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Yesterday my son and I gathered a notebook, a beach towel and drove to Coronado shores, a long stretch of beach located on Coronado Island, off the coast of San Diego. The sun was out, the sand was glistening, and the wind was a perfect match for the hotter temperature, a perfect day to observe. We got there around 2:30pm to avoid the traffic and high sun, it seemed like a lot of other people had a similar idea. I decided to take a step back from the water and lay my towel down further away in order to be able to see a larger amount of people. Upon my arrival, the very first thing I could see was a large family, appearing to be of Hispanic descent. There were eight kids, two younger girls and six boys ranging in age. They were all surrounding the tents that the adults were in, playing in the sand, laughing and singing to the music coming from the small speakers hidden away. There were four sets of adults, two younger couples, who were sitting together seeming to keep an eye on the younger kids around them, as well as a couple that appeared to be the parents of the older boys. Lastly was an older couple, which the youngest girl referred to as ‘Lita’, which in Spanish means grandma. The Mexican music coming from the tent rang loud through the beach, making not only this family, but also those around sing along. Snacks could be seen all through out the tent, clear giant bags of Chicharrones, chips, Takis, and a cooler full of soda, beer and Agua de Coco. Coming from a Hispanic background, days like those, are very family oriented, enjoying each other’s companies, relaxing and talking. This family seemed very much in that mind set, tight knitted and close. Due to the current social climate and pandemic, it seemed like most people were being very good about social distancing, as everyone had their beach set ups far from each other.

Off to the left of the large Mexican family there was a smaller three people black family also enjoying their day off in the sunny beach. Hiding from the sun underneath a purple beach umbrella was a young black woman laughing with a small young girl in her arms. Next to them was a sleeping young black man laying on the sand and a t-shirt over his face. The little girl then proceeds to get up as a seagull lands close to their set up, laughing as she chases. This made me laugh, but I tried to keep myself quiet as to not draw attention to myself. She was probably about 5 or 6 years old, with a beautiful natural afro in full display to match her mother, not a care in the world is seen by her attitude. They didn’t seem to be there for a long time, unlike the Mexican family, they did not have any snacks, rather just bottles of water, along with large purse and bag pack full of beach toys. Once the girl began to ran, the mother proceeds to tell her to not run to far, and to not touch the animal. This wakes the sleeping guy next to her, immediately looking for the little girl. They seemed like a happy little family, assuming this by their closeness and wedding rings they displayed. The small girl is the center of the world for this young couple. Cherishing these moments, happy and relaxed, they look like they value family a great deal.

Off to the right of the large Mexican family, singing along to the Mexican music playing from the tent is a young couple, also appearing to be of Hispanic descent. When I first arrived at the beach, they looked happy laying in the sun, tanning and discussing something very intently. I was unable to hear, due to the music. During the 45 minutes I was at the beach observing people, I watched the young man get up and head to the water. As he did this, the young woman raised herself up and watched him as he made his way to the ocean. Having not paid much attention as to what happened next, from watching the young girl chase the seagulls, I noticed he was back and they were now fighting. When he sat back down, the woman was now fully sat up, facing him, talking loudly looking very displeased. At this point, I was very intrigued as to what could have happened in such a short period of time, he was gone maybe 15 minutes in the ocean. They argue for a couple more minutes, then the girl seems displeased enough to stand and point at a group swimming in the water. The man appears frustrated by the situation and lays back down closing his eyes and going back to tanning. She very visible angerly begins walking down the beach, to the point that I lost sight of her. From what I can gather, it seems that the young man might have been looking at another woman or possibly talking to another woman in the group that was swimming, which angered who I assume to be his partner. By the time that I was heading out, because it was getting too hot and late for me and my son to be out, she was still not back and he was still sleeping, laying on the sand.

I found this exercise to be extremely interesting, the 45 minutes went by very fast as the scenery was beautiful and people seemed to enjoy this. Almost all the people that went by seemed to be there with someone important, enjoying their days and keeping to themselves. I am not sure if it was the social distancing, that no masks were seen anywhere, or the relaxing setting, but it reminded me of a untroubled time. One before COVID, before right vs left, before divisive elections and everyone angry at each other. It was…peaceful.

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When I arrive at the location, it is 7:20 p.m.

The location is on NE 69th and Glisan. It's an outside patio restaurant area with lots of benches to sit, both on the sidewalk and deeper into the block.

The main draw of this location is the series of small restaurants stationed next to each other, and the prospect of eating outside during nice weather. Like food carts, but without the food carts.

Right off the bat, I can see a variety of people occupying the space. One of the group is three men, probably in their 20s, enjoying a few beers and chatting about how well their plans for the summer were executed. One is white and two are asian. They're dressed very similar: shorts, hats, short sleeve shirts.

Beside them, on a smaller table meant for two, is a man with dyed blonde hair playing on his phone. He's wearing pants. He's also wearing sandals with socks. His socks are green, with the outline of a marijuana plant on them. He receives a to go plate with food and now he stands up to leave.

Beside this man, on another small table meant for two, is another man. He's talking to someone on the phone now, drinking a can of coke.

I'm sitting in the middle of this grid of tables, on one of two lawn chairs next to what is, I presume, an outdoor fire pit filled with black rocks.

Next to me, a black man talks on the phone, attempting to schedule plans with the other person on the phone. He's informing the other person that he will have another beer at this location.

In front of him, a couple, both white, just sat down, each with a glass of orange beer in front of them. They're not speaking, smoking and waiting for their order of food.

In front of me, a family is sitting down. They appear to be at the end of their dinner. A man and a woman, both in their 30s or thereabouts, with their two children, both under 10, waiting alongside them. The kids are looking over their parents' shoulders as the parents check their phones.

Beside them, on another table, is what appears to be another family. Everyone is white. The father is nearly done with a beer, the mother just halfway through hers. Their children, a boy and a girl, have water cups in front of them. The whole family is dressed in pastel colors.

On the sidewalks are three more tables. One table has what appears to be another family: an older black man, bald, with three younger women, perhaps in their thirties and perhaps his daughters, talking over beers that one of the women just brought. What's interesting about this table is that there is a young girl of about 3 with them who is running around all over the place. She wears a white Minnie mouse shirt and a tutu dress. She was sitting next to me for a brief moment, but one of the women, presumably her mother, just picked her up and brought her back to their table. It’s quite clear she wants to keep her daughter safe while they enjoy dinner.

Beside them is a very recently emptied table that had a family in it just minutes prior. The family was a man and a woman, both white, with a baby. They had just cleaned their table and left the premises.

The last table on the sidewalk is empty, and has been since I've arrived here.

Every table is colorful, with a covering that appears to be floral; they remind me of the designs of Hawaiian shirts. No two tables have the same design, so while they all came from probably the same designer, they’re each decorated with different colors and flowers.

Every table is under a canopy on the "deep" section of the location. Every table on the sidewalk, save for one, has a large umbrella over it, capable of being modified to tilt against the sun. Right now, a young woman wearing a mask is tying up the umbrella on one table. She appears to be staff from one of the restaurants in this location, and was waiting for the family to leave so that she can start the process of closing things down.

I will name the restaurants right now: one is called Pie Spot. It serves savory pies, coffee, and smoothies.

Beside it is a bar, which I'm sure has served every single beer that's being enjoyed at this restaurant patio area.

A Mexican restaurant named "Tierra del Sol", which specializes in Oaxacan cuisine, is next.

Beside it is a restaurant named "Alleamin African Kitchen."

The final restaurant is a sushi spot called "Sea and River Sushi + Burmese Grill."

Occasionally, staff from the various restaurants will come and deliver food to a table, but then they will disappear behind closed doors. They are always wearing masks. About half of the clientele say thanks when their food is delivered.

Since we are on Glisan, the sound of cars are constantly driving by. They're typically quiet, or at least the sound of moving cars going 30-40 disappears into the background, but about ten minutes ago, several sports cars revved their engines and their exhausts sputtered loudly as they drove by, capturing the attention of several of the patrons, who looked at the cars in the distance, annoyed. It seems most everyone was not expecting loud cars to intrude into the atmosphere, myself included, which perhaps gave all the more reason for the drivers of the sports cars to create as much noise as they did.

Several civilians are walking along the sidewalk. On occasion, what appears to be a houseless individual also walks by, pushing their shopping carts or holding on to their bags.

Across the street, there is a Domino's Pizza. I know from experience that this Domino's is quite good, since it's made up the majority of my fast food experiences the past five years I've lived in the area. Beside the Domino's is a coffee shop called Mudd Works Roastery.

One of the families I mentioned earlier, the one with the bald black man and the three black women, just told a joke and they are laughing heartily now. I can hear that they are not speaking English. The little girl sits quietly, perhaps having been reprimanded by her mother for running around. She plays on a phone.

All that's left are couples and single men like myself now. Everyone is quiet except for a couple that just sat at one of the smaller tables beside me. The man is talking about a bass player he saw at a show, and mentioning how cool that experience was for him.

I almost missed them, but there's another couple sitting behind me, on my 7 o clock. Both are white and wear glasses, and are talking in low voices. Whatever they're speaking of, they do not want it overheard.

Two Asian men wearing masks have just sat down on one of the empty tables vacated by one of the families. If I'm not mistaken, they came from the sushi restaurant. They sat their plate of food on the table, and then beelined directly to the cantina. They've just come back, beers in hand. They're preparing their chopsticks to eat. I’m speculating that they're either on break or taking advantage of a lull in clientele to enjoy themselves. The sound of cars driving past prevents me from listening in on them, but that perhaps doesn't matter: they're not speaking a language I can understand.

The white woman from the bar, the one who had tied up and removed the umbrellas from the sidewalk tables, is sweeping the floor of her bar now. The broom gently scrapes against the floor, producing a familiar sound.

There is music coming from somewhere, but I can't pinpoint exactly where from.

The sun is setting now. I had on my sunglasses when I first arrived, and have switched to regular prescription glasses due to the declining sunlight.

It has been an hour and now it's time for me to leave. I enjoyed this experience. Various people from different backgrounds came to enjoy dinner with their families. There were a few different options to satisfy every palate, so I imagine this is why the people came to this particular place. That, and the convenience of the location, of course (I’m presuming everyone was very local, as I didn’t see any parking nearby).

Even with relatively pleasant image in mind, there was clearly a class component to this setting, made quite obvious by the amount of houseless folks ambling by.

It’s interesting to me to consider how all these people view their world; they all wanted to eat and drink, and most were doing it with friends and/or family. The staff behind the scenes made it happen, and they, when given a chance, also took the opportunity to enjoy the setting with some food and drink.
Because of Covid, all seating was spaced out appropriately, and nobody that came with with a group or by themselves interacted with another group. Despite this, I would argue the vibe was quite pleasant.

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The observation was made on Sunday on Hawthorne Street around 3:45, my idea was to observe within two blocks in 2 specific places (New Seasons and Fat Straw Coffee) how the community looked and interacted. We parked right outside of New Seasons on a street that overlooks the grocery store. When I got out of the car, a man, a supermarket employee, maybe in his 30's, came out through the side door, dressed completely in black and with a cap, he has an ice cream in one hand in the other a coffee and a mask. He ate as fast as he can his ice cream and walk inside again. Seems to taking his break. A few meters ahead, a man with gray hair, perhaps in his 50's, was standing on some woods, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, glasses and he was absolutely concentrated on his cell phone, he did not look up at any time. he looked relaxed.

By the time we all got out of the car, in less than a minute the grocery store clerk had finished his micro ice cream cone and had rushed through the same door he came out of.

Already standing on the corner, with my niece, we went to Fat Straw for some Bobas. We tried to cross the street but a car, inside there were two white people, they did not respect the traffic signal that tells them where to stop, so we had to wait for them to continue to cross normally.

We walked to the cafe and found that all the outside tables were taken. In total there were approximately 7 people. A group of 5 were together 1 man sitting and 4 standing (three women and one man) and they had a dog. In the group, the man and the woman who were standing were interacting with laughter. The two women who were also standing, one of them was a woman with a disability of Asian descent who was next to a woman who was taller than her with a dark complexion, they were talking about the drinks they were drinking.

In line to order there were three people waiting.

The first people waiting were two men in their 20s who talked very amiably among themselves, they immediately withdrew and bowed their heads and remained attentive to their cell phones, to one side until their order was ready.

Right in front of us was a woman with Asian features, she looked about 25 years old, she had her hands in her waist. Starring directly at the menu. She was wearing a black t shirt and pants.

Then came Behind us a white woman. Since he got to the line, he opened his wallet and took his credit card out of his beige wallet (very nice by the way), he seemed to be in a hurry. She ordered and she moved to a shade, and she starts looking at the windows of the stores nearby, every so often she looked at her cell phone, she never drew a smile.

After a moment he came closer to wait his turn to receive his order, he fixed his hair and rubbed his hands, frowning.

The time came when we got our drinks and we were ready to go. We had to ask several people for permission to leave, 4 more people had arrived.

We headed back to the supermarket. Outside at one of the 2 tables outside was a middle-aged lady sitting turning onto Hawthorne Street, she seemed to be waiting for them to come for her.

Up ahead, just in front of the supermarket door was a white man dressed in black with a leather jacket, a real rocker, and a cart full of objects and flags.

Once inside the supermarket I observed the same employee that I had seen taking his break now in a corridor helping a costumer to find some products, I heard that they thanked him for his help and the employee left.

I started walking inside the supermarket and in the delicatessen area I saw 2 workers with masks, a woman and a man talking. She was very loud and gesticulated a lot with her hands. Then he went over to the computer to check something.

More Adelante At garden section I saw 2 women with masks hugging one of them has a apron. They looks very happy talking each other’s. Seems a non-expected encounter. Because of the distance I couldn't hear what they were saying but they looked happy.

A song in Spanish began to play "Musica Ligera" by Soda Stereo, an Argentine rock group that I really like and I was moved to hear my language in that context, I started to sing and I explained to my niece about the song and we started to move together to the rhythm of the song. While we were dancing, in the bakery a white man with his 2-year-old son saw us surprised. Just then he approached where we were, took in his hands a box of eggs, opened it to examine that everyone was okay, and I lost sight of him.

