Seen at the Grand Floral Parade, No. 2

I like a confident man. I like a burly, good-sized man. I like dimples. I like LEOs. (Law Enforcement Officers) This man, a Portland Police Bureau officer, wearing an inflated Alaska Airlines airplane hat, fills the bill on all three.



He's got great peripheral vision, too. Four seconds after the first photo, I took this one as he looked straight at me. Doggone cool.

Someone commented on this top photo on my Flickr account.

Here's the comment - davidjoaquin said: Levi Blackwolf! great photo of him This is the first time this has happened for me with a photo that I uploaded to Flickr. Neat-o! Also I thoroughly enjoyed their attire and their horses and mules.

Here's what I found out about the group he's in, at least it's my best guess at getting it correct based on the PDF of the 2016 list of entries I found and finding the last group I photographed with a sign in front of it and the last photo I've posted below:

H-13a Happy Canyon Chiefs of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

H-13b Royal Court of the Happy Canyon Indian Pageant (2)

H-13c Happy Canyon Board of Directors (wagon)

Several more photos--let me know if you know if I'm right or wrong on the group ID, please. Thanks!















Based on the brand on the wagon, I believe I've got it right about these photos being of the Happy Canyon Chiefs of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.



This one appeared on the list right after the Happy Canyon groups as Park Bureau Scooper.

Seen at the Grand Floral Parade, No. 1

Twenty minutes after the parade was supposed to start, well north of this location, this little guy, along with lots of other children. enjoyed making or chasing bubbles, depending on who would spend money for you. I couldn't help but think--as I watched him chasing every which way, jumping, swinging what I believe was a purple water-filled balloon on a stretchy tether--that he'd be a tired little guy on the way home. Probably snoozing in no time, having to be gently aroused for lunch unless the adults in charge knew him to be one better left to sleep until he woke himself.



It's obvious in this photo that the money was spent for the older children to have the bubble-making stuff; I'd have done that if I were spending my money because you'd think the older children would be less likely to just pour out the liquid.



Someone bought this guy a bubble-blowing gun. Let me tell you, enough of those flew right at me to have to dodge them after one popped close enough for me to taste it. Yuck! That colorful entity on the left of the photo is a head-band-with-streamers vendor. All sorts of vendors walked the parade route, selling eye-catching items aimed at kids of all ages.



See, another adult's reaction to all those bubbles coming his way!



Now there's a bubble war! And a confused toddler walking along with his mom.



The little guy really enjoyed the bubble gun's spewing so many bubbles so quickly. The girls got to pick their own headbands-with-streamers when the vendor paused right in front of where I sat.

Brian Libby walked the four-mile Grand Floral Parade route yesterday holding this sign. And my mini-rant about the Burnside Bridgehead's warp-speed-journey into modern ugliness. I cannot believe that years from now folks will find any on these new buildings worthy of preservation.

I don't know Brian Libby, but I know of him. He's behind Portland Architecture dot com. He's mightily involved with Friends of Memorial Coliseum. June 8, 2016--just days ago--that grand building was named a National Treasure by National Trust for Historic Preservation. All I can say is hooray! I hope this pronouncement helps save the building, helps it be taken care of for years to come. I've been inside several times since moving here in June, 2006, and find it amazing, fascinating, and well-deserving of living on for all to see and to take part in events held there.

From Portland Architecture published on June 9, an awesome statement that Libby quoted from Bill Walton, member of the NBA Championship Portland Trail Blazers:

Libby: . . .I'd like to share a statement from Trail Blazers legend Bill Walton, which was also read at the event yesterday:

"39 years ago this week, right here, on the banks of the powerful and majestic Willamette River, our beloved Portland Trail Blazers made history, changed the world and plotted a new path forward to the future…I was there then, as our Blazer team won the NBA championship at this magnificent shrine and temple—the Memorial Coliseum. I'll never forget that day, not only as a defining moment in Oregon sports history and my life, but also as a statewide explosion of joy, happiness and civic pride."

"Today most all of the other NBA arenas I played in have been torn down. But Veterans Memorial Coliseum still stands tall and proud because of its very special place in our lives and as a one-of-a-kind work of architecture."

"Today I'm happy to take this well-deserved and long-overdue moment to celebrate with the Friends of Memorial Coliseum, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Portland City Council, and all Oregonians as our wonderful Coliseum is officially named a National Treasure."

"Although basketball will always be the first thing I think of when I reflect on the significance of this building, it is so much more than that. Its world-class design with natural light pouring into the arena, is an important and enduring tribute to the brave veterans who gave their lives and everything else for us in both World War II and the Korean War."

"I'm a proud, loyal, passionate and grateful man—whether it's for the beautiful game we call basketball, the rapturous power of music, especially when created by the Grateful Dead, or the natural beauty of my second home Oregon. You can also add our Veterans Memorial Coliseum to that list: a landmark that continues to inspire each and every one of us, and a place where we can all come together in joyous harmony. The spirit of '77 lives on, in and with this spectacular Coliseum. And with the powerful actions and commitment that we display here right now, we know that that will thankfully be true for generations to come."

"And forever more, I will always be able to say, that yes—I was there … In the spring of 1977 … And also today—the day we saved our Glass Palace."

"Thank you Portland … Thank you Blazers … Thank you Oregon … Thanks for shining the light … Thanks for being the light … Thanks for making my dreams come true."

It's ironic that I had moved from my initial place watching the parade, around the corner and onto Burnside, and got to take this photo of Brian with Fishel's in the background.

April 30 it was announced that the furniture store will close after 95 years in business. The 100-year-old building possibly breathes its last breaths now. The Oregonian reported on June 1 that it could disappear if plans are approved to build a 17-story mixed-use building there.

