Primary Color Red #1

July 4, 2010, mostly red fireworks reflected on the Willamette River, downtown Portland. The Hawthorne Bridge is on the left of the fireworks barge--a ramp coming off the Marquam Bridge to the right.


One more fireworks shot, mostly the primary color red. Needless to say, I had a blast on the river with friends on the 4th of July. How's that for a pun? Actually I heard one blast after another, reverberating around the downtown buildings and the river.

Setting sun sparks KOIN Tower windows as I wait for the 4th of July fireworks

From my friends' boat on the Willamette River, I noticed the KOIN Tower windows, glowing wondrously. I clicked the D50 a few times, hoping to get at least one photo that would do justice to the sight. I like this one best because it not only shows the windows but also give you a good idea of the size of the crowd at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival there in Tom McCall Waterfront Park as well as the number of boats visible in the narrow space captured by the camera.

The building is 509 feet tall, Oregon's third tallest building. The building was originally named Fountain Plaza, but it quickly came to be known as the KOIN Center, or KOIN Tower, reflecting the name of its highest-profile occupant, KOIN television. The building was controversial while being constructed because its location blocked the view of Mount Hood that had long been seen by drivers emerging from the Vista Ridge Tunnel under Portland's West Hills going eastbound on U.S. Route 26. The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is the largest blues fest west of the Mississippi and the second largest on in the USA.

Going south on the Willamette, towards the 4th of July fireworks

The Fremont Bridge takes my breath away. Looking south at the bridge.










Looking north at the bridge.

Waiting for the Fireworks No. 1

I got to ride on some friends' boat on the Willamette River for our July 4 fireworks in downtown Portland--all they asked was that I take photos of everything else, but not them--camera-shy folks. I quickly agreed and had a blast!


When the breeze blew, it was just this cool in the shade.


Elvis is on the river.

Although this is the first post on this topic, the posts will not be in chronological order. You know how much I like to do that, but I thought, "Hey! What's wrong with random now and then?" Enjoy!