April 2, 2011---Silverton and Mt. Angel, OR

Saturday was a long day with lots of activities but they were very enjoyable. We had spent time at Silverton, Mt. Angels and Silverton Falls State Park, so it was fun to revisit the area. We started the day when we joined Walt's brother and his wife for breakfast. The homework had been done on the computer so a popular restaurant in downtown Silverton was chosen. This eating place was along the Silverton River and was very unusual on the inside. It was done in a shabby chic theme with old things being reused. The tables and chairs did not match but were very comfortable. Our breakfast menu was large and the size of the portions was very generous. The waiter dared us to order 2 pancakes and be able to finish it at one setting.
We ordered different dishes and found they were all very good. After the good breakfast with coffee and tea we started our tour of Silverton.

The town is famous for the murals they have scattered all over the town. They also have the Silverton River running through the town. They have 17 murals which range from large murals on the sides of buildings to smaller pictures on walls. The most interesting one was the Four Freedoms done by muralist David McDonald. We were standing in the lot admiring the 4 murals and an elderly man came up to us and told us all about the murals. Apparently, they have a mural committee who care for them and raises money to have new murals painted and have the older ones maintained. He was a true character who had great pride in the work he and his committee were doing. He also told us a joke: There are two kinds of painters. The artist to stands on the ground and the muralist who stands on a ladder or a scaffolding.

The murals are named as the following: The Four Freedoms, Silverton, Homer Davenport, The Old Oak, Gallon House Bridge, Don Pettit (Silvertons Astronaut), Paws for Love, Silver Falls, Bobbie The Wonder Dog, Mammoth, The Oregon Trail, Silverton Red Sox, Silverton Pet Parade, Arabian Quest, Our Twentieth Century, Doug Brown (World Champion Cowboy), Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The muralists are Roger Cooke, Lori Lee Webb, David McDonald, Kelly G. Farrah, and Catherine Bennett.
Below are a few of the murals.....

The oak tree on Main Street was a popular gathering spot in the 1800's. Newcomers cu down the 800 year old tree to pave the street.












The Four Freedoms
A replica of Norman Rockwell's 1943 work for the Saturday Evening Post. The mural committee received permission to use the pictures from the Norman Rockwell copyright.

1---Free to Worship

Freedom of Speech




















Freedom from Want

The Freedom from Fear












Look for part two in next post