Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 3

Last Saturday on the way home from a fine lecture at the Architectural Heritage Center and a rewarding trip to Powell's Books, I got off the bus for the block and a half walk to my apartment building.

On the corner, I noticed these two stacks of orange traffic cones as I crossed to wait for the traffic signal to change at the corner of NE Sandy Blvd. and NE 20th Avenue. "Hmmm," I wondered. "Is tomorrow's Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon coming by here?"

Then I saw the man approaching on the bicycle, wearing, of all things, an orange knit hat covering,  I imagine, a head full of dread locks. I couldn't believe it--orange and orange, right at the same instant that I stood on the corner, camera on its strap hanging around my neck.

Yea for serendipity!

(And more about the cones later on in this series.)

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.

The gray pole and the girl on the bike

Her left hand disappears just beyond the gray pole. She's pushing the button to make the traffic signal change on NE Sandy so that she can ride her bike north across the street. I like the perspective here, the disappearing sidewalk and the rooftops that extend over the sidewalk. The pole supports the traffic signal for vehicles heading south at the intersection.

Looking at this photo, it's difficult to believe that NE Sandy is a four lane thoroughfare. I took it on Sunday, March 6, when I was out for a walk. It started to mist right after I took this one, so I hurried on home.

Seen on the streets of Portland, No. 4

Waiting for the bus at the corner of SE 39th Avenue and SE Hawthorne Blvd. You can guess what caught my eye, right? The yellow plaid boots and the sort of leaf-patterned skirt. When I downloaded the photo, I thought, "How brave these young women of Portland dress themselves, mixing colors, designs, layers." I find I'm jealous and wonder should I try such nights and weekends out.

I'm in the Buick, heading south but stopped at the traffic signal, on Oct. 19, 2008.

Cinemagic, Southeast Portland

Editorial comment at Citysearch dot com: "Hanging in there since the late '40s, Cinemagic survives by bringing in one quality film and running it for all it's worth. Independently owned, the theater has struggled in the past, and at one point almost went under. Today it offers good film picks and moderate prices, making it a solid neighborhood bet."

The theater sits at the intersection of SE Hawthorne at 20th, near many apartment buildings and homes. The proximity makes it a natural for walking and biking customers. Looks like someone may have come to see "Superbad" in the red vehicle. Is that a Jeep? I can't tell, and I didn't think to look when the traffic signal turned green.

Oh, if you'd like to see our Labor Day hamburgers that went with the tomatoes, and the rest of the delicious food from our Labor Day block party, check out my blog Mama & Me from PDX. Thanks!

A few housekeeping items: (1) As you can tell, I posted two pictures on Sept. 4. That was an accident caused by my being somewhat new to certain aspects of Blogger. (2) Click on the photos if you'd like to see them larger. (3) If you'd like to purchase any of my photos, please comment and we'll figure out how to go about it. Thanks.