Along the west bank of the Willamette River, No. 6

Wait! There in the distance past the in-focus single Benson Bubbler I couldn't resist photographing because the plume of water resembled a giant cut diamond. Is that someone squatted beside the redhead in the gray hat?



Yep, he's checking out the screen on his phone. She's turned towards him. He photographed her at the same time I did, from a straight-on perspective, I imagine. He's wearing a darker gray hat and has a red fu manchu mustache and goatee. Serendipity!

Along the west bank of the Willamette River, No. 5

Surely someone is taking her photo, other than me. Surely. In this perspective, sunshine and shadow treated her just right. I think her red hair peeking out from the brim of her gray hat and catching the sunlight next to her cheek make this photo special. What do you think? I'm very curious to know your opinion. I took this photo at 6:21 p.m. on Friday, March 21. Right above her head, cherry blossoms. But, I'm happy that I zoomed in and got this photo.

Along the west bank of the Willamette River, No. 4

When the cherry blossoms bloom and the sun comes out, it's icing-on-the-cake time around here. Get your camera, get your phone, get your significant other, get the kid(s), get the dog, get your bicycle, get your blanket to sit on, get your layers to wear for when the shade inevitably comes your way as the sun sets, and get out there. I took this photo at 5:51 p.m.

Along the west bank of the Willamette River, No. 3

I heard the lady in the maroon jacket say, as they approached the single bubbler while I leaned over and took the photograph, "What's she doing?" The man in the jacket with the green stripes answered, "She taking a photo of the water fountain."



Little did they know that I'd also taken a photo with them in focus. I stood up as they came abreast and asked, "Do you want to see the photo of the water fountain?" They stopped and looked and gave their approval. We agreed that it was a beautiful early evening to be out for a walk, enjoying the sunshine and the cherry blossoms. I chickened out and only showed them the top photo where the two of them are not in focus. One of these days, I'll be brave enough when I make eye contact with the subject of a photograph to say something along the lines of, "I've taken this great photo of you and plan to put it on my blog soon. Here's my card with the blog's address so that you can check it out, if you'd like." What do you other photo bloggers think about my plan? OK? Pitiful? Unnecessary? What would you do? What do you do?

By the way, how about that man with the purposeful stride, balancing his brimmed, cloth hat on his right fingertips? I caught him there in the center of the photo in mid-step, the entire sole of his left shoe visible. I love it! And I love that tiny bit of the sky visible between parts of the Steel Bridge, there in the distance. The tiny bit I'm talking about touches the top of the striding man's hat and looks as if it's a feather coming out of the hat, practically the exact color!

Along the west bank of the Willamette River, No. 2

Here's the jumping girl from yesterday's post, with her dad, mom, and little sister. Sweet to see a family out making memories in the sunshine on the first weekend that the cherry trees bloomed. The way the weather changes around here, sometimes these flowers depart quickly, so it is imperative to get on out there and take advantage of the best conditions, as soon as they occur. That's why I went over between the Burnside and the Steel Bridges Friday, March, 21, after work. I had no idea if I could get back to Tom McCall Waterfront Park on Saturday or Sunday, so I put a reminder on my iPhone 5 and made it happen. The reminder's necessary because on Friday I tend to be on autopilot for home, unless the Blazers are playing.

Along the west bank of the Willamette River, No. 1

Friday after work at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, lots of people came out to enjoy the sunshine and the blooming cherry trees. I took this photo at 5:45 p.m. on March 21.

Busy Sidewalk, No. 3

Count the helmets in the bucket--one pink and white, one purple, one blue, one black. I also see a cloth cap that is white with a gray lining and a something turquoise that is knitted or crocheted. On the box there is a sticker that reads, "She flies with her own wings," one for Session Lager, one for I Heart Oregon, another of the flies with her own wings, a tiny smiley face, a tiny red apple, a couple of butterflies, two of white dogs in silhouette--maybe a Rottweiler and a Lab, one black and white one of a fox drinking from a steaming cup, another one with the same fox seated at a table with a chicken maybe having coffee together, and several that I cannot make out. Inside the box, the word Bakfiets is engraved at the end closest to the handlebars, and along the outer lower corner near the front wheel I read clevercycles.com. A quick Google tells me this is a WorkCycle--I guess so, peddling along with your children in the box would be work, for sure. There's a bell on the left handlebar and a large chain locking the bike to the bike rack bar. It is parked outside The Children's Gym, a busy place it seems to me because I often see parents and children there after work when I go walking by across the street and on Saturdays like this, too, when I'm heading for the nearby Circuit NE Bouldering Gym to say hello to my two sons who may be there doing their thing. According to the gym's Web site, gymnastics is their main thing, but they also have dance and music classes, plus after-school care and the occasional Parents Night Out. I took this photo on Saturday, March 15, at 12:24 p.m. I suppose the peddling parent went inside to watch his/her children's gym session.