At one point, the same woman who was in the delicatessen sector passed very quickly, she was walking very fast and behind her a customer. He spoke to the local employee, and she asked him questions behind her.

Immediately afterwards another worker appeared carrying a cart full of cardboards pass next to us carefully like trying to avoid us. 5 seconds another worker drives a cart full of bread she passes next to us fast with no worries.

I continued browsing the supermarket, via a man in his 60s picking meticulously in the yogurt section, as if checking expiration dates.

Then I went to the cashier’s section and there were four cashiers, three women, and a name. A Latin woman, another Asian, from whom I could distinguish behind the masks. The cashier who attended us looked tired but with a friendly attitude, she asked us twice, as I had added a bottle of water to the purchase, she asked if we paid in the same account, to which my sister answered yes.

I found it interesting to note that the different employees had different ethnic backgrounds, and that while some looked more tired or busy than others, they all had a friendly attitude towards customers.

On the other hand, the supermarket customers were very attentive to their affairs, very focused on choosing their merchandise. I must say that in all my observation I did not see anyone of color, neither in the street nor in the cafe or at the supermarket.

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It is 12:05pm on Tuesday at Terra Linda Park across the parking lot from a public elementary school in Beaverton, 73 degrees. There are around 20 people out. The park is an open field, two tennis courts, a playground, a paved path and 3 picnic tables. The park is bordered by houses and a parking lot. The neighborhood is mostly middle class families, predominantly white.

12:15pm: a group of six, possibly a family (Indian), are playing tennis on one of the courts. They are taking turns and laughing. They are not taking the game too seriously and seem like they are just here to have fun and spend time together.

On the other court there is a father and daughter (approximately 9 years old, Indian) practicing with a basket full of tennis balls. The father is throwing her a ball one at a time while she works on her swing. He gives her positive and constructive feedback. They are having fun and working hard.

A middle aged woman, black, is throwing a ball for her two dogs

An older white woman walks on the path with her large Huskie dog, who seems old and is moving slow, off leash. The dog is stopping to smell the grass a lot and seems unfazed by other people around. The woman is patiently waiting for the dog and contently watching the people around her.

There are about 10 children around 5-10 years old playing on the playground, some wearing masks. A girl just fell from a spinning part of the playground and her friend is comforting her. She kept playing after a couple minutes.

12:30pm: There is a young white woman and a white boy, who looks about 10, that are setting up cones for a soccer drill. They’re excited to get started and happy that the weather is much cooler today. They are kicking the ball back and forth and the woman is giving the boy instructions on technique.

12:40pm: 4 of the kids on the playground have been called to go home by a woman supervising at a picnic table

The woman throwing the ball for her dogs has seen a man that she knows and they hugged and were happy to run into each other

A dad (white) is pushing his two young boys on the swings as another kid that he doesn’t know is asking him about where he lives and what he does for a job. The dad said he works for a tech company and they live in the neighborhood. The kid told him about his dog and how many steps he has on his Fitbit for the day.

12:50pm: The father and daughter playing tennis have left and there is now a woman sitting on the bench of the tennis court on her phone

A group of kids on the playground have a speaker and are playing Paul Simon music

An older man and woman (white) are walking together and dancing a little to the music

A man (Indian) has run from the parking lot with his tennis stuff to meet the woman waiting on the tennis court. She did not seem upset that he was late but he apologized.

There are several people walking or running by on the path. Some with headphones, some with dogs, some with kids on bikes.

On the playground, kids talk to each other and play together regardless of if they know each other but there hasn’t been much interaction between different groups in the park if they don’t know each other.

1:10pm I left the park

I noticed that I sometimes felt like I was intruding by observing people. As if it was none of my business what they were doing but it was so interesting to see people interact without being a part of it.

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Tanner Springs Park

Portland, Oregon

Tuesday, August 17th

5:30 – 6:15 pm

I have chosen to observe Tanner Spring Park in the Pearl District. It is a cool Tuesday late in the afternoon. It is the time of day when neighbors are returning home, dogs are being walked, and the preparation of the evening’s meal begins.  The park itself feels fluid and in a state of its natural self. So here is the observed stream of consciousness for Tanner Spring Park, Tuesday, August 17th.

People are walking

Three men, one man is on the phone, the second man carries two bags of groceries, the third, walks with purpose southbound on 11th street.

Commuters on bikes wiz past in the bike lane.

Folks trying to find an open parking space.

People wait for the streetcar to take them to other parts of the city.

There is a young girl and a photographer, capturing her image for what I perceive to be senior photos.

The sound of a plane overhead flies over us all.

Some dumps rubbish into the industrial size rubbish bin of the Metropolitan.

Neighbors come to sit on the park benches and smoke and scroll through their phones,

while lotus flowers bloom within the spring.

The birds chirp and flutter between the trees

the crows caw.

The park itself is a wild rumpus of native plants trying to survive the summer’s heat.

The palate is greens, tans, and a splash of orange flowers.

Someone rents a Nike bike as a means of transportation.

The restaurants which line the streets serve diners alfresco.

The North-South streetcar traverses along its line.

There is a U-Haul parked in front of the Pilates studio with a large graphic of Montana and an indigenous person.

A woman adjusts her pants and outfit presuming that no one sees her doing this.

Scenes from balconies of unused outdoor tables and chairs.

The smell of cooking oil hits my nose.

Seniors going on their evening stroll.

A baby asleep is being wheeled around the neighborhood by two men.

The clickity-clack of two teenagers skateboarding down the concrete sidewalks.

The streetcar blows its horn to move traffic out of its way.

Someone slides down the rail of the staircase. He is wearing a yellow shirt, turquoise shorts, a black hat faced backwards, and an unyielding beard – a girl takes a photograph of him.

Someone blares Jay-Z from their SUV.

The UPS driver finds an easy place to park is large brown van.

Most folks aren’t wearing masks.

It takes 56 minutes of me sitting in a park to smell someone smoking weed.

There is a lite cool breeze which drifts through.

A mother and her two little girls walk past me hand-in-hand in their bright floral dresses.

The family dog who is leashed, reminds me of the famous TV dog Benji.

There is a an affluency here, coiffed and on trend residents’ parade about.

A homeless man checks the recycle bin for bottles.

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Sunday 22th, 5h30 pm

New Seasons at Hawthorne

I arrived and a white woman, who seemed to be very busy, was talking on the phone. She was wearing a mask and came inside to the supermarket. She holds her phone with her shoulder in order to pick up a grocery basket. She doesn't sanitize her hands or the basket. Maybe I am still concerned with that because of the pandemic.

Also I saw two white women picking figs very carefully, they spent like one minute in that and then they didn't pick any.

Then when I was at the  vegetables section an employee (she wore a mask) came asking for permission with a cart full of boxes. She started unpacking fruit and seemed calm. Then suddenly  she came back to the storage a few seconds later she came back with surgery gloves.

I noticed a woman wearing blue, she was reading carefully the Grains label and she seemed to be making a decision.

Then the same 2 women who were picking figs at the  dairy section appear chatting  one behind the other.

The lady in blue with a full grocery basket (almost falling) has a list in her hands and she starts to pick yogurt in the dairy section. She seems to be in a rush.

A salesman, wearing a mask on,  was behind restocking and disassembling boxes, she seemed very Quiet.

A couple was choosing zaffron, the man carries the purchase and the woman on the phone

A Tattooed worker was in the cheese section placing prices.

In the cashier I was served by and afro american cashier, very gentle, he had an accent I caouldn identifies.

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I again observed Fields Park, but this time I went in the early afternoon. There was significantly less people and traffic in the park. Not a lot to observe compared to the first time when I went in the evening.

- There's a couple picnicking near the bench where I'm sitting. They have a big dog that sits with them and plays with a ball.
- A person who appears houseless walks laps around the park and searches the trash cans for empty cans.
- A pair of older men sit in the next bench over having a conversation. It's too low for me to hear, but they both seem very engaged.
- There's one person power-walking around the field, but most of the people casually stroll or walk their dogs.
- A woman far away in the sun is laying in the grass, possibly sunbathing?
- An older couple sit directly across the field from me. They have two small dogs. A person walking stops to talk to them because their dogs are interacting. When he walks away with his dog, one of the couple's dogs sits up to watch them walk away.
- Slowly, more people enter the park. Two couples enter, one cuts directly across the field to the other side. One person points to something and talks to the other. The second couple walks slower in another direction. The girl poses as she walks and points to the guy. He's holding up his phone, recording. It lasts a few seconds and then he puts the phone away.
- Picnic girl leaves, and the dog follows her for a couple steps before going back to the picnic blanket.
- More people walking laps. Everyone in the park is alone or in pairs, no one stays for very long.
- The two older men continue to converse on the bench. After paying more attention, I see there are books and a cup of coffee next to one. Maybe another book club?
- There are mostly large dogs in the park, opposed to mostly small dogs when I was there in the evening.

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I am back at the Starbucks on 185th Ave & Evergreen Parkway. The time is 2:30pm (I tried to come back around the same time of day). It is much busier here this time around but I somehow managed to get the same seat - the cushy lounge chair in the back corner.

The last time I was here, it was grey outside but today the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Every table outside is taken and the line inside for coffee is long. In front of me in line was a white woman and three children, an older white woman who was alone, and a couple of teen girls (I didn’t see their faces well).

Kids are so funny inside Starbucks, it might as well be a candy shop. They were grabbing juices, string cheese, fruit pouches, chips, all pleading with their mom to buy it all. Putting their greasy hands all over the cold case, peering inside as if it’s filled with the world’s best goodies. I remember feeling that way when I started coming to Starbucks (I was maybe 12 or so).

I was hoping to see the tattooed gentleman with the cool hat but apparently he is off today. There are three women working behind the counter - two white women and one Asian woman. They all seem to be in good spirits and chatting.

Outside, at a table off to my right, are two teenage girls (both white) who are both on their phones, going back and forth showing each other their screens. They are giggling, both with some large blended, bright-colored drink. It reminded me of my time spent here as a teenager with my best friends.

At another table sits a woman (white) by herself, drinking a tall hot beverage. She isn’t looking at a phone, or reading, or talking to anyone, she is just staring off to the busy street, watching people and cars go by. She seems content.

Nearby, a white woman and a white man are getting up to leave. The gentleman tosses both of their drinks into the trash can and they are walking towards their car. They are both smiling a lot and seem happy, like they are going somewhere fun.

Back inside, the line has stayed consistent with 2-4 people at all times. I have noticed that the majority here are teenagers. I can only assume that with their summer coming to a close, they are getting in as much fun as they can before school starts in a few weeks. Teenage girls always stand so close to one another, as though personal space isn’t an issue when you’re with your friends.

A young woman (black) who looks to be an employee of Barnes & Noble just walked in to grab something while she is maybe on her break/lunch? Her eyes have barely come up as she is very into whatever she is doing on her phone. I have noticed that a lot today - almost everyone has their phone in their hand and they are either actively looking at it or checking it periodically. It really bothers me.

There is an older white woman outside who I have seen around town many times. She always wears a long blue jacket and oftentimes, she is sitting on the off-ramp, asking for money. She always has her black cart and she always looks so sad. She is keeping to herself but part of me wants to offer to buy her food or a cup of coffee. I hope she comes a little closer.

I see a gentleman (Asian) with his daughter and they are looking at the mugs and the coffee on the shelves. He is pointing at all of the pretty glassware and she is soaking up every word. She is pointing to things and I’m sure he is explaining what it all is to her. Kids are so dang curious. I always love watching dads with their daughters, it gets me every time.

The time has flown by and I have spent so much time taking everything in, I somehow feel like I missed so much. The time is now 3:17pm, I am going to get a refill and head home.

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FFN #2

Joanne Fabrics, Clackamas 4:15pm

When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a young Latina woman step out of her car with her young daughter. The two walked into the store together. The daughter was then asking her mother if they could buy some beautiful fabrics and the mother said “maybe, we’ll see”. Later, I saw the two again. The mother appeared in a rush and was trying to get her daughter to follow her. She said “later later” as they walked briskly through the store.

I saw two teenage girls looking together at sewing patterns. They were discussing options to add sleeves to certain patterns. Both of the girls appeared to be white and in their teens. One had dark hair and the other light.

I overheard two employees discussing the request of a customer.  They talked about options for service and communication. They determined that the item wasn’t present in the store and offered alternatives.

I saw a middle aged woman walking through the store with a cane. She was slightly overweight. I also saw other older white woman looking at books and fabrics. One of the woman commented to her friend, another older white woman, “this fabric is cute” and they continued to discuss the pattern. The friend was actually her Mom, as I found out a few moments later. The Mother then sat down in a chair while the daughter shopped for thread.

I saw another young woman who appeared to be Latina shopping quickly in the store. I took a look at the sewing patterns and almost all of them pictured white women in their covers. There was one pattern picturing a black male and another picturing an Indian father and child.

When I checked out, I saw the Latina mother and little girl again. The mother sounded like she was speaking Spanish to her daughter but the daughter responded in English. The daughter was asking for candy and the mother was denying her request, holding some brightly colored fabrics that appeared African or Indigenous in style.

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Focused Field notes #1

Today I spent an hour in the Milwaukee Marketplace. This is a shopping center near my home in Portland. I was there in the late afternoon. The majority of the people I observed were white and there were a few people of color. I mainly spent my time in Joann Fabrics, a craft store I frequent.  I saw three black people in the Joann Fabrics. One of them was a black man and to me it was somewhat surprising to see a man in the fabric store, however, I recognize that this is a stereotype and bias on my part. The man was helping his teenage daughter purchase beads and fabric. They were asking the employee about the prices and sales on certain items. I believe the man was an immigrant based on a slight accent and his daughter was born here since she had no accent.

I heard an employee talking with a white customer about money and the state of the world. “There’s not much you can do with $100 bucks these days” he said. “That’s for sure” the employee responded.  People seemed friendly and helpful in the store.

