Rooftop Garden Friday, No. 3

Through the camera lens, I witnessed the wind's whimsy. Thankfully, I captured a split second of it to share with you, the blurred blossoms and the still blossoms alongside the sunlit buds on their impossibly slender and tall stems.

This rooftop garden is on the fifth floor of the six-story building where I work, the Multnomah County building. I found online that the garden covers 11,893 square feet as planted area, with a total square footage for the green roof that includes a patio and some raised beds of 15,420.

One more thing--this photo is straight out of the camera. Serendipity, brought to you by a Nikon D5100. Yea for me that it's mine to enjoy!

Clues that he's in a hurry.

Clue #1--he's jay-walking, on busy downtown SW 6th Avenue, the northbound leg of the Transit Mall. These blocks are only 200 feet long, y'all. I cannot imagine why would he take such a chance. But, there he goes, angling across all designated lanes--those for private-owner vehicles, TriMet MAX Light Rail trains, and buses from TriMet and C-TRAN (the Clark County Washington public transportation agency).



Clue #2--he's barely letting his feet stay on the pavement, striding out with purpose, using his arms efficiently despite the heavy-looking duffle bag in his right hand.



Clue #3--he's changing direction just enough now to make me certain that he's going to go west on SW Taylor. That bus, the #199, 99th St. Express, is a C-TRAN bus.



Clue #4--he's appears to confirm what I had guessed, going west on SW Taylor, towards wherever his bicycle waits patiently. Why do I think he continued left instead of crossing the Taylor and going south? Especially with the crossing signal on red? I don't know. He certainly had not paid any attention to other traffic signals in the time it took for him to jay-walk.

I wonder. Is this is a daily routine for this man, to throw caution to the wind after taking the time to don his bike helmet and shoes, secure his pants legs, throw his backpack onto his back, grab his duffle bag with his right hand, and his bicycle gloves with his left? I'm glad that his yellow sweater grabbed my attention so that I could get these four quick photos after work on April 2, 2014, as I waited for my second of the two buses I take on my homebound commute. The time on each photo is 5:17 p.m. I thoroughly enjoy my Nikon D5100, DSLR. Yes, I do.

Cars in the Park, Vintage American Cars, July 9, 2011

I went camera shopping early Saturday, with Kailey and Leland, then with just Leland so that sweet Kailey could get some sleep--she works graveyard. After a total of three stops, I found what I wanted and what I could afford at Ritz Camera, a Nikon D5100. You see, my beloved Nikon D50 has been erratic at best lately, plus I pined for the sharpness of a Nikon lens again. Now I'm all set and can see about getting the D50 to the camera hospital.

Buying a new camera, of course, means charging the battery before you can go out and about with the camera hanging around your neck. An hour and a half after I plugged in the charger, I arrived at the South Park Blocks for this Saturday's car show right before 3 p.m. I figured I'd be just fine because the advertised end time was 5 p.m., so imagine how my mouth dropped open when I got to the top of the stairs at SW Main and the South Park Blocks and saw the streets 97% empty. Immediately I hot-footed it to the closest car, camera ready. As I took a few photos, I looked up and saw about a block away a Woody--the first one I've seen in person! Then in a few minutes I saw a car driving away that reminded me of a gangster movie car. For a little while I rushed around, taking photos. Here they are for you to enjoy.


1937 Ford V8. I asked the owner, the man in the red T-shirt, for the name of the color. He replied, "Autumn Brown. Like fall. That's a stock Ford color." The closest to the correct color is in that sunny spot on the front fender and in the sunny spot between the headlight and the grill--naturally the shade made the color darker.


The Ford's hood ornament; I wish I had asked whether or not it is original.


The 1939 Ford Deluxe Woody Station Wagon that caused my heart to race as I approached it--praying the owner was not inside and about to drive off. On the wall behind it is an image of one of the cars on display inside the Portland Art Museum, part of The Allure of the Automobile.


I have to tell you, the wood on this car outshone any of the totally metal cars I have seen. Rich, mellow, satiny smooth, gorgeous wood. I heard the man who owns the Woody saying that some of it was original!


More of that grin-inducing wood!


This beauty quietly drove up and then past me as I stared at the Woody, so I missed getting a photo of the front. You can see from the next photo that both cars look very much alike, which makes me think this one is a Pierce Arrow, too.


I know this one is a Pierce Arrow because I stepped up to the window and asked the driver as he waited for pedestrians to clear the intersection. This car is the one that made me think of gangster movies. Love those black-wall tires!


1938 Pontiac Two-Door Cabriolet Convertible


That's the owner standing by it in the photo above. You can tell that he's got it partially parked on the sidewalk.


I think that oblong black thing is the step you use to get yourself into the rumble seat. I wonder if he had it open earlier in the day?


The Pontiac's hood ornament.


When I looked back towards the Woody, I saw this beauty pulled to a stop behind it. The owner's getting out as I snap the photo.




The hub cab says Packard Super Eight. Unfortunately I am reflected too much in this photo--gotta pay better attention next week when I go see the Multnomah Hot Rod Council's vehicles!


Lovely, lovely car.


The Packard's hood ornament.