Brian Libby walked the four-mile Grand Floral Parade route yesterday holding this sign. And my mini-rant about the Burnside Bridgehead's warp-speed-journey into modern ugliness. I cannot believe that years from now folks will find any on these new buildings worthy of preservation.

I don't know Brian Libby, but I know of him. He's behind Portland Architecture dot com. He's mightily involved with Friends of Memorial Coliseum. June 8, 2016--just days ago--that grand building was named a National Treasure by National Trust for Historic Preservation. All I can say is hooray! I hope this pronouncement helps save the building, helps it be taken care of for years to come. I've been inside several times since moving here in June, 2006, and find it amazing, fascinating, and well-deserving of living on for all to see and to take part in events held there.

From Portland Architecture published on June 9, an awesome statement that Libby quoted from Bill Walton, member of the NBA Championship Portland Trail Blazers:

Libby: . . .I'd like to share a statement from Trail Blazers legend Bill Walton, which was also read at the event yesterday:

"39 years ago this week, right here, on the banks of the powerful and majestic Willamette River, our beloved Portland Trail Blazers made history, changed the world and plotted a new path forward to the future…I was there then, as our Blazer team won the NBA championship at this magnificent shrine and temple—the Memorial Coliseum. I'll never forget that day, not only as a defining moment in Oregon sports history and my life, but also as a statewide explosion of joy, happiness and civic pride."

"Today most all of the other NBA arenas I played in have been torn down. But Veterans Memorial Coliseum still stands tall and proud because of its very special place in our lives and as a one-of-a-kind work of architecture."

"Today I'm happy to take this well-deserved and long-overdue moment to celebrate with the Friends of Memorial Coliseum, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Portland City Council, and all Oregonians as our wonderful Coliseum is officially named a National Treasure."

"Although basketball will always be the first thing I think of when I reflect on the significance of this building, it is so much more than that. Its world-class design with natural light pouring into the arena, is an important and enduring tribute to the brave veterans who gave their lives and everything else for us in both World War II and the Korean War."

"I'm a proud, loyal, passionate and grateful man—whether it's for the beautiful game we call basketball, the rapturous power of music, especially when created by the Grateful Dead, or the natural beauty of my second home Oregon. You can also add our Veterans Memorial Coliseum to that list: a landmark that continues to inspire each and every one of us, and a place where we can all come together in joyous harmony. The spirit of '77 lives on, in and with this spectacular Coliseum. And with the powerful actions and commitment that we display here right now, we know that that will thankfully be true for generations to come."

"And forever more, I will always be able to say, that yes—I was there … In the spring of 1977 … And also today—the day we saved our Glass Palace."

"Thank you Portland … Thank you Blazers … Thank you Oregon … Thanks for shining the light … Thanks for being the light … Thanks for making my dreams come true."

It's ironic that I had moved from my initial place watching the parade, around the corner and onto Burnside, and got to take this photo of Brian with Fishel's in the background.

April 30 it was announced that the furniture store will close after 95 years in business. The 100-year-old building possibly breathes its last breaths now. The Oregonian reported on June 1 that it could disappear if plans are approved to build a 17-story mixed-use building there.

If you had been Rip-Van-Winkling the last year or so and just woke up, you wouldn't recognize the east end of the Burnside Bridge, known as the Burnside Bridgehead.



Yard is jammed up beside the north sidewalk on the Burnside Bridge.



I took this photo one morning on my commute through the TriMet bus windshield. You can see that it completely blocks my beloved view of the Big Pink and the Portland Oregon neon sign that I had enjoyed for several years of commuting west on NE Couch by TriMet bus. No longer is the intersection an inspirational way to begin my day; it's a gosh-awful hodge-podge of modern ugliness.



I flat-out do not like the changes going on in every direction. Besides being ugly buildings, the housing units they hold are priced too high for regular-job-holders. I don't care if the 21-story Yard had a number of apartments set aside for households with incomes of up to 60 percent of the area's median family income--57 out of the 284--that's a pitiful, insulting toss of crumbs to Portlanders who deserve affordable housing options.

