Changes in the Neighborhood

The urban growth boundary is finally making itself felt in our neighborhood. We are seeing an incredible amount of infill, as there are currently around 20 new houses going up.

This smallish house once sat on a piece of land that was sold as five lots. The view from the house and gardens was amazing, but now they can probably only see the city from their top windows as there is a house directly below it.

This is the first house they built on the lot. It's a very nice modern house that fits well in the neighborhood, and had a great view until the house blow it was literally built right up against it. The million dollar view is now of the neighbors living room.

  

These are the second and third houses that were built on the original location. The house on the left is a nice looking house and they built it far enough down that they have a view and they didn't block the view of the neighbors above. The same can not be said for the house on the right. 

As you move down the hill there are a couple of new houses completed, where there will soon be another eight or so joining them. This once was an unused parking area surrounded by trees. The new houses are attractive, there just isn't much space around them.

Across the street is another new house with a second under construction. When the first one was built, I thought there was not enough space to squeeze another house in there, but, turns out I was wrong.

In another case of no space shall be left unbuilt upon, these neighbors sold their back yard, regretted it, but were unable to buy it back and now there is going to be a 5,000 sq. foot house going up. I imagine a house that large will take up every inch of this open space.

The next three pictures show the space where the remaining eight or so houses will be built over the next year. Again, the house designs are very nice, but not a lot of space, and probably another 20 cars that will be looking for parking spaces.

These two new builds are on the SE Belmont side of all the new houses, at the bottom right of the hill you were looking down in the last two pictures. We already have one neighbor trying to sell his backyard for development as you come up Belmont towards our house. I wonder how long it will be before we are totally hemmed in.

Last, and I am sure not least is the most interesting house of all. The house at 6659 SE Yamhill St. was built in 1910 and was occupied by the evangelist preacher John G. Lake for a few years in the 1920s. He is semi-famous for saying he say an angel on the path one morning as he was walking up to Mt. Tabor.

The garage was added in the 1950's and was the only solid part of the property. The rest was cracked foundation, broken windows and peeling paint.

The path going up past this house is not paved, but it is one of the thousands of unfinished "roads" in Portland that has to be maintained by a lawn mower.

This is the path up into Mt. Tabor park where John G. Lake says he saw the angel. About once a month, you can see a group of his followers holding a ceremony around this path or in front of the house. They have also been known to break off pieces of the house as keep sakes.

After a few days of heavy machinery at work, all that is left is one of the foundation walls.  I look forward to seeing what the new house looks like, I am sure it will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Best Records of 2106

Looking back over the last few years, this is the one post that seems to have endured. I do like to share my favorite records in the hopes that more people will listen to them and share their favorites with me. So here we go.

Malibu by Anderson.Paak
Brandon Paak Anderson's second record breaks the sophomore slump myth, in fact it blows it out of the water. This rapper from So Cal is the future of hip hop. He clearly understands how to blend old school R&B and soul with beats that could play on any pop radio station. "Am I Wrong" featuring ScHoolboy Q, is a dance song that I can't get out of my head. There are a ton of collaborators on this record, and Anderson.Paak produced four of the tracks. If you haven't bought his first record Venice yet, get them both.

22, a Million by Bon Iver
I will listen to anything Bon Iver is willing to put out in the world. We had to wait a little while for this one, but it was worth it. Before I first heard the record, I was concerned about all the chatter that was going around Justin Vernon's use of auto tune on this record. My first thought was why would a guy with one of the best voices in the world mess with it, but it works. There are 10 great tracks on this record, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would be "33, God."

Teens of Denial by Car Seat Headrest
Teens of Denial is why pop music is still relevant and makes our life great. Technically this is another sophomore record, but that's only half the story. Car Seat Headrest made several DIY records, and their first Matador record was a "best of" from those efforts. So, while this is their second record on Matador, it's the first one they put together from start to finish. This is a record I could not stop playing when it first came out. The songs are catchy pop songs, but they are also strangely complex, they start as one thing, but take strange twists along the way. Put it on, play it loud.

Lola by Carrie Rodriguez

Carrie Rodriguez is a fiddle playing singer/songwriter from Austin, who first made her name at SXSW in 2001. She has put out 12 records since 2002, and sadly this is the first one I have heard. It is quite a departure from her previous efforts. The songs on Lola are a mix of originals and traditional standards sung in Spanish, English and Spanglish. The record was inspired by her great aunt, Eva Garza, a famous singer San Antonio singer in the 1940's.  While this is quite different from her previous records, hopefully you'll be inspired to go back and check out her back catalog.

Blackstar by David Bowie
One of the biggest losses of 2016 was the death of David Bowie, but at least we got this gem before he left us. Only time will tell where this record ends up in the Bowie cannon, but it's amazing to think that he was still creating work on this level, as he knew the end was near. This is not a record of singles. You need to allow yourself the time to listen to it from start to finish. 

Blonde by Frank Ocean

Christopher Breaux was about to start college at the University of New Orleans (u-no) when hurricane Katrina hit. Instead of waiting for the city to dry out, he moved to LA to pursue his music and so far he has done pretty well. Channel Orange was one of my top records of 2012, and while Blonde may not top that record, it's still pretty damn awesome. It's a little slower and more introspective, but it holds up well over time and is a record that got a lot of play last year.

The Colour in Anything by James Blake

James Blake makes his way to the 'best of' again with his third record The Color in Anything. His debut record made the list in 2011 and Overgrown was a huge favorite in 2013, with the song "Retrograde" getting the nod for song of the year. While this record does not eclipse the work of Overgrown, it has grown on me considerably since the first listen, and I am glad to have more music from Mr. Blake. Coming in at 17 tracks, he has matched the output of his first two records combined.

A Sailors Guide to Earth by Sturgill Simpson

I know we have had this discussion before, but if Sturgill Simpson was the face of country music, you'd love country music. He is an old school, smart singer/songwriter who has nothing to do with the crap coming out of Nashville these days.  This record is a concept album of sorts; it was written for his new-born son as a guide on how to be a man. If I haven't hooked you yet, go to wherever you listen to music and search for Simpson's cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom." If you can't get behind this, then I can't do nothing for you son.

Astronaut Meets Appleman by King Creosote

King Creosote is Scottish singer/songwriter Kenny Anderson, who you have seen in the 'best of' a few times before.  2011's Diamond Mine is still one of my all-time favorite records. Astronaut Meets Appleman is more of what you love from Mr. Anderson. That's not to say he doesn't venture out into new places, but his songwriting and singing is a solid as ever. This record is not as tight as Diamond Mine or 2014's From Scotland With Love, it feels more like a relaxed small venue live set. 

Stranger to Stranger by Paul Simon

I heard an interview with Paul Simon when Stranger to Stranger first came out and he said this is his last record, which I seem to remember him saying after So Beautiful, So What. I hope that is not true, because he's still got it. The opening songs, "Werewolf" and "Wristband" have that classic Simon humor, coupled with a great beat. On the other end of the spectrum, the title song, "Stranger to Stranger" is a beautifully quite Simon masterpiece. I look forward to the next, last record.