Seen at Overlook Park

Today I rode the 12 bus and the MAX Yellow Line train to a Kaiser Permanente seminar, Thrive with Cancer. I made certain to get there early, just in case there was a Steel Bridge lift at some point during my trip. With time to spare, I sat down at a landscaped area in front of one of the Kaiser buildings--azalea bushes, other shrubs and plants, plus benches and picnic tables make the site inviting. As I looked around, these limbs visible beneath the greenery on that tree across the street caught my eye. The railings, post and attached chains are part of the pedestrian barricades alongside tracks at the stop for the MAX Yellow Line.

Sky-writing jets, #2

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Once I got on the MAX Yellow Line, I sat in the sunny light rail car enjoying the view. In this photo the train is on the Steel Bridge just about to cross over the Willamette River. The two sets of tracks you see are for the MAX Red Line and the MAX Blue Line. The MAX Green Line approaches the bridge on the same tracks as the MAX Yellow Line. All four cross the river on the Steel Bridge, then branch out to serve various places in the greater metropolitan area on both the east and west sides of the river. It wasn't until I uploaded the photos to iPhone that I noticed a bit of jet trail in the photo. For more serendipity, there's the Big Pink on the skyline.
 

I like the blue sky reflected in the Willamette River. And look at all the jet trails!

Sky-writing jets, #1

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Sky-writing jets on Saturday, first noticed as I waited for the 12 or 19 bus to downtown. I needed to transfer to the MAX Yellow Line for a ride to the Kaiser Interstate clinic for my flu shot. I took this photo at 8:16 a.m. looking southeast over the buildings just to the east of the Blue Diamond PDX.
 

I took this photo at 8:19 a.m. as the sun continued to move in the fantabulous blue sky.

Successful lines, going in all directions.

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On the way back from getting my flu shot at the Kaiser Interstate clinic Saturday morning, I noticed this young man's dreads as I sat down, how swell their curves and vertical lines worked beside the vertical and slanted lines in the MAX Yellow Line car section where the car articulates to go around curves and swerves. Since he had in his earbuds, I mouthed to him, "I like your hair!" He pulled one out and said, "Thank you. They're a mess right now." Then I asked if I could take his photo for my blog. He agreed, so I did, then I moved over next to him to ask him what his name was--Byron. I spelled it to make sure that I had it correct, and he said, "Yes, like the poet." I replied, "Yes, like Byron Scott of basketball fame." He grinned and said that he and his dad, Californians, are big-time Los Angeles Laker fans, that his dad's answering machine message mentions the world-champion-Los-Angeles-Lakers. What a fine moment, all because of successful lines, going in all directions.

Festival of Flowers, Pioneer Courthouse Square, downtown Portland

I took these photos on May 29, on my way home from work. The Festival of Flowers fascinates me, every year that I've seen it.

Found on the World Wide Web: This year's design, Tattoo Portland created by local landscape architecture firm Lango Hansen, will celebrate the love for all things Portland. The Square will be 'inked' with a giant heart composed of nearly 20,000 begonias, impatiens and pansies. Portland's living room will be red hot with larger than life flames formed from marigolds and zinnias. Show your undying love for the Rose City with a temporary tat in the Square inspired by this classic imagery. The tattoo rebellion will continue along the downtown transit mall with an anchor design at the Congress Center and a pair of dice at Unitus Plaza. The event will be open to the public for two weeks beginning May 31st followed by the annual flower sale on June 12th. To see a rendering of the design please click here. This event is made possible by Multnomah County Cultural Coalition, Oregon Cultural Trust and Union Pacific Foundation.
 

Here's the tattoo. I didn't get a photo of the pair of dice.
 

Wide shot shows Pioneer Courthouse across SW 6th and two MAX light rail trains at the stop--one must be a Yellow Line, one a Green Line. Those are the only two which use that station.
  See that person in white, up high on the concrete shape beneath the US flag? That's where I stood to take the first and third photos in today's post. This photo gives you a close view of the letters--from www.adxportland.com: The installation is made up of a tattoo heart containing P O R T L A N D lettering. Lango Hansen came to ADX for CNC services for the lettering.
 