Later, I overheard some employees complaining about their boss or manager. They vented about certain challenges and organizational difficulties. It was funny that they were having such a personal dialogue in earshot of customers in the store.

Finally, I had an excellent checkout experience in which the store clerk let me use her personal discount account and gave me individualized advice. I love going to the craft store and I do consider it to be a community. People enjoy sharing and helping one another in the craft community. It is a place where humans have been working together for thousands of years.

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It’s 11 am on a Tuesday morning and I have returned to Terra Linda Park. It’s a beautiful day and there a lot of people out playing tennis, basketball, walking and playing on the playground. There is one group of about 10 people of different ages, setting a picnic table up for a lunch. On the playground, there are  5 kids; two playing tag, two on the swings and 1 going down the slide. On one of the tennis courts there are four middle aged women, two on each side. I can hear them chatting about their week and other time’s they’ve played tennis together. On the other court are two kids, possibly siblings, having fun hitting the ball back and forth. On the basketball court there are three young men shooting around and talking to each other. A woman is walking on the path with her small dog and talking on the phone. There’s a young woman waiting near the parking lot, possibly waiting for someone to pick her up. A car with 4 people in have just arrived to join the group eating lunch. They also brought food and blankets. It seems like they’re all family and friends just getting together on a nice day. Two construction workers are in the parking lot looking towards the elementary school. A man and his toddler on a bike (no pedals) are on the path together. One of the kids on the playground is being told by her father that it’s time to go home and she is upset and asking to stay a little longer. The father said no and they are headed to the parking lot. There are now other kids on the playground that are taking turns on a spinning structure. Another child is making a hopscotch with chalk on the pavement. Two hawks just got into a scuffle in a nearby tree and were noticed by a woman walking on the path. An elderly man with a cane is walking with a young man. This day has been similar to my first observation. This is a place of activity and gathering.

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This past Tuesday, the 24th, I went back with my son to Coronado Island to the same spot only this time the day was cloudy and colder. Right off the bat, I immediately noticed that there weren’t as many people compared to the last time I was here. Setting down my towel to get comfortable enough to take notes on my tablet, my son immediately starts to cry. After 20 minutes of soothing him, he goes to sleep, at this point the stares that were on me when he was crying are long gone. The first people that I notice are a group of white college-age men, there are 7 of them in shorts and t shirts playing some sort of hackey sack like game. They are pretty far from me, so there isn’t much I can see other than their overall appearance. They sound and look like they are having fun, laughing, yelling at each other, doesn’t seem like they have a problem in the world. One thing that I really appreciated as I watched them play is the fact that they seemed to all be playing. No one was left out, they actively involved everyone, something that I feel isn’t normally seen, especially in large groups of people.

Next to them is a family, who is now getting stares very similar to the ones I was getting, as they now have the screaming infant. The family looks to be of Asian descent, a mother, father, one small boy that appears to be four or five years old, and their crying infant. The father was entertaining the young boy playing in the sand with small shovels and children’s toys. Meanwhile the mother was pacing back and forth with the small infant in a blue and white carrier. Everyone could see the frustrated and exhausted face she wore. At one point, the mom sat down in the beach chair, seemed to begin to tug on her shirt, acting as if she was going to breastfeed. This caused the father to turn around, say something to the mother, and then he sat up to grab a bottle from the bag behind them. This seemed to cause a little tension between them, but they were not speaking English. The mom then got the infant out of the carrier, placed him on her lap and began feeding him with said bottle. The father then went back to playing with his older son in the sand.

While there were a lot of people also walking back and forth on the beach, most of them couples, or small groups of friends. The majority of them white females chatting along as they pass by. The biggest thing that I noticed was a elderly white couple that was slowly and calmly walking along the beach. The weather was a warm 75 degrees and even with the clouds, everyone was wearing either swimsuits or summer attire. This couple on the other hand was wearing long sleeve and jeans as they walked by. They were holding hands and seem to really be enjoying their time, they were also wearing their masks, I’d imagine protecting their health. What was really nice to see, is all the people that were walking along the beach seemed to respect the elderly couple and made a point to stay 6 feet or even further away from them. It was a very nice sight, seeing other clearly care about the health of the woman and man, also respecting their actions. While others were not wearing masks, the fact that they had them on was a signal enough for others to understand their wishes.

Once again, the biggest thing I saw was a lot of happiness and relaxation. If it wasn’t for the elderly couple wearing their masks, it reminded me of a time before the pandemic. Peaceful.

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(8/13/2021) There is a cafe on the park blocks that I am quite fond of. From the outside, there are bright red umbrellas that cover the outdoor seating area, which helps them stand out next to the many shades of green from the trees.
As I order lunch for myself, I notice that the young woman behind the counter is watching me. Her hair is dyed black and she has done her makeup with dark eyeshadow and winged eyeliner. Beneath the apron she wears as a form of uniform, which is the same cheerful red as the umbrellas outside, she wears leggings and large black boots that give her an extra inch or two in height. As I head to the table next to the window with my order number, number 48, I notice her gaze linger on me for a moment longer. It is difficult to tell if she is watching me because she likes my own witchy clothes today (I am wearing a blue tanktop with the phases of the moon over a snake curled around a potion and a crystal) or if she finds me attractive. Her gaze lingers on me once more as she drops off my food.
To my left, there is a large flat-screen television where a soccer game is playing. I do not know who the teams are, as it seems to be in Spanish. There are various other people in the cafe, although not as many as there were prior to the pandemic. An older Black woman and a young man whom I assume to be her grandson sit at the table directly to my right, eating in silence. The table to THEIR right has a white man who is working on something on his laptop. There is an undercurrent of classical music.
A young woman enters the cafe. She does not go to the counter to order, instead choosing to linger near the television. Another young woman exits the restroom, which is behind the television, and beelines for the woman who entered. I figure that the two of them are friends that are using the cafe as a meeting place before moving elsewhere, as I have done myself in the past.
From here I will be writing in past tense, as the women engaged me in conversation. The one who had entered the cafe that I saw offered me a free photo. I was a little curious about why they had asked me, but I was polite. I sorted through the photos, trying to find my favorite as they had suggested, all the while the women introduced themselves and discussed how the one who entered the cafe had been the one to take the photos. At this point, I figured that perhaps they were doing some sort of field experiment or survey, as I was doing. Once I found a picture I liked, though, the one who had been in the bathroom asked if she could interpret it for me and what it meant. She started to speak about how she believed that my choosing of that specific picture was part of God's plan for me.
The two women seemed so passionate and earnest as they spoke that I didn't have the heart to tell them that I am agnostic. It was also at that point that I began to wonder if these two women had been drawn to me in particular due to my witchy clothing, queer haircut, and tarot card tattoo.
They were very polite, however, and asked if they could pray for me. I said they could if they so chose, but I, unfortunately, did not have time as my lunch break was almost over. From there, they moved to the table where the white man was on his laptop. Had they skipped the grandmother and her grandson because they were Black or because the two of them had started to talk about the grandson's schoolwork? It's difficult to say.
I still have the photo in my drawstring backpack.

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My observation was made at 14373 SE McLoughlin Blvd, in Milwaukie (Washman carwash & auto spa). I arrived at around 4 pm and I spend about forty minutes observing the carwash workers and their clients while they were detailing my car. The first thing I observed was the prices on a big green board and it listed the services as follows: #1 Express wash $9.00, #2 Auto shampoo $12.00, #3 The works $14, #4 Deluxe $37, #5 Auto spa $49, and #6 Inside & out $39. Detail packages: #7 Any 1 service $99, #8 Any 2 services $139, #9 Any 3 services $169, and #10 Any 4 services $199.

The second thing I saw while waiting in line to pick my number was a Latina woman between the ages of 20 and 25 who was in charge of the register. There were approximately eight vehicles in front of me, and the cashier was constantly running back and forth, but he appeared to love her job because she was constantly smiling. When I approached her she said. When I approached her, she said. Hello there! How are you doing today?  From what I replied, I am doing good thank you. Which number would you like? She asked me. I wasn't sure and I spent about a minute looking at the sign but she did not rush me. After selecting my number, I proceeded to the waiting room to wait for my car to be washed.

My third observation was on the group of employees assigned to do the deep cleaning. Six men and one woman were doing the deep cleaning when I arrived. One thing I noticed about them all was that they were all wearing short pants, which I assume was due to the hot weather (it was over 90 degrees Fahrenheit). Because they were working nonstop, some employees appeared fatigued and frustrated. When I approached one of them to ask if he could remove a sticky glue stain that my kid had left on one of the seats, he said he would try but couldn't promise anything because it had been in the seat for quite some time. I examined my seat after he finished cleaning it and found that the employee had not attempted to remove the adhesive, but I chose not to say anything.

My last observation was with customers sitting in the waiting room while their vehicles were being detailed. The majority of the people in the group were women of different ages, with only one couple between the ages of thirty and thirty-five and a child of approximately five years. When I arrived, the couple was already there, and they stayed for another twenty minutes while I was there. The child was running and jumping around the waiting area, and one of the women sitting close to them seemed unhappy because the boy was running in front of her and the parents were silent. While waiting, I saw that the majority of the individuals were using their smartphones.

During my forty-minute of observation, I noticed that just the person at the register appeared to be enthusiastic, while the rest of the employees appeared to be unhappy. Except for the child running in front of the woman, I didn't notice much action because everyone was just sitting there waiting for their cars.

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Tuesday, August 17
6:45 - 7:30 pm

Scott School Field and
Wellington Park on NE 66th between Prescott and Mason

I started observing on the Scott School playground:
8 players, approximately age 13, mixed genders, and 2 adults on the basketball court - all Latinx or Black
Adults were coaching and playing, teasing and encouraging
Kids were scrimmaging, having fun and talking smack
6 people watching - 3 adults and 3 kids, appeared to be players families

1 kid on the play structure of the school - age 7 ish, Black,
playing alone, perhaps waiting for an older sibling playing basketball or Dad
coaching

2 kids scootering on school grounds

2 adults on school field, both White, each with a dog

Dogs play and interact, people don’t

1 adult is on his phone, other is watching dogs

More dogs and owners arrive, dogs playing and barking

2 adults passing a volleyball and enjoying the beautiful evening

I walked up to Wellington Park which is adjacent to the school field:

12 boys on a soccer team practicing on field, age 14ish, All Latinx or Black

1 Latinx male adult coaching in English and Spanish

Lots of cones on field, doing drills, kids look happy and are working hard

Kids are organized, keeping the drills running while the coach works with individual players

They took a water break while I was watching

Many parents sitting in chairs by their cars waiting for the players practicing

Lots of walkers in the park:

Mostly White and Latinx

Some alone, some with groups, some with family

Some with dogs, some with kids

Several parents with strollers

White couple walking with toddler on his shoulders, stroller empty

Adults greet and chat with one another as move though the playground

Park playground:

5 adults, various ages:

1 adult observing

2 playing with their kid

1 pushing kid on swing

White Mom arrives with a small baby and places him in the baby swing, swings him gently

Greets a Latinx Mom near the playground in Spanish, they exchange greetings by name

4 teens sitting under a tree, off to the side, talking, looking at phones. They are far away so hard to see any more details

Mom and little one on merry-go-round, turning slowly, speaking Spanish, eating watermelon

Mom on phone in camp chair, watching the playground, speaking in Spanish

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These notes are from a group of food carts near Tacoma and 13th in Sellwood called Piknik Park, 6:14-7:14pm, Tues. Aug. 17.  There are many different types of food available, from various cultures and areas of the world.  The centerpiece is a covered area that is a 'bar' which sells beer and wine, and the period of time that I have settled in to eat some food and have a beverage is during a fairly busy night in agreeable summer weather.  I come to this spot often, so I am pretty familiar with the layout and the 'regulars;' on this particular night, about half of the normal food carts are closed.  Here is a quick breakdown of the carts that are open (out of the available places) and what kinds of food they serve:

(Note): X = Not Open, O = Open

The Dive Bar [Alcohol]: O
Uncle Tsang's Vegetarian Kitchen [Chinese-style Vegetarian]: X
Sauc'd [Italian-style noodle dishes]: O
Jin-Dak [Primarily Korean Fried Chicken]: O
Taste of Casablanca [Meditteranean-style food]: O
Nam Pa [Primarily Hmong-style food]: X
The Butter Brush [Burgers]: X
Taco Cart: X

While it might not be entirely relevant which places were open and which were, one thing that came to mind is that the places which were open affected which food I ordered, inherently meaning that there may also be similar situations for the following people which I observed; This is a pretty 'culturally diverse' set of food carts, and as you will see from my field notes, the clientele are not necessarily as ethnically diverse.  Therefore, the decision-making process behind which businesses were 'getting business' may indeed be relevant (food for thought).  Here are my observations about the patrons of the various food carts:

One pair of older white women (mid-60s?), comfortable sitting in front of the food cart that they ordered from (Casablanca).  When I arrived, it looked as if they had ordered fairly recently, and didn't look too bothered about the fact that they were waiting in the 'park' without their food; I watched them on and off for a while, and although there was about a 10-15 minute period that they were sitting at their table waiting for their food, they did not show many outward signs that they were impatient for their food.  Once receiving their food and while eating, they spoke with the vendor as he cooked his next meals; I wasn't sitting close enough to hear what the details of their verbal engagement was.  If I were to interpret their situation, I would guess that they were in a situation which allowed them to relax and enjoy each other's company while trusting the vendor in a way that allowed for respect as well as a laid-back interaction -- they probably weren't too worried about the greater situation around them being unstable, and they also seemed very comfortable with each other.

One white man, ordered food alone from Casablanca; mask below his nose, waited for food alone near cart and wrote in a notebook while eating food.  Once he was about done, he picked up his notebook and food and left.

White middle aged man alone waiting for food from Jin-Bak, observing the crowd while mostly looking on his phone.  I noticed him glancing at me multiple times, and I will admit that I was probably a little conspicuous writing notes in my journal while I looked around at the people in the courtyard.  I never actually saw him leave, but at some point I looked up from taking notes about another group and saw him grabbing one order of food.  I didn't get the impression that he was waiting for anyone, and I got the impressions that he  was ordering food for himself and not bringing home multiple orders for others.  Perhaps he lives/works alone?

