Green at Bright's

Bright Auto Upholstery, 1611 SE 6th Avenue, often provides a vintage vehicle or two for me to photograph. On a recent lunch break I found this beauty of a pickup truck just inside the open shop door.



All sorts of circles there in the distance, all involved with the upholstery process.



I've always loved that word, Studebaker. By the way, take a good look inside the shop and see a successful small business, in operation since 1976 according to what I read on the Web. By the way, I think the green is truer in the top two photos than it is in this one.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 5

Talk about serendipity! Look at this guy's helmet juxtaposed with the back of that stop sign on the corner of SE Stark and SE 6th Avenue! How cool that I snapped when I did and the camera got that split second in time! Wow! I'm excited about this photo.

Oh, before I get totally distracted by my excitement, look off in the distance, south down SE 6th. See those parked vehicles, many of which are red? They match the man's backpack. There's a north-facing red stop sign, too.

OK. I found something else that matches--there's a teensy bit of bright green there at the corner to the right of the bicycle's front wheel. When I clicked on the original size for an up close look, I saw that it appears to be what's left of a bottle brush, crushed and torn up by traffic, no doubt. And it's the same color as his jacket! Whoopee!

I took this photo on November 9, 2011, on my walk to work.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors--well, not on the street this time, but who cares! No. 4

Turns out that waiting for a bus gives me some of my best chances to get interesting photos. Like this one which I took at the corner of West Burnside and SW 2nd Avenue. Well, I was standing at SW 2nd, he was coming south from NW 2nd.

I took this photo on March 24, before the leaves came out, so there is no green matching item off the bicycle, but the green part of the frame matches the green back wheel. Can you find the other bit of matching green? It's the bicycle seat, peeking out. And the pink part of the frame matches the pink front wheel. Then there's the perfection of the handlebar grips! He knows he's a cool dude on one cool bicycle.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 2

Another bicyclist, seen downtown on May 5, pedaling north on SW 6th Avenue at SW Salmon. I'd call his bicycle is a muted chartreuse green which nicely complements the big leaves on all of those trees. I also like the orange traffic cone, the orange "Don't Walk" hand on the traffic signal, and in the distance west up the sidewalk, there's another traffic signal with the orange hand and that pedestrian wearing a muted orange, long-sleeved shirt. I like the silver horizontal stripe on the orange traffic cone which is reflected in the stripes on the stone facade of the building on the corner. Plus, there's the yellow Broadway Cab waiting there at the curb, and up the street a block is another yellow Broadway Cab waiting at the opposite curb--several hotels nearby mean cabs nearby.

Are you as curious as I am about what he's got in that wooden basket on front of the bicycle? It looks like a vehicle battery when I open the original size of the image and can get an up-close look. Bicyling the battery to the vehicle--ah, Portland.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 1

April 20, 2012, outside the Rose Garden Arena, I noticed a colorful sight, this young woman on her Day-Glo orange bicycle which has buttery yellow sidewall tires and even brighter orange wheels. There's even a narrow, swooping orange stripe on her creamy white-colored bicycle seat. She's wearing a bright chartreuse green safety vest. Her bicycle helmet has a matching orange stripe, a matching green stripe, and a soft blue stripe on its creamy white surface.

I saw her outside the Rose Garden Arena, pedaling north at through the intersection of NE Wheeler and NE Multnomah. Just to the right of the street lamp, up that slope, lies I-5, the southbound side of it. NE Multnomah crosses beneath the interstate.

I had a good time looking photo, noticing street level matching colors. Shades of orange--a streak at the base of the street lamp, rust on the fence poles, some sort of flaking sherbet-colored paint on the concrete wall. Shades of green--the new grass, the trees and shrubs, the flaking mint-colored paint on the concrete wall. I can't get myself to count the green on the street signs, though--it's just too different to count.

