Blue skies, smilin' at me, nothing but blue skies do I see ...

And I'd best enjoy it while I can because the weather man predicts rain for Thursday and Friday, cloudy at the least for Saturday and Sunday.

I'm crazy about this building and its colorful windows against the brilliant blue sky. It's between SW 3rd and SW 2nd, but I can't remember on which street.

Mama and Leland both feel better--hooray!

I can't tell for sure which way I'm goin' but I know I'm goin' one way or the other.

I think this pedestrian sign on the Hawthorne Bridge says it all: You can walk here, either way you want to go. Of course, you have to look out for other pedestrians and sometimes folks on bicycles, too, because you're sharing the wonderfully wide sidewalks on what is essentially my favorite bridge to walk across.

Here's how I think the sidewalk sign relates to my life since last Wednesday. I do feel much better, but I still have had to take a nap after supper every night, just so I could watch some TV before taking Duncan out for his last walk of the evening. On the weekend, I thought I'd get some blogs for this week ready to post, but I discovered that I was more worn out than I realized, so I rested most of Saturday.

On Sunday I ended up going with my younger son Leland to first an urgent care place, then hours later to the hospital ER a few blocks from where Mama and I live. He's had headaches, muscle aches, fever, chills, and a intermittent cough since last Monday. On Sunday his knees and ankles became swollen. At the urgent care mono and strep throat were eliminated as the problem. The urgent care turned out to be a bad decision, though, because they had no lab to test his blood more thoroughly and advised him to go to a lab today if he still had fever. Well, by 4:30 p.m. Sunday it was back at almost 102 degrees, so we decided to head for the ER. That doctor checked his blood and urine and found no bacteria. He ordered a West Nile Virus test because Leland did get some mosquito bites when the four of them were up in the woods at Zigzag Mountain and nearby it. Although that test is not perfect yet, the doctor told us, it was prudent to test for it because his symptoms fit somewhat the symptoms and time-line of West Nile--the results should be back later this week. He told Leland it appears that he has some sort of viral thing going on, that we may never know what it is, to take Advil regularly and gave him some Vicodin for the pain in his head and muscles, to get his blood checked again later on this week, and to come back to the ER if he got worse in anyway. He gave Leland a note to show his professors at school which had just started last week--he missed one day, forcing himself to go no matter how bad he felt. Now he's listening to the doctor and has promised to stay home tomorrow, too. No fever since before he went to bed last night, so maybe, just maybe he's turning the corner.

Then, as we continue to go round and round the pedestrian sign, Lamont, my older son, took Mama to her regularly scheduled doctor appointment this morning. She'd been a bit wobbly over the weekend and said that she couldn't have walked another step than the had to to get to the car--she had told Lamont she'd meet him at the sidewalk after putting Duncan in his kennel. Lamont got a wheelchair for her at the doctor's office and she seemed to perk up, but after they took some blood to check and she gave a urine sample and was still in the wheelchair, talking with her doctor, Lamont said her world came crashing down on her, she just about fainted twice. Her blood pressure and heart rate had dropped way down, so the doctor called over to the hospital and they sent someone to wheel her over to the ER. Lamont called and told me all of this, and I thought, "Yep. I'll just bet she's got a urinary tract infection." In the past, when she's had this sort of infection, she's been wobbly, confused, faint, low blood pressure, not necessarily having the regular symptoms of a UTI. Another thing that happens to her when she's punctured, as in for blood work, she can get faint, her blood pressure can drop--it's that vaso vagal reflex thing that plaques her now and then. So, when the ER doctor told us that she had a bladder infection and would be on an antibiotic for a week, and that her blood pressure and heart rate had been rock solid since right after she arrived in the ER, I wasn't surprised. By then I had made my way to the ER--Leland had the Buick at his place, so he insisted in driving it the few blocks to my work place--I dropped him off at home, thanking him profusely because that saved me a good deal of time. Also, I was able to bring her home myself which helped Lamont who always calls in an order to their purveyor on Monday afternoons, from the restaurant's office.

