I would like to thank the many wonderful people here in Salem who have embraced me and my family and who have supported us as we tried to clear out a little pocket of earth for ourselves so many miles from our families.

For my readers: Thank you for the emails, the letters, the Twitter shout-outs, the Facebook posts, the personal messages, and especially, for the mini-essays about your own adventures in Salem. It has meant the world to me to know that you have connected with what I have been writing about here.

On a side note, has anyone noticed that the blog has become the last place you post any big news? I have started managing my social networks in ways that make sense to me, but with an announcement of this kind of magnitude there seems to be no rules of thumb. So I went for Facebook first, since that’s where my closest friends congregate, then, ribbed by @perronbrothers, I did the one-liner on Twitter.

Instead of the letterpress card with the “We’ve Moved!” announcement I’m stuck with the Facebook status update with the resoundingly melancholy him and haw: Um… sorry guys… we’re moving and yes, we’re buying our first home, and yes, I’m excited, but I’m still so sad!

There’s no card for happy sad tidings, I’m afraid.

If you’ve been in Salem in a while, you probably have met Paul in any number of settings. At a Matthew Price band concert, walking the streets of NoMaSoFa (North of Market South of Fairgrounds). He more than kind of stands out, in a good way.

This column reeks of “My Postman is better than your postman” one-uppmanship. I’m a contender by nature, what can I say. But I think it might be my favorite column yet, since it is evocative of place while championing a local hero.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about place, specifically, about this place. Not so much what it has to offer, but about the people I’ve met here who I interact with every day. I used to think getting used to a place was about seeing the same house of horrors front yard pop up every season. But increasingly, I’m thinking it is more about seeing the same downtrodden, sunburned guy on the side of the road at 17th and market.Okay, that sounds like a pretty bad morning. It’s also about running into the same folks over and over again as you go about your life.  When I came here, I obsessed quite a bit about what Salem does have or doesn’t have. Who cares? Salem has some really great people.

The more you interact with people in your community, the more you care about lifting them up in return. I think one of my goals for this next year is going to be to make economic decisions that lift up my neighbors, as much as I can. I’m starting with some hand-delivered mail.

As part of the Salem Film Festival happening all this week, “Salemia,” Salem’s own satirical web series will have its premiere tonight at the Grand Theater at 7:45 p.m. The place can hold about 400 seats, and I hear the tickets are selling briskly. I’ll be heading there with my awesome neighbors, John and Susan.

Since I know you’re wanting to prepare for the viewing, I’ve interviewed screenwriter Dave Jenkins and filmmaker Mike Perron about the project. I’m posting the first part of the interview right now and will add more extended video soon.

Really, I love these guys. I’m guessing this is going to be one of the big events of the year and you should really come see it. I’ve watched a few of the scenes and am really excited about how affectionate the series is going to be about Salem. Hope to see you there!

As I type this the last few flushes of grape stompers are trying their toes at the annual Willamette Valley Vineyards Grape Stomp down in Turner, OR.

The grape stomp is one of those Oregon activities you have to do once in your lifetime. I’ve had it on my list for quite a while, but until now I’ve always been too tired, too pregnant, or too not-in-town to participate.

This year was different. I had some grape plans to bone up on my stomping skills in preparation for this year’s event. You see, we have some liabilities as stompers to begin with. For one, I wear a size 6.5 shoe. Without webbed feet, or larger feet, I’d surely be at a disadvantage.

I’d like to say that I was listening to the theme song from Rocky to prepare, pretending to run the steps of the Philadephia Museum of Art to get my legs pumping in just the right foot-to-grape ratio. But we pretty much rolled up the hill at the last possible moment for our 11:00 flush. There were about a dozen other teams already in their barrels and one lonely barrel left in the middle of the row. I jumped in and Adam squatted down near the pipe to swab the opening and catch this juice.

This would be our big mistake — choosing this particular barrel.

I thought maybe I’d be caught up in the thrill of it, that the stompers aside me would throw my competitive bent into overdrive. But really, it was strangely meditative. I had my hands on my husband’s shoulders for support and we were working together like a machine. The grapes were soft and juice and popped easily under pressure. Within a few minutes I had stomped through them and all that was left was pulpy grape skin.

Adam noticed a tad late that the swabber has another job.