Here's a wide shot of the sidewalk so that you can get an idea of it and the gym and the cars parked along the sidewalk, plus one pedestrian ahead of me.

Busy Sidewalk, No. 2

I took this photo on Saturday, March 15, at 12:14 p.m. The daddy and the stroller captured my attention. Bye the time I got the camera up to take a photo from at least a block away, he'd turned to look over his shoulder. The photo looks north on NE 16th towards the intersection with NE Sandy Blvd. The cream-colored building behind the daddy with the double-stroller holding two sleeping babies is on the southeast corner of the intersection. I cannot tell what he has turned to look at or for. None of the people in the distance are paying him any mind. Everyone's happy to be out in the sunshine in mid-March!

Busy Sidewalk, No. 1

A family of four, out for a stroll on a Friday evening. Sunny, cold in the shadows, thus the jackets, those thick boots on the older daughter, and Dad's hands in his pockets. I imagine that the shopping bag with the red design on it came from the City Target, not too many blocks west and south of the intersection where they crossed West Burnside. You can see a portion of a sign there above the top of the red umbrella. Berbati's, where Lamont first worked when he moved to Portland in September, 2000. I'm not sure if it was this corner or another one; back then the establishment took up more square footage than it does today.

I took this photo on March 21 at 6:45 p.m., then I caught the bus on home. I had lasted as long as I could at Tom McCall Waterfront Park among the blooming cherry trees and folks out enjoying them. Nature called, don't you know.

HooDoo Antiques and Serendipity

Serendipity at its best! I saw the big, pressed paper rabbit head in the window and stopped to take a photo. I had noticed a man checking his parking position as I walked to a stop; I didn't see him get back into the car. Once I focused on the rabbit head, though, I noticed his station wagon's tail light, reflecting right there in the rabbit's mouth! Oh, boy! I showed it to the man when he got of the car and came around to check how close he was to the curb. He got a charge out of it, too!

See what prompted me to get off the 20 bus on East Burnside last Saturday

An enclosed tricycle. What do you think of it? While I think it is so cute, I myself cannot imagine being out in regular traffic in it--even with bike lanes--mainly because I cannot imagine riding a bicycle or a tricycle in traffic, period. Someone parked it here, beside the bike rack--that blue bar--so someone rode in it.



Once I walked across East Burnside onto NE 16th, I stopped to take this photo. Now I see that the enclosed trike is in between two bike racks; I wonder why it is not locked to one of them? Hmmm. Look ahead on the sidewalk and you'll see a bicycle waiting for its rider. I wonder if it is locked to a bike rack? Oh, one more thing to notice in this photo that I took in Northeast Portland. Beyond the green street sign and the yellow one with the arrow on it, see what looks like a tall building? That is the Big Pink which is on the west side of the Willamette, a mile and three tenths away! So cool to find the unexpected in a photograph!



Closer view of the back of the trike. It's an interesting piece of machinery.

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.

Flower Study, No. 3

Do you think these white blossoms started at like those pink buds? I wish I could tell from looking at the flowers when I took the photos and/or when I look at the photos. But, I just don't know. If you do, please share your knowledge. Thanks!

Flower Study, No. 2

It amazes me how these clusters of blossoms just come out of the trunk, not on stems or tiny branches, just right through the bark. I cannot remember noticing such a sight back in my home state of Mississippi. Of course, I hardly ever got out and walked because there were not sidewalks in our neighborhood, the heat and humidity were stifling, and some months the mosquitos smothered anyone who went outside.

Flower Study, No. 1

Since I ended up on the 20 bus Saturday for part of the ride home, instead of the 12 or 19, I decided to take advantage of getting off in a different place, to see what I could see. Was I ever happy that I did. Flowering trees with blooms close enough to photograph. Wonderful, exciting, hopeful time for me.

