March 14, 2018
Page 15
Inspired Creations
C ontinueD froM P age 9
productive. It was around eight
years ago that he began making
birdhouses as a hobby when he
was homeless and it’s since blos-
somed into a fruitful enterprise,
supplementing his retirement in-
come.
“As I was out being homeless,
I was working on helping other
homeless people get housing. And
as I was waiting on mine to come
in, I was like, what could I do
that’s positive while I’m out here
homeless, instead of just saying
‘oh man this is not good?’” Mayes
explained. “My thing was I could
help other individuals, give them
some type of guidance, a positive
tip and encouragement.”
Through that mutual support,
and proactively looking for solu-
tions, he has since pulled himself
out of homelessness.
The gout that Mayes has been
battling most of his life still brings
aching pain in his hands and feet
that presents mobility challeng-
es, especially in winter when his
joints swell. It’s also responsible
for his resignation from the full-
scale carpentry trade. He used to
help build customized houses all
across the West Coast for homes
in the $300,000 to multi-million
dollar range.
Despite hospitalizations and
some challenging cold snaps
that recently prevented him from
building and selling the birdhous-
es, Mayes said he’s now gathering
his strength to start production
back up again.
“I’m looking forward to getting
back out there again ‘cause I have
fun. You might me see me just
rolling down the street,” he said.
Mayes was born and raised in
Portland and said getting around
by bike or on foot is one of the
best ways to experience the city.
“I’ve seen a lot of skyline
changes by walking,” he said. “If
George Mayes uses recycled and found material as well as environmentally friendly, organic cedar to
craft bird feeders that look like miniature mountain lodges.
you’re driving a lot, you pass by
a lot of stuff and you don’t see
it. And the walking is just a little
more cautious that you can see
your surroundings. You can see
your surroundings and you can
see what’s being built up around
you.”
Mayes said he leaves his bird-
houses unpainted to encourage
buyers to engage their kids to paint
them so that they can learn what
it’s like to work with their hands
and provide them an alternative to
a world dominated by high tech.
“They need to know some
of the thinking back in the old
days.’Cause a lot of them don’t;
they go straight to the comput-
er. The thing that scares me is
when the computer breaks down,
they break down. That’s scary
(laughs).”
To inquire about George’s bird-
houses, email him at theooeasy@
outlook.com or check the local
street corner near you.
Together, we do good things.
TM
This page is sponsored by Oregon Lottery
2018
March
C alendar
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
12
13
14
15
Anniversary of the
Death of Anne
Frank (1945)
19
Swallows Return to
San Juan Capist-
rano
26
Make up Your own
Holiday Day
Diana Ross born,
1944; singer & Os-
car-nom. actress
Good Samaritan
Day
Uranus Discovered
(1781)
20
1st Day of Spring
Spike Lee born, 1957;
Emmmy Award win-
ning filmmaker
27
Alaska hit by 8.4
Earthquake (1964)
Pi Day (3.14)
Scientist Albert Ein-
stein born, 1879
21
Children’s Poetry
Day
National Teen-Agers
Day
Single Parents’ Day
R
FRIDAY SATURDAY
16
17
Absolutely
Incredible Kid Day
Funk music legend Sly
Stone born, 1943
James Madison born,
1751 (4th Presi-
dent)
22
United Nations
World Water Day
28
29
“Greatest Show on
Earth” formed 1881
Armed Forces left
Vietnam (1973)
Pearl Bailey born,
1918; award-Winning
singer & actress
SUNDAY
18
Nat King Cole born,
1919; Legendary jazz
musician and singer
First Walk in Space
(1965)
Grover Cleveland
born, 1837 (22nd &
24th President)
23
24
25
Toast Day
Political Leader Pat-
rick Henry declared,
“Give me liberty...”,
1775
Harry Houdini born,
1874
Exxon Valdez runs
aground (1989)
30
31
Passover Begins at
Sundown
Doctor’s Day
Artist Vincent van
Gogh born, 1853
St. Patrick’s Day
First Map of the US
Published (1784)
Palm Sunday
Aretha Franklin born,
1942; undisputed
“Queen Of Soul”