“Hey, that guy has his hands in the barrel!” he said.

Sure enough, the swabber’s role, it seems, is also to press the grapes out and usher the juice to the hole, not just catch the juice, as we had been told.

Yes, we lost, by a very large number. But at least we got to see a couple people get disqualified for not pulling their jugs awaywhen the ending whistle blew. Eat it suckers!

So, for your next grape stomp, may I propose some Strategic Tactics that do not Involve Listening to “Stomp!”

1. Arrive early and choose your barrel stratically
2. Have the person with larger feet do the stomping
3. Keep as much pulp as possible from going through your hole (the pulp gets funneled out before the juice gets weighed)
4. Don’t get yourself disqualified by doing something as stupid as not following directions
5. Don’t follow directions and have your swabber press out the juice and move it towards the hole
6. Have fun!

We certainly managed #6.

My friend Chris says this image of our neighbor’s leftover grapes looks like the world (our barrel barely had anything left in it; no joke).

Adam getting our juice weighed after the stomp. We already knew we had lost, but not going through procedure would just be sour grapes.

My feet after the stomp. It wasn’t as messy as I had anticipated. Also, wine glass for tasting wines afterwards comes with the $10 entry fee. May I suggest the Willamette Valley Vineyards Elton Estate for your next big event?

Besides all of the great times, I got this wonderful graphic from my friend Ryan Rogers, who told me that pic of me in the barrel makes me look like some kind of Award Ceremony statuette. He promptly put together a golden statuette Emily graphic. Yes, my week is made. Now, to figure out what kind of achievement the “Emily” would honor… it’s certainly not for grape stomping!

I’ve been talking with friends about their own personal maps of Salem, and am now wondering how people edit their maps as they go about their lives.

My friend Rachel, for instance, is thinking about repainting her house and has a map of the houses of Salem whose paint-jobs she admires. It’s like having three-dimensional color swatches! Or, Jen Lopez, a Salem Tweep,  tries to cross as many bridges as possible because she loves ornate concrete railings.

Naturally, I have lots of maps that didn’t make it into my column about mapping Salem.  The Romantic Evening Walk map (down 21st St. NE or through NE Salem’s back alleys), the kids’ playground map, the map of surprisingly pornographic Salem tree trunks, the map of places I’ve lived (3), the one of houses I almost bought, or residences I’ve toured towards buying a house, the friends (and thus, family) map, the places I might encounter my favorite Salem transvestite map. Oh, the list is never-ending now, isn’t it?

Some other things I noticed, specifically about interesting intersections:

Market Winter – because Winter needs some kind of campaign around here
Sesame Street NE does not intersect with Sunnyview or Cirrus St., to the chagrin of Elmo fans
Prince Ct. and Princess Ct. feed into each other, that’s courtly love for you
Settlers and Bonanza – where the pioneer in me strikes gold

But High Street really does take the cake for most-likely to create a funny-sounding intersection. The options are limitless.

With special thanks to the Willamette Heritage Center, whose researchers put up with me while I traced my grubby fingers over their maps last week.

My friend Nick Lopez, photographer, dad and all kinds of awesome, just launched a new site devoted to Salem culture.

It is called FiveOhThree Magazine (after our area code) and is a meeting place for conversations about food, drink, music, and community profiles.

An almost lifelong Salemite, Nick has lots of connections within the Salem community that put him in a good place to tell the kind of stories that need telling. He was one of the first people whom I met in this city — he tracked me down at the debut of Frank Black’s Grand Duchy project at the now defunct local music spot The Space — and I have been watching him develop his portfolio of magazine editorial images for years now.

Nick says  profiles of people doing great things in the community are going to be the heart and soul of FiveOhThree. For a prolific profiler like me, that’s music to my ears, but I didn’t expect to be on the other end of one of the first Q & As, and with so illustrious an interviewer.  For this inaugural issue,  poetry professor Michael Chasar interviewed me about this blog, my ideas about the next generation of journalists, and the battle over Englewood’s favorite mailman, Paul Lunde, drummer for the Matthew Price band. Nick came over yesterday to take the shots.

From the look of it, you can already tell that it has Nick’s hands all over this site. How do I know this? Because I look freakin’ amazing in all of the pictures he took of me for the magazine’s first issue. Also, the fonts have the kind of clean look Nick prefers.

