Sherlocking in Oregon

For me no trip to the Portland, Oregon area  is complete without a visit to Jerry Margolin and his wife, Judy. They are the salt of the earth Sherlockian and Sherlockian tolerater (I will let the reader figure out which is which). My adventures began last last week with a flight into Portland, Oregon. I was working in Corvallis, home of the Oregon State Beavers. I like saying it, Go Beavers! It was an uneventful week and on Friday, my co-worker, Dori Law and I drove back up to Portland as we  had dinner invitations at Jerry and Judy's
house. I have taken Dori around the country with me meeting Sherlockians in our wake. Jerry and Judy are the most gracious hosts and by evenings end we were all family. 

With Judy and Jerry Margolin.

On the same day that Katrina devastated New Orleans, I was on my way to Lincoln City, on the Oregon coast. My route took me past the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. This is the home of the ‘Spruce Goose’, the giant laminated wooden aircraft built by Howard Hughes.I remember that day for numerous reasons and since our Saturday was free, Dori and I made the 45-mile drive to the museum. To this day the ‘Spruce Goose’ is the world’s largest aircraft. We spent the afternoon strolling through the museum, taking in all of the various aircraft. They all looked like toy models next to the ‘Spruce Goose’.

The 'Spruce Goose' and other aircraft.

Next on the agenda was meeting Jerry and Judy again, this time at a restaurant, The Irving Kitchen. We were joined by another fellow Sherlockian, Sonia Featherston, and her husband Ben. I have known Sonia for nearly twenty years as a member of the Hounds of the Internet.  I met her in person for the first time last year at the Morley-Montgomery Reception. Sonia won the Morley-Montgomery Award for the best article in the Baker Street Journal for the past year. She is the author of this year’s Baker Street Journal 2012 Christmas Annual.  “Barrymore in Baker Street” tells the story of the silent film Sherlock Holmes starring John Barrymore . This is an excellent read and the eighteen months she spent working on it reflects its scope and depth.

Sonia, Jerry, and me.

Alas, all good things end and my Sherlockian adventure in Oregon followed the same. Not before old Sherlockian  friendships grew deeper and newer ones solidified. For Jerry and Judy it was another great evening added to the one before and the ones to follow. In addition, for Sonia and Ben, it was another chapter in our Sherlockian lives and future visits to anticipate.  The Sherlockian Gods are smiling on me.