Now Mama's home, having had two doses of her antibiotic. She's trying to work on a crossword puzzle while we watch Wheel of Fortune and wait for Dancing With the Stars. I haven't had a nap because I had to get some groceries, bring them in from a splendidly close parking space (hooray!), put them away, walk Duncan, clean his kennel (Mama stubbornly put him into the sink and bathed him while I was at the drug store getting her prescription filled), warmed up and ate some leftovers, helped her fix some oatmeal which was all she wanted, and washed dishes before sitting down to type this long, long post. I know, I'll nap while Cloris Leachman dances--good grief!

Sorry for rambling, but isn't that what one does when one isn't sure which way one's going?

Here's what the girl with the pug saw

It's Devin Phillips, on saxophone, opening with a neat rendition of "Watermelon Man." They were the second act that I heard once I had arrived at South Waterfront Day Concert in the Park at the South Waterfront Neighborhood Park (3508 SW Moody Ave.). It was the same day I took the construction cranes either looking or not looking through my sunglasses. I have several more photos to share, too. It was a fun time for me, enjoying the music, the sun, watching people and their dogs and their children.

Here's the entire Devin Phillips Funk Band. I thoroughly enjoyed every song they performed. One of these days I'm going to catch them at a jazz club, too. There's one nearby that I can get to and from on the bus.

Here's a quote about Phillips and his band that I found at Devin Phillips Dot Com:

The Oregonian
A&E Nightcrawler
May 25, 2007

"The Devin Phillips Band: The story’s been in the air for a few years now: Katrina evacuee comes to Portland with his bags packed full of talent and ambition. With a lot of hard work, he becomes a staple in the funk and jazz scene, with regular gigs all over town."

Update--I went to the grocery story after work, filling the rolling black bag, an insulated bag, and a carry bag. Thanks to bungee cords and the wheels on the rolling black bag, plus the bus, I made it home with all of it. Mama put everything away, bless her.

We're watching, what else, Dancing With the Stars. When it goes off, I'm taking a nap until time to take Duncan out for his late walk. Then back to bed. I believe I'm getting stronger bit by bit. One more day of antibiotic. No fever or aches.

Rainbow

This is the first photo I have taken since I became ill. It was Sunday, late afternoon, from the Walgreens parking lot at NW 21st and W. Burnside. I was in the car, waiting for the traffic to clear when I saw a bit of the rainbow. I turned into the lot and took this photo which I am happy to share with you.

So that I can stay awake for all of Dancing With the Stars, I'm off for a nap now, after my second full day back at work. Thanks so much for all of the well wishes--they're much appreciated by me and Mama and Duncan.

Say what?

To me, he's saying, "Come on. You know you want to come on down to the park." Well, I'm not quite ready for the park, but with this cute little guy's encouragement, I'm headed that direction. I made it through a two commutes and a full day of work. The only place I dozed while seated in my chair was for a few seconds at lunch. But, tonight after eating a bowl of leftover chili (I had cooked on Sunday), I took an hour and a half nap--thanks to my sweet Mama's doing the dishes, again. She's a sweetheart every single day. Now we're into the season opening of "Dancing With the Stars," a total addiction for the both of us.

Up against it, but different

I went back to the doctor on Friday, got a new prescription for the still-present UTI, and a note to return to work next week. I've had three doses of it and no fever since Thursday.

Today and tomorrow I plan to take a short walk or two, other than the usual ones with little ol' Duncan. Tomorrow evening I'm going with Kailey to see "So You Think You Can Dance," the live tour. Other than that, I'll continue to drink lots of water and cranberry juice, rest, and think positive thoughts.



I took these photos Sept.3rd on NW 3rd, where I meet my second bus on the morning commute. While on the phone with my brother, I snapped these. Ah, the glory days--that's what I want again.