If you had been Rip-Van-Winkling the last year or so and just woke up, you wouldn't recognize the east end of the Burnside Bridge, known as the Burnside Bridgehead.



Yard is jammed up beside the north sidewalk on the Burnside Bridge.



I took this photo one morning on my commute through the TriMet bus windshield. You can see that it completely blocks my beloved view of the Big Pink and the Portland Oregon neon sign that I had enjoyed for several years of commuting west on NE Couch by TriMet bus. No longer is the intersection an inspirational way to begin my day; it's a gosh-awful hodge-podge of modern ugliness.



I flat-out do not like the changes going on in every direction. Besides being ugly buildings, the housing units they hold are priced too high for regular-job-holders. I don't care if the 21-story Yard had a number of apartments set aside for households with incomes of up to 60 percent of the area's median family income--57 out of the 284--that's a pitiful, insulting toss of crumbs to Portlanders who deserve affordable housing options.

Besides the possible replacement of Fishels, one more is going up on Burnside between MLK and Grand--in the photo above, notice the red and blue angular roof-line--it was part of a used car lot which is gone now, a huge hole filled with the footings of what will become an L-shaped building; another one is supposed to go up across the street north of Yard--it will obliterate the view of the sky between Yard and that other ugly building going up on the right side of this photo; one more is going up in a tiny, odd-shaped bit of grass in front of Yard--it's that bit of bright green you see to the right of the person in the chartreuse-colored jacket. When I changed locations to watch the parade yesterday, I noticed that digging had begun. I believe this little bit of green should have been left along, should have been made into a lovely park where folks could relax a bit amid the ugliness and the traffic which will only increase at what is already a busy bunch of intersections within a few blocks of each other.

I'll stop here and not get on the soapbox; it's a lovely early Sunday morning here in Portland, and I need to get outside for a little while.

I won't go without saying thank you to Brian Libby and every other person who works tirelessly for preservation of our architectural treasures here in Portland, who want our fascinating neighborhoods to remain recognizable, who want new construction to fit into those neighborhoods instead of appearing like gashes in their very fabric. It's not that we don't want to house everyone here, we just want to do it in a responsible, affordable way that respects our beloved Portland.

Seen through the 19 bus windows, on the way home from the PSU Farmers Market, June 6, 2015

Saturday I got up in time to get ready, including placing empty, lidded, plastic containers inside a small red rolling suitcase and cash in my coin purse. My backpack I made empty by hanging my camera across my right shoulder, along with my purse. I wore a lightweight, long, wide, fringed black scarf to ward off the delicate breezes which I knew would hit my somewhat sweaty self here and there and make me sneeze my head off--something that always happens to me with a vengeance when beset by allergies. On the way back home after a successful outing, I managed to witness tiny morsels of the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. Alas, no grand florals, but parade-worthy sightings, nonetheless. I wiggled around, zoomed in, and took these photos. Luckily, I perused all of the more than 300 photos posted online the The Oregonian and learned the identity of each sight I managed to see. Hooray! Here they are in the order I saw them. Enjoy!



Columbia River High School Marching Band Vancouver during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015. I took these photos of Columbia River High School's folks on SW 6th, heading north, stopped at the intersection with SW Salmon. The bus driver joked, "Should I open up my folding chair right here?" and pointed just inside the doorway of the bus.



Columbia River High School Marching Band Vancouver during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015. Same site.



Columbia River High School Marching Band Vancouver during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015. Same site.



Columbia River High School Marching Band Vancouver during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015. Same site.



The 40 Something Cowgirls (Wrinkled Wranglers Vancouver Chapter) ride during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015. Yes, they're blurry there through the bus window across the aisle from me, that's them--I looked through the photosfor riders in vivid pink shirts, then verified by the markings on the horses' faces. Not sure which cross street this is--we're still on SW 6th Avenue.



Sunset High School Marching Band Beaverton during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015. These next photos are a glimpse of parade goings on seen on MLK as the parade goes south towards the Burnside Bridge where it ends up in downtown, going to both locations which I photographed at the top of this post.



Sunset High School Marching Band Beaverton during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015.



Pearson Field Education Center Mini-Planes during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015.



Pearson Field Education Center Mini-Planes during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015.



Pearson Field Education Center Mini-Planes during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015.



Pearson Field Education Center Mini-Planes during the 2015 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on June 6, 2015.

Just a quick glimpse of rodeo royalty on their way to the start of the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade

The morning of June 11, as I rode the bus to Sherwood to Cruisin' Sherwood, I figured I get to see lots of folks lining streets the bus would cross, waiting in their chairs and sitting on the sidewalk. The parade was to begin at at 10 a.m. I took these photos about 8:30 a.m. as the bus rolled alongside buildings close to Memorial Coliseum, the starting point.




Carnival of Roses, the parade's theme, decorates the banner beneath the flowers. I also think it says Vancouver Rodeo on it. I found this on the marching order for the parade: Miss Vancouver Rodeo Queen, Courtney Miskell. I don't know who the other girls are, but they certainly are riding beautifully decorated horses.


These are the St. Paul Rodeo Queen and Court. I found on the Internet that they won the award for Rodeo Queen and Court. I found there names on the St. Paul Rodeo Web site: Queen, the girl in front, is Ashley Fults. The princess on the left is Julie Drescher and the one on the right is Barbara Jayne Lerwick. The 76th annual rodeo is July 1-4, in St. Paul, Oregon.


Here's glimpse of those folks lining the streets and/or walking around looking for somewhere to sit. We crossed Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard as I snapped this photo--we're looking north. This is just before we went downhill and found the rodeo royalty!