Group of 4-5 young people with long hair and PNW  grunge clothes, laughing/talking loudly (post-meal or…), one playing speakers on bicycle, hip hop music while talking about where to meet up next.  They lingered in the courtyard for some time before leaving, and I noticed many other groups looking their way anxiously as the music seemed to be annoying them.  This group, which I honestly did not get a great look at because of where I decided to post up for my observation, appeared to be friends from work/school in their 20s, and almost seemed to take pride in the attention that was silently being sent their way; I can't say for certain, but it was almost as if they fed on the 'uncomfortable' energy sent to them by older patrons of the park and redirected it into something feeding their evening.  I didn't hear where they eventually decided on going, but they eventually dispersed until there were only two of them left; they both had long brown hair, and seemed to have a romantic connection.  Eventually they rode off on a pair of bicycles together.

One older white male/female couple approached the Casablanca vendor while someone else was ordering; they were nicely dressed, and reminded me of the people I tend to see down near the yacht club near where I live.  They asked what the vendors' hours were multiple times, and despite the vendor having hours posted on the side of the cart and answering their questions directly, they then wanted to make sure they had ‘Jee-ros’ (gyros), just in case because they were 'leaving for about half and hour but would be back.'  I got the impression that this couple was used to people waiting for them and expectantly awaiting their return.

Pair of older white men, eaten food and multiple pints on the table, laughing and comfortably conversing - couple or old friends?

Group of 4 people (family)? eating food with water bottles - culturally diverse, but eating the same food.  Couldn't get a good look at what it is that they had ordered, but they sat and ate for quite some time before finally dispersing and leaving the park.

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This set of notes is from the same group of food carts from my first observation near Tacoma and 13th in Sellwood called Piknik Park on Tues. Aug. 24., 6:27 - 7:12pm.  It was a warm and beautiful sunny evening, and a very busy night with significantly more people than the last time I did my observation.  As a dislcaimer, I only captured a percentage of the activity that was going on; I found that by the time I had finished writing my notes about one group, I might have missed 3-4 interactions happening in other places.  Throughout the 45 minutes that I stayed there, an average of 12/14 picnic tables were occupied, with people standing waiting for their food orders.  I noticed that this time compared to the last time, many more patrons were getting food from the Korean cart, yet the Casablanca cart was still popular.  Here are the restaurants that were open:

(Note): X = Not Open, O = Open

The Dive Bar [Alcohol]: O
Uncle Tsang's Vegetarian Kitchen [Chinese-style Vegetarian]: X
Sauc'd [Italian-style noodle dishes]: O
Jin-Dak [Primarily Korean Fried Chicken]: O
Taste of Casablanca [Meditteranean-style food]: O
Nam Pa [Primarily Hmong-style food]: O
The Butter Brush [Burgers]: X
Taco Cart: X

I was alone and sitting at picnic table near one of the ends when a white middle-aged woman approached me and asked if I would mind sharing the table; I didn't, so a family of three and I sat at opposite ends of a long table (which could probably seat at least 8 people comfortably): a young high school girl and her parents. I overheard them talking about some sort of summer camp or trip the daughter took, and the mother seemed to be driving the conversation by either asking questions or making statements.  They didn’t have anything to eat or drink until their order from the Korean place came, the father ordered Casablanca.  After asking me if I was comfortable with sharing the table, we didn't have any other interactions.

At some point, a woman around my age sat down on the picnic table in between the family and me.  She seemed to be alone (at least, not expecting any company) and made eye contact with me when she sat down but didn't actually say anything verbally to ask if either group sitting at the table cared (not that I would; just making the observation).  Inferring from this, I guessed that she was either waiting for a friend or just planning on having a beer and leaving -- which eventually, she did.  I might have tried to strike up a conversation if I wasn't so busy writing notes, but regardless the groups involved seemed content to use nonverbal communication to show that they were okay with the situation; with the coronavirus situation and the tension surrounding masks and community areas, it seems that there is an unspoken distrust or tension in these situations.  However, nothing was said and there was no altercation of any sort; but the background of such interactions happening around the country seems to mean that such a backdrop is unfortunately present in everyone's minds in public settings.

Another family (?), a younger white man in a tank top and his parents(?) who had a large German shepherd dog - the dog was pretty well-behaved but had some moments of stern discipline, which involved loud scoldings by the owner - there were at least 2-3 other dogs around, and it felt that the other dog owners were wary of this dog, as it certainly seemed capable of harm if put in a bad situation.  They ate Casablanca, and seemed to have a spirited conversation, although interrupted from time to time when the dog did something that compelled the owner to do something.

A white man and his two young daughters (young elementary)? ordered from the Korean cart next to me -- one of the young girls stood right next to me and looked at me for a moment, until I eventually said "hello."  She replied "hello" and went on with her father, who seemed content to let them follow him but explore around the area relatively freely.  One of them was wearing a tiara and ballet type dress.  They were sitting at a table with another family with children and they were all playing together.  The parents looked like they were in their late 30s or young 40s, and rather hip; wearing sunglasses and earrings, and laughing loudly as they shared beers/cider with the other set of parents (their friends?).  They occupied the corner space and looked like they were regulars and/or comfortable in the local neighborhood.

White couple who were drinking beer / cider with bike helmets - eating Casablanca plates in to-go containers when their food arrived.

A pair of white high school boys wearing yacht shoes, khaki shorts, and matching blue polo shorts - similar clothes, haircuts, complexion, and height.  After ordering, they joined their larger group 6 young men with sports bags.  I didn't hear them talking much, but I heard them talking about movies briefly.  Most of them did not order food or drinks, but the two that I originally saw did eventually get food and eat it while the rest of them talked enthusiastically.  Most likely a group of friends from school and/or a sports team?

Young Latino man with a goatee and backwards hat, drinking a beer alone and looking at his phone.  Did not order food, but seemed to be enjoying his time sipping his drink and looking on his smartphone.

Younger couple (early 20s)? in the corner, on a date (?) eating tacos.  Dressed in summer casual clothes, and laughing/eating as they talked.  They seemed to be content enjoying their time together.

Asian man who received a paper bag appearing to have multiple orders in it, as well as a fountain drink; he sat and enjoyed his portion(?) of the food and had his drink before leaving.

Compared to last time, with it being a lot busier, I noticed that the conversations between patrons and their respective vendors were shorter, and there were not any conversations between them outside of the ordering process.  The last time, there were some interactions between the Casablanca chef and people sitting enjoying his food; but probably due to the busy nature of this time, the conversations were kept professional and brief.  Hence, groups tended to stick to having conversations with only the group that they came with more than when it was less busy.

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Sadly I was unable to go to my original FF at my local supermarket in which I observed from the little starbucks that was near the Deli and the produce. This time I am in a cosy Starbucks which happens to be connected to a Barnes and Noble in Tanasbourne. Today, it is bursting with people. I am sitting in the far corner, that overlooks most of the cafe. A man to my right (I can see him through the windows) is sitting by himself at a little square table. He sits slanted with his knee crossed over his lap. It looks like he is concentrating on his tablet. He taps with his stylus (I think that is what it is called) continually. Almost as if he is playing a game. Two women in front of me at the far end of the cafe, are engrossed in a conversation with each other. One of them wearing a pink cardigan (sitting with her back in front of me) is talking with her hands up in the air. The other I can partially see her face, looks serious and playing with her hair.
Two girls (they looks around 6) with their parents in line are playing rock paper scissors. They look very playful. One of them uses her hands to yell "Excuse me!!!!!!!" "What is your password for the restroom????" The barista tells them two times. Then they both run as fast as they can to the restroom. Once outside the door, one of them runs back to the counter to ask the barista what the password was again. The barista kindly offers to help them and walks with the little girl to the bathrooms.
A lady sits by herself at a small square table in front of me. She has two different pastrie bags, and eats with her mask still on but pulled down to her chin. On her lap she has two books. One looks like it is wrapped in plastic and a smaller book sits on top of it. She has her eyes on her phone tapping with one finger as she eats her pastry with her other hand. The two girls are done with the restroom and zoom across the room with a loud screech. Both me and the lady sitting by herself stare at the two girls surprised. Unlike the previous FFN, the baristas arn't as chatty. One of the baristas, a guy in a huge brown fedora, tells the other barista how to do in certain things.
The other barista chats with a customer by the place where you pick up your drink. The barista talks to the lady how she was so happy to see a mutual friend at the zoo.
A couple waits for their drink as they are facing towards each other. The lady talks about an experience, she uses her hands and brings them high to her face. It was funny since the guy laughed. Their drinks are ready and the guy asks for honey, the barista informs them they no longer have honey. The man seems disappointed but is like oh okay. The barista seems apologetic but offers another solution which is kind of like a honeyblend. He takes it, and the barista tells him to ask for the "honeyblend in the future". A bald man jokes with the barista telling him his hair used to look like farah Fawsett.  The barista then explains how his hair is parted.

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Isaac’s Coffee, Salem, OR

08/24/21

2:30-3:30 pm

2:30 pm: This week I am observing again at the same coffee shop as last week. I am looking specifically at how people in the room move based on how the furniture, signs, and counter are set up. I am considering this in my observation because I am reflecting on how people interact with spaces in their communities and why they might move in certain ways within a space. I am also observing how people interact with each other based on if they come into the coffee shop alone or with a group. I noticed in my first observation in this coffee shop that people sitting alone or who entered the coffee shop alone only interacted with the employees when they placed orders or approached the counter, while people in groups only interacted with employees or others within their group.

I notice first that there is a clear walkway from the front door to the counter where people order. When people enter the front door, to the left there are long tables that line the windows. To the right, there are smaller individual tables that seat 2-4 people, and there is also a small couch with a table in front of it. The window-lining tables and the tables to the right of the entrance are arranged in straight lines that create a clear, straight path from the doorway to the ordering station. At the start of this observation there are 4 employees behind the counter and 3 customers sitting at tables individually. The signs about mask requirements for customers not actively eating or drinking are still in place near the front door, at the counter, and near tables. The same sanitized/unsanitized table signs are still in place on each table as well.

2:43 pm: One new customer walks through the door wearing a mask. The customer is a white woman who walks in a straight line directly toward the counter, following the path set by the arrangement of the furniture. After placing an order, the woman continues to walk in a straight line parallel to the counter to move to the end of it. The employee did not prompt this customer to move to the end of the counter like some do in coffee shops, however, the end of the counter has more open space and there is a napkin dispenser, cream, and sugar on that part of the counter. I think there is a norm in most coffee shops that after placing an order, people should move toward the end of the counter to receive it. I think the napkin dispenser and things people normally add to coffee being placed at the end of the counter in this particular coffee shop give hints that people should move to that part of the room to receive their orders even if they are not told to do so by employees.

2:50 pm: I notice that tables near the back of the coffee shop are occupied more than those close to the front door. I think this is probably because the coffee shop is not full and the people inside right now are sitting alone and may want to be in a quiet space away from other people. The woman who just placed an order picked up her coffee and searched for a table. She is sitting in an individual stool at a long table along the windows.

2:55 pm: Two women together just entered, followed by one man about a minute later. All three followed the same walkway path to the counter. The group of two women split up after entering, though. One woman went to the counter to order, while the second woman in the group walked from the counter to search for a table for the two of them. She chose the last empty booth near the back of the coffee shop along a wall. I notice while watching the woman who chose the table for the group of two that she is on her phone while she waits for the other woman she walked in with. The woman who ordered for the two of them is waiting for their order and is also on her phone while she waits. The third person, who entered alone, just finished ordering and pulled a phone out of his pocket. The man picks up his order and does not find a table, but takes the order to go. He did not exit through the front door where he entered. There is another door that leads to the side of the building near the part of the counter where people retrieve their orders. Even though this door is not labeled as either an entry or an exit, I have not seen people enter through this door. The three people who were sitting alone when I started the observation have left. I saw two of the people leave through the door near the end of the counter and one person exited through the door that most people seem to enter.

3:05 pm: I notice today that the coffee shop is a lot quieter than it was last week. Today there is not a rush of people coming in suddenly like I observed last week. I am here an hour later than when I observed last week, so I think this indicates that 2:30 pm is around the time this coffee shop starts to quiet down. Last week my observation ended at 2:30 and I also noticed a lull in new customers coming in. At this point the group of two women I described above are still sitting in the booth they chose and there is only one woman sitting alone.

3:10: Two employees are walking around checking if tables need to be sanitized. The employees are wiping down only some tables and they flip the sanitized/unsanitized signs over after cleaning tables. Even though most tables are empty at this point, I think it is interesting that they seem to trust that customers flip the little signs appropriately after using a table. I notice that the long bench-like tables with individual stools do not have the sanitized/unsanitized signs for each individual seat. It looks like there is only one sign for the long bench tables, even though they have many seats.

3:25 pm: An employee just passed my table and walked to a corner of the coffee shop I hadn’t really noticed much until now. She is rolling a cart with used dishes behind the counter. The area for the cart is not near the main entrance and is tucked away. There are no signs about customers bussing tables and I have not overheard employees asking customers to do so. I notice the coffee cups are all disposable/recyclable paper or plastic, while the pasties seem to be served on plates with silverware. I do not see anybody in the coffee shop right now with glass dishes on their tables. I wonder if people know to bus their own table because they go to the counter to place orders and that is a norm in many coffee shops? Would people know to return their own dishes if they were served at their tables?

3:30 pm: As I wrap up this observation, there are still four employees who are all behind the counter organizing things while talking quietly to each other. The group of two women are still at their booth in the back and the woman sitting alone is still in her seat.

# data[].attributes.body
(8/24/2021) Returning to the same cafe as I went to before. Unfortunately, I could not arrange it to be here on my lunch break today, so I am here instead for breakfast. I have just ordered the same thing, though, and I am now sitting at the same table with my back to the window.

