studio.

“I’ve learned to have a high tolerance for sound pollution,” he said, as a fire truck screamed by. “I’m so used to it, it’s sometimes odd when I’m in a quiet spot. I expect unexpected loud noises at all times!”

While he’s always meeting new folks and seeing interesting sights on the streets, he says his inspiration solely comes from his mind.

“There’s enough going on up here to work from,” he said, tapping his head.

This gal was locking her bike up in Sellwood before heading to her friend’s boat on the Willamette. “Is it a big boat? A sailboat?”

“No, no,” she laughed. “Just an old rowboat — or whatever you call them. We’re just going to float around and jump in the water.”

Clad in bright clothing (with an equally bright bike), she was glowing with excitement for her afternoon plans and overall exuberance for the season.

“Summer in Portland. Doesn’t really get any better.”

This guy plays soccer regularly with his friends at a far northeast park. He’s Guatemalan, but has lived up in Oregon for years — first to find work, and now to get an education. His English is flawless.

“It’s fun to let steam off in the evenings here. A lot of these guys have stressful days, especially in the summer when there’s work to compete for, so this helps us relax. “

A handful of his friends play, some watch on the sidelines and joke around, others nap in the shade and wait.

“We would do this all day if we could.”

Leathery, orange skin and patriotic shorts. This guy was taking a break from biking down the Eastbank Esplanade with his “boss,” a 20-something blonde, equally tanned gal, by posing suggestively in these shorts, doling out compliments to passersby. The hook?

“One day I looked in the mirror and said, ‘I can look better than this.’ So I started working out. And here I am! Here, it looks like you need my card [read: NOT A CARD, but a postcard with him on it]. Maybe we can work out together in the future.”

America.

This woman was handing out a slew of information about Chinatown, straight from her wheeled bucket. Her honest exuberance about the neighborhood shone through her cheery conversational attitude (along with the stacks of brochures).

“Right 2 Dream Too [the nearby homeless tent city] is honestly the Homeowners Association of Chinatown. They get so much more done than a real HOA, it’s amazing!”

She also explained how the Pearl District has an up-and-coming emergency toilet system. Interesting! One of the few folks in the neighborhood who actually have something uplifting to say about the area.