BOOK AND RELEASE

Well, as much as I hated to do it, I did finally call the Portland Police, and the officer who responded at dispatch was very nice. He could not tell me much, but did tell me that the police had made contact with Alan on the 8th of July at a park in the Pearl District, apparently for being drunk in public. He was taken in, a mug shot was taken, his info updated, and then he was released. He was not actually booked. This puts him basically okay as of a week ago but it still does not answer why he has not returned home. The officer suggested that he may have opted to go into a program to sober up. Perhaps he was hanging out downtown for easier access to alcohol and/or drugs, or perhaps I might check the mission again.

I hate the fact that Alan has these problems, and worry that he may throw this opportunity away that he has been given. There are many people vested in keeping him off the streets, yet he continually gravitates toward that lifestyle. I wish he realized that his family does care for him, and all we all want to see is him to begin caring for himself. Maybe that is too much to hope for. Maybe he is a lost cause. But whichever the case may be, it looks like I am going to have to go hang out in the Pearl in the hopes that I may run into him. Poop. Portland is a big town. The odds of simply running into him are against me. Maybe he will surface soon, and go back home.
Damn him anyway. Oh well, at least he is alive... or was a week ago. I can only assume he still is.

SLACKING OFF

Wow. Like most people, my life gets a little confusing sometimes, and myriad small distractions take me away from the things I either want to be doing, or should be doing. At this moment, a guilty conscience is driving me to take the time to make an entry here as I just now realized I have a small following, and as such I need to make a more sincere effort to write here a little more often, but my goal will always be quality, not quantity, so perhaps my entries will be shorter, but I will at least endeavor to port a little more frequently when I can. In actuality, this blog is taking me away from something I need to be doing right now. I have an early morning appointment tomorrow, and need to get my stuff together for that appointment, and try to get at least some rest tonight.

But, I do have something on my mind which for the past week has been causing me concern. My nephew Alan, who was pictured at the blues festival last week, has turned up missing. I have been unable to reach him by phone since last Saturday evening. This is not unusual for Alan to disappear, but it concerns me because it was unexpected. We all had hoped that he had settled down. He has been stable at this location for about a year now, and for him, that is a record, having spent much of the past 20 years living on the streets. In the past we (the family) have all worried that no one would know to contact us if something were to happen to Alan, and we might never know . Turns out that very little has changed really.

Alan has problems. We all do. But Alan and his brother Michael may have more than their fair share. This comes as a result of addictive behaviors, poor decision making skills, anger, and perhaps even a modicum of fear. They are both angry men, for many reasons, but the bottom line is they still have not come to realize that the bad things that happen to them are a direct result of the choices they make, and the actions they do. It is no one's fault but their own, and as best any of us (the family again) can tell, they both are still blaming anyone and anything that they can for the problems that plague them. It seems to be common among people with these sort of problems, and as long as they do not hold themselves accountable for the choices they make, they will likely continue on this very self destructive path.

I have not seen Alan's younger brother Michael since 2006. Until 2007, I had not seen Alan since 2000. So you can see the pattern they share. Nevertheless, I am concerned that something bad may have befallen Alan. I know his propensity towards alcohol and drug abuse, but I also know he had little money. He was owed like $30 by someone he knew, and I worry that when he got the money, he did something very foolish. Whatever happened, he has not been home in a week. I cannot help but fear the worst. Now, that I am worried about him, and do not know why he would not return home, I realize that should he end up dead, I now have no idea how or where to reach Michael either. But they are family, and I do care about them. I just wish they would let the people who actually care about them be a part of their lives instead of shutting us out entirely.

I have called the apartment manager, who was no help at all, and I have called every hospital in the greater Portland area. I have also checked the jail rosters for Multnomah County, and so far, have found no information. I can either wait and hope, or, I can take a more proactive approach. I am planning on calling the Police on Monday, and seeing if I can make a missing person report. Just in case. I wish Alan realized how much we all care for him and worry ... how much we have worried for all these years, and how much time and expense I have put into locating him in years past.

For now, all I can do is pray... and say Damn! a lot.

WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL

I went to the Waterfront Blues Festival this weekend over in Portland with my Sister and Nephew. For the most part it was not bad, in the sense that we got there okay, we got to see a few acts and had a picnic lunch, and eventually found seating in a shaded area where we could see both main stages. But there were several things that did not go according to plan, and the event was not as much fun as I had hoped it would be.

As we got ready to board the Max train
I saw this sign, which I found amusing.

No Bicycling, No Rollerblading, No Skateboarding, No Nothing.

Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Main Entrance

I liked the patterns in these leaves.

My nephew Alan in what he called his "Thoughtful Pose".

Alan took this photo of me in front of Waterfront Park.
I think he did a great job! I really like this picture.

It was 96 degrees outside, so we took advantage
of this shade for out picnic lunch.

I wanted to get a photo of this Touch Juggler,
but missed my opportunity. This is a shot I found
online of him a couple years ago. He was a little more
silver this year. I would think that he would be hot
since he was wearing a jacket, and was painted silver.
I suppose that is why he chose to perform
under the bridge next to the portolets.

Multnomah County Sheriff's boat patrolling the Willamette River.


Wonder What this guy is smiling at?

Oh! Never Mind!

Some of the myriad boats anchored to enjoy the show.
I was trying to get a picture of the Jolly Roger

Alan and Donna. Donna appears to be telling the
people in front of us to sit down so we can see.

Alan and Donna again. Donna is obviously ready for the 4th of July.

To Err is Human; To Arrr is Pirate. Is it weird for my sister to borrow my earrings?

Not sure who this is.

BELOW: Brian Jack & The Zydeco Gamblers

Sonny Landreth

Sonny Landreth and his Band

Sonny Landreth

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe

Johnny Winter

Okay, just so you know, this is the best picture I got of Johnny Winter.
Try as I might, I could not get any closer to him or the stage.

So I went online to find these three images.

Fortunately Johhny generally dresses in black t-shirt and jeans,
and it looks like these pictures could have been taken at the
same as all the rest, but in actuality I believe these were taken in
Ontario a year ago. These were the kind of shots I had hoped to get.

I am a little stunned at how old Johnny is looking
these days, but I forget he is like 65 years old now.