It was a sunny Thursday and, once more, Lucy was just standing on the sidewalk. There was a time that she ran, but nowadays, she simply likes to stand around, sniff, and watch the world.
This particular Thursday, we emerged from social distancing so she could have a potty break and I could get away from the sofa. The sun was warm and I didn’t mind just standing there with her. At this time of the year the sun feels wonderful, and given the circumstances, healing.
As Lucy and I soaked up the sun, I noticed a sound in the distance. Could that be bagpipes? I asked myself. It couldn’t be Portland’s Unipiper, could it? I wondered as I turned my eyes in the direction of the music. Sure enough a yellow clad figure was at the end of my block. I knew Lucy couldn’t run fast enough for us to see him and I was content to enjoy from a distance.
But then he turned up my street.
Fortunately, a unicycle is not built for speed and I had enough time to dash into my house and grab my phone. On the way, I passed a neighbor.
“The Unipiper is coming!” I called happily.
“Is that a bad thing? You are running away!” he laughed to me as he descended to see the local celebrity.
“Just grabbing my camera,” I called back, just before dashing into the house. I was back in no time and managed to snap one good photo as The Unipiper pedaled past, playing Scotland the Brave.
booksandbassets 
OMG!!!! I love this! What a crazy, wonderful thing! My crazy Scottish husband will be thrilled to see this. On second thought, if I show him, he might start a similar tradition in our neighborhood…Hmmmm…..
Thank you for post a slice that will keep me smiling all day long 🙂
He usually wears a Darth Vader helmet, but these days it’s a Hazmat suit and surgical mask.
This is too funny!!!! What a great and unusual way to brighten everyone’s day. Such a great thing !!!! Wow.
This made me smile!
Thanks for sharing this — it brought a smile to my face this morning. I’m so glad you caught a picture!
Keep Portland Weird, yay, I love it! I love the mask and suit to go with the times. Thank you so much for this post. I’ve seen New York’s Naked Cowboy and now I can one day look forward to seeing Portland’s Unipiper!
What a way to bring sunshine to many. People are ingenious. We are there for each other.
I loved the feeling of joy that shines through your writing. I think we all could use a little weird right now to lighten the mood. Thank you for sharing!
How awesome is this—and that you captured it! Portland isn’t weird; it’s wonderful. The Literary Fest in November? Coolest thing ever!
Your slice confirms that there’s plenty of socializing we can still do, even from a distance.
Glad to see people are still doing what they love!
Oh, you are so lucky to have such delight in your city, and now in your neighborhood! Thanks for sharing.
This is what is missing from my neighborhood!! Thanks for sharing. The whole world needs more people doing stuff like this.