Besides the possible replacement of Fishels, one more is going up on Burnside between MLK and Grand--in the photo above, notice the red and blue angular roof-line--it was part of a used car lot which is gone now, a huge hole filled with the footings of what will become an L-shaped building; another one is supposed to go up across the street north of Yard--it will obliterate the view of the sky between Yard and that other ugly building going up on the right side of this photo; one more is going up in a tiny, odd-shaped bit of grass in front of Yard--it's that bit of bright green you see to the right of the person in the chartreuse-colored jacket. When I changed locations to watch the parade yesterday, I noticed that digging had begun. I believe this little bit of green should have been left along, should have been made into a lovely park where folks could relax a bit amid the ugliness and the traffic which will only increase at what is already a busy bunch of intersections within a few blocks of each other.

I'll stop here and not get on the soapbox; it's a lovely early Sunday morning here in Portland, and I need to get outside for a little while.

I won't go without saying thank you to Brian Libby and every other person who works tirelessly for preservation of our architectural treasures here in Portland, who want our fascinating neighborhoods to remain recognizable, who want new construction to fit into those neighborhoods instead of appearing like gashes in their very fabric. It's not that we don't want to house everyone here, we just want to do it in a responsible, affordable way that respects our beloved Portland.

Update.

Last week I took this photo on the way home from a part-time day at work. I waited for the second of two pieces of mass transit that get me from the workplace to the apartment. I decided to take a closer look at the progress being made in these two buildings at the Burnside Bridgehead, the eastern end of the Burnside Bridge that crosses the Willamette River. Yes, progress has been made towards completion of both of these buildings because professionals have been at work, much like the progress that has been made in my cancer treatment.

I figured as I sat at my iMac for a few minutes blocking someone I don't want to have access to my Flickr photos that I ought to use this photo to share with you the latest in my health issues. I know that some of you have followed along on Facebook and/or Instagram, which have been much easier to update for me than has been my sweet old friend, the blog. I apologize for leaving some of you in the dark, but for weeks I was too weak to sit here in this chair; I stayed in the recliner, bundled up and setting my reminder to get up and walk frequently to build my strength, then going back to the recliner. I haven't figured out how to post on the blog from the recliner. Anyway, here's what's been happening.

On November 19, I finished the last of the six planned rounds of chemo. Believe you me, that stuff did a job on my fast-growing cells that I needed for my bone marrow to be able to create white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. It caused all of my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes to disappear. It took practically every bit of my stamina, no matter if I got a good night's sleep or a good nap. We knew that these things happened by monitoring blood counts and seeing my face and head. Hopefully it also killed every single cancer cell anywhere in my body. We don't know the outcome of that hope yet.

On November 28 a fever of almost 103 degrees sent me to the emergency room and then to be admitted to the cancer ward of the hospital. It turned out that I had a neutropenic fever which means I didn't have enough white blood cells to fight off an infection. I had E coli in my blood, the source of which we never discovered. I had a CT scan on November 29. That scan didn't identify a source for the E coli, but it showed a new mass near where the cancerous one had been removed surgically on June 25. All three of my cancer doctors (surgeon, oncologist, radiologist) feel like it is what is known as a lymphocele, something that shows up when lymph nodes have been removed. Three had been removed on June 25 but had nothing cancerous in them. I stayed in the hospital until December 4 and came home to slowly get better. By December 24, I was able to once again return to work part time, two or three days a week. I'm still at that point now and thankful to be able to do so. I like doing normal, every day stuff!

Next Thursday, January 14, I go to the radiologist for the planning CT that will set my radiation treatments. They begin sometime within two weeks after that appointment. They will go on for five weeks, whole abdomen, then one more week, right side of abdomen. Everyone tells me that radiation will not treat my body as horribly as the chemo did. I certainly hope that turns out to be true with me.

That same CT scan will be used to look at the new mass and find out if any changes have occurred in it. If they have, the entire game plan could change. I will do better in keeping up here so that you won't be left out of the loop.

Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and concern.

UPDATE and the skies of Portland over the past few weeks

UPDATE: Slept well until around 3:15 a.m., then slept off and on until 8:30 a.m. I've been outside before the predicted rain started so that I could get in some walking. I'm walking in the building off and on now. I don't have much stamina yet, but I'm working on it. In fact, I walked the two blocks to Subway and got a tuna sandwich which I carried back home in a rain shower--I wore my hooded raincoat on purpose, y'all, so I was fine and able to rest at the somewhat wet picnic table at the Blue Diamond's back door on the way there and back. Y'all, thanks for your continued prayers, love, and concern.



I took this photo today, mid-morning, when I went out for a walk. For me, the sky tells the tale of why this flag flys at half mast--the heaviness in a lot of folks hearts and minds after the murders at Umpqua Community College on October 1. I assume that's th case, that Albertina Kerr followed the President's call to lower the American flag to half mast; however, they've not returned it to the top of the flag pole yet--the order was half mast through October 6.



Portland has some fantastic blue skies, sometimes with clouds which magnify their impact. I took this photo on October 8, six minutes after I took the next one on today's post. I was on my way home after work. I waited at East Burnside and NE Grand for a 12 or a 19 bus. That building on the left will end up 21 stories, not all visible from this position since the ground floor of it rests below the height of the Burnside Bridge, and I'm at that height here on East Burnside. The one on the right tops out at 10 stories. Both of those heights are what I found online in early stories about the construction--I assume there have been no changes.



Thirteen blocks south of the previous photo, same day, 2:34 p.m. I took this one as I sat at the Portland Streetcar shelter, waiting. I like the juxtaposition of the rust-induced-chocolate-truffle-colored public art with the blue sky. The sculpture's title is Inversion Plus Minus.



Downtown, outside the Portland Art Museum, September 26, when Leland and I had been inside at The Artisans Cup American Bonsai exhibition. I'm sorry to report that I don't know the name of this sculpture; it's in the outdoor courtyard between the two buildings that make up the PAM. The 175-foot tall church bell tower peeking between the trees and the cloud is across the South Park Blocks; it's the First Congregational United Church of Christ and is amazing in its architecture and Povey Brothers Studio stained glass windows.



One last photo of Portland skies, this one taken as I arrived at work on September 22. More of Inversion Plus Minus, the public art which also appears at the opposite end of the block and is shown in an earlier photo in today's post.

UPDATE and several photos I took on the way home from work Thursday

UPDATE: I slept fine. As Mama used to say every school day morning as she flipped on the overhead light in my bedroom, "Up and at 'em!" That's me, y'all! I did wake up with an allergy/sinus headache, though, so I took something for it. I doubt it will bother me for long. I plan on getting to the bus early again today, just in case I need to rest a bit before beginning work. Thank goodness TriMet considers NE Sandy Blvd. to be the traffic corridor that it truly is and services my bus stop frequently, with two bus lines. It certainly helps me a whole lot!



After work yesterday, I caught the streetcar north to East Burnside and NE Grand Avenue where I waited for one of the two buses that would get me home, either the 12 or the 19. I decided to take a photo of the construction going on at the Burnside Bridgehead--those two buildings going up that have obliterated the view of downtown as you head west towards the Burnside Bridge. For some reason, I'm fascinated with cement mixer pump trucks--I guess there's a truck somewhere at the end of the orange pumps servicing both buildings, one in plain view, the other behind the tree and the old billboard. Take note of the Peter Corvallis box truck, please. More about it later on.



My camera has an exposure compensation button which I decided to use in this photo to learn about it. I wanted to get a photo that allowed us to see the orange cement pump better. Did I add too much here? I think I did, at least for parts of the photo like the sky. By the way, here's why I believe we can't see the cement mixer pump truck. There are several streets at a lower level than the ones we can see in the photo. I've never driven down there or walked down there, but I've seen them from walking on the sidewalk on the bridge. I'll be glad when I'm well enough to explore, even if it might be limited to walking the sidewalk on the bridge above it all--I imagine it will be some time before pedestrians are allowed down there.