They are not playing the classical music they were playing last time. I do not know this song, but it seems to fall somewhere more along the pop or techno genre. The television is also different. It is not playing soccer like it usually is; it is instead playing some sort of home improvement reality show. In addition, the show that they are playing is playing in English instead of Spanish.

The goth girl behind the counter is here again today, but she seems too busy to watch me like she had before. The main source of her stress seems to be an older gentleman in his late fifties or early sixties sitting at a table by the front window. He is sitting with a much younger man (who is the only person of color in the establishment at the moment) and he seems to be having an issue with his coffee every two or three minutes and keeps going to the counter to talk to the goth girl. The younger man looks like he's trying to be patient as he and the coffee complainer seem to be trying to have a meeting.

I was given the number 48 again when I ordered my food. As the goth girl drops off my hot chocolate and my bagel, the old man at the table next to me starts to talk on his phone. He seems to be in his sixties to seventies. He is trying to make plans with someone and is discussing dates.

They have stopped playing the other music and have started to play classical music. They are still playing the strange home improvement show. A college student is coming to the counter so that she can order a coffee; she is wearing a baggy hoody and she has wild curly brown hair.

Diagonally to my left and directly in front of the old man on the phone are some other elderly people. They are clearly a couple and they, too, are discussing the possibility of travel. I can hear them much better than the guy on the phone because they are much louder. They are talking about different places they could potentially go for, I suspect, their anniversary. The woman wants to go somewhere warm but the man is more interested in visiting family.

# data[].attributes.body
Joanne Fabrics, Clackamas 4:15pm

When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a young Latina woman step out of her car with her young daughter. The two walked into the store together. The daughter was then asking her mother if they could buy some beautiful fabrics and the mother said “maybe, we’ll see”. Later, I saw the two again. The mother appeared in a rush and was trying to get her daughter to follow her. She said “later later” as they walked briskly through the store.

I saw two teenage girls looking together at sewing patterns. They were discussing options to add sleeves to certain patterns. Both of the girls appeared to be white and in their teens. One had dark hair and the other light.

I overheard two employees discussing the request of a customer.  They talked about options for service and communication. They determined that the item wasn’t present in the store and offered alternatives.

I saw a middle aged woman walking through the store with a cane. She was slightly overweight. I also saw other older white woman looking at books and fabrics. One of the woman commented to her friend, another older white woman, “this fabric is cute” and they continued to discuss the pattern. The friend was actually her Mom, as I found out a few moments later. The Mother then sat down in a chair while the daughter shopped for thread.

I saw another young woman who appeared to be Latina shopping quickly in the store. I took a look at the sewing patterns and almost all of them pictured white women in their covers. There was one pattern picturing a black male and another picturing an Indian father and child.

When I checked out, I saw the Latina mother and little girl again. The mother sounded like she was speaking Spanish to her daughter but the daughter responded in English. The daughter was asking for candy and the mother was denying her request, holding some brightly colored fabrics that appeared African or Indigenous in style.

# data[].attributes.body
It is 4:42 when I arrive.

I'm at the same location I was before, A food pod of sorts on NE 69th and Glisan. It's warmer out than it was last time. Since it's earlier, the sun is hitting down harder. Also, it is a weekday; last time it was a weekend evening. The difference in time of week and time of day is quite evident. I'll explain how.

Firstly, there are far less people. Ahead of me, directly in front of the Mexican restaurant, sits an Asian man, well dressed, enjoying a light beer. He's wearing a hat made out of straw, sunglasses, a thin purple scarf, a blue dress shirt nearly unbuttoned, shorts, and loafers. He's playing on his phone right now.

Behind me, there is a trio of women, all white, conversing and joking with each other. Empty beer glasses sit in front of them. One of the women is telling a story and giggling all the while. Since I turned around to get a decent look at them, she lowered her voice. I wonder now if I intruded too much into their conversation and they quieted because they wanted more privacy, or because her voice was relatively loud and she became self conscious when I turned, perhaps believing she was being annoying to the other patrons.

Regardless, I can hear them talking about shows on HBO.

One of the ladies just stood and took all their empty glasses and returned them to the bar. They appear to be leaving now, saying goodbye to each other. Two of the women leave and another steps inside, perhaps to order more food or go to the bathroom.

Beside me, three people are playing cards and drinking beer. Two men, one woman, all white. I don't want to stare too much, but I'm curious about the game they're playing. One man shuffles cards. In the middle of a table sits a small, rectangular wooden board. An oval-ish series of circles is on the board, along with little colored sticks inserted into small holes dorting the circles.

A man, white, just walked up to the fashionable dressed asian man and they hugged each other. He's going to get a beer.

Two people, both Latino, just walked out of the Mexican restaurant, said out loud, "adios!", and left the premises.

Inside the bar, an elderly black man sits and plays on his phone. A beer, halfway empty, sits in front of him. There appear to be two staff at the bar: a man wearing a hat and a wan with pink hair. Both are white. They seem to be taking a small break.

A man and a little boy just came aboard the premises. Both are wearing masks. They're browsing the food selections.

Not a whole lot going on right now. Everyone is just hanging out, enjoying the company of the people they're chilling with. There's not a whole lot of movement from the staff of the restaurants and bar. I'm sure they're taking the opportunity to rest in the back.

A black man in a white suit and sunglasses just walked up to the pod. He went directly to the African restaurant.

It's a bit windy; the canopies shake and strain a little, squeaking as the wind hits us every so often. Cars drive past us on Glisan. It's not heavy traffic, but it's active.

A white woman just walked up to the bar and ordered a drink.

The father and son duo I see now are ordering food from the African restaurant. They bring their beeper to the table on front of me, remove their masks, and start conversing.

I see two women, both latinas, open soda cans behind the register of the Mexican restaurant. They giggle.

# data[].attributes.body
I walked out onto the playground at 11:00 am and stood in the shade with a view of the play structures: one for children under two and the other for the older kids. Two children, a girl and a boy, wander across the back of the large playground with a bucket in each of their hands. They are picking up bits of grass and flowers and throwing them into their buckets.
Another young boy races across the blacktop on a small tricycle. He seems to be the only kid that is by himself, but doesn't seem to mind.
There is another boy chasing after several other children and growling at them. Some of the other kids seem to be repelling the "monster" with some sort of free flowing, hand magic.
At 11:10, the same boy who was pretending to be a monster runs over to a few teachers and gives them each a huge bear hug.
There are two girls trying to do a flip over the bars of the play structure.
At 11:12, the "monster" boy bumps into one of his friends and knocks her down. He then runs back to her, helps her stand up, and gives her a big hug before returning to their game of chase.
11:15 rolls around; there are a larger group of children holding buckets and collecting grass.
On the smaller playground, a young boy cries after his dad drops him off at school.
On the big playground a hear a rush of excitement shout, "WEEE!!!" as three girls rush down the slide together like a train.
Another little girl with bright blue eyes skips past me singing a song that I can't seem to place.
At 11:20, I see the two girls who were doing flips earlier become really unhappy and walk away from each other. Both of their postures change as they turn their backs on one another and sit a few feet away from each other. Their teacher becomes aware of their altercation and has a conversation with the two girls. The conversation ends and the girls part ways.
It is now 11:25 and the children are asked to begin cleaning up the playground so that they can move on to the field. Several of the kids grudgingly bring tricycles back to the building while the kids that were collecting grass in their buckets begin to empty out their buckets and walk them back to the storage bin. The kids all grab their water bottles and line up on the wall so that they can walk into the field area.

# data[].attributes.body
Woodburn Downtown
8/24/2021
6:30 - 7:15

I was in the same place where I made my first observation. I was in downtown Woodburn, about 75 degrees, and still a little sunny. It is about 6:30 in the evening, and there are not many people in the city plaza. There is not an event in the public library park, like one week ago. The public library park is almost empty.
In the city plaza, I can see a few people. Outside Metropolis (a building where there are several stores inside), there is a table, there is a group of people who seem to be family around the table. They are three adult women and three children. They are eating ice cream, and a couple of the children are drinking flavored water. The women are wearing jeans and different colored blouses. The children (all boys) are wearing shorts and regular shirts. I only hear that one of the women says: "let's go," and they all get up and leave. I don't hear any more of their conversation.
Next to the fountain in the plaza is a young man wearing blue jeans and a red jacket. He has two phones. He is using one of them to talk to someone else. He uses the other one to send text messages. At the other side of the plaza, there are five people. All of them are men of different ages. The youngest looks about 25 years old, and the oldest looks about 45 years old. The five people seem to be talking and joking because some of them are laughing, and other is taking selfies. At that moment, a man about 30 years old sits on the bench next to me. He seems to be waiting for someone. The man is wearing black jeans and a white and brown shirt.
The five men are still laughing and talking on the other side of the plaza. One of them notices that I am watching them and starts watching me too. Another one of them separates from the group and starts looking at his phone. After a few minutes, a person arrives driving a black truck, and one guy approaches to talk. On the south side of the plaza, a man appears with two girls holding hands. They could be his daughters. The man works in one of the nearby restaurants because he is wearing a cooking uniform.
After a few minutes, a woman arrives. She says hi to the man in black jeans and a white and brown shirt. They start talking, and the man asks her how her day was. The woman only responds that it was ok, and invites him to go to one of the nearby stores to get some ice cream. The couple gets up and leaves. After that, everything seems to stay the same. The five men continue talking.
I wash up and walk near the public library park. I could see three men in the background talking about their families. All three men had face-mask and seem to be keeping the social distance. In the distance, I can see the man who works in a restaurant accompanied by his daughters. They seem to be returning to their starting point with some bags of food.
Unfortunately, today there was nothing else to observe. On this occasion, most of the people I watch were Latinos of different nationalities. Men, women, and children of different ages (10 to 45 years old). On this occasion, I did not observe any white or African American people. The presence of Latinos in the Woodburn plaza could be because it is a community where more than 56% of the population are Latinos.
(https://datausa.io/profile/geo/woodburn-or)

# data[].attributes.body
I chose to do my observation in the same place and time as last week. same "bike night" event

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The bells strike 7:00pm as I sit down at the same table at the same place only 3 days later. I couldn't wait a whole week since I was traveling to another part of France and then leaving the country altogether. The café/bar (l'Olympiad I think was the name although the name isn't displayed clearly. None of the cafés on the square have clearly displayed names).
The server seemed surprised to see us again and didn't ask for the vaccine pass. There were 7-8 tables on that day, a Friday. Table #1 was behind me. There was a heterosexual couple, both white, both in their early 50's. She had her hand on his arm. My boyfriend thought that they may be romantically involved but not necessarily a couple or a couple who has been together for a long time. She kept leaning over towards him, then she was eating a pastry from a paper boulangerie bag. They then started talking about eating a local dish called truffade. I was not sure if they were vacationers or not.
Table 2 started out with a man and a woman. She was wearing a pretty green sundress. She ordered a monaco which is beer with some red currant syrup in it. He ordered an ice cream cone, soft serve, van. choc. She was talking about cremant de Bourgogne versus champagne. I thought that they might be upperclass but then figured they're probably middle class trying to be fancy.
Table 3 was 4 young white men. 1 teen, two mid-20's, and a bearded guy in his late 20's maybe 30's . They were all white, all drinking beers, and could have been co-workers. At first I wasn't sure if they were locals but then I saw a clue that tipped me off... There was an older man circling around the bar chatting with people he knew. He had bought some shoes at this hip new shop that opened up in the village and was showing them off to people. He was talking to table 6, two younger girls who left shortly after, then came over to table 4 to show the young men his shoes. I figured he was local since he knew a lot of people and then assumed that table 4 comprised of locals.   This new hip store that opened up has clothes that you would find in Paris, not in the middle of nowhere in Auvergne region of France but it has been really busy every time I walked by.
Table 5 was a repeat from the other night. Lip ring Mom with teen daughter and dog, and Dad?. This time there was a fourth member who I am assuming was brother. The Mom and teen are pretty hip which makes me wonder if they are indeed vacationers or from out of town and recently moved. I am assuming that since they have spent at least two evenings at this café, that they are on vacation.
Table 6 made up of 3 women. one was a smoker who seemed upperclass and was drinking a glass of wine. another had a mask hanging off her ear. After they got up to leave, I got a sense that they were middle class and probably vacationers, but I could be wrong.
Table 7 was a table of 4, one older het. couple (I assume) and one younger het. couple (I assume). The older woman was super tan, maybe of mediterranean decent, glasses eating ice cream cone. They were all pretty tan, which made me think they were on vacation or just got back from vacation. The younger man was asian, wearing a cool printed Nike button down unlike anything I've seen before. I assumed they were from out of town by the way they dressed. The younger woman had her back to me so I am not sure what she really looked like. I thought that the young couple were writing postcards but it turns out they were scratching scratch it lottery tickets. I assume they didn't win anything.
Table 2 grew by 3 young boys and a younger white het couple.
I asked the server for the WifI passcode and it took him a while to retrieve it from his phone and write it down on a business card. They must not get a lot of people asking for WiFI.
Table 2, that grew in numbers began talking about ecology and about computer servers that would get really hot. They talked about how much pollution the hot servers can produce. I wasn't able to follow too closely or make much sense of their conversation.
The hip teen who was also there the other day started dancing although I wasn't hearing any music.
A large number of loud road bikes would regularly ride by. Motos and dirt bikes seem to be very popular amongst the youth in this part of France.
The awning rolled back again like the other day.

# data[].attributes.body
Scott School Field and Playground

Wellington Park

August 23, 7:00 – 7:45 pm

I walked on the path between the school field and the park field and there were very few people. It was very quiet compared to the previous week when the park was bustling with activity. There were 2 adults on the school field with their dogs off leash. The adults did not appear to be there together, but were chatting while their dogs played.

I walked up toward wellington park field and there was a young Black teenager sitting in the park, just hanging out. He was there for about 10 minutes alone. Eventually, he got up and walked away.

Several families were walking in the park, many had dogs, some had strollers. One African family in beautiful traditional dress and head coverings walked through the park talking and laughing with each other. I could not hear what language they were speaking.

