This happens a whole lot in Portland ...

... you see something (or someone) and then, lo and behold, you see it (or them) again!

On Thursday afternoon when Milton, Kay and I were at Beulahland, a smallish car drove by on NE 28th, with the biggest plastic crate any of us had ever seen attached to its top. Attached like a bow on top of a baby's head, just sittin' there.

On Friday morning as we walked to the bus, I looked left before crossing the alley. I sort of yelped, "Look! Isn't that the car we saw yesterday?" grabbing my camera to click off a shot. Milton and Kay looked; we thought we had missed it when it backed up into view. Click. Not the best photo, but it does give you the gist of the situation. I'll let you know when I see it again!

Reds

See the various reds I saw, across from the bus stop at NW 21st and Everett. The rhododendrons caught my eye first, then almost instantly I saw the rest of the reds, picked up the camera that hung around my neck and snapped the photo last Tuesday. This was with the new lens I had to buy on Saturday, a Quantaray 18-200. You see, on Friday night after I left 3 Doors Down Cafe, I got off the 20 on Sandy and went to Voodoo Doughnuts to get one for dessert. Naturally, I wanted to take photos--that's when I discovered that the lens that came with my camera, my everyday lens that I've used and used and used was all used up. Surprisingly, I did not panic. I live in a big city, I thought. Surely I can find another lens that fits the Nikon D50, one that will focus for me. Lo and behold, I only had to go to two stores and I found the new one which, thankfully, I could actually afford.

Do you notice any difference in the quality of the photo?

Car Parts: The Hubcap and The Tire

More car parts to follow.

All together now, we go, too.

The vanity license plate on the convertible caught my eye--I GO TO. I picked up the camera from beside me on the bus seat and snapped away Friday afternoon on my way home from work.

Later that night when I downloaded the photo I realized straight away that I had captured something that I've grown to dearly love about Portland. Look out the windshield of the bus with me. You see a MAX light rail train turning from left to right, heading towards the eastbound PGE Park MAX Station on SW Yamhill, Stop ID 9758. You see the Mercedes convertible. You see a bicyclist. I'm on the #18 bus. It's 5:25 p.m., and the car, bike and bus waited calmly as the MAX glided through the corner. With the MAX out of sight, the traffic signal changed to green. We three continued our progress.

Within a quarter of a block, four types of transportation side by side. I love this coexistence, the sort of application of the multi-use concept that I believe to be one of the aspects that makes Portland a healthy city.

Below I included a Google map of the area for your enjoyment. If you zoom in and move the map around, you can get close enough to see the MAX tracks as they make the curve. The red A is pointed at PGE Park. The intersection is immediately to the right of it, SW 18th at SW Yamhill.




View Larger Map