What steps will I take in 2014?

The sign says: Caution. Uneven steps. Slippery when wet. Sounds like life, sometimes.

One key for me is to know when to take hold of the handrail so that I can accomplish my goal, as well as how to gain strength and confidence and skill so that when the opportunity presents itself to take those steps without the handrail, I shall be ready.

Happy New Year, y'all! I took this photo at the Portland Japanese Garden on Sunday, December 15, 2013. See you next year!

Two photos from a swell Christmas Day!

Leland, Lamont, Lee, and Brody smiled as I took their photo because I made them chuckle when I hollered, "Festivities!" They repeated it, smiling all the while! Brody is Leland and Lamont's housemate; Lee works with them. Both guys are their good friends.
 

Rachel, Leland's sweetheart, graciously posed with me around my spur-of-the-moment Christmas decoration. One Sunday afternoon I had picked up the wooden tray from someone's parking strip on a nearby street--folks set items in front of their houses in the strip of grass between the curb and the sidewalk and intend for you to take it, if you like it. I liked this wooden tray with a divider and a handle. It dawned on me that I could put Christmas lights along the center divider and make a holiday spot in my apartment. I set various shiny, sparkly, Christmas decorations in there, too. Everyone agreed with me that it made a great stand in for a fireplace.

We were all so hungry that none of us even gave a second's thought to taking photos of the food I had cooked--pot roast with potatoes and carrots, fresh green beans, steamed broccoli, and homemade yeast rolls. Dessert--I baked a box of Duncan Hines Fudge Brownies and had bought a small pecan pie at Fred Meyer Monday evening when I shopped for this meal. No one wanted pie, and I sent the last four brownies home with the guys.

Merry Christmas from Portland's Living Room to yours

Portland's Christmas tree proudly stands in the middle of Pioneer Courthouse Square, just feet west of the Mile Post Sign. Since the post points in all directions, I decided what better image to use to convey my Christmas wishes for you and yours, wherever you call home.

Did this happen to you on your birthday, with Google? I am so curious to find out. Thanks!

I've already put this on Facebook a couple of hours ago--Flickr had a technical issue and I couldn't get to the HTML/BB Code until just now so that I could put it on my blog. Please and thank you for indulging my tooting my own horn, repeatedly!
 

OK. So, I just woke up after snoozing my alarm for 66 minutes because that is how old I turn today. I sat down at the IMac and saw my reminder to enter the Masterpiece Sweepstakes, so I opened a Google page, ready to go to the bookmark. I noticed that Google was a bunch of Happy Birthday goodies which I thought was cool to see first thing on my birthday. Then, as I moved the mouse, I saw a message: Happy Birthday Lynette! I just about fell outta my chair! Then I opened another page, and the birthday goodies are still there and that same message appears when I hold the mouse on any one of the goodies! How come all you other birthday-having-folks didn't tell me to be on the lookout for this? Oh, I get it. You wanted it to be a surprise. THANKS!!!! P. S. I have already received a whole bunch of great Happy Birthday wishes--thanks to everyone!

Live Music: Curtis Salgado and Band at Jimmy Mak's, November 30 - Tracy Arrington on the Bass Guitar. Vyasa Dodson on Guitar.

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I am very pleased how this photo turned out. Y'all, the man closest to the camera can flat out play the bass guitar--Tracy Arrington! Same thing for the other man in the background--he's taught the guitar how to speak--Vyasa Dodson!

Live Music: Curtis Salgado and Band at Jimmy Mak's, November 30 - Inanimate Objects That Caught My Eye, No. 6, Plus Three Fine Musicians

Microphones, essential inanimate objects for any live music show. These two, along with several others on stage, served everyone on stage and in the audience. Left to right, the fine musicians on stage in this photo, Curtis Salgado (vocals and harmonica), Vyasa Dodson (guitar), and Tracy Arrington (bass guitar). I stood up on one foot, pressed my back against the wall, held up the camera, and clicked away to get this photo, one of very few with more than one performer in it. I am not complaining, just explaining. The entire evening proved to be unforgettable. Thanks, guys!

I'm sharing this with you as my effort towards making today at least a heart-warming day since nothing else is warm in Portland today. It is 18 degrees at 9:30 a.m.!

Turn up the volume to hear me explain how this beauty is now in my studio apartment. Thanks!

