Last week was awesome.  Some people measure the day in dollars, I like to measure the day in “did that really just happen in front of me?”.

I’m out in Troutdale, at a duplex I manage.  I’m way early for a walk thru of some work getting done in the back yard.  So I’m minding my own business, in my car, plunking away at text messages and emails…..when out of the corner of my eye, I see a young fella, high schooler, sort of slinking thru the yard of the duplex I manage……then darting to the next one over, crouching down……..at first I thought he was just goofing around with other kids perhaps…..but then after I really start to pay attention, I get it.  He’s trying to run down the street, without running down the street….as he’s now two duplexes down, behind a bush…….I look in my side mirror, and coming down this residential road is a Jeep doing at least double the speed limit.

Now it starts to both get interesting to me, and a bit unnerving, because as this Jeep rips past me, I know he’s looking for this kid…..and in a split second, he slams on the brakes, sort of sideways in the road, jumps out……and the kid sees him, stands up and sort of walks towards him…….figure of authority commanding the come here look thing…..I’m sensing a ticked off Dad…….but the guy points at the kid, and tells him to sit down right in the middle of the road. The kid drops down like a bag of potatoes, and sort of nonchalantly starts to play with a “toy” called a Kendama (Google/Youtube this, it’s an interesting highly specific skilled toy for lack of a better term) like he’s sitting in the park on a summer day.

About 30 seconds later, a Fairview Police car shows up.  Then a minute later, a Gresham Police unit arrives.  Then comes a Multnomah County Sheriff.  Then comes the Troutdale Police Unit…….and I’m thinking this kid is toast.

The road is temporarily closed, as it’s lined with four police cars by then, and I’m literally front row, not even 100 feet in front of me.  And I can hear every word, with my windows all rolled up……….all I can say is this, when in Troutdale, be darn careful of breaking the law or even potentially breaking the law, because four times the pain is coming your way……

The next day, mid-morning, I’m rolling thru Milwaukie down McLoughlin Blvd, call the location roughly the Oak Grove area…….and sure enough, Police cars all over the place coming for and aft, and then I see two guys, on their stomachs, on the sidewalk, with Police and guns drawn……..and again, I’m thinking, good thing these dudes aren’t in Troutdale.

Property management is honest to goodness mostly boring, but a few times of year, I get a front row seat of some really interesting things…….