I was all set to meet up with Kelley Baker today, at 1:30. I even mapped out the route and nearly memorized it! Kelley toured through Lewisburg a couple of times over the years. When he was in town, he’d stop in the bookstore. So I figured I’d return the favor now that I was in his neck of the woods.

Around one o’clock, I hopped on the scooter, started it up, got to the end of the parking lot and it died. I tried to start it again, but nothing. The starter motor just turned over and over. I figured that I was going to run the battery down, so I pushed it back to where it was in front of Ashley’s front door and figured I’d have to get a tow.

I was lamenting not having a vintage Vespa. I could probably fix that. If a two-stroke scooter won’t start, you can usually get it running without too much hassle (then keeping it running becomes the task). But I had a modern, four stroke and had no idea what to do.

So I figured, “check the sparkplug.” And I did. And that was the problem.

Somehow or another, the sparkplug wire came detached from the boot. I looked at it and the wire seems to attach to the boot via a threaded screw, almost like a wood screw. This seems like a dumb set up to me.

So I screwed it back in, still unsure how it worked its way out (maybe when I ran over that tarp?). It started right up and I rode to meet Kelley.

We hung out at a coffee and tea cafe and talked for something like three hours. It was pretty cool to see him again. We caught up on our lives and swapped travel stories - he has more than I do.

That evening, Ashley and I planned to go to something called “Last Thursday,” it’s basically an art walk mixed with street fair. Anyone is allowed to sell whatever on the street and many of the shops have artists in them, showing their work.

While much of the atmosphere was “whoooaaaaaaa look at ME, I’m SO weird, MAN!!!!” There was more than enough sincerity there to make it very worth while.

Most of the art wasn’t to my liking, but almost all of it was cheap - the best kind! Most of it was very DIY and again, I dig that.

There was one piece (pictured on the left) that I really dug. But the artist wanted $175 for it. This wasn’t really the place to be selling the over-priced stuff. And I didn’t really have the $175 to throw at it. But I really really dug it. If it were $100, I would have bought it.

I also rediscovered sidewalk chalk while being here.

The first night I was here, one of the cafes wrote “The Waffle Window is Open!” on the sidewalk, with arrows directing all where to find it. My first thought was “what if there really isn’t a waffle window and it’s just arrows leading people to no where?” That would be a very fun thing.

Sidewalk chalk is also good for leaving little messages to the world around you. Tonight we saw, “Nothing says arrest me like a 2am cartwheel.”

Words to live by, folks. Careful out there!

There were other chunks of art that I wanted and I really wish I would have known about this, because I would have sent my books out here and tried to sell a few. I also have another idea that I’m keeping to myself.

I tried to encourage Ashley to sell her paintings and jewelery here, because she’s really good and for some reason never tries to get her work out there. Hopefully next Last Thursday, she will.

We got home late and basically crashed out. Tomorrow, I leave for Seattle. But I’m sad to be leaving Portland. I really feel at home in this town. Like a lot.

Mile today: 7
Miles total: 7436

ps - While I didn’t pick anything up at Last Thursday, I did become the new owner of Boy with Duck. I found another one and it’s mine! I feel very lucky.