Advice from a small town girl

I went to Portland last week for a machine quilters’ exposition.

For those of you who don’t know, I lived in Portland for over 20 years. I loved it. It was a city of small neighborhoods that gave the feeling of a series of communities linked together. It was easy to cross the line from one community to another and still feel as though you could be a small town girl.

I haven’t lived in Portland for 10 years, and haven’t visited in several. A lot has changed.

On some streets, where rows of older houses once stood in all their dilapidated glory, there are now boxes. They are very linear, with lot...