Spring, in our future. BLT, in my past. Well, some time again in my future, to tell you the truth.

Spring really is on the way, despite the fact that I came home from the Sunday night Portland Trail Blazers' game an hour or so ago in a cool, moderately heavy rain. I took today's photo on Saturday at 12:52 p.m. while I walked from visiting Lamont and Leland at The Circuit Bouldering Gym to the Blue Diamond where I ate lunch and checked my lottery tickets--won $4.00. Lunch was fantastic, a BLT and fries, with an RC Cola.

Sunny Saturday! Been to a lecture and walked around taking photos. About to go out again into the sunshine, just as soon as I get this posted!

Walking from The Circuit Bouldering gym just of NE Sandy at NE 18th, on my way home today at 12:46 p.m. I had stopped for a few minutes to visit with Lamont and Leland who were in there bouldering. Lucky for me, they had a few minutes to stop climbing and visit with their little ol' Mom! Lucky for me also to get this photo of the two buses that I ride home from work--the 12 and the 19. That's my usual stop that the 19 is at--it's named NE Sandy and NE Flanders. The 12 is at the traffic signal at NE Sandy and NE 20th. The multi-browns brick building is the triangular one that houses Halo Salon, on the tip, and right behind it, The Blue Diamond PDX, my practically-perfect-in-every-way neighborhood bar. Depending on whim or weather, I can walk either direction at the tip of that triangle to get to my building--there's a side door if I go right, and there's a front door on the street parallel with NE 20th. Often I go to the front door so that I can get in a few more steps.

Still dreaming about our wonderful blue sky days. The Mark O. Hatfield Building, downtown Portland.

I took this photo on June 16, 2012. Look at that glorious blue sky! The leafy, green trees! They highlight the renovated Mark. O. Hatfield Building very well. Wow! I can't help myself. I love downtown Portland, Oregon! And guess what? This triangle-looking building is not on a triangle corner. Know what I mean? The streets don't make a triangle for it to fit in. It was shaped differently, going out wider towards those green trees, when it was constructed in 1910 as the Lowengart Building. In 1933-34, West Burnside was widened. That's the street where the trees are in the median. Since 1994 it's been known as the Mark O. Hatfield Building. And see the buildings up SW Broadway, the brick one with the white on it and the other brick one right beside it? That's the Benson Hotel, where Mama and I stayed on our very first visit to Portland!

At one of my favorite blogs about Portland, Vintage Portland, I found two fabulous vintage photos to share with you, all about this intersection during and after the widening of West Burnside. Enjoy yourselves! You can click twice on the vintage photos, after you've opened a particular post, and really get to see all sorts of intriguing details.

The Lowengart Building, during the widening of West Burnside, 1933. On the left of this vintage photo, in the background you'll see a multi-story building with white-framed windows, arched tops on them. That building is right behind the Benson Hotel! Remember this recent post? I took the photo in the post from the Benson Hotel. It is of the intersection where the Mark O. Hatfield Building sits--the southwest corner of West Burnside and SW Broadway.

I love this next photo, too. The empty lot is a parking lot today. You can see just the corner of it in the photo I took from the Benson Hotel because the parking garage blocks the view. In the screen shot from Google Maps, there are lots of trees in the lot with cars parked among them. The Lowengart Building, after the widening of West Burnside, 1934.

I just found a great article online, dated June 14, 2012, all about the renovation of the Mark O. Hatfield Building. Neat-o!

Renovation of Mark O. Hatfield Building updates 106 low-income housing units
The Oregonian By Molly Hottle

From the time he was a child moving from one apartment to another, Nate McCoy knew he wanted to be an architect.

He and his family would often live in rundown apartments in Portland that were available to single-parent households, like his own, and low-income residents.

“I always wondered why we couldn’t live in nicer apartments,” said McCoy, now 30.

It was those experiences that spurred his desire to become an architect for the city of Portland and to help improve the housing options for the city’s low-income residents.

In that vein, McCoy recently finished working on the rehabilitation of the Mark O. Hatfield Building, a 106-unit structure on West Burnside Street owned by Central City Concern, a Northwest Portland nonprofit. A grand reopening event was held June 7 to celebrate the renovation of the once-crumbling building.

The more than $2.5 million renovation project restored the exterior of the building and updated the heating and cooling systems. The project was quick — it lasted about seven months — and Portland contributed $846,000 in federal grant funds to the project.