Up Against It

Since Friday evening, I have been up against it, ill with fever, chills that jerked my hands, arms and legs, aches. The doctor diagnosed a urinary tract infection, once I felt like I could drive myself to his office Tuesday morning; my children were hiking and camping in the Mt. Hood area, as you can see if you scroll down to my Tuesday, Sept. 16, post. I am not back to normal, but I do feel like putting something on the blog--I have taken my last big white antibiotic tablet, but I don't think I feel as if I'm making much of a move away from it, as far as the fever is concerned for sure. I plan to call the doctor back tomorrow to seek a follow-up test and maybe a prescription refill.

Rest assured, I haven't felt good enough to feel guilty about missing these days of blogging, but in my heart of hearts, I have missed it deeply, which includes most of all visiting your wonderful blogs.

I haven't even turned on my camera--that's how bad it's been. I took these photos the same day I took the ones of the crane, either through my sunglasses or not. I posted them on Sunday, Sept. 14.

Upon reflection I realize that, before long, I will be far away from it and back in the swing of things.

If I can read the map right, these two guys called me last night at 11:45 p.m. and this morning at 7:45 a.m. from a 4,971-foot peak near Portland.

UPDATE: They're home, safe and sound. The last OK came from where they live! I asked Lamont if each of them would pick some of their favorite photos for me to share with y'all, maybe sooner, maybe later.

OTHER UPDATE: I finally felt like I could drive the car safely to the doctor today and found out that I have a urinary tract infection. I have three days of antibiotics and hope they get rid of it.

That's my sons, Lamont and Leland, in 1979. Lamont was three, and Leland's a few months--like a nut, I didn't write anything on the back of the photo.

The guys and their girlfriends Lindsay and Kailey are today in the middle of their three-day hiking/camping trip, from the North Burnt Lake Trailhead and back.

Not expecting them to find any cell phone signal while in the Mt. Hood National Forest, for the guys' birthdays--Lamont will be 33 on Sept. 24 and Leland will be 30 on Oct. 31--I got them a Spot, billed on their Web site as "The World's First Satellite Messenger." Actually, I got it for my peace of mind, but you'd already guessed that, right? There's an OK button that sends me an email with a link to a map that shows me their location, within moments of the OK button's being pushed. There's also a Help button, for which we have worked out a plan because they will only use it if they get back to the car and find some sort of problem there, and a 911 button which will call for professional help. The messages go to the girls' families and to my brother, too.

When my phone rang last night, showing Lamont's name on the screen, I thought, "What?" It was Leland, using his brother's cell phone to check in with me, telling me they were spending the night on that peak, where originally they had only planned to watch the sunset. Another hiker/camper they met on the trail had mentioned that he sure wish he'd decided to camp there, instead of down at a lake--I don't know which lake. Leland said the moon was so bright that they hardly needed their head lamps. He told me it was the peak labeled 4971 on the Portland Hikers Dot Org field guide topo map for Burnt Lake. I asked him why Lamont had turned on his phone, and he said that Lindsay had turned hers on and found a five bars, so Lamont tried his, too. Then Lindsay wanted to talk to me for a minute, to tell me that they could see every single light of Portland. It really did my heart good to talk with both of them and hear how much fun they were having, all four of them.

This morning at 7:45 a.m. when I saw Lamont's name on my ringing phone, I thought, "Yeah!" He repeated what the other two had told me about the moon and the lights of Portland, then he told me that Lindsay had used Google on her phone and found out that the sun was supposed to rise at 7 a.m., so they all four got up and saw it come up beside Mt. Hood, just about the same place they'd seen the moon come up last night. Wow. He told me that they would OK signal me several times close together so that I would know the location of tonight's base camp, and I wished them a continued mind-blowing trip. I know from checking the map links that they're spending tonight at Burnt Lake, something he thought they might do, even taking a swim. In a mountain lake. Wow.

