Serendipity #1. Wish you had been with me.

Naturally I noticed this hat--it was cold outside, and I thought, "What a great hat for that lady to have on a cold day." Then, as we waited at a traffic signal, the bus idling rhythmically, movement caught my eye. Her hat vibrated, the brown stripes dancing before my eyes, still, blurry, still, blurry. I clicked this shot. And, lo and behold, when I uploaded it to Flickr, I discovered that you can see the blur! Those strips that appear to be double the thickness and come down like spokes from the top center of the hat--that's what I saw vibrating! Serendipity and the Nikon D50 rule!

I got off the bus to take this photo before they all blew off, they lit up the vista.

Wednesday, November 3, I decided to get off the bus and walk back east onto the Hawthorne Bridge. Too many beautiful trees had gone un-photographed by my trusty Nikon D50. Not wanting to be too late getting home, I decided to try this shot from the north side of the bridge approach, rather than walking down the stairs, beneath the bridge, and then back up the other side. I sort of like the railing at the top of the wall which shows up at the bottom of the shot. I especially like the golden tree in the center of the shot, as well as the green leaves mixed with the reds. While some of these leaves remain on the trees, in the last 12 days, rain has fallen and winds have blown. All over the city, leaves line the curbs, cover the cars that haven't been driven, and either cover or speckle the sidewalks. Slippery when wet applies.

Here’s a link to the Mayor Sam Adams' leaf pick-up fee fiasco, for which he’s taking the blame.


Later that evening after I got off the bus and walked east on our street, I took this photo. You can see that while leaves cover the parking spaces and most of the sidewalk, lots of leaves are still on the trees. Today they're all blown down, waiting to be removed. Click here to see lots and lots of autumn leaf photos from November, 2008, and to read all about the NW Portland Clean Sweep.

Reds

See the various reds I saw, across from the bus stop at NW 21st and Everett. The rhododendrons caught my eye first, then almost instantly I saw the rest of the reds, picked up the camera that hung around my neck and snapped the photo last Tuesday. This was with the new lens I had to buy on Saturday, a Quantaray 18-200. You see, on Friday night after I left 3 Doors Down Cafe, I got off the 20 on Sandy and went to Voodoo Doughnuts to get one for dessert. Naturally, I wanted to take photos--that's when I discovered that the lens that came with my camera, my everyday lens that I've used and used and used was all used up. Surprisingly, I did not panic. I live in a big city, I thought. Surely I can find another lens that fits the Nikon D50, one that will focus for me. Lo and behold, I only had to go to two stores and I found the new one which, thankfully, I could actually afford.

Do you notice any difference in the quality of the photo?

Seen from the Buick on May 9, 2009 ... click!

I'm driving the Buick--I think I was on East Burnside near SE 22nd. Out of the corner of my eye as I slow down for a traffic signal, I notice something. Is that a stuffed giraffe riding in the passenger seat, I wonder. I grab the camera, point it over my shoulder, and click. The lady still grinned as I took the camera down and gave her the thumbs up.

Do you see another critter in the car?

Rainy Musical Corner

First, yes, I took this photo from the Buick, while stopped at the traffic signal on SW 14th Avenue at West Burnside. No vehicle waited behind me, and when I saw the red umbrella and the red signs on both buildings, I picked up the D50 from the passenger seat and snapped several photos. I was on the way home after having a bit of work done on the car--photos to come another day.

Now for info about the businesses you see on each corner.

Situated on the northeast corner, where you see EM in the window, is Everyday Music. Read all about it here. You can see how much of the block the store occupies by the way I've cropped the photo below. The store is deep, too, and filled with waist-high, well-labeled, wooden bins of either CDs or albums, new and used. I have to make myself stay out of there because I can't make myself stop at just one CD. (Now you know one of my musical secrets--I'm not of the IPOD generation, yet.)


Across the street you see the edge of the Crystal Ballroom and its marquee. You can read all about this extremely popular facility here. I've been to one concert there, summer 2006. You probably realized right away that with a name like "ballroom," there are no rows and rows of seats, which we associate with indoor-music-venues. Everyone stands on the springy dance floor--I wore my motion-sickness-acupressure-wrist-bands and made it just fine; however, I was some kind of tired the next day, being somewhat of an old lady these days. Next time I attend an event there, I'll make sure to go early enough to get a seat in the balcony.

See El Debarge, New Year's Eve, on the sign? Lakeside will be there, too. The joint will be jumpin' for sure, with those two acts. Here's a blurb I found about the show on the Web: 9 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show, $45 advance, $45 day of show, 21 and over. Celebrate the arrival of the new year with a pair of R&B legends: El Debarge, the sweet, soft and soulful voice behind massive '80s hits like "Rhythm of the Night" and "Who's Johhny?" and Lakeside, the veteran funk ensemble behind the groove juggernaut "Fantastic Voyage." Were I a bit younger as well as more financially flush, I'd be right there, dancin' in the New Year, from my seat and/or in the aisle!

Blue, continued, because I have several more photos to share

Earlier in October, when the D50 was at the camera hospital, I took this photo with that little CoolPix L12. It's the Orientale Motif Shop at 725 NW 23rd Ave., purveyors of jewelry, Oriental goods and foods. I don't have Photoshop, but I did set the camera to allow in more light. How about that electric blue sky?

Blue skies, peakin' at me, nothin' but blue skies do I see.

I lucked out and saw this hole in the clouds in time to grab my camera and take this photo through the tinted window at work, not an optimum photo-taking circumstance, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Before I forget to tell you, my Nikon D50 is home! Hip, hip, hooray! That's Marquam Hill in the foreground; it's just southwest of downtown Portland.

P.S. Tomorrow I'll finish up Blazer Hoop-de-doo! at http://mamamepdx.blogspot.com/
Come take a look at more stunts (one involves pizza), a hovering inflatable car, the outta sight scoreboard, Blaze (the team's mascot), the Blazer Dancers and a fast little girl on a tricycle. You'll be glad you did.