Another young Black kid rode through the paths in park on his bike. He made a few laps and then rode away. I wondered if he was looking for the kid who was sitting alone, but had already left by the time the one with the bike arrived.

There was one Latino family on the park play structure, Mom, Dad and two small children. The kids were running, climbing and squealing with delight. The parents were hiding and then revealing themselves and everyone was laughing and smiling.

A group of boys arrived and began playing basketball on the school covered playground area. A few were riding bikes around the playground. They were interacting, but far away so hard to know the nature of their banter and play.

Lots of dogs arrived and were off leash on the park field while the owners stood in a circle and talked. It looked like they see each other at this park often and enjoy catching up and sharing about their days.

There were no organized sports teams practicing this time so all of the fields were open and there was more space for off leash dogs, even though it is prohibited for dogs to be off leash in this park.

Many others passed through the park on their evening walks, many with dogs.

# data[].attributes.body
I was unable to return to the same location as last week and this time I did my observation outside my house.
While sitting on my bench outside my house last Monday, I saw two children who were playing in my neighborhood. It was approximately 2:00 p.m. when I noticed my neighbors leaving their house in their blue Volkswagen Golf, and five minutes later, I noticed their six-year-old child and his friend (around the same age) came out of their house. Because I watched both his parents drive away, I initially assumed his parents had let him alone with the other child, but a few minutes later, I noticed my other neighbor checking on them as they were playing outside.
The kids rode their bike for approximately ten minutes before one of them went inside his house to grab two stools. Another neighbor has an apple tree with a lot of apples, and the kids were attempting to pick some apples from it. They tried about minutes to grab some apples, but the were unsuccessful even using the stool. For a fe minutes I could see their disappointment on their faces as they sat on the sidewalk talking. They chose to ride their bike for another ten minutes or so after sitting for about ten minutes, and then they walked inside their house.
I waited on my bench for another fifteen minutes, hoping they would return to ride their bikes again, but they never did.

# data[].attributes.body
Isaac’s Coffee, Salem, OR

August 27 2021, 1:30-2:30 pm

1:30 pm: In the coffee shop there are 2 booths with tables that can seat about 4 people, a long bench with a counter-height table in front of it that looks like it might seat about 4 people, 3 tables that can seat 4 people, a loveseat with a table in front of it, and a another counter-height table with five individual chairs.

When I sit down to start the observation there are 14 people, including employees, in the room. There are 4 employees and 10 customers. There are signs posted on all doors and on every table about keeping masks on at all times when not eating or drinking. There are 3 people wearing masks while not eating/drinking, all 4 employees are wearing masks, and 7 people are unmasked. Of the unmasked people, only 4 are eating or drinking. The 3 other unmasked people are working on computers or looking at their phones.

The weather at the time of the observation is reflected in how people are dressed. Even though it is August, it is overcast and colder than it has been in the last week. Most people in the coffee shop are wearing pants, closed-toe shoes, and have jackets on or draped over the backs of their chairs.

1:35 pm: Three women walk in and order. They have backpacks and are talking about where to sit. They sit at a larger table after ordering, set up computers, and get out textbooks and notebooks. The coffee shop is quiet and the only conversation that can be overheard comes from the group setting up what looks like a study group.

1:56 pm: There are now 25 people in the room. There are 6 people in line to order, others are seated at tables or looking for places to sit. There are two tables with groups working/studying together, three tables with two people, and all other tables are filled by individual people working on computers or phones. I can overhear the conversation at a table with two people near me. The two women are speaking English but are sharing contact information for other people in the community who speak Russian. Throughout their conversation they switch between speaking in English and Russian. Sometimes they use Russian words within sentences started in English, or they start sentences in Russian and use some English words.

At another table with two people, a third person greets them and joins their table. As they make space for the new person, they get file folders with papers out from a bag on the floor. One of the people originally seated at the table offers to order the new person a coffee and asks what they would like.

The coffee shop is a lot louder and more lively than at the start of the observation. Every table with more than one person has a conversation going. The only people in the room who are not speaking are individuals working on phones/computers, people waiting in line individually, and two employees who are making drinks or preparing food. The people who are not talking are looking at phones or computers, even while waiting in line.

2:00 pm: An employee is walking around wiping down tables as people leave. The person flips signs over on tables that say either “This table is unsanitized” on yellow paper in red font or “This table is sanitized” on green paper in green font. I notice as new customers walk in that they do not select tables based on the sanitized/not sanitized signs. They sit at tables that fit their group size or discuss sitting at an unsanitized table because it better fits their preference of where to sit. The employees are not suggesting tables and customers do not request for tables marked as unsanitized to be wiped down. The employees are also not commenting on masks.

2:07 pm: Three people who were in line to order take their drinks to-go. Others are looking for tables or are getting settled at tables. The original 10 customers from the start of the observation are all still seated. As I glance around the room, I notice that all customers and employees are white. All the employees look like they are in their 20s, and all customers except 2 also look to be in their 20s. The other 2 customers look like they are in their mid 40s.

2:18 pm: One new customer walks in. There is no line, so the person orders right away. The person’s drink is ready within 2 minutes and the person walks out. All people seated at tables are the same groups or individuals described in the sections above. Two more people walk in and order. They are looking around for a table. One of the two people suggests they sit at a table outside so they can leave their masks off. They receive their drinks and a numbered marker so their food order can be brought to the table they choose. They walk outside and sit at a table near the windows lining the coffee shop. I find it interesting that these two people are choosing a table based on the mask requirements. All customers seated at tables inside are unmasked at this point, even if they are not eating or drinking. One customer sitting alone gets up from a table, walks to a counter with napkins, silverware, and a garbage can to throw away a cup and pastry bag. The person does not put on a mask to walk to the counter and does not put on a mask after sitting back down at the table.

2:30 pm: Four people walk in: two individuals and what looks to be a mother and her child. The child looks to be about 4 years old. The first person in the line orders, moves to the end of the counter, and pulls out a phone. The second person orders and does the same. The two people are standing close to each other and do not look up from their phone. The mother orders and the child is pointing at bottled waters/drinks in a cooler in front of the counter. The mother reaches over to grab a bottle of water and adds it to the order. The two individual customers both receive their orders and walk out. The mother and child move to the end of the counter. The mother pulls out a phone. The child is standing nearby. All other customers are still seated at tables continuing conversations, while the people sitting alone still look focused on work on computers or phones. The mother and child receive their order and walk outside. The only people standing or moving at this point are the employees. Two employees have wet rags and are checking for any tables that need to be sanitized, while the other two employees are standing behind the counter. They are both standing quietly.

# data[].attributes.body
The time is 3:09pm on Monday afternoon and I have tucked myself into a cozy corner at the local Starbucks (185th and Evergreen Parkway). This Starbucks has been my “home” coffee shop since I was 10 years old or so and now that I’m back in Oregon, I knew this is where I wanted to sit and observe.

First, I take note of everyone in the coffee shop and immediately notice every person in here is a white female (from what I can tell). I don’t know why, but I also noticed everyone is ordering cold drinks which I don’t understand because hot is the way to go on this fall-ish day. I am loving the weather today. I see what appears to be a woman, blonde, in her 40’s at a table with an older woman - maybe it’s her mom?

There is another woman in short shorts and has tattoos all over her legs and is telling the barista she “was just cat-called twice on the walk over.” This barista has the coolest burnt orange hat on (I want it).

There is a white gentleman sitting outside with cycling gear on, he’s looking at his laptop and eating a snack from home. A white woman wearing a Hillsboro Hops sweatshirt and blue hair just sat down with him but they aren’t talking much.

The greatest thing is happening right in front of me. A white man and a pregnant black woman are waiting for their coffee at the bar, and they just started slow dancing to Frank Sinatra playing over the speakers. I am choking up writing this because I am quickly realizing I may not have noticed this if I wasn’t writing these notes. With them, is a young girl and they did a three-way hug. They are bursting with joy and it’s filling up the coffee shop. I’ve been listening to OPB all day to keep up on the situation in Afghanistan and it’s been grim but this dancing just brightened my day. What a gift.

I can overhear the baristas apologizing over and over because they are short on so many supplies (no cinnamon, no coconut milk, etc.)

A woman wearing a hijab and sunglasses just walked in pushing her baby in a stroller. She walked through and went into Barnes and Noble. I smiled at her because as a mom I always think, “I see you mama!”

A white gentleman just walked in and plopped himself down at a table with his laptop. He hasn’t ordered anything yet and I can’t see him very well because his mask is so big. My guess is someone is meeting him here for a meeting. Let’s see, shall we?

There are now two young girls (both white) sitting outside and giggling back and forth. It’s clear they are having fun together. One of them just now walked in and said, “Hey, I love your hat” to the barista. I couldn’t agree more.

Another white woman, maybe in her 60’s, just walked through and went into Barnes and Noble. Her mask had “Book Nerd” written all over it. The barista with the cool hat yelled out, “Hey Joan!” and they gave what I can only guess were smiles to each other (damn masks).

Looks like I was wrong about the meeting - the gentleman just finished his drink, tossed it in the trash and left.

I am now the only customer here. I don’t think I have ever seen it this quiet. Is it covid or just the time of day?

The gentleman and the woman with the blue hair still haven’t interacted much. I see the woman has now started knitting something but I can’t tell what it is.

A white pregnant woman, maybe in her late 20’s, just walked in. Well, waddled in. I remember that so well, chafed thighs and all. She’s dressed really nice - long maxi dress, hair in a big bun on top of her head, pretty shoes on. I wonder where she’s going? I bet she misses caffeine.

A white, middle-aged man just walked in and is asking a bunch of questions about different dairy products, asking what certain drinks are, “What does “temporarily out of stock'' mean?” The barista with the hat is being so nice, they are going back and forth and making each other laugh. Now the gentleman is telling a young girl how to lock the bathroom door properly - “I found out how with my pants halfway down!” He is wearing black denim cutoff shorts and a rain jacket. This guy is a character.

Now it’s just me and the shorts guy sitting in here, both drinking our hot drinks, both on our laptops. The time is now 3:57pm and the woman wearing the hijab is leaving Barnes and Noble, her kid has a book in her hands.

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1:45

I just arrived to my local supermarket. I am sitting right by the Starbucks kiosk which is in the far corner of the store by the doors which overlooks the produce and Deli. I sit at a little square wooden table that is kind of sticky. There are a lot of noises. To the left of me at the Starbucks kiosk, there are three baristas. One of them is older with her blond hair in a ponytail and is pretty talkative,one has bright pink hair that is shaved close to her head with it in little pigtails. The other is a brunette with a ponytail. The older barista explains some directions to another about how to make a certain drink, I can hear that the certain recipe needs coconut milk.The sounds of fridges open and close. A younger man comes up with a huge bouquet of pink roses with white baby’s breath. The blond barista starts to joke with the young man about being in love. He continues to talk with the barista as he glances down at the front of the kiosk where there are various mugs and starbucks products for sale. The barista explains to him which products are for sale and which ones are new. At the side where the drinks are put for the customers once the baristas are done making their drinks, a couple is waiting. One of them is wearing a green wizard t-shirt and looking at his phone. Whilst the other one in a baseball cap just received a green apple drink and told the barista how much she liked it. The couple leave to go to the deli. They glance over the deli products and decide on something. The deli worker weighs the food in a little white plastic bag and puts a price on it. In back of me in the very corner of the seating area I hear a lady on her phone, and it’s on speaker. It sounds as if she is making an appointment. She explains the reasons why she can’t go, a Vegas trip, a best friend's birthday. She leaves and I see that she is wearing all black and gets her drink and goes.

In front of me on the deli side, a store worker puts new rotisserie chickens on a huge heater kiosk. She is checking each one for their temperature. She wears Her hair up in a bun with a little hairnet covering it. She wears a grey hoodie and a neck brace and occasionally looks towards the produce while the thermometer rests inside the chicken. She is kind of slumped over and quiet. Over in the produce a couple of feet in front of her, there is another store worker who is now taking notes whilst looking over the tomatoes. The shop worker with the grey hoodie makes her way behind the deli counter. A customer comes up to order from the deli and the grey hooded store worker grabs fried chicken with silver tongs without gloves and asks her if the amount was ok, and puts it in the little white plastic bag. She looks tired and quiet. Throughout this whole encounter, the baristas are laughing away, especially the blond one over various things.

The bell at the entrance door beeps loudly.

An older gentleman overlooks the pre-made sandwiches. A bald man dressed in a button up plaid shirt and jeans, and a hairnet walks out of the deli. The minute he leaves the deli, he quickly takes his hairnet off. He fixes products in straight lines as he zooms away, his keys jingling as he sprints. The older gentleman is still looking at the premade deli sandwiches. He inspects each one and puts them down. He looks very present and concentrating on each product inspecting it all around. He finds one, puts it gently in his cart but as he starts to leave, he turns and picks up another but puts it down soon after. At my right, the deli and produce start to slow down, but at my left the baristas are still talking and laughing. The blond barista talks about her life and her daughter. She speaks very loud and joyfully and uses her hands to express herself. Moments later she says her shift is over and she leaves the two baristas at the kiosk. I can hear her laughing from far into the store at various people. With the blond barista now gone, it is very quiet. At the deli, there is a couple who glance over the premade meals in a little open freezer. The man’s shirt has a pigeon on it with text that says “I am a lie”. The woman looks over the premade meals, then she strolls along with the cart while he follows along. He glances at his phone while she picks what apples she want. Then he switches and takes the cart himself whilst she walks beside him. The two baristas start to clean up all of the equipment and dishes they have used. You can hear the sink hit the tubs and containers as they switch certain equipment for another. An older lady asks for water. She wears a colorful long skirt with red and yellows. On her head she has a woven sun hat that has no covering for the top of her head. She takes her water and leaves. The front door alarm goes off. An announcement comes from the above speakers and a lady’s voice fills the room explaining about how the store has a beautiful selection of roses at the front. A woman with two little kids, searches for some veggies. Her cart is full of food and the little two kids hang off the edges of the cart while she pushes them. Another lady with two boys walks up to the chicken kiosk.The shorter boy pushes the cart, while the taller boy talks with the lady. She shows the taller boy something on her phone and he lifts his eyes up smiling behind his mask. To my left I hear the barista shake a bright orange drink In a clear container. The owner of the drink jokes with the barista and says “you almost spilt it!” in jest.