Here's a bit of info from Portland Hikers about Burnt Lake:

* Elevation:
1,051.56 meters
3450 feet

Description

Nice small mountain lake on the flanks of the Zigzag Ridge which connects to the southwest side of Mount Hood. Seven designated campsites around lake. As long as you're here, walk up the Burnt Lake and Zigzag Mountain Trails to East Zigzag Mountain, about a mile and 900' elevation gain away.

East Zigzap Mountain is where they spend last night. Oh, I just read the description of their original spend-the-night idea, Cast Lake, west of East Zigzag--am I ever glad they changed their mind. It offers no view of Mt. Hood!

P.S. I am feeling better and hope to go to work tomorrow.

One photo taken through my sunglasses, another one without the sunglasses

Through the sunglasses

Not through the sunglasses

I still feel awful, but I didn't want to miss posting today. Thanks for the well-wishes.

One photo taken through my sunglasses, another one without the sunglasses

Through the sunglasses

Not through the sunglasses

I still feel awful, but I didn't want to miss posting today. Thanks for the well-wishes.

East side of the Fox Tower and a bit of the Jackson Tower

As you read in Friday's post: The building is most notable for the contrast between its curving east side and boxy west side. The juxtaposing angles of the building create a unique shape from nearly every angle. This multiplanar and set-back design is meant to prevent as much of the building's shadow as possible from falling upon Pioneer Courthouse Square on the opposite corner.

I took the photo from Pioneer Courthouse Square last Saturday, about 4 p.m. I didn't notice a dark shadow cast by the building, just a shaded ambience in the block-sized square. People were everywhere, reading, walking, sitting, talking on their phones, enjoying being outside in Portland.

Here's a photo from the corner of SW Washington and Broadway, looking south, showing how neat the Jackson Tower looks at night. I took it in February, 2007, so I'm not sure why the clock face is bathed in green light.


From Wikipedia:
The Jackson Tower, formerly the Oregon Journal Building is a glazed terra-cotta historic office building in downtown Portland, Oregon. Located on the corner of Broadway and Yamhill Streets, it enjoys a prominent location adjacent to Pioneer Courthouse Square.

The building was constructed to house the operations of the now-defunct Oregon Journal. The Journal occupied the structure from its completion in 1912 until July 4, 1948, when the newspaper moved to larger quarters on the Portland waterfront. The structure was renamed Jackson Tower to honor the newspaper's founder, Charles Samuel Jackson. The impressive clock tower results from the practice of newspapers integrating such structures into their headquarters. Additionally, 1,800 light bulbs illuminate the tower after dark. The Jackson Tower was renovated in 1972, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places (as the Journal Building) in 1996.

* Each of the 1,800 light bulbs screw directly into the facade.
* In addition to the tower's illumination, at one time the clocks used to chime every 15 minutes.
* Each clockface is 12.5 feet in diameter.

Architectural style: Beaux Arts.

By the way, I'm sick with some sort of flu or something that started yesterday evening. I don't think I'll be commenting--maybe later on if I stop aching all over.

Pray for those impacted by Ike as it continues its path across the country.

High. And low.

High above the building that said, "Hello, Lynette," we see Portland's blue sky dressed with clouds highlighted by the sun. It's that same sun that reflected off the Fox Tower, leaving this pattern of light and shadow playing across the brick facade. I feel lucky to have been in the right place at the right time.


Of course, if the entire block between the two buildings had not been demolished at some point, there would have been no spectacular for me to witness. Here's some information about the Fox Tower and the construction going on between it and my featured building.

From Wikipedia:

The Fox Tower is a 27-story office building in Portland, Oregon. It opened in 2000, making it Portland's most recently opened major office building. Thompson Vaivoda and Associates designed the building and Tom Moyer developed the property. The building is named after the Fox Theatre which occupied the site from 1911 until the late 1990s.

