April 19th 2011

Today my stranger-searching took me to new, unexplored areas - such as a piano sale in the back of my regular lunch cafe, a tattoo/piercing parlor and even finding strangers in the halls of my own High School! It's funny how few people I realise I know in Portland, and how this project is really improving my confidence and making me approach new people - and allowing me to truly understand how friendly the people of Portland are!

Here are the latest... Enjoy.

Stranger 31:
Name: Sarah
Age: 28
Sarah works in a clothes shop on NW 23rd Avenue, and she had just served me when I took her picture. Her glasses are non-prescription (but still looked so cool!) 

Stranger 30:
Name: Dave
Age: 36
Dave was painting when I took his picture, in the Robot tattoo and piercing parlor in NW Portland. He was quite shy in front of the camera, but had such interesting features to photograph.

Stranger 29:
Name: John
Age: 39
John works in Robot as a piercing artist and actually pierced three of my friends today, as one of them had just turned 18 and it was her birthday present to herself. 

Stranger 28:
Name: Claire
Age: 18
Claire was just leaving school when I asked to take her picture. She told me that she sleeps with the TV on. We both have serious cases of Senioritis and before she left, she exclaimed, "This place smells of rotting teenager." I couldn't help but agree.

Stranger 27:
Name: Rick
Age: 46
Rick works at a grocery store and loves to cook - especially BBQ. He used to cook professionally for a catering company, but currently he only cooks for fun at home. 

Strangers 26 & 25:
Name(s): Rick (human) and Vinnie (parrot)
Age(s): 79 (human) and 7 (parrot)

Rick was looking to buy a piano, as he is hoping to open a bar in the near future that he would like to name "Rick and Vinnie's". He adores Vinnie, his African grey parrot and takes him with him as often as he can.

Vinnie: Squark.

Stranger 24:
Name: LeAnne
Age: 73

LeAnne was selling a piano today in the backspace of Cafe Mango. She grew up in Portland and after living for 40 years in Pennsylvania, she has returned to Portland and plans to stay here.