Walk #7, neighborhood sidewalk surrounded by lush greens

OK, so it rains a lot here in Portland. But look what the rain brings us. Beauty in all shades of green, plus in the distance another flowering tree. I am blessed. And that's the tallest hedge I've ever been around, there on my left. Tall, well-trimmed, healthy hedge.

Green watching ...

A man in a green T watches another man endeavor to get his lizard where he wants it, evidently on his shoulders.


Downtown Portland, in Pioneer Courthouse Square, a bright Saturday morning. As I waited for the MAX Yellow Line to go get my flu shot, I noticed the lady in green. Later on after I had downloaded the photo, I noticed the young man in the green hoodie watching her as she made her way up the circular ramp.


Downtown Portland, a woman in a green sweater crosses SW Alder, heading north on Broadway. Hopefully the driver of the Green Cab noticed her and the two other pedestrians prior to making what I believe was a left turn in front of them.

Man-made instances of the secondary color, green.

The drums on stage with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Jimmy Mak's, a fine jazz club within walking distance of where I live--how fortunate.


Handlebars and the frame of this bicycle, man-made greens, as well as the cloth in the baby seat. By the way, I actually saw a lady standing near this bicycle with a baby strapped to her chest. I have to tell you that, while I am in favor of bicycling, I just can't get used to folks riding on busy thoroughfares, especially with a baby on board. It strikes me as dangerous, asking for trouble, irresponsible. To give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she rode up to the Hawthorne corner on a side street. But, to tell you the truth, those particular side streets are narrow, often with vehicles parked on both side, and busy. But, I digress. Back to green, known for its calming impact.


The background of the signs at Kelly's, as well as the neon in the signs.


The trash can and these bike racks at Powell's Books, on another extremely busy thoroughfare, West Burnside. Hopefully these riders rode on side streets, too, but again to tell you the truth I've been in autos and buses going slowly along behind bicyclists riding along in the traffic, on the two-laned street which is often bordered with park vehicles.


The rolling waves in this fabulous mural with a terrific message: Practicing nonviolence is a way of life.


The green paint on the Pinecone. I wonder if the building is apartments or condos? I hope it's still apartments because surely that's what it was built to be.


1929 Ford Roadster, seen at the Cruise In at The Bomber.



Fireworks from July 4, 2010, as seen from the Willamette River, downtown Portland, Oregon.


A truck parked across the street from the Cruise In at The Bomber.

Healthy

Everyone's getting better, thank goodness.

In my eyes

The sun, the shadows, both large and small,

The myriad sharp and soft greens you see,
The ubiquitous blue sky above it all,

So appears Portland's perfect weather, observed by me.

Saturday, July 26, 2008 - Green leaves, Southeast Portland

Walking on Mother's Day, along SE 37th between Division and Hawthorne, the contours, shapes, lines, and color of these leaves caught me eye.

Luckily someone had planted them in a narrow bed between the inner edge of the sidewalk and a stone retaining wall. Otherwise I would have missed the chance to take several photos.

What I have for you here are two tight crops, accentuating what drew me to the leaves in the first place. I especially like the overall shape of the leaves, sort of like funnels. See those drops of water? I wonder how long it took them to slide down into the plant.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - ABC Wednesday - W is for Wonderful

This morning I walked east to a bus stop three blocks from our apartment, instead of waiting for the bus at the closer stop. About half a block from that corner, I stopped to take this photo, something I've been wanting to try, to see if I could get the camera to see what I see. What a wonderful canopy of leaves and its myriad shades of green!


Right now I could get up from my little iBook and look out any one of our nine double hung windows in our fourth floor apartment and see many, many wonderful trees. I thank those Portlanders who had the foresight to plant and care for so many, many wonderful trees. And I'm thankful that my camera saw so clearly what I saw this morning as I stood in the slight, cool breeze and looked up.


If you're of a mind to, please go to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place for loads of other ABC Wednesday blogs! Look at the list of links per Mr. Linky.