The building is most notable for the contrast between its curving east side and boxy west side. The juxtaposing angles of the building create a unique shape from nearly every angle. This multiplanar and set-back design is meant to prevent as much of the building's shadow as possible from falling upon Pioneer Courthouse Square on the opposite corner.

The Fox Tower's 462-space underground parking garage was the deepest in Portland when built.[citation needed] In 2006 the Fox Tower's developer, Tom Moyer, started construction of an underground garage on the block to the west, connected to the Fox Tower garage. This new parking structure opened in December 2007. Because the west block lies slightly uphill from the Fox Tower, the west garage will be deeper than the Fox Tower garage, relative to ground level. The new garage is designed to be an underground facility, with a City of Portland park on top of the garage. Construction and landscaping for the park was started by the City of Portland in March 2008. The underground parking is also planned to be connected to the Park Avenue West Tower.

Low down in the left corner of the top photo, you can barely see a sign, white letters on blue background. Here's a close up of that sign, a photo I took and posted in April.


And here's some information on the Guild Theater from Cinema Treasures: Operating as the Guild Theatre since at least 1950, it was last used by the Northwest Film Center for film festivals. It closed in the summer of 2006. The single screen theater has 425 seats.

Honor.

Let us pause for a moment to reflect on 9/11, in honor of those who died that day.

Here. ABC Wednesday, H is for here, on Sept. 10, 2008.

Here we see the intricacy of the brick work as well as the architectural details on this lovely old building on SW Park, between SW Taylor and SW Yamhill.

By the way, please take a look at Monday and Tuesday, too, because I have made the H week, in honor of my maiden and married last names, and in honor of my wonderful two sons' first names--they're each named for one of my beloved grandfathers. And if you, like, please come back for Thursday and Friday, too.

Happy ABC Wednesday!

Now, an extremely important aside:

I am repeating something that I had already added to Monday's post. Thanks for taking a moment to read and to click on the links.

To me blogging is a community of like-minded individuals who care about each other, about what each of us decides to reveal about our lives in our posts. We demonstrate that we care about where we live, that we believe certain things and abhor others. We support each other by clicking, reading, and commenting. Please take a moment to read this post at Wendy Brandes Jewelry. Click on the links "fabulous auction of jewelry and immortality" and "Stephanie (NieNie) and Christian Nielson's medical expenses" and "Stephanie Nielson and her family." You will read about Stephanie, a 27-year-old mother of four, and Christian, her 29-year-old husband. and the hand that fate has dealt them. You will read about your opportunity to help, either here through WendyB's efforts or at Stephanie’s sister’s blog.

How?

How did this light and shadow pattern cover the facade? Keep reading to find the answer.



Here you see another photo that I took a few minutes after I took the one above and the one in yesterday's post. See the tall tower behind Nordstrom? Notice the sun on the strips of glass on its surface? Get the picture?

The Fox Tower covers the entire block. On the SW Park Avenue side of the building, you find the Regal Fox Tower 10 and the Fox Tower Stadium 10 movie theaters in the southwest corner, while a deli known as Elephant's is in the northwest corner.

Bright sun peeked from the clouds and reflected light from the Fox Tower onto the featured building, making a most intriguing sight for me to photograph. I doubt it would have been as interesting without the alternating non-reflective strips. What is your opinion?

Hello.

Important update below. Thank you.

"Hello, Lynette," said the brick building that stood alone, at a height of five stories.

This Wednesday is ABC Wednesday: H. In honor of that letter, the first letter of my maiden name and also my married name, plus the first names of my two sons who were each named for one of my two grandfathers, I have decided to base this entire week's post on the letter H.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
To me blogging is a community of like-minded individuals who care about each other, about what each of us decides to reveal about our lives in our posts. We demonstrate that we care about where we live, that we believe certain things and abhor others. We support each other by clicking, reading, and commenting. Please take a moment to read this post at Wendy Brandes Jewelry. Please pay close attention to the link in the sentence, “Click here to read about her and to bid.” You will read about Stephanie, a 27-year-old mother of four, and Christian, her 29-year-old husband. and the hand that fate has dealt them. You will read about your opportunity to help, either through WendyB's efforts or at Stephanie’s sister’s blog. Watch the first hour of the Today Show in the morning, or tape it and watch it later.

