UPDATE and quirky, seen around Portland in September, 2008

UPDATE: Slept well, woke up a half hour before the alarm went off. Went to pre-chemo blood work and appointment with chemo doctor. He said that since my platelet count was low, I need to get there very early tomorrow to have the blood work done again before the 8:30 a.m. Chemo Round Three appointment time. So, Lamont's coming to get me around 6:45 a.m. We will have a long day tomorrow and be exhausted afterwards--both of us. Oh, when I got home today I had an e-mail of the test results and was also surprised to see that my white blood cell count and my hemoglobin had also been flagged as low. I wonder why the chemo doctor didn't mention them when we were at the appointment? I'm not needing any blood transfusions, yet. I do believe I now know why some days I'm very tired--thank goodness it is not all days, so far. Anyway, tomorrow's Chemo Round Three will add to the possibility of side effects. I'm as ready for them as I can be. And looking forward to going to Killer Burger for supper, when we're done.



I'm so glad that this Zapcar didn't turn out to be a Zipcar.



Three wheels? Not my cuppa tea.



Someone discarded their partially eaten sandwich on a TriMet bus, on top of the wheel well beside the front door. I took this photo because it reminded me of a Scottie dog, one of those terriers whose hair looks like a maxi-skirt, hanging almost to the ground between the front and back legs in a side view. Do you agree?



What are these three about? I have no idea, but I surely like the look of them.



Last of the quirky photos on this post, a lovely neon H that I photographed in the Pearl District. Naturally since both of my last names, single and married, begin with an H, I just had to take this photo.

UPDATE - Quirky, seen on the street

UPDATE:

Slept well again last night, although I woke up at 4:30 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. and have been awake since then. I walked outside after breakfast and quickly realized humidity had come to Portland. I checked the weather app on the phone, 79%. Whew. Getting myself ready for next Wednesday's Chemo Round Two.



When I was out walking the other day, I noticed this quirky sight.



A child's Croc. Made me wonder how the adult with this child didn't notice that this shoe was not with them any longer.



You can tell that it totally fascinated me, since I took all of these photos.



Here's the last one. The shoe was still there the next morning. When I walked over there this morning, it was not there. That's my building in the distance.

Quirky? Serendipity? Both.

I'm going to Powell's on West Burnside Thursday after work. That's where I found this quirky sight to photograph on June 7, 2013, in the women's restroom inside an entire-block-sized downtown business, a Portland icon, a must-see for book-lovers who visit the city, as well a every-day Portlanders who need to own books.



I'm not going to the store in search of something quirky. I'm going because Alafair Burke will be there for a book reading/signing in conjunction with her newest novel, All Day and a Night. Can't wait! I've been to several previous Alafair events--always a great time. Oh, I'll have my camera in my backpack, just in case serendipity rears its splendid head.

From the Powell's Events e-mail:In Alafair Burke's All Day and a Night (Harper), a new murder case with ties to a convicted serial killer leads Detective Ellie Hatcher into an investigation with explosive and deadly results. All Day and a Night is a superb mystery from "one of the finest young crime writers working today" (Dennis Lehane).

What do you think made me take these photos?

Cropped close-up. Gives you a great big clue, right? Across the street from her, I rushed up the sidewalk towards the intersection, hoping I'd get close enough to be able to stop, zoom, focus and get a decent photo of that golden, spiked backpack. Since I had noticed it before on a walk around my work building, I figured that I just might get a chance to take a photo of it another time. But, why take the chance that I'd have my Nikon in my hands? So I said to myself, "Step out, ol' lady!" With the traffic signal on my side, I caught up with her and her quirky backpack!



Co-existing successfully, the joys of city commuting. Car stopped at traffic signal, waiting to go north. Bicyclist going east, pedestrian and her fascinating backpack going west. But, how far west?



Ah, there she goes on the Hawthorne Bridge ramp. Downtown? Tom McCall Waterfront Park? This girl has options for enjoying the sunny afternoon.

What could these be? Look all the way to the last of the post and see.

Clue 1A
 

Clue 1B
 

Clue 2A



Clue 2B



Clue 2C
 

Clue 2D
  

Clue 2E
 

Da-da! Here for you to see.



And here, too. Which clue gave it away for you? I'm curious. Thanks!



And most unbelievable of all, this price tag! I couldn't see the one of the green chair from out of the sidewalk where I stood, gawking and photographing. I'm guessing it was a twin, if not identical at least fraternal. Note, the word consignment on the tag. I have no idea if these two ever sold. Nor can I imagine sitting on either. Have you had the opportunity to sit on something like either one of these? I am still curious. Thanks!

Seen downtown, No. 4

Not your everyday headwear for sunny Saturday in May. Naturally, once I saw the young man and his hat through the viewfinder, I had to keep clicking.
  Oops. Busted.
 

He turned to his friend, no doubt explaining that there's a crazy woman over there on the corner taking my picture.
 

His friend smiled and they continued walking south across West Burnside.

Seen through the windshield, SE Belmont and SE 33rd

Portland, a wonderfully quirky city inhabited by wonderfully quirky people. One of the things I've believed since I first visited Portland is that this place is special for many reasons, not the least of which is that here you are openly allowed to be yourself.