He had me at elephant Twitter font.

Technically, since I was on the other end of one of the nterview for this project, it is now my turn to interview someone else. Where, oh where should I go?

Remember last Saturday, when the sun came out again? I was hanging out on our front lawn doing absolutely nothing and Adam was organizing his tools in the garage when I was struck by the sudden urge to clean out the Subaru.

Well, everyone else must have felt it, too, because within an hour, all of the neighbors were washing their cars.

Within minutes, we were introducing ourselves, saying hello, commenting on the weather and finding out the Absolutely True Story of the Train Horns that are Going Away Next Year.

God it’s great to have good neighbors.

Last weekend marked the first time that I felt like we had begun living in our new (old) house, and I believe I have my neighbors to thank for that. If you remember, I very reluctantly gave up living in my dear NE Salem microhood just a few weeks before Christmas and was struggling with the burdens of potential homeownership just when the sun started to disappear for the winter.

Well, I’m happy to inform you that things are finally looking up. I have stopped cataloging all of the things that are better or worse in our new vs. old abode (so many upgrades! so much lost in the process!) and I have begun actually living in this new space. Along the way, I discovered that I hate kitchen tile on the counter top, I really have needed a bathtub all of this time, and that a floor between a baby’s room and your bedroom is a very good idea.

I’m not really sure why I have struggled so much with this major life change. It took me months to figure out that we needed a bigger space and that my dreams of small house living were in conflict with my growing family.

Geez, I’m sure you’re saying, just get a bigger house!

When you have articulated to yourself over and over again why living grand on a smaller scale makes sense, it is very difficult to see yourself becoming more and more like the thing you don’t want to be.

For us, that has also meant getting another car.

Geez, Emily, just get a car! You’ll stop feeling so isolated at home with the baby!

Again, it wasn’t that simple. We were so proud of being a one-car family. We loved not having the financial burden of two cars and we took great pride in having the closeness that comes with having one car.

So yes, we got a car. We got a bigger house. I almost lost my mind in the process.

And the greatest gift of all? I got an office. A room of my own where I am typing this very second. It has its own fireplace. And built-in bookshelves.  And a Dutch door straight out of those Old Master paintings.

I wish it opened to the front yard so I could lean out and wave when I see my new neighbors.

It’s that time again — time to honor the best and most exciting blog posts of the past month emerging from the Salem blogging scene.

Don’t hate me for being the curator. Just do it faster, better, harder!

1. EatSalem. I always tell my journalism students: “You can’t judge the success of a blog by its comments.”

Psshaw!

If your post gets 50+ comments, some level of success must be acknowledged. EatSalem posted this month about some changes to the Salem dining scene and got, in return, a fascinating, interactive conversation about the plight of the restaurateur and some insight into the fickle relationship between the Salem foodies and the businesses that serve them. And it was just a list!

2. Poetry and Popular Culture. Professor Mike posted what is perhaps the most interesting preview of the first-ever Salem Beer and Cider Festival. Far from just a be there, do this, see that kind of preview, his post was a homage to the natural connection between beer and poetry. And he makes the case for why Salem is actually reclaiming its beer culture mojo (with special thanks to Capital Taps for scaring up some of the history).

3. Creative Concepts and Contracting. If you are knew to the intricacies of selling real estate — or if you don’t watch HGTV — you will want to read this local business’s excellent blog about what it does to make messes into eye candy. Even better? Start with the recent post on stripping. That’s right, I said stripping. Margaret gets this month’s vote for “Post Most Likely to Be Read by New Readers.”

4. The Pringle Creek Community blog. If you’ve been following the news about Solarize Salem, you definitely want to check out this preview for the Salem Green + Solar Tour 2010. Among the projects featured in the tour, happening this Saturday, is Oregon’s first Passive House. This is something to be actively excited about.

5. Salem Treasure. Stuck in an office? The rainy season has started? Need some mid-day Zen but can’t get out? When the walls start to close in, turn to Salem Treasure for a play-by-play of a walk along Mill Creek. With ducks.

I’m kind of a newsletter junkie, but I’ve noticed that if your newsletter sucks, it just gets deleted. Here are some local ones that always get read.