Thank you.

You say Aga, I say Frigidaire, and we're not calling anything off!

In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Nesbitt’s Aga I feature our Frigidaire. Please forgive my pitiful paraphrase of Fred Astaire's "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."

Not that I'm a jump-up-and-down fan of an electric stove, but it came with the apartment. And we put it to the best use we can.

Here's our dinner from last Thursday night. Corn on the cob, steamed broccoli, sauteed Walla Walla sweet onions and yellow squash and zucchini, and browned already-fully-cooked boneless smoked pork chops.

Look closely and you can see the steam coming from the Dutch oven and the boiler which I had removed from the eye of the stove--I didn't want the broccoli to get mushy.


I should have paid similar attention to the sauteed veggies--I over-salted them. I have to take responsibility for that, but I did have a new box of sea salt which for a novice sea-salt-user like me takes some practice. Since I ruined it, it seems fitting that I didn't get it in focus in this photo.

See Mama's cute little had in the upper left of the photo? She's digging in, ready to enjoy it all--then she tasted the veggies. I've learned my lesson.

Finally, I want to encourage the curious and the creative--that would be all of y'all--to click on the link to Mrs. Nesbitt's blog so that you can read about the Aga. Then, for all of you pet lovers out there, look on the right side of the blog for the photo of the German shepherd on the beach--it's the link to Wilma's blog. Wilma is the German shepherd, Mrs. Nesbitt is her mummy.

Now, I'm off to NASCAR where the Hanna-delayed race is about to begin in Richmond, Virginia. Go Junior!

Rolling Ad

Do you have these advertising trucks in your city? I've seen several different sorts here in Portland, from an entire Ikea room set up in a sort of box to these rolling billboards. I took this photo at lunch recently, while I sat on the bench in the park. I missed the Ikea truck, doggone it.

Perspective #1

Surprise, courtesy of the down elevators

On August 22 when I walked into the building and over to the elevators, I read a sign that said something like this, "Only one elevator is operational. Facilities has been notified." Too many people stood waiting. I walked the three flights to my floor, carrying my rolling black bag. On the way from one landing to another in the stairwell, I decided to make the most of the opportunity and took this photo of the stair rail.

What surprise photo opportunity have you had lately?

September 3, 2008 - ABC Wednesday - G is for Graffiti Ghost

At this time, in this space, you unlock the door of ABC Wednesday, in the key of G. When you do, you enter another dimension, the Construction Zone, where things are not what they seem, where light and shadow combine, where graffiti ghosts peer through doorways. I am there for you at the edge of that zone, to document things and ideas. "Nee nee nee nee nee nee nee nee." (Think "Twilight Zone" theme song.)

Photo One shows the ghost as I first saw it, coming out of the doorway, trailing light behind itself as it flew westward.

Quickly I stepped to the east and snapped again, framing the ghost within the chain link fence that served to keep all at bay who might choose to invade the it's personal space. Would I make that choice? Not on your life. I know better than to enter the Construction Zone without a hard hat on my head.

Look closely through the doorway. Is that a second ghost, forming near that crack in the back wall? Remain in the Construction Zone, if you choose, and live with the consequences.

Two guys, two cats, and another optimistic sign

First these two men walked towards me, each with a cat perched on his shoulder, the cat's front paws resting on the upturned palm of each man's left hand. I decided to take the photo of them walking away because I couldn't bear to interrupt the parade by asking permission to show them online. They're walking in front of the Hotel Paramount on SW Taylor at SW Park.

Optimism