Here's a wide shot, looking basically the same direction as the photo just before this one.

April 1, the movement of pedestrians. April 2, the movement of vehicles.

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Saturday night, March 16, I first rode the MAX Yellow Line from the Portland Expo Center where I had enjoyed the Portland Roadster Show - yea, Ratty Caddy - and some fine rockabilly - yea, Marti Brom and Levi Dexter. I got off the MAX at SW 5th and Pine, walked around the corner and waited for the bus home on West Burnside, at the stop in front of the 76 station, known as the SW 4th Avenue bus stop. 

Here comes the 12 Sandy Blvd., my bus. I've tried many times to get a good photo of an approaching bus at night--success, finally. 

And I like how the photo shows the width of West Burnside. Here's what I found online at the city's Web site about the widening of the street: By 1931, the need for more roadway space led to a street widening project on both East and West Burnside. On the west, Burnside was widened from the bridge approach to the Park Blocks. Building fronts were chopped off and rebuilt at the new sidewalk line to add an extra lane. On the east side, the first floor of many buildings became an arcade to accommodate a new sidewalk as the old sidewalk gave way to another traffic lane.



Here's the photo, cropped a bit, just because I am so excited about how great the headlights and tail lights look, how swell it is to be able to read the number and the name of the bus. 

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 7

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I got off the MAX Yellow Line at the Union Station stop so that I could walk a block west to the main post office. As I crossed the street, the MAX train rounded the curve in front of Union Station. Photo opportunity--the juxtaposition of these two types of transit. At BeFunky, I used the HDR special effect, after I had already straightened, cropped and resized at PicMonkey.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 6

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Sweet scene, this daddy and his two children patiently waiting for the MAX Green Line--I'm on the Yellow Line, so I know they didn't want it, or they would have been standing up as we approached. The rain stopped, the sun came out, a chill remained.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 5

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On this particular Saturday, it rained off and on, the sun came out now and then. I liked how the darker sky in the background of this photo and the lack of leaves on the trees make the buildings pop. Those tree limbs speak to me of summer-time-shade. The buildings are on the north side of West Burnside. The trees are on the south side of West Burnside. I'm at this intersection most every workday, on my way home on the bus. On Portland Trail Blazers' game days, I catch the MAX Yellow Line to the right of this photo and head for the Rose Garden Arena. If you look closely, near the No Parking sign on the left, you'll see two male skateboarders. One is on a bench; the other is standing at the end of the bench and is mostly hidden by the sign. 

The large structure just to the right of center is one of the many fountains in Portland. I found on the city's Web site that it is officially untitled, that it has become known as the Kelly Fountain. It runs spring through fall, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Also online, this description: Oregon artist Lee Kelly won an international competition to design this sculpture. Kelly has designed several other sculptures in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest. In this work, water flows over several 20-foot-tall steel structures. In conjunction with the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Water Bureau helped to restore Kelly's fountain to its original beauty in the spring of 2004. The fountain had become run-down over the years. 

The MAX Yellow Line at SW 6th Avenue and SW Pine

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The MAX Yellow Line pulls in at the station beside the Big Pink, downtown Portland, on SW 6th Avenue and SW Pine. A couple of guys walk towards it as it slows and another one buys his ticket at the kiosk. On Saturday, January 19, I got on board before it pulled out. My plan, to ride to the Rose Garden Arena for the Portland Trail Blazers' basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks. This is the train that I got off and then took the photo of the Rose Garden Arena in the fog, Monday's post. 

On ball game days during the week, I catch a ride to the Rose Garden Arena at the MAX Yellow Line station at Pioneer Courthouse Square, after eating cheap at McDonald's or Subway and walking the four blocks to the station. On game day Saturdays or Sundays or holidays, I catch the MAX Yellow Line here because it's closest to where I get off either the 12 or the 19 which I had caught a block and a half from my apartment. Mass transit works pretty doggone good, if you play it right. 

Seen at a MAX stop

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I took this photo in the early evening on March 2, 2011. Waiting for the MAX Yellow Line at the stop entitled Overlook Park, I thought the juxtaposition of the arriving MAX light rail train on the left with the departure of the one on the right would make for a good photograph. I'm pleased with the result.