This experience for me was pretty fun! I really enjoyed going to a place in which I have gone so many times before. But actually sit down and be present and observe people. At times it felt awkward, because I wondered if people saw me staring at them and typing fast. But in the end it was pretty interesting. I kept thinking, well, what I am observing doesn’t sound interesting and entertaining. But that is how life is. At this little moment of time in this supermarket, this is what I observed. There was no screaming (Except the blond barista), no fights, no weird encounters per say.. But it was full of people going about their day to day life. As I observed, I noticed how many assumptions I made about people, and tried to omit them out of my writing. I had assumptions such as “She IS tired”, and or “He IS lonely” and the like. What was interesting for me also was describing people. The blond barista for example.. I have seen her many times before, and is so bubbly and you can tell she loves talking with people. Even describing her at that moment I don’t think I could fully describe her perfectly. She lit up the whole area with her laughs and her various stories. It was really interesting to just sit back and watch what was happening in front of me. I would love to do this again sometime!

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FFN 1

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

2:45-3:30

For my observation, I sat inside the Starbucks on the corner of Hwy 30 and Gable Rd. in St. Helens, Oregon. This establishment is usually quite busy, as it is about 35 minutes from Portland, and is on a direct highway from Portland to Astoria and the Oregon Coast.

In this Starbucks, there are 9 tables that seat two persons, 2 tables that seat four persons, and a bar that seats an additional 4 persons. There are 3 additional tables outside. It is usually at least at half capacity, especially during the summer months. Today when I entered the Starbucks, there were three people seated and one person standing in line placing an order. The 3 people seated were all sitting alone at tables that seat 2 persons.

The man finishing his order is an older caucasian man. He seems to have trouble understanding what the cashier was saying and he sighs a lot, but he doesn’t get upset. When he turned around and saw me, he stepped back and walked around me, making sure that there was a few feet between us. He continued to watch me until his order was ready, and then he went outside to sit at one of Starbucks’ outdoor tables. He was alone but seemed to be talking to himself. He was dressed in jeans, a button-down shirt and a cardigan. He wore a mask. He struck me as someone who was raised in a traditional home where people who looked different than him were to be avoided, which would explain his behavior around me.

The gentleman sitting on the opposite side of Starbucks directly across from me is eating something. He is caucasian, bald, and built like a football player. He appears to be in his 30s (maybe early 40s). He was wearing a solid navy polo shirt and brown cargo shorts. He is watching videos on his laptop, but not using the keyboard at all. He never looked up - just stayed focused on his computer. He did not wear a mask. He only spoke briefly when he took a call on his cell phone. His voice was big and boisterous- just as I had imagined it would be. He didn’t show anger, but you could tell that he has a big personality and dominates whatever space he occupies. He left just as I was finishing up my observation.

The woman to my right is a caucasian woman in her 40s. She is wearing capri length sweatpants, a t-shirt, and running shoes. She wore sunglasses the entire time she was here.  She has a shopping bag on the seat next to her, and she repeatedly looks in that bag with purpose, as if she is searching for something that she never found. She was quiet and did not wear a mask. She did not speak to anybody while I was there. She left before my observation was completed.

The woman to my left was drinking an iced beverage and scrolling through her phone. She appeared to be hispanic, but I cannot be sure. She carried a large tote bag with her. When she left, several of the employees said goodbye to her, and she called them by name as well.

Two additional people walked in during my observation.

The first was an older caucasian woman, who was greeted by name. Through hearing the conversations between this older woman and the staff, I learned that the older woman was the district manager for this Starbucks. She placed a coffee order, proceeded to walk around the store, chatting with the employees, and then disappeared into the back room, where she remained for the duration of my observation.

The second person to walk in was a younger (high school aged) white woman. She ordered her drink and stood quietly, waiting to get her order and leave. One employee asked her a question, and the younger woman walked up to the counter and carried on a conversation with that employee until her order was ready.

The employees were a mix of male- and female-presenting. They all appeared young (under 25) and they were all white-presenting. Their interactions with all patrons were cordial and friendly. There was a lot of laughter. The music playing was a blend of 90s R&B and rap music, and oftentimes, the employees would sing along at times.

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Today I spent an hour in the Milwaukee Marketplace. This is a shopping center near my home in Portland. I was there in the late afternoon. The majority of the people I observed were white and there were a few people of color. I mainly spent my time in Joann Fabrics, a craft store I frequent.  I saw three black people in the Joann Fabrics. One of them was a black man and to me it was somewhat surprising to see a man in the fabric store, however, I recognize that this is a stereotype and bias on my part. The man was helping his teenage daughter purchase beads and fabric. They were asking the employee about the prices and sales on certain items. I believe the man was an immigrant based on a slight accent and his daughter was born here since she had no accent.

I heard an employee talking with a white customer about money and the state of the world. “There’s not much you can do with $100 bucks these days” he said. “That’s for sure” the employee responded.  People seemed friendly and helpful in the store.

Later, I overheard some employees complaining about their boss or manager. They vented about certain challenges and organizational difficulties. It was funny that they were having such a personal dialogue in earshot of customers in the store.

Finally, I had an excellent checkout experience in which the store clerk let me use her personal discount account and gave me individualized advice. I love going to the craft store and I do consider it to be a community. People enjoy sharing and helping one another in the craft community. It is a place where humans have been working together for thousands of years.

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My family and I went to Sunriver OR, a vacation resort outside of Bend in Central Oregon. The land here is much drier than in the Willamette valley. The weather has been good except that there has been a scent of forest fire smoke in the wind. The first day we went to the village to purchase food from the grocery store and my wife, mother and daughters want to go window shopping at the collection of local boutique souvenir shops and other shops. There are two brewery restaurants at the North and South ends of the village market place. Due to the smoky air, there is no seating outside the restaurants and it seems that some people look uncomfortable going into the restaurant for fear of the COVID virus. Yet, there are hundreds of people walking through or shopping in this area. They are wearing Summer clothing. The men are wearing clothing such as ball caps, movie or sports team logo t-shirts, shorts, sandals, the women are mostly wearing light Summer shirts, Summer dresses or skirts, exercise outfits and/or shorts with shoes or sandals. Both genders are represented, there is a wide variety of ages, elderly couples, young lovers, young families with babies, babies in strollers, babies in carriers, families with children or older children; lots of love on display.
Ethnically most of the people are white, perhaps 85%. There other ethnicities are (by my guess around 5% Latin 5% Asian 2 or 3% black and the rest could be native Americans). I have seen a couple black families, but just looking it is hard to be absolutely verify which ethnicities some folks are. Regardless to say this White 85% Brown 12% and Black 3% would be very close to accurate.
About 40% of people are wearing protective masks, all of the stores require people to wear masks to get in. Ironically most of the minorities I see are wearing masks whereas only about half of the whites are. Social Darwinism behind the rise of the COVID delta variant seems to be the furthest thing from their minds. I stayed an hour while my wife and mother and daughters window shopped while I conducted my research, as we were leaving the shopping area to go home a large white Ford F150 pickup truck a pro trump sticker was on the bumper, it had already pulled up and parked next to our van, the family of two parents and their four kids around the ages of 8->15 were gathered. They all looked at my family walking out wearing our masks, as we passed each other I overheard one of their boys exclaim "Dad I don't want to wear a mask!" The father said loudly "Yeah, I won't wear one either." I laughed to myself, presenting Darwin award candidates. I'm sure it must have been a shock once they tried to walk into a store and saw a "Masks required." It really strikes me in how politically divided the country has become due to the unadorned golden manbaby that roughly half of us have become sycophants of, that they would ignore or politicize science when in fact if they break an arm or get sick they go to the hospital. In summary, the wide variety of human was on display, I was touched by sights of people in love, people having a relaxed time, and shocked by how mask-less people stared at us for I assume being one of those wearing a mask. Our society really is in an ongoing civil cultural war between those who believe in science, reason, social justice, patriotism, religious peace vs those who believe in blind zealousness, nationalism, cultism, exclusivity, winners & losers, superiority, inferiority, bigotry & racism.

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I entered the classroom at 12:00 PM on Tuesday afternoon. Across a large open classroom sat twelve children at a group of tables pushed together. The group of three year old kids excitedly clutched re-usable water bottles as they chatted with their friends around the tables. A cluster of three giggling girls walked to a jug of water at the back of the room to refill their bottles.
By 12:05 the lunch cart had yet to arrive and the children were getting anxious. Their teacher, kindly referred to as "Miss Cheyenne", began singing in order to replace the hoard of hungry groaning with a song about a turtle who enjoys eating soap.
The children excitedly sang along until it was over.
There was a most rambunctious anticipation over who would get to choose the next song.
So Miss Cheyenne jumped right in singing another song about a balloon that was blown up way more than it should have been. The children were overjoyed and sang along.
There was one child that seemed more excited about the approaching lunch cart than the songs being sung around him. He jumped up and raced over to the door while yelling, "Cart!" Miss Cheyenne reminded him that students who are sitting patiently will receive their lunches first. This reminder sent him racing back to his seat.
Miss Cheyenne rolled in the lunch cart and lay 12 plates down on the shelf in order to serve the meal.
By 12:20 Miss Cheyenne had set the last plate of food down in front of a child. She then proceeded to serve herself lunch from the family style lunch assortment. They were eating what looked like chicken and rice with carrots and broccoli. A young  girl devoured her main dish and was asking for seconds. She was turned down under the condition that she must take a bite of one vegetable. She did, after some complaint, eat a carrot and was then served another scoop of chicken and rice. All of the girls asked for a second scoop of chicken and rice. Several of the boys did as well, but a few of them did not seem to like the meal option.
As I was preparing to leave the classroom at 12:30, a few students were dismissed to take their dishes to the bin on the bottom of the cart.

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A worker mowing the lawn on a slight hill next to the Under Armor Employee building.  A park and recreational worker painting 'NO PARKING' on the sides of the parking lot. Parent taking nap on driver seat of the car with window slightly cracked.  Two people sitting on bench then walked off.  360' cone drill end with sprint.  SAQ.  Develops change of directions.  Pulling the slead with 45lbs weight. Sun beaming  in the morning on the track and field.  As my dad coaches adolescents to enhance in the sports that they each individually play. Even though surrounded by the cars on the busy streets, hearing the loud squeaky breaks from the city buses, sirens from the ambulance, seeing smoke from the exhaust, and construction machines moving from behind the tall trees up the hill.  The track and field was peaceful.  Saw individuals walking, running, or sprinting in two different directions from young too old in age.  To all different body types.  Bright running shoes and workout apparel.  Along with nike pros, hats, scarfs, and sunglasses. Most with headphones in their own little world.  A woman listening to Rhiana as she passes in front of me. "Sea is rise" a Seattle football shirt a guy wore walking by caught my eye because it is football season.  As my dad workout session begin to end more people started to arrive, majority with no mask.  Track coach on one side of the field.  Another coach setting up for his workout session with adolescents.  Another individual coach teaching long jump to a strong black female in college.  Sports backpacks on and in between the bleachers I was sitting on.  Talking, laughing, motivational yelling, panting, sweating, grunting, gulping, stretching, bumpin hype music from mini speaker.  Water bottles, keys, high Cranes and houses.  This unique guy communicating with everyone bringing more happy and energetic vibes around us.  He was very animated along with his outfit. (loved it).  A man pumping up his soccer ball.  A jump spring board that is used in gymnastics placed in the high jump area.  A few people cooling off in the shade.  A group of four playing this trampoline ball game?  Workout obstacle equipment, bright orange cones in the middle of the field, soccer nets up and some laying down.  Even though a lil more people came it was still a peaceful bubble that was created in that environment.  Just a fun healthy lifestyle community.

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FFN 2

Starbucks

St. Helens, OR

8/27/2021

12:55pm

[This post is late due to illness]

As I enter the Starbucks, there are 5 customers seated at 4 different tables: a man in his 40s, sitting alone, a woman in her 30s-40s sitting alone, a man in his 50s-60s sitting alone, and two young women (late teens - early 20s) sitting together. Shortly after placing my order, the two younger women got up and went behind the counter- there were employees who were on their break. Only the two employees in the lobby and the other employees are wearing masks. NONE of the patrons are wearing masks, even though there is ample signage stating the requirement.

The three remaining patrons have both a cell phone and a laptop on their tables, the older man’s laptop is closed and not in use. The woman also has a notebook and pens on her table.

The man in his 40s is sitting with his back to the wall in one corner of the space. He is dressed in a business casual manner: polo shirt, casual slacks and dress shoes. He is on his laptop, scrolling through photos of some sort. He is paying no attention to any other patrons or employees. His eyes remain fixed to his laptop, turning away only to drink his beverage. He presents as a working-class type, perhaps a retail sales manager or some other type of salesperson.

The older man is scrolling on his cell phone. He is dressed a bit more professionally than the younger man: a button-down shirt, slacks and dress shoes. He is drinking a hot beverage, and he looks around often while here. He leaves about 15 minutes after I arrive. As he is leaving, he puts on his mask and continues to wear it, even in his car. He is driving a Lexus. Everything about him screams entitlement.

The woman spends her time on her laptop and taking notes. She is also sitting in one of the corner tables with her back to the wall. She is dressed casually. She has a beverage on her table, but during my observation, I never saw her drink it. She reminded me of a college student, or perhaps a teacher getting ready for the new school year.

A woman and two small children enter the store. They place their order and immediately use the restroom. All are wearing masks. The woman, roughly 30,  is dressed casually in a tank top and sweatpants. Both of her children (male presenting, between 5-8 years old) are wearing tank tops and shorts. As soon as their order is ready, they leave.

