Monday, December 22, 2008

Seasons Greetings and some more Monday photos of Portland's snow show

I walked about eight blocks from the apartment to the MAX stop across the street from PGE Park. On the way I stopped to get this shot of one of the big heads in front of the stadium, at SW 20th and SW Morrison. The red lights in his eyes are, on the left of the photo, the P, and on the right of the photo, the K, from PGE PARK. See the next photo for a visual explanation; it's the lower, smaller PGE PARK.
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Here's a wide shot. When I looked at the photo just now, in the large size, I got really tickled by the way the handrail splits the mouth into two giant teeth and how the snow on the small overhand roof shows in the the two eyes, making it look like he's got his eyes barely open, slits even, like some people's eyes get when they're laughing.
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And here's the other big head, on the corner of SW Morrison and SW 18th. The yellow in the eye on the right of the photo is a fire hydrant diagonally across the intersection.
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Oh, good, a bus! I get closer. I see the driver get back on. He's standing there, drinking coffee. I walk to the door. He opens it. I ask, "Are you stuck?" "Yes," he replies. "Oh, crap!" I say. We wish each other Merry Christmas and I continue to walk. If I'd been able to get on the 20, which was trying to turn around at SW 20th Place and SW Morrison, a place that is never used for that purpose by a bus, I would have missed my photos of the big heads at PGE Park. See, there's a plan to all of this.
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It looks like such a normal bus, doesn't it? Hey! I just looked at this photo in the large size and got a nice surprise. Can you see the seven pairs of shoes hanging from the wire above the bus? Why do people throw their shoes like that? I wonder.
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Luckily, I caught a MAX right after I got to the stop. Then I got off at SW 4th and walked to SW 3rd, headed for a stop for the 4, my second bus. On the way, though, I figured if I saw a 10, I could catch it just as well and end up at work, too. So, when I first saw this bus at the 10 stop, I though, "Oh, good a bus." Then I saw the sign on the back, "Not in Service." Another stuck bus. I'd heard on the TV before I left about several being stuck in the snow, but I didn't expect that downtown since it's plowed pretty well. I kept walking.
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How do those little-looking wires keep the chains on those heavy buses?
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Here's another Portland icon that I adore, the Thompson Elk in between SW 3rd and SW 4th, on SW Main.
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One more beloved icon, from Pioneer Courthouse Square, "Allow Me." Actually, he looks a bit possessed, doesn't he? With that snow rubbed into his eyes, nose and mouth?
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Working folks were out and about. Like this man shoveling snow--I took this photo through the window of the MAX.
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And this UPS man, helped by a woman on the street.
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And this guy, plowing snow around a federal building on the corner of SW Salmon and SW 3rd.
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And this man blowing snow on the corner of SW Main and SW 3rd, in front of the Justice Center which houses the Portland Police Bureau and the Multnomah County Detention Center, a jail.
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The police person(s) in this Portland Police Bureau car.
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The sheriff's officer person(s) in this Multnomah County Sheriff's Office truck.
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The driver of this MAX that I took downtown, and the driver of the one I took back from downtown to PGE Park after work.
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And this person plowing the MAX rails. The downtown rails are set into the streets, so the snow has to be scraped off them.
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The woman driving this 4 bus over the Hawthorne Bridge. See the two skiers? They're on the sidewalk where I walked across the bridge when it snowed in January, 2007. I decided against walking over the bridge today because it was much colder.
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And the young woman driving this snow plow on Burnside.
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Quirky sights from today.
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Here's an update for the sidewalk I've been photographing with my back to Burnside, the motorcycle from yesterday, the ice-art-dog's-head on the pickup hood, the scooters and the car across from the kitchen window.
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11 comments:

The Mulligan Family said...

This weather has just been nuts. Even down in Salem we've been hit hard. I've posted several times with snow and ice pictures, and finally with a video of if it snowing this morning. Enough of the white stuff!

Anonymous said...

My friend who lives in Portland is originally from Pennsylvania and went to college in upstate New York. Anyway, she's plenty used to snow back on the east side, and she said it's been quite funny watching local Portlanders who aren't used to snow ("it only rains here in Portland!") learning how to deal with it. She mentioned those buses getting stuck.

And just this evening here in sunny and warm Sydney, Australia, the World News showed Portland snowed under! It's certainly making news!!

Have fun in the snow. I wish like hell I was there!!

Jim Klenke said...

Y'all stay warm. That snow is just nuts. I heard on the news that Portland hasnt seen that much snow since 1980.

Lynette said...

This is the most snow in December since 1968; yesterday I heard 14 inches measured at the airport. I believe at least that much is in our neighborhood and downtown. Unreal.

Anonymous said...

I've been thoroughly enjoying your photo blog, especially since I'm a fellow Portlandite.

You were asking about why people drape shoes across the phone/power lines... I've heard its to indicate drugs are available in the area.

Thanks for posting pictures of Portland. I've given the link to a couple of cyber friends so they can see where I live. (I don't get out much to take pictures.)

Warren said...

Wow, what great Portland snow pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Kris McCracken said...

I beg your forgiveness for my cutting and pasting – yet constantly reworking – this comment, but there was no way on Earth I would be able to make it around the whole globe to wish everybody a Merry Christmas otherwise.

The magical elves that constitute my staff have demonstrated their lack of respect in either not showing up for work at all, and those that have all seem a little worse for wear, if you catch my drift. All they seem to do is sit around smoking cigarettes that, quite frankly, smell funny. And they play cards and tell dirty jokes rather than do their jobs! Consequently, the reindeer are all filthy and out of shape. And you know, the two rabbits, one wallaby and three wombats I’ve drafted in just don’t cut it as replacements.

Anyway, from myself, Henry and Ezra, have a Merry Christmas/Winter Solstice/Hanukkah/Festivus and a happy New Year!

I hope that all of your holiday photos turn out to be triumphs, your stocking is stuffed full of lots of tasty treats and not coal and that all your pumpkin pies are all as sweet just the way that you like them.

Neva said...

Looks like my place!!! Love the statues!

Lynette said...

Bronwyn, thanks for passing along your friend's observations. I've heard much the same from other transplanted east coast people, too. Being from Mississippi, this has been something to deal with, let me tell you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Lynette said...

Anonymous, thanks for telling me about the shoes. That's a scary reason, if it's true, because I always see them around schools, too. Thanks for passing along my blog to your friends. I'm very glad that you are enjoying the blog--I'm having a blast doing it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Troop 1309 said...

This must be a huge change for everyone in your area! My grandparents are just outside of McMinnville, and the snow is killing them!