What I find fascinating, well, one of the things I find fascinating, about the MAX trains is that there are doors on both sides of the cars which means that the train can let folks on and off no matter which side butts up against the platform at the stop. And there's always an announcement before the train stops, something along the lines of "Doors to my right," or "Doors to my left" so, even if you've spaced out while riding along, you know which way to head to get off!

That other person and I are waiting to go towards the City Center, southwest eventually. The folks leaving on the northbound train got onto it at the station out of sight on its right, as you're looking at it here in the photo. The white strip of truncated domes--detectable warnings--lets everyone know how close the edge of the platform is, a safety feature. The aluminum box in the lower left is the ticket machine, something I don't have to ever use as long as I remember to have my mass transit pass with me--it's a fine perk from where I work!

Framed for Christmas, No. 9

At Tuba Christmas, held at Pioneer Courthouse Square, on December 8, 2012, I saw this fellow in an elf costume. He's pretty cute, and I like the fact that if you look close enough, you can see the man's face in the elf's hat. I'm happy that I got this shot, but it wasn't until I looked at it on the iMac that I noticed the woman behind the elf, sort of holding onto him. I'm guessing that she is helping with peripheral vision for the elf.

My favorite part of the photo--the white dog wearing a sweater and reindeer antlers. Seeming to smile, the dog looks intently at that woman in the dark coat, perhaps thinking that a treat is on the way. I didn't stay around to check--Leland and I crossed the street to catch the MAX Yellow Line so that we could go eat lunch.

Random pedestrians, downtown Portland

I took this photo after work on November 3 as I waited for the 12 or the 19 bus home. I'd been to have a check up on the floaters in my right eye, rode the Yellow Line MAX to Kaiser Interstate and then back downtown to the Transit Mall so I could transfer to a bus. I like watching folks walk across SW 6th Avenue while I wait. They are heading north towards the intersection with SW Yamhill which is the south side of Pioneer Courthouse Square. I'm very pleased with how this photo turned out. All I've done is crop it to better showcase these two random pedestrians, or should I say three since the man's reflection is so clear in the window? The big X is inside a branch of Chase Bank. Oh, and the floaters in my eye have diminished--hooray!

Out and about with Milton and Kay, Tuesday, August 23

Up early, coffee and protein drink, and then to the bus for a ride north of the apartment to try out the Cadillac Cafe on NE Broadway. I found it on the Internet and thought it looked worth a shot, plus it was near a Goodwill that we didn't make on Monday, one we could walk to after brunch.


While we waited across the street from the Lloyd Center, a great big shopping center, to transfer to our third and final bus for the trip, this hard-working young woman road through the intersection on her Soup Cycle.


We boarded the bus, and on the way to NE Broadway, I took this photo of another busy bicyclist.

Here you see my glass of orange juice, Milton's omelette, and my breakfast. Kay got the same thing I did, but with fried eggs. I forgot to take a photo of her plate. I did get two photos of the Cadillac that has its own special space inside the cafe.



We walked to the Goodwill after we ate, then walked over to the Barnes & Noble at Lloyd Center so that Milton and Kay could look for a DVD, "Oregon Splendor," that they'd watched with friends at home. They wanted their own copy to take back to Mississippi with them. There was one copy of it in the store. On the way to Lloyd Center we walked by this sculpture, "In the Tree Tops" by Margarita Leon.


After we left the shopping center, we walked south to the MAX stop so that we could get on board and ride to catch MAX Yellow Line at the Rose Garden and then ride north to Lombard where we boarded a bus that we rode to St. Johns. We got off there and walked a couple of blocks so that we could see the St. Johns Bridge. It's a beautiful bridge.


Soon we retraced our route, bus back to MAX and got off downtown so that we could make our way to the 30th floor of the Big Pink and hopefully get to sit at the windows in the bar at the Portland City Grill where we planned to have something to drink and a little snack to tide us over until supper time. From the MAX car, I took this photo of an art car at a service station. It's a hoot!


Speaking of art, here is a photo of two of the cairns on NW 5th Avenue which are part of the public art that one finds here and there along the MAX lines. I took it from inside the MAX car.

