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.

The only children I would ever want to see in the bed of a pickup truck.

A couple of those plastic children, "Slow Down, Children at Play" sort of signs.

A close-up of said plastic children.

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.

Streetcar architecture from days of yore, on East Burnside between NE Grand and NE 12th Avenue

It's my understanding that streetcar architecture refers to businesses on the first floor and living quarters on the second floor and above. I'm not sure if these recessed areas existed when the buildings were first constructed or if they happened at some point later. I do like the looks of them. And I've seen plenty of evidence in the windows above, on both sides of Burnside, to lead me to believe that folks live upstairs--lamps, fans, kitchen-window sort of stuff.

Paulsen's Pharmacy, Hollywood District--they've got a soda fountain!

I took these photos on October 15, 2011. I just found these hours on Yelp: Hours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Sat 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.


Found on the Internet at a site about the Hollywood District: Paulsen's Pharmacy has continued to operate out of its original 1918 location at 4246 NE Sandy Blvd. Famous for operating a 1920s style soda fountain, Paulsen's offers old fashioned customer service along with the latest products.


An online review of Paulsen's Pharamacy: Dec 12, 2008
First-class service! Don't automatically bring your prescriptions to a chain store! Paulsen's has been in the neighborhood for years, and it is small enough that you can pretty much always find Mr. Paulsen himself working in there to answer questions. When my toddler was having a meltdown while we waited, they gave her a free treat. They have helped us out with various problems, including doctors' office communications. Highly recommended!


And one more online review: 7/28/2010
I've been filling my prescriptions here as long as I've lived in the neighborhood, and there is something wonderful about getting to know the people who own a local business and that they remember your name when you come in. I've been carrying on a month to month conversation with one of the clerks where we swap notes on board games. Bonus points for the ability to get a mint chip shake at the fountain while I wait for my prescription. I love that there are still "Mom & Pop" businesses like this in my neighborhood.



A piece about Paulsen's Pharmacy at Neighborhood Notes dot com, posted June 17, 2010: Surprisingly, yet another blast from Portland’s past can be found less than two miles down the road at Paulsen’s Pharmacy, which will be celebrating its 92nd anniversary this July. These days, a modern-style Coke dispenser does a lot of the work (customers can add cherry, chocolate or vanilla flavoring to their soft drink of choice), but vintage soda taps are still kept on-hand just in case a traditional flavored soda or sweet cherry phosphate is ordered up. It was these taps that first spawned the moniker “soda jerk,” which described the action of pulling back on the soda tap to add carbonated water to the flavored syrup.

Paulson’s can also fix you up with a shake, malt, float or sundae while you wait for your prescription, and in true vintage form, will pour you a hot cuppa joe for just 85 cents.

I took this photo on August 24, 2011.

And here’s an interesting article about the drugstore and its pharmacist, in the Catholic Sentinel.

Seen on the Walk to Work, September 30, 2011

A new, modern building on the corner of SE 6th Avenue and East Burnside. I cannot explain why, but it appeals to me, so much so that I always look up when I walk or ride by (if I'm on the correct side of the bus to able to see it out of the window). As near as I can tell, businesses occupy or will occupy all of the space.

Here are three versions of much the same cropped photo. This one is merely cropped at Picnik. The grays and rectangles are a gray flannel suit. The windows are the shiny tie paired with it by a stylist with personal flair.


This one is cropped and altered for clarity at Picnik. Clarity makes the grays pop which brings into greater focus the architectural details--those various rectangular shapes extended from the main structure. I don't know architectural terms, sorry.


This is the second photo, further enhanced with the HDR-ish special effect at Picnik. This version is just plain fun to me. Moving the Strength slider and the Radius slider, I came up with this combo which I like, mostly because of the glowing on the gray rectangles and the details become better visible in the clouds.

So far as I know, this sign works.

And here's why.

Cripes on a wall.

Found in industrial SE Portland on a wall along the railroad tracks.

Snow, before bedtime Tuesday night.

I went to the building's front door and side door to take a few photos. There's the possibility that the snow won't be this pretty in the morning because it could turn to rain around 3 a.m., maybe later. Let me tell you what. It's cold out there!


A collage I made at Picnik.


Here's one of the photos which is in the collage. I like how the headlights and the snow work together.

I'm off to bed now!

5:45 AM Wednesday Update - Rain began during the night at my elevation. It's still raining. At higher elevations, snow continues to fall. Trees have fallen onto power lines all around the metropolitan area, TV news is reporting. I should leave for work in a little over an hour. Wonder what I'll see? Lots of standing water is my guess.

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

Walk to Work, September 29, 2011, #1

One of two triangular-shaped buildings I walk by on the way to work when the weather is walking-good.

I found the building just now on Google Maps, looking a bit different paint-wise, plus there was a round sign over the door that said Rebel Skates. And later on after I took this photo, I'm pretty sure that the painted sign on the right wall was gone, too. Anyway, this is the southwest corner of the intersection of SE Ankeny, the cross street, and SE Sandy Blvd., the one disappearing out of sight on the left of the photo.

Do triangular-shaped buildings fascinate you? They do me. In fact, I'd like to live in one, some day. How about you?

At the Rose Garden Arena, January 5, 2012, before the Trail Blazers' game against the Los Angeles Lakers

Before every home game members of the Blazers Stunt Team head for a pre-selected section of seats (always one in the 300-numbered section) and wait until the need for a basketball down on the court is announced--so that the game can begin on time and all that.

Spotlights mark the section and one of the stunt team members hands the basketball to a fan at the top of the section in what is known as "the upper bowl." Fans pass the ball along until it reaches the front row of the section and is handed back to a guy on the stunt team. He semi-dramatically drops it down into the 200 section to another guy on the stunt team who hands it off to a fan in that section. Finally, with some prodding into action by other stunt team members, the ball makes it to the court. There usually some little kid waits to carry it to center court where it is given to the officials and the kid is escorted off the court by stunt team members.

