Hello, hi on the brink of August. Already! These rolls of film go back to May, at the start of spring weather, on a weekend trip to Port Townsend visiting friends who are now planning on moving there. I am so happy for them and also completely unable to comprehend Portland without them, is there a word for that feeling?

The Rhody Festival Parade was happening down the street and while parade members were tossing candy to the crowd, the only thing we caught was a bag of baby carrots from a local accountant’s office.

We stopped by a friend’s boat to deliver cookies and a bike pump and then went to the End of the World to look for whales.

This newsletter is fully out of order because I kept putting it off so we’re jumping between the months. Dawn organized a large picnic for a music video and I took this photo of everyone as we were leaving.

The Sweedeedee crew took Emily out to the Old Spaghetti Factory as an early going away surprise because we (mostly me) were under the impression she had never been there but it turns out even the guy who makes balloon animals knows her and her family by name.

My summer goal was to ride a ferry and it happened on the first day of summer, it was kismet!

Maren, Clea & I camped on San Juan Island and Lopez Island. We spent a lot of time looking for whales. While we didn’t see any, we were lucky enough to spot porpoises, seals and also a bald eagle doing the butterfly stroke to shore.

I loved the texture of this sea blown grass and it reminded me of Gabi Villasenor’s beautiful paintings.

We made roadside sandwiches for lunch and baked potatoes in the fire for dinner.

Iceberg Point on Lopez reminds me of Maine and the UK all at once and it might be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

Back to Portland to the beloved Lloyd Center mall and the rose show. See you there August 8th?

Clea, Victoria, Mary, Lunden & I went on a bike ride to the municipal elevator in Oregon City. We all admitted we felt nervous for the ride and then we all had a great time.

The Knicks won the NBA championship and that brought A LOT of joy.

We had a dance party at the record store, blew bubbles in Lola’s backyard and celebrated a Portland Fire win with confetti!

Now it’s time to pack for a spontaneous camping trip, leaving at 5am! I hope you’re having a nice summer. Send a postcard to a friend.

love, cm

love, cm

love, cm

love, cm

Hello, hi! Has the fall flown by for you as well? This roll of film started in mid September at the Bingo fundraiser for Elbow Room and takes us to New England and finishes up on Halloween.

Alice and her husband Greg are renovating this one room schoolhouse in the foothills of the White Mountains and I got to spend the day with her swimming and having a picnic. It was an idyllic New England day.

I returned home in time for Biz Miller’s kite fest at Broughton beach which coincided with a beautiful sunset.

Emily and I typically wear the same outfit whenever we see each other, just by chance, but this time she choose to match trash day. Can you spot my cat in this photo?

Al, Erika & I ran into Dawn at the mall and we were sad to find Kye’s residency closed, but then we did a few laps and by the time we walked back, it had opened!

Al made a showstopper of a costume, once again, and we took it on a walk in St Helens, a Dairy Queen in Beaverton, an empty movie theatre and most importantly to the Lloyd Center Mall.

Just as I was taking this photo, my lens cap fell out of my pocket down onto the ice rink. A teen swooped it up and no one seemed to know what it was when we went to ask for it.

love, cm

Kelly and Luis came to town from Spain and we drove to the coast where Luis would see the Pacific for the first time and Kelly & I would jump in the ocean

Sarah had one of her photographs on a billboard so we had a mid-morning art opening in the middle of the intersection and then went to the diner

Al had her birthday on a raft in the middle of a lake and strangers joined in when we sang happy birthday and it echoed across the lake

We celebrated birthdays in the backyard

and had nice moments with friends

Reviews for this now abandoned restaurant on route 199 mentions pine needles falling into milkshakes often

We escaped a rainy weekend and went to Whiskeytown Lake

Dawn had an art show birthday party and the art came in all forms (this is an incredible photobooth made by Russ & Wolfgang)

Carly & Jed got married and it was the most beautiful day

love, cm

love, cm

✺ hello from spring in portland ✺

This roll of film started towards the end of January and slowly collected dust over the last two months. I think it’s a pretty good summation of how we maneuver and entertain ourselves through the long days of winter.

