Our House For Our House

Portland has been enjoying a week of near perfect summer weather of the sort that made me fall in love with this place that I chose to live out my last days. Each day begins cool, in the mid-50s, after some marine air burns off we get into the 80s & sunny. Clear nights with views from the hot tub & the garden of the constellations & our friend Mr. Moon. Don't hate be because I'm beautiful.

I have been watching the weather & the very useless forecasts with apprehension, damn this Climate Change, because we are hosting a charity dinner in the Boys' Fort next Sunday. 4 couples paid $100 a person to feast on The Husband's surprisingly savory, scrumptious vegan offerings & my custom designed libations with a tour of Post Apocalyptic Bohemia & the garden. 4 courses, paired with drinks, on a summer evening in the garden.

We chose Sunday, August 7th, by the almanac, as the sure bet for no rain, but we have had cool rainy days for much of July & I was getting nervous.

The benefit is for Our House, housing & inspiration for people living with HIV. Our House is a model of innovation & compassion. During a July to July year, there is a catalogue of the Dinner At Our House For Our House series & this year Post Apocalyptic Bohemia opens our re-purposed door for the opportunity to do our part for this organization.

Our little cottage in Seattle was on the Seattle Art Museum's Tour Of Artists' Gardens in 1998 & we toiled to the very last moment before opening the gate to make sure that the tour participants would get an eye full & their money's worth. I was plugging Lobelia in the planting blanks as the first group arrived.

The Husband is putting extra energy, élan,& esprit on the Boys' Fort of Summer 2011 being the best possible Boys' Fort for our guests.

Please forgive me for posting so many photos of our back garden at Post Apocalyptic Bohemia, but I found these overhead shots, taken while the husband scampered up the dogwood like a monkey to fiddle with the lighting, gave a viewpoint not yet explored. I hope you don't mind. & when you are in Portland, please let me know, so we can have a cocktail in this unique space & toast to the boyhood that we still hang on to.