August 26, 2008 - ABC Wednesday - F is for Flying and a few more "F" words

Construction workers prepare steel forms for flying from the flat bed truck to the site of the new skyscraper, First and Main, just west of the Willamette River.

Here's a close up of the forms, on the fly.

In looking at them, I wonder if they are steel rebars, those reinforcement bars that go into poured concrete, into columns maybe. If my dear husband LeRoy were alive, he'd tell me exactly what they are--he was a construction worker and a carpenter. I know his career is one of the reasons buildings and bridges fascinate me so.

Under construction, sort of like things around here

There used to be a vacant lot here, used for parking. Now it's the site of a new high rise office building a couple of blocks from the Willamette River. That the west end of the Hawthorne Bridge in the distance.

No real news on the Mama front other than she's not regressed, thank goodness. There is a chance that we will get to have a risk/benefit conversation with the cardiovascular surgeon about this work that needs to be done on her carotid arteries and the bypass surgery. We might find out tonight, but more likely in the morning--if the stars are a-lined.

We've got other problems, short-lived ones, we hope. My brother woke up with a virus which has caused him grief all day, and now he's exhausted and has been dozing on the couch with Duncan. I do not feel very well myownself. Also, Portland's experiencing extremely cold temperatures which makes us even more susceptible to feeling poorly. I got us some popsicles and crackers and Gatorade earlier, so we're ready for anything.

Thanks for your continued prayers and kind comments.

He's back, framed more beautifully than ever.

It's not clear to me why I'm so taken with this elk statue. Could it be the strength the statue depicts? The sweep of the antlers? I just don't know, but I certainly have enjoyed taking photos of it. I took these on Oct. 30, and now two weeks later, almost all of the leaves have fallen to the ground. I hope it snows this winter, just enough to decorate the elk, not enough to paralyze the city since snow is not the norm here. I would love to see that!

In the first photo, you can see one TriMet bus at the corner of SW Main and 4th. In the second photo, you can see four buses on SW 3rd Avenue. Downtown Portland's mass transist system makes multiple stops on these two streets that run north (4th) and south (3rd). It's what's known as the temporary bus mall--the backbone that connects many bus lines so that folks can get from anywhere to anywhere in the metropolitan area, including Washington state. The original bus mall on 5th and 6th is being remodeled to add light rail from Portland State University in the south all the way to Union Station in the north. The construction work began last January, and as far as I can tell the temporary mall is working very well. The remodel is projected to be finished in January 2009. There will be a construction moratorium in downtown starting next Friday, through New Year's (I think) so that people can come shop and enjoy holiday activities downtown without the hassle of heavy equipment, barricades, etc. Does that sort of thing happen in your city?