Here's a screen shot that gives you a bit of perspective, I hope. There in the lower left corner, I wrote ME because that's where I stood to take these photos. I hope the labels I've written here will help you get an even better perspective of the area. The multi-lane road at the bottom of the screen shot is the Burnside Bridge. Through the label for the tall building, you can see the streets down below the bridgehead--that's what folks call the part of the bridge as it joins the east side of the Willamette. When I ride a bus west across the Willamette over the Burnside Bride, or in any sort of wheeled vehicle, I go along that curve to the right of the label about the orange pump. Those two little blue dots to the right of the empty lot are where I sometimes change to either the streetcar or a bus, heading south.




After work, as I neared the stop where I get off the bus--see the Subway sign--I took this photo when we were stopped at NE 18th and NE Sandy Blvd. I couldn't resist that sky and Dave's lot--he comes into the Blue Diamond now and then, an interesting man who's been in business there for practically my whole life. Seeing those dark skies, you'd think we soon had a down pour. Nope. By the way, the Blue Diamond is beside those leftmost trees up the sidewalk, just past that traffic signal at NE 20th Avenue. I love my neighborhood!




After I got off the bus, I waited at the traffic signal at NE 20th Avenue and took this photo. I cannot resist taking photos of this building--I adore triangle-shaped buildings and am thrilled that I get to see this one often, plus enjoy time in the Blue Diamond which is behind the Halo Salon. While I wait for the light to change, I usually decide whether to walk on the north side of the building, the left side in the photo, or the south side of the building. Depending upon how tired I am, I take the south side which is probably 200 steps shorter and offers one place to rest, at the backdoor of the Blue Diamond. If I'm wanting to get in more steps, I go up the north side of the building--there are three places to rest, if I need them, a pew in front of the Blue Diamond, a bench in front of the Silver Lining pawn shop, and the low wall at the bioswale at the corner where NE Glisan and NE 22nd Avenue intersect a few feet before NE Glisan intersects with NE Sandy Blvd. Like I said, I love my neighborhood! Oh, about the Peter Corvallis truck--while I waited here, in came toward me on the street to the south of the Halo Salon! I couldn't believe that I saw it again in just the short time that it took for me to get from East Burnside and NE Grand on the 19 bus. Oh, one more neat thing--I had the same driver on the 19 on my way to work and on my way home--she recognized me and my hat!

The only constant is change, right?

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I'm standing in an area labeled the Burnside Bridgehead, at the east end of the bridge. See the backside of that giant A? It stands for Andersen Construction which recently started construction of a building on what is known as Block 67, very close to the north side of the bridge itself, in between NE 3rd and NE 2nd which run parallel with the Willamette River. Notice the Portland Oregon sign across the river, just visible between the A and the black pole? The Big Pink across the river, coming out of the top of the A? Well, before this new building is completed, maybe by the estimated date of May, 2016, I'm certain that neither one will be visible from where I stood on November 15, 2014, to take this photo--a great deal of this view of downtown Portland will disappear, available only to those who decide to rent an apartment in the building--I haven't discovered its name yet, but plans call for it to be a 21-story apartment tower on a 0.76 acre site; Skylab Architecture designed the building which is far from your typical tower in its shape. It's supposed to have 284 apartments on the top 16 floors. On the remaining floors, retail and commercial space, plus 202 parking spaces. Planned building amenities include a community plaza with a barbecue area, bike parking with repair station, technology lounge, pet exercise area, fitness center and spa. I read one place online that the intention is to offer 20% of the apartments to residents making 60% or lower of median family income, in an effort to respond to the growing need for workforce housing. Is that really going to happen? Oh, and just on the other side of that fencing, in between NE 3rd and NE Couch (the street in between me and the fence) there will be another building built which will be either two or three stories, commercial use only. I read it described as a spit of land, labeled Block 76W these days.