I sit on the front row of "the upper bowl" in section 312. The night I took this photo, ball delivery began in the section to the right of mine. One of these days my section get to do ball delivery. I believe I will then get a chance to have my hands on the game ball--hooray!

Architectural Details: A Photography Workshop, Image No. 4

Brickwork on the Patagonia clothing store, 907 NW Irving, Pearl District, Portland, Oregon. Naturally you're aware that he wanted us to pay attention to architectural details like these various brick patterns, especially in conjunction with the concrete blocks and the metal piece. This particular images has been changed at Picnik, an online photo-altering site, with Focal Zoom, then CinemaScope. I also checked Letterbox my photo.


Here it is, HDR-ish, courtesy of Picnik. You can see the concrete blocks and the metal piece much better in this version of the photo.


And here it is, merely straightened at Picnik.

Architectural Details: A Photography Workshop, Site of Image No. 3

First, I had fun at Picnik with one of the photos that I took standing in a vacant lot at the intersection of NW 10th and NW Hoyt, looking southwest. I especially enjoying seeing items inside the windows revealed as I applied the various effects.


At this site, we were asked to look at the shorter, older brick building juxtaposed with the taller, modern one and to notice the textures, angles, and lines. This the photo that I had altered in the Effects section of Picnik--first I clicked on Invert, then Lomo-ish, and finally HDR-ish.


Here is how each effect looks if done alone to the image. Invert. Lomo-ish. HDR-ish. With no additional tinkering with the slider bars. If you click on each photo, you can get a better look at each effect's impact on the image.


Then we were asked to line up the corner of the brick building with the line beneath the outer edge of the rust-colored section which held the balconies on the newer building. It's easy to tell that there is some distance between the two buildings in this photo.

Architectural Details: A Photography Workshop, Image No. 2

Above the front entrance of The Gregory Lofts in the Pearl District. Our instructor wanted us to look for details to photograph, using light and shadow and angles and shapes. I took the photo you see below and then when I uploaded it, I decided to rotate it using Picnik, hoping to enhance the architectural details.


Interesting what changing directions can accomplish.


And here's a photo of the entrance that I took from across the street as I waited to go into the meeting site for the workshop. I felt pretty good about noticing the architectural details all by myself, especially when the instructor pointed it out to us as a subject for our photographs.

Architectural Details: A Photography Workshop, Image No. 1

When I read this information online about an event in conjunction with the 2011 Portland Architecture and Design Festival----Architectural Details: A Photography Workshop, Saturday, October 15, 1:00 PM----naturally I felt compelled to read the rest of the information:

"Explore Portland’s striking building facades and architectural details through your camera lens with local photographer Josh Partee. This two-hour walking tour will commence at the Center for Architecture with coffee and introductions, and will then lead you to the most photo-friendly structures around NW Portland. The instructor will provide professional guidance on how anyone can take better snapshots of their built environment, with a special focus on unique building details. These lessons will come in handy whether you’re walking around the neighborhood or sightseeing in far-away locales.

Josh Partee is a Portland, Oregon based professional photographer. Formally trained as an architect, his love for the building process and architecture have kept him working alongside designers, making sure their projects look their best in print and on-screen."

I clicked to register myself. The workshop was full. So sad. Then I checked back a day or so later to see if I could find a waiting list. Lo and behold, due to interest a second workshop had been added for October 22, same time! I got in! Hooray!

Here is the first of the photos I took that day which I have decided to post--they will come to you not in the order that I took them but in the order that they appeal to me.

This is the Joanne Lilley Grand Staircase inside the Gerding Theater's lobby. Here's some information about the building that houses the theater. You’ll be glad you’ve clicked on the link because not only will you get info, you’ll find both historic photos and construction/renovation photos, courtesy of my beloved Architectural Heritage Center.

Two of the reasons why I have successfully made it through the last 365 days. My sons.

Saturday, January 7, was the one year anniversary of Mama's death. Naturally I wondered how I would feel, how I would act.

So, in order to insulate myself in what I consider to be a healthy manner, I stopped by The Circuit NE Tuesday after work. No, I did not join Lamont and Leland in bouldering. Instead I said to them, "Let's go to lunch on Saturday after you've finished bouldering. You know it has been one year on that day." "Yes," and "Yes," they both said.

They came and got me around 1 p.m. I pulled a Grandma on them and was waiting in my apartment when they came to the door, purse in hand, my coat already on! We went to Cha! Cha! Cha! on SE Hawthorne. Good, inexpensive food. Then we went to JaCiva’s, also on SE Hawthorne, for some handmade chocolates. While I believe Mexican food and chocolate go hand in hand and made me feel pretty good on Saturday, it was being with Lamont (left) and Leland (right) that made me feel best of all.

Don't get me wrong, having the thoughts and prayers and love from y'all all over the USA and over in England has helped me endure and heal and go forth, but being able to see these two young men on a regular basis, to hug them and get hugs from them, to see their sparkling eyes and smiles, to be able to tell them face to face, thank you so much for the big part you played in making Grandma's last years on earth so special for her (and for me with her)--those things have taken me over the top.

I woke up on Saturday, wondering how it would go. By the time I had spent time on the phone with Milton and Kay and Howard, had been with Lamont and Leland and with Casey (who came over for while late afternoon), then had watched the Saints take care of Detroit on TV while I ate the supper I had cooked, I went to bed knowing I had made it one whole year. I feel stronger and more at peace than I thought possible. Now I am on my way into the next 365 days. Thank you, everyone.