June is parade month in Portland, which includes fleet week as part of the Rose Festival lineup. Our friendly neighbors to the North usually compliment our banks with a ship or two and this year I toured both the Saskatoon and Whitehorse which are twin Kingston class coastal naval defense vessels. Canada has 12 of these 55 meter steel beauties, 6 on each coast. They’re not heavily armed, but more used for surveillance. The Whitehorse, where I spent most of my time, was just built in 1998. Young guns!

The Saskatoon and the Whitehorse were tied together for folks to tour, lead by eager officers with lots of patience for kids, rain, and photographs. Although they were less patient when I tried to stow myself in a storage compartment. Take me home with you already I deserve honorary citizenship by now.

Does this not look like the phone used to launch nukes? I just saw one of these in Portland Modern and it was $600! I guess buying a red phone means something to someone. It would just be nice to have a nice bright red rotary phone, you know? The kind that might sit in the Situation Room. Not Wolf Blitzers situation room, the real one.

Last years post on the HMCS Vancouver means that I have now been on 3 of Canada’s naval vessels. I’m not sure this means anything to anyone, except for a budding Canadian.

Also, has anyone been following the aftermath of the riots in Vancouver? This is how a city responds when they have pride for their home: Vancouver Heals. Vanlover!

Has anyone been into Dunderdon yet? The Swedish workwear company has a fresh new store near Burnside at SW 13th, just up from Powell’s. I realized why I loved the store right when I walked in, it was designed by the raw talent at OMFG Co. Great work guys, also if you have any of that rope laying around I’ll take a roll.

This store smells of freshly chopped wood, leather, and beards. All the right stuff.

What is one to do when your dressing room is a street-level window? Stack a chord of wood in it, obviously. This makes the store smell like a permanent Vermont campsite.

Lots of excellent merchandise in the store, check their Spring/Summer 2011 catalogue here. One of the more imposing features that strikes you when you walk in, the piece above the register. Just look at that composition and color! I was staring inappropriately and was informed the piece was by Corey Arnold. Local, AND genius. Well done, Dunderdon.