A large group of people dressed in athletic apparel enter the store. They are dressed for the gym: bicycle shorts/yoga pants, tank tops and t-shirts, baseball caps, sunglasses, and running shoes. There are three women and two men. The women represent a range of ages: 30s-70s. Both men are older (60+). They order cold drinks and take turns using the restroom. They speak loudly to one another with no regard to anybody else in the store. As soon as they all have their drinks, they go outside and sit at the outdoor tables, each one facing the parking lot- none of them face each other. It reminded me of a king and queen on the throne looking over their land and subjects. Like the older man, they arrived in a Lexus utility vehicle. They had no idea where to order and where to wait for their drinks, even though they ordered quickly and without staring at the menu beforehand. They had clearly been to a Starbucks before, but not this particular one. This explains their behavior outside. They clearly thought very little of my community and felt superior to all and everything in it. They were still outside with their drinks when I left.

The employees are busy with the drive-thru window. There isn’t as much laughing today as with my first observation, but I attribute that to the busy drive-thru traffic. There isn’t one employee who appears to be in charge, barking orders. The team is helping each other whenever help is asked for.

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One guy barefooted working out in the field. Morning workout crew with my dad. Kids dad coaching soccer with two little boys doing soccer drills. A few elder people walking track in both directions. Still construction work going on surrounding the peaceful environment. A female went to the bathroom. Another female stretching. Motivated, positive yelling to the group of teenage boys. Sweating, pantting, grunting, and working out hard to perfect their skills in their sport. Over lay of clouds. Elder man in wheel chair outside the corner of the track by the shot put pit full of sand. A few joggers in their zone with ear buds in ears. Not a lot of cars and people since it was earlier than normal. No traffic and water bottles on the bleachers. A few parents observing their children workout.

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I observed people at Fields Park. I sat at a bench right between the play structures and the large, open field. I took bullet-point notes in the present tense of what I saw:
- A woman in heels and a suit walks in with a Frenchie. She doesn't go all the way into the park, checks her phone before she starts playing with the dog. Another dog starts playing with her and her dog. She crouches on the grass, probably not sitting to not dirty her nice clothes. She doesn't seem to mind the other dog.
- A circle of about eight to ten women, some in chairs, one with a laptop that seems to be leading the conversation. A lot of nodding and listening. There's a stack of books next to the leader, maybe it's a book club?
- A loose group of people standing with small dogs on leashes. Don't seem to know each other very well.
- Two women walk in with small dogs on leashes. One is giving the other relationship advice. They walk further into the park.
- Woman on the bench behind me has been here longer than me. Barefoot and seems to be reading. Completely unbothered by everything happening around her.
-Two kids from the playground have joined suit lady, a small boy about 4 years old and an older girl, about 9. Boy holds dog toy and is throwing the ball, playing with the dog.  Woman has sat on the grass and holds a conversation with the two kids for about 10 minutes. They get up and search bushes, likely for the ball. She puts the leash on the dog and says goodbye to the kids. She leaves the park.
- Behind me, a man gives a Husky water from a fountain. A kid says "it looks like a wolf dog!" The dog owner says "he's super friendly" and two small kids pet the dog as a man (dad?) watches. He says "do you want to say thank you?" and they go their separate ways.
- A woman in blue scrubs leaves the park with her poodle.
-Circle of women pack up and walk away talking in small groups. Leader and other woman stop to talk more. They talk for a while, slowly taking steps away from the park but then stop to keep talking.
- Girl and boy that talked to suit lady have joined "wolf dog" kids and dad. They all play together. They don't seem to ask if they can join - the girl is hesitant to let the boy join and "tag" the dad but they both join soon after. They were all at the same play structure earlier - maybe the first met there? The boy and girl do cartwheels around the other kids.

People at different points of their day were at the park. I'm guessing some went there straight after work, like the woman in the suit and woman in the blue scrubs. Other people seemed to just be hanging out and having fun, like the kids and numerous people picnicking. I'm surprised no one noticed me watching, everyone was too absorbed by their purpose for being in the park.

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It is approximately 7:00 p.m. in downtown Woodburn. Mild weather with an average temperature of 75 degrees. I am with my partner at the intersection of Garfield St. and N First St. I can see the town plaza and public library park. A few buildings housing businesses are visible in the plaza in downtown Woodburn. The plaza has a fountain on one side and a kiosk on the other. Next to the stall, I see a group of two children, a young woman and an adult sitting around a table. They appear to be family. They are eating fruit that they probably bought at one of the businesses in downtown Woodburn. A couple of young women in their 30's or 35's approach with snow cones in hand. They are walking towards the public library park and are wearing blue jeans, and one is wearing a beige blouse and the other a black blouse. On a bench in the plaza is a man of approximately 40 years old accompanied by two teenagers, a man of 22 years old and a woman of no more than 20 years old. They are wearing shorts and t-shirts, the older man is wearing a tank top. These people are eating ice cream, which appears to be from a nearby business called "Paleteria el Paisanito." On the south side of the plaza is a man no more than 30 years old wearing black shorts and a redshirt. On the west side is a 25-year-old man wearing a yellow sweatshirt and jeans. Both young men are playing on their cell phones.
On the other side, I can see Woodburn Public Library Park, where there is an event called "Music in the Park." In the park, there are two large trees and some shrubs that provide shade on sunny days. On the east side of the park, a band plays music (rock and roll and jazz pieces). Five musicians are playing on the stage: a drummer who plays a red drum set and wears black shorts and a white shirt. The keyboard player wears jeans and a black shirt, while the bass player wears jeans and a white shirt. A singer wears blue jeans and a brown shirt. The guitarist, who appears to be the leader, wears gray jeans and a black shirt. Musicians look to be in the age range of 45 to 60 years old.
I can see a lot of people listening to the music. People are in couples or groups of three or four people. Some of them are having conversations. They all seem to enjoy the music and the conversation. Two places offer ice cream and Mexican food. Most of the people are eating ice cream. Some have some liquid that looks like water in thermoses. Two girls are playing and jumping to the music in front of the stage. In the background, there is a small play area where there are approximately 8 or 10 children.
Most of the population in the park are elderly white people in their 50s and 70s. There were some Latinos, but they were in the minority. It could be due to the type of music played by the group. The type of clothes they wear are shorts and baggy shirts. Some of them (very few) wear jeans and shirts. We went to buy ice cream, and it was delicious. One important thing I noticed about most people in the park is that they were all following the rhythm of the music. In front of us was a couple in their 60s or 65s. The woman was effusively following the rhythm of the music, while the man was doing the same but discreetly. At the back of the park was a military man accompanied by a woman. They were talking, but I could not hear anything of their conversation. At 8:00 in the evening, some people left, but some remained in the park for a while. After a few minutes, they left.

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I arrived at the café in the square of the small village of Pleaux in the Auvergne region of France. It was 7:04 pm, the church bells were tolling. I couldn't make out how many chimes or if there was a specific amount, 19? for 7pm? I sat at a table and counted 6 other tables on the "terrasse". It was apéro time, where folks tend to have a drink before dinner so the cafés were pretty busy. The sun was out but it was a little chilly. I counted 6 tables which I will number to make it easy to see what my observations are. I ordered a couple of 1/2 pints for my partner and I.  He  asked for our "Pass sanitaire" because it is the law in France now to show proof of vaxx or a negative test to eat at restos, drink at bars, go to shopping malls... etc.. Everyone looked as if they were white except one person who I will mention again later on.
1) The table closest to me consisted of a man, two women and a teenaged girl. They seemed like locals because the man was wearing a sweatshirt with a Salers cow on it, typical of the region that I am in. They seemed like a working class or agricultural  family. The man wore glasses and an earring and was big boned. One woman was wearing bright red healed sandals.  The teen was wearing a yellow jumpsuit. They were talking about people that they knew, kinda talking shit about some... said one was, "con comme un balai" dumb like a broom. They were talking a lot about social media drama. The teen kept getting out of her chair and walking around the table.
2) There was a smaller table with Mom and teenage daughter and dog. The mom was drinking a beer and the teen a coffee. The Mom had a lip ring which is unusual for French folks so I wondered if they were vacationers from elsewhere. The area attracts many vacationers from around France but also England and Holland. This year especially, French folks are heading to small country villages for the August vacation weeks because traveling is tough with Covid. Anyways... table 3) was a table of older folks, perhaps middle-upper class judging by their clothes and eyewear. They were just finishing up their drinks and one of them went to pay. They left at 7:18.
Table 1) started taking selfies and sending them to friends on social media.
4)Table 4 was a larger group, most likely a family, and they were the furthest away. There was one 20 something alt looking man wearing a pendant around his neck. There was a young teen or tween boy with part of his hair dyed blue. There was a Harry Potter looking young man, 2 older men in their 50's or 60's one of which was wearing camouflage, 1 older woman (50's-60) and 2 younger looking women perhaps in their 30's but I could only see the back of one of their heads. It looked like they were munching on something with their drinks, probably saucison, dry salami, because they were cutting it with a knife and it's a pretty common apéro snack for the region. The teen had a bike and would leave the table every once in a while to pop wheelies.
Back at table 1, the teen started throwing bits of plant debris into father??'s hair, he was laughing and asked her to stop and she did. The teen at table 2 took off with the dog leaving the mom to sip her beer and smoke a cig as she perused a brochure with one sandal-less foot on a chair. Def. tourist but still not sure from where.
Table 1's conversation went on talking about a food menu- Jambon, truffade, glace... the teen was not present. The bells strike 7:30pm , the sun is going down and hitting the eastern facing stone walls of the buildings on the eastern side of the square.
Someone has joined table 2), a man, (the father?) as the teen came back with dog. He orders a beer and looks pretty French so I think they might be French but from a different region. The child leaves again with the dog and the two adults sit and look at their phones. This time the teen from table one goes with her.
There are some passersby crossing the square, one young woman in her 20s with bright red hair and a coral sweater and a young man later on, about the same age, mask on his chin and smoking a vape pen. A young woman with long dark hair and a pretty red dress walks by and catches table 1's attention because I heard them say, chinoise (the girl looked asian btw). I then heard the man on table one say asiatique. There are mostly white people in this very rural part of France so I can imagine they other-ize people of color a lot here.
The two teens come back with the dog and they ask their perspective moms if they can walk around the downtown area with the dog (and their new friend!).
One mom's response is,- "we're leaving" teen-"you can just call me"
mom- "ok."
And the girls go off with the dog and begin a new friendship (I hope!). Their parents do not interact with one another. I feel like in the US or at least Portland, the parents would feel obligated to make small talk, but i dunno.
I stopped my observation at 7:39 to head back to my Mom's house for dinner.

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SORRY IF BLURRY, BUT THIS WAS JUST TOO AMAZING TO DESCRIBE IN WORDS AS SHE SORES THROUGH THE AIR, HAD TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT IN SLOW MODE AS WELL. HOPE YOU ENJOYED AS MUCH AS I DID. THE BODY IS AMAZING!!!

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Here is my final report. Once you click on the link, click on the play button to start the interactive report. 

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FFN Final Report Awen Moon Gatten (she/her) ITP 511 - Kennedy Observations 1 & 2 observations Starbucks 2298 Gable Rd, Ste. 130 St. Helens, OR. 97051 Observation 1 August 17, 2021 from 2:45pm - 3:30pm observation 1 Link to observation 1 document: Observation 2 August 27, 2021 from

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Attaching my drawing below by itself :)

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Enjoy, can't wait to see what conclusions you all came to!

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attached so you can see it better than in the PDF!

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Please see attached.

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Focused Field Notes Final Project - Lindsey Turman

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Have a good week!

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Ack - I forgot to upload this last week - Oy!

Tanner Spring Park

Portland, Oregon

Tuesday, August 24th

5:30 – 6:15 pm

Observation #2

I am sitting in the same park bench as I was last time, which is the southside of Tanner Springs Park and I am faced North.

The weather is nice and there are folks in and around the park.

There are three individuals, all with neon colored clothing that hits the light just right and makes their clothing look electric. One gal who is wearing bright pink/orange shorts and a white top, is glowing in the sun from the reflection of her clothing. The other colors are bright green and pink – I am having a flashback to 80’s clothing.

An older gentleman walks two beautiful Burmese Mountain dogs. These dogs have a look of not impressed. Hopefully, they have a large condo to live in, here in the Pearl. That is a whole lot of dog for a smaller space.

Across the park from where I sit, there are two women who are sitting together on the concrete/grass steps chatting. They’re wearing athletic-leisure ware. There is an ease to both, and I presume they have known each other for quite some time. Their body language is relaxed and there are a few laughs/giggles between them.

There is a man smoking and staring into his phone two park benches to my right. He looks haggard and from this distance, I would say he’s the color or grey.

A group of teenage boy’s skateboard across the wooden walkway. The sound of the wheels along the wood reverberates off all the glass and hard surfaces. It sounds like 20 skateboarders, when it’s only 3.

There are a set of parents and a child watching and looking into the little spring within the park. The spring has lotus leaves and blooming lotus flowers. Sometimes there are coy in there, but I haven’t check recently. The little girl seems quite interested in what is going on under the water.  She is curious, and the parents watch her dutifully, so she doesn’t tip headfirst into the water.

There are people eating outside at the Spanish restaurant across the street. Most of the tables are in use with parties of 4 individuals. Most of the dinners are older and resplendent in loose linen and cotton summer fashions.

At the café, to my left there are more couples sitting out having a class of wine. Most are faced towards the park, but several are faced towards their table companion.

A man in full racing bike regalia and bike walk through the park with the bike to his side. This seems a little weird to see, but none the less, I am seeing it. He sits down on one of the park benches inside of the park itself.

On the opposite side of the park, I see family members with baby strollers and dogs being walked, it must be the baby strolling and baby walking witching hour.

There are multiple bike commuters who swish by me as I observe this park in this moment.

The resident homeless man, who folks generally call Jesus has entered the sidewalk to the park on my left. He’s called Jesus because all he wears is blankets around his body and generally has bare feet. I’ve never taken the opportunity to say hello or talk to him. I’ve mostly just smiled at him and went about my way.

The street cars continue to roll by clicking and clacki

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Ok, I think I did this correctly :D

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.