Live Music: Curtis Salgado and Band at Jimmy Mak's, November 30 - Inanimate Objects That Caught My Eye, No. 5

There on the right, the woofer rotate unit, according to the Leslie Organ Speaker diagram. One of crew members of the Curtis Salgado Band told me it's called the bass rotor. I read online that the woofer is the bass speaker. So glad I got a photo that shows the spinning; I thought it was vibrating with sound when I first looked at it, then when the sound lessened, it slowed, and I could tell it was actually spinning. I thought whatever was spinning was covered with very thin foam rubber. Before the show ended, I believed the covering was some sort of gray cloth. When it spun, the speed caused the blur you see in the photograph which must have influenced my perception, making me think it was thin, gray foam.
 

Here's a wide shot, taken from my seat in the booth beside the stage. On the left is the side of that vintage Samsonite suitcase with the duct-taped handle. I took this photo during the intermission between sets--the extra light allows you to see the cloth better.

Live Music: Curtis Salgado and Band at Jimmy Mak's, November 30 - Inanimate Objects That Caught My Eye, No. 4

According to a diagram of a Leslie Organ Speaker, we're looking at the vacuum tube amplifier. I really enjoyed trying to get a clear shot of these beauties. Straight out of the camera, taken with the camera sitting on the floor and held up at a slight angle as I snapped several photos in sequence. I couldn't tell what I had until I uploaded them to iPhoto. I like this one the best and have left it crooked to give you an idea of how I must have looked, leaning over from our booth, setting my camera on the stage floor and clicking away. No one on the stage could see me, and no one in the audience gave a hoot about what I was up to--it was not a brightly lit corner there beside the stage--because the music had grabbed hold of them and wouldn't let go, period. I know 'cause that's what it did to me.

Live Music: Curtis Salgado and Band at Jimmy Mak's, November 30 - Inanimate Objects That Caught My Eye, No. 3

When the band took a break, a man came up to me and asked me if the organ is a Hammond B3. I have no idea, I told him. He told me that he thought it was a B3. We could read the word Hammond on it, so we knew that part for sure. And I know for sure that it sounded so fine which, as I understand it, is because it is connected to the Leslie Organ Speaker.

Live Music: Curtis Salgado and Band at Jimmy Mak's, November 30 - Inanimate Objects That Caught My Eye, No. 2

My view of the drum set that Brian Foxworth played brilliantly. That's the rich, brown wood of the Hammond Organ on the left, and a bit of the large speaker on the right. I am assuming it is a speaker. Maybe it is a monitor. I really don't know for sure. I am certain that it blocked part of my view. I didn't care. The music was that grand.

Live Music: Curtis Salgado and Band at Jimmy Mak's, November 30 - Inanimate Objects That Caught My Eye, No. 1

From the time we got the tickets, my friend from work Sharon and I had held out the upcoming Curtis Salgado and Band show as the ultimate motivator to get through the days until it arrived. Saturday night she drove to my apartment and parked. We rode the bus to Jimmy Mak's since neither one of us had any idea where to park near the club. We got off in front of Powell's Books and walked down the slope on NW 10th, arriving at Jimmy Mak's before anyone else, not realizing that our reserved seating/dinner required tickets meant an assigned table. We thought it would be first come, first seated. So, we arrived three full hours before the show was to begin, were led to our table--a booth in the corner beside one end of the stage. By 7:00 p.m., we had dined and watched people and talked about what a great time we knew was coming our way. We could see very little of the stage, raised at least six inches from floor level, because a large Hammond organ stood right in front of us, giving us a perfect view of its keys and of the electronic keyboard sitting on top of it. We decided it didn't matter one bit. We were right where we were supposed to be, learning about making reservations at Jimmy Mak's and how you can call after you've bought your ticket online and request a table. Next time we'll know better.
 

I couldn't help but notice the vintage Samsonite suitcase right in front of me, to the right of the organ bench. Duct tape repaired suitcase handle. I have a long history with duct tape, having learned from my Mama how to tear it off straight from the roll when I was a young girl. For a small woman, Mama had very strong hands. Over my sons younger years, their Christmas included a new roll of duct tape, a roll of string, a flashlight, and batteries. I told the organist that I like his suitcase and its repaired handle. He explained that it wasn't his, that it stayed with the organ which I took that to mean that the organ wasn't his, that it stayed on stage at Jimmy Mak's. Pretty good idea if you ask me. That thing must be very heavy, not something you'd get out of your vehicle and pull into the club to set up for the night.