Public art on the MAX and today's Mama update

I took these photos on that cold Saturday in December when I walked and walked, taking photos all along the river between the Broadway and Morrison Bridges. I had such a good time.

Here you have some of the public art on the Interstate MAX Yellow Line that runs from the City Center to the Expo Center, which is "The Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center is a multi-purpose facility that has served for more than 30 years as the region's primary destination for consumer public shows, trade shows and public events. This 60-acre campus includes a complex of five inter-connected buildings comprising 330,000 square feet of multi-use exhibition space, 11 meeting rooms, a full-service kitchen and parking for 2,200 vehicles. The facility hosts nearly 100 events annually, attracting in excess of 500,000 attendees."


From TriMet.org: Artwork at every stop along the MAX Yellow Line draws from the history and culture of the area to create a unique identity for each station. With over 40 local artists contributing artwork and 75 community members participating in forums and committees, the art along MAX Yellow Line is a proud reflection of a historically rich and vital part of Portland.

This particular art is at the Interstate/Rose Quarter Station in front of the home of the Portland Trail Blazers, our professional basketball team.

From TriMet.org: Brian Borrello presents a three-part metaphor for displacement and change.

* Illuminated metal trees generate their own electricity from solar panels.
* A virtual campfire flickers with light at night, surrounded by stainless steel stump seats.
* Light filtering through colored glass on shelter roofs simulates the dappled light of a forest.
* Concrete tree rings in the platform symbolize the forest once abundant on the site.
* Custom guardrails feature branching tree limbs and roots.




That's the home of the Trail Blazers in the background.


Here you're looking towards the Willamette River. All of this, the basketball arena and the streets and mass transit, etc., is practically on the east bank of the river. Sorry I only got photos of the metal trees, but to tell you the truth, they stood out so beautifully against the blue, blue sky that I got distracted from even looking for the other parts of the art at this stop. Maybe a shot or two for another time, eh?


Here's the latest on Mama--sorry that I ramble so much, but my brain's going several directions at once.

She's still having problems with her blood pressure, not only being higher that the doctors want, but also dropping more than they want when it's taken lying down, sitting up, then standing up. The man who did the angiogram and put in the stent last Thursday told the kids today that he wanted to re-evaluate her on this coming Friday, so there won't be any new procedure or surgery right away, if at all.

Also, the doctors have decided to have her evaluated by physical and occupational therapy because they want her sitting up more and walking some, with a walker that has wheels on the front two legs. She's now calling for the nurse, then using the walker to go to the actual bathroom, which is a step in the right direction. If some of this blood pressure problem is due to her having been flat on her back (or nearly so) for over a week now, then the movement they've prescribed just might help her blood pressure get under control better.

Mama is trying to do what is asked of her because she wants to get better, but she is pretty weak. I'm hoping that the increased activity, even in small amounts, will help her regain a bit of strength. All of that ought to help, don't you think?

Lamont, Lindsay and Leland came over today. Leland stayed until he needed to head for school. Lamont and Lindsay stayed until I got here after work. It's now a little after 8 p.m. and I'm about to head home to a lonely little dog.

Thank you for your continued prayers, well wishes and kind thoughts. They mean so very much to all of us.