The project was also funded by Central City Concern, Multnomah County, Energy Trust of Oregon, Enterprise Community Partners and the Network for Oregon Affordable Housing.

McCoy served as a development manager on the project, ensuring that developers were being paid and dealing with other financial matters. He usually works with projects in the Lents neighborhood, but the renovation of this particular building had special meaning to him.

In 2003, McCoy was given the Mark O. Hatfield Architectural Award, which provided a scholarship for his education in the architecture school at the University of Oregon. He still remembers meeting Hatfield during the award ceremony.

“He was like, ‘I’m sure we’ll see each other again,’” McCoy said. “It’s crazy that after he said that, I’m working on a project with his name on it.”

Hatfield, a former Oregon governor and senator, died in August 2011 at the age of 89.

During the reopening celebration, Ed Blackburn, Central City Concern executive director, talked about Hatfield and his efforts to help the nonprofit meet paperwork and application deadlines to ensure the building could be used for low-income housing.

“That’s why it was named after” Hatfield, Blackburn said.

Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish also spoke at the ceremony about how the building gives more than just shelter for its residents. Central City Concern also provides addiction help and job services there.

“In other cities, a building like this at the intersection of Burnside and Broadway would probably either be high-end condos or the most desirable office space in the city,” Fish said. “But here in Portland, this building is home to 106 formerly homeless individuals, seeking a hand up. I think that speaks loud and clear about our values as a community.”

Upgrades made to the building include the installation of three-paned, energy-efficient windows that block noise; the implementation of a new heating system that automatically turns off when windows are opened; and the removal of a 30-year-old steam boiler and outdated electric radiators.

“If you look at it now, it really looks like South Waterfront lofts,” McCoy said.

One day, he hopes to work as a developer, creating housing for Portland’s low-income residents, and he also looks forward to helping his mother, who still lives in low-income housing, move to one of the updated buildings.

“I know people who live in these places still today, so to be able to work in the projects that help the community, to me, have so much more value than working on projects with people with deep pockets,” he said. “It all comes back to the same goal of just giving those in need most an opportunity.” 

-- Molly Hottle; Twitter: @nwpdxreporter

Seen from the bus on SW 6th Avenue, near West Burnside

I took this photo on March 30, 2013. I need to go out this weekend, looking for the downtown planters. I'll bet they are full of flowers either already blooming or about to bloom--we've had some warmer temperatures lately and some soft rain.

Seen on my walk to work, well, I didn't walk the whole two miles, just one mile.

Too bad this old painted-on-the-brick-wall sign has been tagged. I took this photo on June 30, 2011. There was a for lease sign on the building which was an auto repair shop called Spike's. As our weather improves each day, I'm beginning to walk more on the way to work. Tuesday morning I walked a mile, on a different route than the day that I took this photo.



I took these photos on September 13, 2011, when I walked to work. Are changes coming to Spike's?



Taggers struck without regard to the costs of their creativity.



I took this photo on November 9, 2011. I need to go by that way again and check out the changes. I'll bet there will be several to see. I hope it is a t

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 10

The Architectural Heritage Center's Sullivan's Gulch Walking Tour took me on foot beside one of my favorite sites in Northeast Portland--these cairns in the parking strip. I noticed this man watching the tour goers pass by. I also noticed the two types of cairns rising from the green grass. I took these photos on May 17, 2012, right before 8 p.m. How fitting that I have such a sunny series of late evening photos to share with you on the second full day of daylight saving time, 2014! Cairn close-up. Curious, I turned to see what the man might do after we had passed. Bonus time! He's the cairn builder, headed for a stone there in the grass between his feet! That's nice sized flat looking stone. I need to go back over there and take a new photo to see what has become of it and/or the cairns. He's about to put the stone where he wants it. Wait! Can you see the triangular brown stone that appears to balance on one of its points in a depression in another stone? They are just past the man's khaki pants. I wonder how that stone manages to stand on its point? Some sort of applied fixative?

I sing the praises of Blazers' President & CEO Chris McGowan and the Moda Center Maintenance Crew!

Back story: This season in 32 home games, the average attendance is 19,695 for our Portland Trail Blazers. Lots of those people are women who flock to the ladies' restrooms at half time. Creature of habit that I am, I usually luck out and get to go to the same stall that I always go to before the games.