Only in Portland, a man and his van grab my attention as I walk to the AHC for a lecture on a sunny, brisk Saturday morning

Take a close look at the man in the pea green jacket. Tell me what you think first attracted me? The purple van? Yes. The pea green lettering that perfectly matched his jacket? Yes, that was next. And just that quick, I noticed his purple hair that perfectly matched the color of the WineUpTV.com van. That's why you can see his hair, just the side of his face and the back of his neck. His hair blends out of sight into the side of the van. Here's a link to the Web site where you can visit the Home of the Wizard of Wine . At the link you can watch an episode of WineupTV, hosted by a man with purple hair--I assume it's the same man, but I cannot be sure since I didn't get any closer than the sidewalk where I stopped to take the photo with my iPhone. Keep Portland weird, that's what I thought as I checked the image on the iPhone and continued on my way. P.S. I HATE the new BLOGGER whatever they call it because I cannot get any blank lines to show up between what I consider to be paragraphs. HATE IT! Paragraphs are necessary entities when one is writing. Get real, Google! And I'm quite certain that back whenever it was that they announced this new whatever they call it, I went to their comments or some such and complained up one side and the other about not being able to have a blank line in between what I consider to be paragraphs. Did I hear one word in answer? Nope, not one word. WISE UP, GOOGLE! I've tried indenting what I consider to be paragraphs, leaving untold number of blank lines on the post as I'm working on it. NOTHING HELPS! RATS, GOOGLE! If I could get this to work, my P.S. would not be jammed up against the last sentence about taking this photo.

Quirky find of mine, NW Everett, the old Meier and Frank Warehouse Building

I saw this from the bus at some point prior to June 3, 2009. I know it was before that date because on that date I walked part way to work so that I could stop and take these photos of Andy Warhol himself, as paper graffiti.

In this close-up, you can see that an additional upstanding citizen has added a speech bubble. Do you know who I was? That's what is written in the speech bubble. I have marked out the other words written on Andy's head and the accompanying paper graffiti because I considered it objectionable.

Quirky find of mine, on SE Powell

I took this photo as Leland drove by in our old 1996 Buick, on October 23, 2010. I'd noticed the mannequin and the hubcap structure on another west-bound trip on SE Powell, so I had my camera out. Leland couldn't slow down much, too much traffic on SE Powell, even mid-day Saturday. The mannequin's sort of blurry, but I like how the photo turned out anyway. As best I can determine from Google and Google Maps, this business is at 7057 SE Powell and is known as Hubcap Headquarters. I can't say for sure because the building which is to the right of the hubcap structure in my photos is red, the one at Google Maps is tan. And the hubcap structure is not in the Google Maps Street View.

Quirky find of mine, at the east end of the Morrison Bridge

I took this photo on November 20, 2010. SPF 100, 768,000 FL OZ. I can't remember how long the water tower was painted like this, but I do remember hearing something about its decoration being illegal, according to city guidelines. I thought it matched the hideously large signs about flying to Hawaii. If I were to remove anything from this intersection, it would be those signs, not the decoration on the water tower. I altered the photo with the HDR-ish special effect at Picnik.

Quirky find of mine, from October 30, 2010

While waiting at the TriMet bus stop, I noticed a strange sight at the bottom of the window on the adjacent apartment building. When I realized that it was a a Halloween mask wedged between a closed window and its window screen, I knew that I had to take a photo to make a record of one more quirky find of mine in my beloved Portland.

Quirky, found on the parking lot, March 13, 2009

Continuing the break from fun with Milton and Kay, quirky seen on the way to work

Monday through Friday for several months now I've been walking part way to work, about a mile. Sometimes I listen to the oldies on a Sansa player that Milton had his son-in-law load with 493 songs from 229 artists, from a total of 99 albums. Sometimes I listen to my iPhone. Sometimes I stop and get it out of my backpack so that I can take a photo. Sometimes I take a photo with my iPhone. Like these three I took on Sept. 7. First, the wide-eyed, cross-eyed look, up close and personal. Had me grinning from the moment I spied it. Notice that faint light shining on the white square to the left of the eyes? Next, a wide-shot that I like a whole lot. I think it's the various rectangles combined with the eyes and the mouth and the tongue that made me want to take the photo. As I stood in the street taking the previous photo, my peripheral vision picked up the rapidly increasing sunshine, so I had to take this one, too. Certainly matches the lyric, "Here comes the sun."

Some of what I saw, No. 8

I found a surprise someone smiling at me while I waited for the bus home at the end of my adventures on May 14.


Just what are the three things you see reflected in the windows? Guesses, please. Pretty please.

See anyone you know?

ABC Wednesday - Q is for Quirky

Y'all remember ABC Wednesday - O is for Oops, etc.? Here's that same TriMet sign, altered. How quirky is this? Someone has added an open-mouthed alligator, waiting patiently for the falling cyclist. George Townboy, have you been in Portland and not let me know, bringing some of those gators you've been photographing in Florida?

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.