Salem Cinema: Loretta’s nostalgic-looking, gentle reminder of the power of cinema is a noteworthy heads-up about the latest must-see independent films.

Tigress Books: JoAnne Kohler sometimes breaks national news with her occasional e-newsletters about happenings at her downtown shop. Her notes to her customers are frank and lovely in a way that rarely gets used in the form. Roar!

Minto Island Growers: An always satisfying menage of home recipes, insider’s info about the farm and cultural-historical information about the great stuff in their CSA baskets, the Minto Island Growers newsletter, put together by Elizabeth Miller, is a must-read for home cooks with a love of the local.

E.Z. Orchards: The farm stand newsletter is mostly product updates about what’s available at the farm’s darling store on Hazel Green and Cordon roads. But who doesn’t need a little gentle nudge to be reminded of a MIXED BERRY SHORTCAKE BIGGER THAN YOUR BABY’s HEAD.

The Salem Public Library: Sonja Somerville puts together a fantastic, multi-page pdf newsletter of events at our local library. She might illuminate the best DIY car repair books in the library’s collection or remind you about the almost daily book-related happenings there. Adult story time? Snuggle up!

Life Source Natural Foods: Don’t just eat food. Meet the people who make it! Or learn about one person’s journey through a gluten-free diet! It’s a little text-heavy, but if you’re a reader and you like food connections, check it out.

Salem Breakfast on Bikes: Exclamations! Shout it out! The man behind Breakfast on Bikes has excitement for the the lifestyle practice of biking that just bleeds off the screen. Even better? He uses ample links to make sure we will never lose our way to the Monster Cookie. Sign up by contacting: Salembikes [at] gmail.com

A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village: Quite possibly the best laid-out e-newsletter in town (color is not just for kids!), A.C. Gilbert’s flagship news vehicle is an inspiration to keep facilitating those experiences for your children. Get out of the house!

Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center: Proof every time that a city like Salem has a lot of country to explore and learn about.

Friends of Salem Saturday Market: The sheer bulk of this immensely readable newsletter is a testament to the huge and positive role the market has in this community. Also, a heads up about visiting baby goats.

Ok, so I know that mine lean heavily towards food news.

What ones have I missed?

Clockworks has announced its next session of free classes, including my Blogging Basics class. UPDATE! You can read the full description of classes right here: c4 September class program for web.

This class has been generating some nice discussions about the blogging form, which I’ve been happy to recount, naturally, here on this blog. It’s also been a great way to meet some already and would-be bloggers here in town.

Here are my lessons learned from the first free class (the diplomatic dance of digital capture) and the second free class (the problem with anonymity).

If you  have been to this class before, don’t bother coming unless, like Rob McGuire, you are attending to lend your vast expertise and participate in the discussion. Be forewarned, though that the presentation will be the same (with minor variations of nervousness and stuttering).

Here is some info about the class. Pop me an email at emilygrosvenor [at] gmail.com if you have any questions.

We’ll be meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday September 27. Mark your calendars! It’s open enrollment and the class has been full every time, so get there early for a good seat!

I’d also like to give a shout out to Ms. K. Williams Brown, who is giving a class on Southern Charm and Manners on Wed. September 1. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating one of Ms. Brown’s pimento cheese sandwiches, you’d know that charm is something well worth cultivating in your free time — and learning from the master.

I’m also kind of fascinated by “Writing for the Soul,” “Vegan Cooking,” and the “Be Sweet Project.” I have no idea what that means, but I try to be sweet every day and usually end up being sweet and sour, so anything that can help me strike the right balance must be good.

Here’s the full roster of classes:

Mon.  Aug 30 – 6pm – Writing For The Soul – Marcella Swatzendruber
Mon. Aug 30 – 7pm – Intro to Financial Planning – Steven Goto
Tues. Aug 31 – 6pm – Beginning Zumba – Brittany Mcbee
Tues. Aug 31 – 7pm – Fingerstyle Guitar Techniques – Randy Hartley
Tues. Aug 31 – 7pm – Thriller Dance Lesson – First Half
Wed. Sept 1 – 6pm – Fitness for Everyone – Andy Bolliger
Wed Sept 1 – 7pm – Southern Charm & Manners – Kelly Williams Brown
Thurs. Sept 2 – 6pm – Intro to Balloon Sculpting – Tom White
Thurs. Sept 2 – 7pm – Beginning Yoga – Mary Collins
Thurs. Sept 2 – 7pm – Thriller Dance Lesson -  Second Half