At least three nights in February, I ended up in a different stall. Imagine my surprise when the door came open before I put my hand on the latch to open it! What? I knew that I had closed the latch as far as it would go! Then, at the next game, I heard women on each side of me saying, "What? Why did the door just open? I know I had locked it!"

Curious person that I am, I decided to investigate my idea that the latch wasn't catching properly because it was not going far enough into the slot, so on purpose on February 26, after our State of the United season ticket holder event when we heard all about the business side of the operation (Chris McGowan, Blazers' President and CEO) as well as the basketball side (Neil Olshey, Blazers' General Manager), I decided to take a closer look at the latch. Lo and behold, the latch barely touched the slot that was supposed to keep the door locked!

There wasn't enough time left to take a photo or two that night, so it wasn't until last Monday that I got to do that. Then last Wednesday, I e-mailed them to President & CEO Chris McGowan. In the first e-mail, I explained what I had noticed, what I figured was causing the stall doors to randomly come unlatched--lots of vibration caused by the vast numbers of women opening and shutting nearby doors--and that I would be sending one more photo to him. I didn't hear anything back, so I figured if I saw him at Dr. Jack's, the newly renovated restaurant space across the courtyard from the Moda Center, I just ask him if he'd had any e-mails from me that day, not that expected to run into him since I already done that on Monday when I had a few minutes to take a look at Dr. Jack's.

Once I found somewhere to sit, I ordered some food and people watched and waited for my order. After a few minutes, I saw him walking towards me--I called his name and he walked over to where I sat. When I asked if he'd gotten two e-mails from me, he said he had and that he'd replied that the maintenance crew had checked out each stall and had made the necessary repairs. Shocked and pleased, I stood up and asked if I could give him a hug. He agreed, and we smiled at each other as he continued on his way.

I ate my supper and went straight to the bathroom stall once I was inside the arena. Yep, as you can see from photo 3, all is now functioning properly. I checked out several stalls, too, all fixed. The game started late because we were on ESPN, I think, so I e-mailed Chris and asked his permission to sing the praises of the Moda Center Maintenance Crew and him on my blog; he e-mailed back, "Awesome. Yes please. Go for it on the blog." Oh, he had e-mailed me earlier--I finally found them in the iCloud inbox on my iPhone. I don't understand having two places to get Gmail, but thank goodness I realized that I ought to look there.
      

Photo 1, shows the lack of latch functionality.
 

Photo 2, shows the depth of the slot, along with the way the latch barely goes into the slot.
   

Photo 3, shows how the latch fits properly into the slot. Hooray!
 

Blurry cell phone photo taken at the State of the United, one of three meetings for season ticket holders held each season. We meet with members of the Trail Blazers' management who make statements and answer our questions--I really like getting the chance to attend these. On the left, Chris McGowan, President & CEO; on the right, Neil Olshey, General Manager. This one was on February 26, the night Chris gave us his e-mail address.

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 9

I took this photo on July 7, 2013, at 3:11 p.m. My first time to attend the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival went so well that I'm hoping to have much the same sort of blast this July. And I'm already praying for perfect weather on and before all festival days. The Blues Stage you see is the second-largest stage at the festival, one of four stages, all of which were loaded with talented performers for the crowd's enjoyment. That's the Hawthorne Bridge, raised to allow passage of a vessel pushed north and downstream by the tugboat you can see beyond the crowd. The tall building the background is in Southeast Portland, the Weatherly Building on the corner of SE Morrison and SE Grand, just a few blocks north of where I work. One of these days I want to ride an elevator to the top floor and look out at Portland and the Willamette River which divides the city into west and east.

I cannot wait to find out what the Blues Benefactor Pass costs this year--I'm saving up for it because having one last year was absolutely perfect.

Info from the festival Web site: 2014 Blues Fest Highlights Many more to be announced! 
THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014
LOS LOBOS
LOS LONELY BOYS
Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials
Blind Boy Paxton
Hoodoo Moon Cruise: Blind Boy Paxton, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials

FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2014
JOHN NEMETH & THE BO-KEYS
The Soul of John Black
Chris O’Leary Band
Home Made Jamz
Bill Rhoades’ Harmonica Blow-Off: Chris O’Leary, John Nemeth
Journey to Memphis Competition
Fireworks
After Hours Allstars: Bo-Keys Soul Jam: TBA

SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014
MACEO PARKER
Sugaray Rayford
Leo Bud Welch
Zydeco Swamp Romp: Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas
Rock the Boat Dance Cruise: Chris Bergson Band, Sugaray Rayford After Hours Allstars: Maceo Parker • Lee Fields & the Expressions

SUNDAY, JULY 6, 2014
GREGG ALLMAN BAND
Lee Fields & The Expressions
Chris Bergson Band
Zydeco Swamp Romp: Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 8

Although this is in my old neighborhood, the Alphabet District in NW Portland, I have every hope that I shall find such pink-blossom-covered sidewalks, streets, and parked vehicles somewhere here in NE Portland, where I now live. I took this photo April 7, 2007, at 11:20 a.m. Notice the person approaching on the sidewalk, umbrella in hand? April showers sometimes bring April flowers! Mama and I lived in the beige brick building you can see through the flower-draped branches, there on the left side of the photo.

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!

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 7

Sunny mid-day, busy downtown park, the perfect training period for this seeing eye dog. I took this photo on July 16, 2009, at 11:58 a. m., during my lunch hour. I took the bus from my building west across the Willamette River and ate my lunch in the park. Always I find plenty to photograph there at that time of day. Positive effort reinforced through a reward--the best way to have the dog learn exactly what is needed in order to become a successful help-mate to a person who truly needs that help.

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 6

I took this photo on June 26, 2009, at 5:07 p.m. Look at the wedding party, carefully crossing the sunny street on their way no doubt to a wedding photo site. The woman in the brown pants has a camera and a bag full of stuff. The woman behind her in the black pants also has a camera. As best as I can tell from the first photo in the series, the woman in the short-sleeved red top and the blue jeans just happened to be on the corner waiting for the light to change when the wedding party joined her. Likewise the woman in the black skirt and the flip-flops. It cracks me up how indifferent the two of them see, there in the midst of that colorful, youthful group. I have to wonder whether or not the two of them gave their chance encounter enough thought to have related it to someone when they reached their destinations. From the look of them, I doubt it. And, to me, that's a doggone shame. What is your opinion? Would you strike up a conversation in a situation like this? Would you tell all about it later on?

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 5

I took this photo at 6:43 p.m. on June 14 2008, as I walked across the Morrison Bridge towards Southeast Portland. Look at that blue sky! I hope that I can remember to take a similar photo this year, just to document any changes in the buildings. And I hope that the sky is just as blue! Can you see the people walking on the Eastbank Esplanade? They know how to enjoy the Willamette River's east bank. When I got there, I walked down that spiral ramp and along the esplanade until I came to the Hawthorne Bridge. Then I walked across it and began my homeward bus rides, taking a couple of them to get home. I lived in Northwest Portland then, in the Alphabet District. My little Mama and our miniature dachshund Duncan were still alive then, and we totally enjoyed our lives in Portland. We'd been here two years, almost to the day.

P.S. I work in the brick building with the flags on top. When I take photos from the rooftop garden, I'm on that lower part of the building, very near those windows, the ones half visible due to the angle of the photo.



There's a nice patio there, a neat place to go outside at break or at lunch, to enjoy whatever the weather has to offer. Here it is after a rain had marked the edges of the tiles. I took this photo on August 23, 2013, at 7:13 a.m.

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 4

I took this photo at 7:13 p.m. on May 10, 2012, as part of the Architectural Heritage Center's Skidmore Old Town Walking Tour. Those tours most often happen after work. Sunny early evenings do happen in Portland, and when they do, these walking tours are the best of the best.

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 3

Sunny afternoons and flowers go together tremendously. I took this photo on May 23, 2009, at 3:43 p.m.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: People on the Street

Click here to see Theme Day posts from around the world.

I've made a collage for Theme Day because I couldn't resist sharing with you the coincidence of movement, expression, and stance between these two people waiting at a bus shelter on a Portland street. I took these photos on February 28, 2009, five years and one day ago.

Here are the close-ups of each photo so that you can see for yourself what I find to be so interesting--their movement, expression, and stance. Then there's the rest of the serendipity all over the place, the similar mustardy yellows on his jacket, the folded-shut street barricade, and her leopard print skirt. Plus, several of the faces on her stockings have blonde hair. And her lace-up boots match the sidewalk's color.
 

They appear to be looking at each other.



They're both looking the opposite direction, at the same time.
    

They're both reaching up to the side of their heads, at the same time.
 

They looked down at the same time.