We bake cakes

We celebrate each other

We go to blazer games and play telephone down the aisle of friends

We spend time with loved ones

We try on our friend’s merch without actually trying it on (this somehow happened twice?!)

We go to our friend’s events

We look for pockets of joy

and beautiful signs

and sooner or later the blue skies come around again.

Also, I have a few photos up at Dreamhouse in a group show with other talented friends, it’ll be up until June! Hope to see you soon!

love, cm

A candlelit dinner at the Houstons with paper crowns and tiramisu

Sitting in diners with Dawn

New Years Eve at Dreamhouse

Life imitates art and vice versa

Bobby had a birthday and then I had a birthday

If you see that Julia is doing any sort of performance, do not miss! Here is a scene from Moonstruck where she made all of the props herself and performed as Nicholas Cage (as well as the other characters on individual screens). A++

The end of the roll comes in at the hot potato party. We baked potatoes in the firepit outside and it felt like a summer night! Everyone brought a topping of choice, yet the award for best potato art goes to Alex

love, cm

From start to finish, the month of December was full of tinsel, balloons and birthday joy. January has started off with packing up my apartment and moving for the first time in over seven years (!!) from the spot I’ve lived the longest in Portland. So long Emerson Street, I’ll miss you!

love, cm

Niles, Clea & I have been talking about going to Montreal for years and we made it happen! We drove up from Boston together where we met Alex and ate multiple bagels within a day and also one of the best sandwiches of my life.

Now we are onto halloween! A clown party where we had a surprise appearance from conehead. A showstopper of a costume.

But the real party pleaser was Al’s most recent work of art. If you know, you know!

In lieu of a yearly recap, I am just going to say THANK YOU to all of my friends for another fun year of dinner parties, road trips, swimming in all the lakes and rivers, playing cards at the bar, coffee hangs, bikes rides and all the shared moments together. I LOVE YOU.

love, cm

love, cm

Back in the spring, Lola asked me to be a part of her book release party at Hi Books. It was a dream collaboration with so many friends. Dawn & I showed photos and art.

Jac made a PERFECT CAKE.

After months of excitedly waiting to have a summer party with friends spilling out onto the sidewalk, it rained! So hard!

But everyone just scooted closer to each other under the tents.

and there was so much joy!

Outside of the party, summer happened! Despite a less than flexible work schedule, I saw mountains, wildflowers, sunsets, lakes and more.

love, cm

Sisters in Sisters

Dawn & her river reflection

Niles, Clea & I rode our bikes to the Sandy River and then down to the Clackamas River and back home. A summer goal! It was too chilly to go swimming at the Sandy but we did get ice cream there.

Then we surprised Clea with a Pickles game (and martini!)

Lake Cushman before the clouds cleared.

This snake slithered up on the rock I was sitting on and I screamed and jumped away but still had to get a photo.

Mount Rainier

and all the people on the trail

including a few mountain goats

love, cm

love, cm

This roll of film has spanned a little over two months, a long enough time I wasn’t quite sure how it started but here we are — the magnolias have come and gone, there was an Italian restaurant themed birthday with fake cigarettes and lasagna, sunrise at the best wildflower hill and an unexpected trip to New England.

love, cm

A rainy trip to Los Angeles and several birthdays on this roll of film.

I’ve been working like a dog lately as a letter carrier and I have to say it’s a joy to see a handwritten envelope in the mix of bills and junk.

I haven’t had time to take photos but maybe I’ll make some postcards to encourage others to send mail?

Anyways, I miss friends and bike rides but I’m so glad it’s spring.

love, cm

love, cm

Yearly tradition of St Helens walkabout & Sauvie Island sunset

What’s better than a Yoo-Hoo yoyo’ing?

or an ice cream cone shopping for candy with a vulture and some guy?

Hats off to another great Halloween

love, cm

love, cm