Tues. Sept 7 – 6pm – Intro to Home Gardening – Megan Crandall
Tues. Sept 7 – 7pm – Fingerstyle Guitar Techniques – Randy Hartley
Tues. Sept 7 – 7pm – Thriller Dance Lesson – First Half
Wed. Sept 8 – 6pm – Artist Trading Cards: Make & Trade – Ronda Wymore
Wed. Sept 8 – 7pm – Vegan Cooking – Summer Keightley
Thurs. Sept 9 – 6pm –The Be Sweet Project– Austin Rowlader
Thurs. Sept 9 – 7pm –  How to Solve a Rubix Cube – Kelly Williams Brown
Thurs. Sept 9 – 7pm – Thriller Dance Lesson – Second Half
Fri. Sept 10 – 6pm – Guitar Circle – Mandi Welch
Sat. Sept 11 – 2-5pm – Better Understanding Islam – Laurie Erikson

Mon. Sept 13 – 6pm – Intro to Financial Planning –Steven Goto
Mon. Sept 13 – 7pm – CranioSacral Therapy:  Migraines – Janette Warren
Tues. Sept 14 – 6pm – Basic Earrings – Alex Taylor
Tues . Sept 14 – 6pm – Beginning Zumba – Brittany Mcbee
Tues. Sept 14 – 7pm – Fingerstyle Guitar Techniques – Randy Hartley
Tues. Sept 14 – 7pm – Thriller Dance Lesson – First Half
Wed. Sept 15 – 6pm – Fitness for Everyone – Andy Bolliger
Thurs. Sept 16 – 6pm – The Be Sweet Project – Austin Rowlader
Thurs. Sept 16 – 7pm – Beginning Yoga – Mary Collins
Thurs.  Sept 16 -  7pm – Thriller Dance Lesson – Second Half
Fri. Sept 17 – 6pm – Life Shifting – Troy Wenning
Sat. Sept 18 – 3pm – Shamanic Journeys – Leslie Grasa

Mon. Sept 20 – 6pm – Writing for the Soul – Marcella Swatzendruber
Mon. Sept 20 – 7pm – Grassroots Marketing in Salem – Ryan Rogers
Tues. Sept 21 – 6pm – Beginning Zumba – Brittany Mcbee
Tues. Sept 21 – 7pm – Fingerstyle Guitar Techniques – Randy Hartley
Tues. Sept 21 – 7pm – Thriller Dance Lessons – Second Half
Wed. Sept 22 – 6pm – Artist Trading Cards: Make & Trade – Ronda Wymore
Wed. Sept 22 – 6pm – Music for Tots – Christy Hey
Thurs. Sept 23 – 6pm – Budget Event Planning – Dorri Wassom
Thurs. Sept 23 – 7pm – Thriller Dance Lessons – First Half
Fri.  Sept 24 – 6pm – Guitar Circle – Mandi Welch
Sat. Sept 25 – 3-6pm – DIY Filmmaking – Jason Gould

Mon. Sept 27 – 6pm – Blogging Basics – Emily Grosvenor
Mon. Sept 27 – 7pm – CranioSacral Therapy: Pregnancy
Tues. Sept 28 – 6pm –  – Intro to Home Gardening – Megan Crandall
Tues. Sept 28 – 7pm – Fingerstyle Guitar Basics – Randy Hartley
Tues. Sept 28 – 7pm – Thriller Dance Lessons – Second Half
Wed. Sept 29 – 6pm – Fitness for Everyone – Andy Bolliger
Wed. Sept 29 – 7pm – Vegan Cooking – Summer Keightley
Thurs. Sept 30 – 7 pm – Thriller Dance Lesson – First Half
Thurs. Sept 30 – 7pm – How to Solve a Rubix Cube – Kelly Williams Brown
Thurs. Sept 30 – 7pm – Beginning Yoga – Mary Collins
Fri. Oct 1 – SPECIAL EVENT @ CLOCKWORKS!!!
Sat. Oct 2 – 3pm – DIY Kids Portrait Photography – Anati Neiffer