On the street, July 24, 2010, a lavender umbrella and a breeze

Sunny, breezy morning. As the woman waits to cross West Burnside at NW 21st Avenue, the breeze swirls around her head, lifts strands of her hair. The lavender umbrella makes a bit of shade, enough to satisfy her. Is she worried that her umbrella will be blown inside out?


She crosses the street and continues south on SW 21st Avenue, every glistening hair in place, no evidence of the breeze left behind. Intact, the umbrella still functions.

NW Portland Area Indian Health Board 5th Annual Dancing in the Square POWWOW, 9/24/2010, Part 2

The feathers are fabulous. Imagine the work that went into making this decorative piece. It's amazing. Do you think they're turkey feathers?


What about this headdress? Is it badger? For some reason, I think it's badger. It certainly looks great.

NW Portland Area Indian Health Board 5th Annual Dancing in the Square POWWOW, 9/24/2010

I missed the best first bus home after work last Friday, so I took the next one. Then I got on the second bus so that I could ride it and get closer to the third and last bus. It went less than a block and stopped at the curb with the front door standing open. I walked to the front and asked, "Are we broken?" "It's the sign; he's going to try to fix it," replied the bus driver. "I'll go elsewhere," I said as I stepped through the door. The bus driver allowed as to how he'd like to do that himself. He couldn't. I could and did, walking north on SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland.

Imagine my surprise when I soon heard the deep rhythmic beat of Indian drums accompanied by singing. I headed across the street at SW Yamhill and walked into Pioneer Square, Portland's Living Room. As soon as I saw the men in their Indian finery, I found a spot to sit on the brick steps and settled in to enjoy a beautiful exhibition. Turns out it was the 5th annual Dancing in the Square POWWOW in celebration of National Indian Day, presented by The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board.

As the MC stated, the men danced to the drums, when the drums stopped, they stopped. I found the spectacle delightful, a serendipitous find on the way home on a Friday. I didn't go by 3 Doors Down Cafe because I had gone on Thursday to wish Lamont an early "Happy Birthday" since he had Friday, his 35th birthday, off from work.

More dancing and drumming pictures soon.

My son Lamont is 35 today. My son Leland will be 32 on Halloween. I am blessed.

At first I thought I'd make a post about Lamont's birthday today, then later on make one about Leland's birthday. However, they're together, as brothers should be, in lots of photos, so I'm combining their birthday posts today.


In this photo, Lamont is between four and five and Leland is between one and two.


Lamont was three years, one month, and one week old when Leland as born.


When Leland was six weeks old in December, 1978, the four of us moved from Kansas City, Kansas, to Jackson, Mississippi. My parents came in their Winnebago so the kids and I could ride with them. My husband LeRoy drove the Ryder truck. My brother came, too, in his own vehicle to help out with any and everything. Here we are, early spring 1979, at the John Bell Williams airport out from Raymond, Mississippi. Our friends had flown down from KC to visit us, in that airplane right there beside us. I'm holding our older son Lamont. LeRoy is holding our younger son Leland. LeRoy and I loved our prescription glasses that got darker out in the sunshine. We look pretty doggone cool, I think.


Our friend, Ronnie, the pilot. Our friend Lyndall, holding Lamont. My sweet, dearly departed husband LeRoy, holding a dozing Leland.


Baby Leland with me, his Mama.


About 1990, Lamont and Leland with their great-grandmother Vivian, my Daddy's Mama. If it really is 1990, then she's celebrating her 92nd birthday!


Mama and Daddy's backyard. We've got seated, left to right my Aunt Baker and JL's grandson Patrick, my son Leland, Patrick's fraternal twin brother Michael. Standing, left to right, my son Lamont, and the twins' older brother Steven. Lamont is in 6th grade.


Lamont and Leland horsing around on Leland's 21st birthday.


Leland's kindergarten graduation.


I think this is kindergarten, too.


I think Lamont's about 18 months old here. We're still living in Kansas City; he's wearing a sailor hat that he loved to wear.


Our cutie's a bit tired here.


Precious son Lamont.


Precious son Leland.


Lamont with Papaw, my Daddy. Lamont's got a Tupperware lettuce storage bowl on his head. He loved to wear it!


Leland's a few months old here--it's 1979.


Lamont's standing on a chair in our house in Kansas City, at the kitchen sink.


The guys are six and three here.


Here they're four and one. Love that jacket on Lamont and that bow tie on Leland.


LeRoy with Lamont who is probably close to one year old.


LeRoy with Leland who is probably five or six months old.


My two precious sons. I love them very much.


Lamont and Papaw.


Grandma and Leland.


The guys, taken on July 9, 2004. They got up early to see us off back to Mississippi before they had to go to work at their respective restaurants.


And here they are, the photo that I started the week with--I took it on 9/11/2010.

City Hall Roses and the Morning Commute

I took this photo on July 30 on my way to work, waiting beside City Hall for the last of the two or three morning buses that I catch to go from home to the job.


A bit past its prime, this City Hall rose still is beautiful. You're wondering why it's two or three buses, right?
I get on either the 15, 17 or 20 first, a few blocks from the apartment. If I ride the 17 or the 20, I transfer to either the 4, 8 or 33 when I get off. If it's the 4 that shows up first, I ride it all the way to work. If it's the 8 or the 33, I ride it to a block from where I can catch either the 4, 10 or 14 at the bus stop right beside the City Hall roses. Any of those last three take me to the bus stop across the street from my building. If I ride the 15 first, I have the option of the 4 or the 33. You know the story on each one of those as far as either getting straight to work on the 4 or taking the 33, then catching either the 4, 10 or 14.


I took this photo on July 9. Oh, after I get off the 17 or the 20 I also have the option of catching the MAX, either the Green Line or the Yellow Line. I can ride it to within one block of where I can catch the 4, 10 or 14 for the last leg of the morning commute.


Here's another rose from July 9. If memory serves, we'd had a hot spell which I believe severely impacted this beauty. It hadn't given up as much as its nearby buds had, though, who were losing their petals. It had the option of surviving a bit longer.


Options are a great thing to have, especially when you ride to work on mass transit like I do. What option did this lovely yellow rose have prior to July 9 that the red one didn't have? I wonder if the heat didn't impact it because of its color? It seems to me that the bright yellow just might reflect more heat than the deep red which I see as absorbing heat. Anyone know anything about this for sure? I'd love to hear.

Primary Color Red #2

All seen at the Olympia Street Rod Association Car Show at the Lucky Eagle Casino, Rochester, Washington, August 14, 2010.

Tail lights on a 1965 Chevy station wagon.


1964 Chevrolet Chevelle.


1952 Oldsmobile convertible.


The convertible's engine--someone loves this car and its engine!


The interior of the convertible. Look at all that chrome!


I bet you could open up this trunk to make some shade and take a nap in the trunk. It looks huge! Of course, it was so doggone hot that day that I doubt anyone would want to try it.


One last view of the beautiful red vintage vehicle. I see from the ornamentation that this is an Olds 88.


1970 Chevrolet Chevelle


A jewel on the move. What year is this Corvette?


Another jewel on the move. What year is this Ford Galaxy XL?


The Ford Galaxy XL. Surely it's from the mid-1960s.


1962 Corvette with a Texas tag!


1952 Chevy Coupe.


You don't have to wonder what this car's owner thinks about Fords, do you?


1964 Pontiac GTO.


Another view of the GTO.


One view of a 1965 Chevy station wagon. Those are its tail lights at the top of the post.


1965 Chevy station wagon, another view.


1959 Edsel Corsair.


The Edsel's interior and dash.


A final jewel on the move.