Here's what the TriMet pamphlet has to say about the Cairns:

Christine Bourdette, Cairns, 2008 Silver ledgestone, NW 5th and 6th between Irving and Glisan
My inspiration for Cairns came from the man- made stacks of stones that have historically served as landmarks for navigation, memorials, rituals and commemorative markers all over the world. Travelers on cross-country hiking trails traditionally add stones to cairns as they pass, resulting in animated and sometimes precarious stacks of rocks and pebbles. This evidence of our comings and goings, often in rather comical human form, signify safety and reassurance in the wilderness. In the urban wilderness, finding one’s way through the various stages of hurry-up-and- wait is just as significant. I am fascinated with all the ways my fellow citizens and I learn how to navigate our surroundings. My specific intention for these stacked stone forms was to mark the path to the light rail stations as well as to celebrate points of arrival and departure.
Masonry: Cliff Townsend Masonry, Inc. Oregon City, OR

Oh, before I forget. We got a table at the windows. Come back tomorrow for the views!

Some of what I saw, No. 4

I had to save this last Doggie Dash photo for a post all by itself. Such a sweet look on that face, looking up at the person. I took this photo from my seat on the MAX, holding my camera out and just clicking. I didn't want anyone mad at me for taking a photo, but I had noticed those dogs in the upper level of the car and wanted a photograph to share with y'all. Normally dogs are not allowed on TriMet unless they are in a kennel or are service dogs, so this was a special moment on the Yellow Line.

The MAX Yellow Line that I missed because ...

... a woman in line in front of me at Will Call (where I went to pick up a prescription refill) had not called ahead and asked one question after another for I don't know how many minutes! Once I had my refill, I looked at the iPhone app PDXBus and saw that the next train was due in two minutes--yep, you can get arrivals for the bus, the Portland Streetcar, the MAX, and the WES Commuter Line which is way far away from where I ever go. I knew I'd never make it, never. So I just walked out towards the station with my camera ready. Thank goodness! Serendipity strikes again. Look at the red hand on the crosswalk, shining through the windows on the MAX car! I guess I owe that inefficient woman a high five. Recognize the tree in the background? Look at this link to learn more about it—the one that looks like a person holding his/her arms out. To help you find it, it's in between the red spot and the white spot on the grass, to the right of the train car.


Here's the first shot I took when I got to the crosswalk. The train I wanted is on the right. The other one is also a Yellow Line train, heading north. I needed to go south into downtown where I would transfer to a bus to head on home. So I walked up the sidewalk, crossed at the next crosswalk and sat down to wait. If you look at Tuesday's post, you'll see what I did while I waited for the train.

Waiting for the MAX Yellow Line with my music on the iPhone

Too many minutes in between trains, cool breeze, all bundled up and no place to go, so I listened to train songs. I mean, the other night when I waited for a 12 bus diagonally across the street from the Hollywood Theater, I listened to Hollywood by Los Lonely Boys and Hollywood Swinging by Kool and the Gang. By the time I do this the third time, I will have started a new tradition!


First song, Freedom Train by Lenny Kravitz.


Second song, Hey Porter by Johnny Cash.


Third song, Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash.

By the way, I was listening each time to the iPod like it was a transistor radio--I didn't dig out my ear buds, either it was too cold and rainy or it was too cold and windy to take off my ear muffs.

July 15, 2007, Mama and Duncan

Let me explain how I came upon this photo and decided to post it today. I started out going to my set at Flickr, Pioneer Courthouse Square. I knew that I had taken some new photos last Wednesday as I waited for the MAX Yellow Line after work--I had an errand to do. I stood across SW 6th Avenue from Pioneer Courthouse Square, watching people, taking photos. I figured why not, it wasn't raining, the sun had not set. Once I got those photos uploaded to Flickr and into the set, I planned to sort it with the newest photos first, but for some reason it just wouldn't do it. I scrolled down the first page of the set for some reason, and there it was, this sweet photo. We had gone to see Sand in the City with our friends from California when this little girl just had to give Duncan a pat; he and Mama wear the stickers we got when we made our donation to the Kids on the Block charity--Sand in the City's a fundraiser.

