A helpful man whom I should've helped by saying, "Sir? Sir? You're sweatshirt's rode up your back!" Plus another tidbit. And a bonus, even.

Just before I stopped, turned and took this photo, I had sat down to rest for a minute or so on a park bench more to the left than any of these you see. It was dry; it faced the sprinklers which were behind the benches across from it; I felt safe. I had noticed the man in the sweatshirt, down at the intersection of the sidewalks--more to the right of this photo--working on some sprinkler-related equipment in a hole in the ground, down on his knees. He stood, turned to walk towards me, saw me sitting there and said as he approached, "You're not gonna want to sit there. Trust me."

I figured a sprinkler man knew what he was talking about, so I stood up, thanked him and made my way on down the sidewalk so that I could finish my nine blocks between buses which I'm now doing every weekday morning. I couldn't resist taking a photo. And, despite the title that I've given today's post, I only noticed that his sweatshirt had rode up when I took a look at the photo to see if it would work for the blog. I think it works fine and is more interesting that the other two that I took.

About the park, it's in downtown Portland, a complete city block across the street from another complete city block that is also a park. It's known as Lownsdale Square and across the street is Chapman Square. I well remember the first time I rode the 14 bus headed east on the street at the south side of Chapman Square, mesmerized by the great big trees and all of the green, green grass in the midst of city buildings; there's even another complete city block park across that street to the south--Terry D. Schrunk Plaza. It's federal property, not city, and is on top of a parking garage for a federal building across the street to the east of the park. All three blocks are gorgeous in all seasons, in all weather.

Found on the Internet: Chapman and Lownsdale Squares occupy two city blocks just east of the Multnomah County Courthouse and the Portland Building. Historically, Chapman Square, with its all-female grove of gingko trees, was designated for women and children, while Lownsdale Square was for the men. The squares were originally mirror images of each other, with restrooms on either side. Over time, a seemingly-random collection of monuments has been added to the parks, but for the most part the parks remain identical.



Here's the other tidbit. I took this photo a few weeks before. I couldn't resist the cell phone photographer along with the park--this is Chapman Square.



And a bonus. Here's a photo I took a day later, looking from Chapman Square south across the street to Terry D. Schrunk Plaza. Of the three, it's the only one with flowering plants, azaleas and rhododendrons.

Where the flower study flowers bloom.

Blossom-loaded trees stand all in a row in the parking strip along NE 16th. You can tell how tall the trees they are when you compare them with the vehicle parked there. I am a short five foot four inches, so I imagine that last Saturday will be the last time that I'll be able to look at even a few of them head on, and even then, I had to stand on the mounded, grass-covered earth. How will I take photos then? I may have to start carrying around a light-weight step stool.

Almost a year ago . . . and a tidbit about our approaching spring.

I took this photo on March 4, 2013, just over a year ago, at 2:37 p.m. I took off work early to go on a tour, part of the Benson Hotel's 100th Birthday Celebration. The entire thing turned out very well, but it was super neat to me to also get a chance to look out the windows of the rooms we toured. This view is looking north and slightly west of the hotel. My favorite Portland architect is A. E. Doyle. His firm designed the hotel.

Were you confused at first, seeing those two white vehicles seeming as if they were parked down among the leafless trees on West Burnside? Actually, they're parked on the roof of a parking garage. Info about the parking garage: The historic Corbett Brothers Auto Storage Garage (built 1926) is also known as Broadway Garage and is located 630 SW Pine in Portland, Oregon, United States, is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). That same Portland architect, A. E. Doyle, designed the parking garage, too.



This screen shot has my photo beside a Google Map of the intersection. See where I added West Burnside on each of them? The text is just about in the same place on each photo. Anyway, most every workday, I'm on a bus that turns right onto the wide open street before turning right onto West Burnside. The wide open street is Broadway. You can see the street the bus is on before it turns right, there beside the north side of the parking garage. And in the Google Map, you can see that the trees have their leaves on! Right now the trees look just about the same as in my photograph, although I did notice a few along the homeward commute Thursday after work, some with enough leaf buds large enough to give a hint of color to the tree. Spring's comin', y'all!

Would that the sky were true blue ...

In order to show the trees' true hue.

Still and all, I wanted to show you the contrast between the deep wine-colored tree on the left and the green one on the right. That's my bus peeking out of the wine-colored leaves. The little triangle is Portland Firefighters Park. Click on the link for more about the park and for a photo of the wine-colored tree in bloom. I'm waiting on West Burnside to catch that 15, on the way home from tour-guide volunteering at the PCPA.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 - Saturday's sky, for you on Sunday

Looking up from the MAX stop, SW 1st and Oak, downtown Portland ... tomorrow I'll explain how I happened to be there, looking straight up at the sky.

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.