Mama's been gone two months today. Duncan's been gone since June 9, 2010. Those two inevitable truths remain unreal.

Fun at Overlook Park, Saturday, October 16, 2010

I'm guessing the little girl standing in front of the clown is the birthday girl.


In seconds, the clown stood up on the board, balancing on the pipe, then flicked the stick upward causing the plate to fly up, then she caught it in the same hand that held the stick. The kids loved it!


Something the clown said to the party-goers got them off and running. The little girl in the lead on the left, the one that I think is the birthday girl, I think I've got it right because she's got on a petticoat that I'll bet the clown brought for her to wear during the party.


I took a couple of photos of this dad spinning these girls, watching how he threw his hands off the pipe, hoping to catch the action. I did!


As I decided to walk back to Interstate Avenue to wait for the MAX Yellow Line, I noticed a line of bicyclists coming across the park from my right to my left. I waited for them to cross and got this photo. What better place to stop for what turned out to be a short rest, especially on sunny, blue-sky day!

Seen from the MAX Yellow Line, Portland's Union Station

Info about Union Station from Wikipedia:

Union Station is a train station near the west shore of the Willamette River in the Old Town Chinatown section of Portland, Oregon, United States.

The initial design for the station was created in 1882 by McKim, Mead, and White. Had the original plan been built, the station would have been the largest train station in the world. A smaller plan was introduced by architects Van Brunt & Howe, and accepted in 1885. Construction of the station began in 1890. It was built by Northern Pacific Terminal Company at a cost of $300,000, and opened on February 14, 1896. The signature piece of the structure is the 150 ft. tall Romanesque clock tower. The "Go By Train" neon sign was added to it after World War II.

The station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Besides serving as an Amtrak station, the building contains offices on the upper floors, as well as Wilf's Restaurant and Piano Bar on the ground level. It also has Amtrak's only Metropolitan Lounge (reserved for first-class passengers) on the West Coast.

Southeast of the station, the tracks make a sharp turn and cross the river on the historic Steel Bridge. To the northwest, they follow the river, passing through rail yards before crossing the river again on the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1.
Union Station serves as a transportation hub for Portland. Portland's Greyhound bus station is the next building to the south, having moved to a new building there (from a location in the center of downtown) in 1985.

Union Station connects to MAX Green and Yellow line trains at nearby Union Station/Northwest 6th & Hoyt Street and Union Station/Northwest 5th & Glisan Street stations, as well as local bus service provided by TriMet. Located at the northern end of TriMet's transit mall, the light rail stops are in the Free Rail Zone, which means that trips into downtown are free. In addition, it is only a short walk to the Portland Streetcar, which provides service to the Pearl District or south through the west end of downtown to Portland State University and the South Waterfront.

In 1987, ownership of the station and surrounding land was transferred to the Portland Development Commission as part of the Downtown/Waterfront urban renewal district.[4] Shortly afterwards, Union Station underwent a renovation. It was rededicated in 1996.

The PDC earns $200,000 a year from nearly 30 tenants. Amtrak, the main tenant, has a lease through 2010 with a renewal option through 2015.

In 2004, the roadway in front of the station was reconfigured, providing a new connection to the northwest and a forecourt. In addition, the area is being redeveloped, including new housing where railroad tracks once were.

Additional current info about Union Station:

Portland Union Station - Passenger Train Service

Portland Union Station is served by three scheduled Amtrak intercity passenger trains.

With three daily departures between Seattle and Portland, as well as daily service to Vancouver, B.C., the Amtrak Cascades is a convenient link to the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Amtrak Cascades' European-style trains offer laptop computer outlets; bicycle, ski and snowboard racks; and regional food and drink. With service between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., Amtrak Cascades is perfect for both business travel and weekend getaways.

Amtrak's Coast Starlight operates daily, connecting the West Coast's most popular destination cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.

Amtrak's Empire Builder takes you on an exciting adventure through majestic wilderness, following the footsteps of Lewis and Clark. The Empire Builder begins in Portland and heads east to Chicago with stops at the following destinations and more: Spokane, Whitefish, Glacier National Park, Minot, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee.