UPDATE and a few more American Bonsai seen at The Artisans Cup, Sept. 26

UPDATE: Made it to the Oncology Center for the blood work just fine this morning. Janessa gave me a ride there and then to work--she's a sweetheart! I don't know the results of the blood counts, though, so I'm hoping that they are OK. Since I had the test done about 9:40 a.m., and it is now close to 6 p.m. with no phone call or e-mail telling me to report early, I'm hoping that means I won't all of a sudden have to go there at 7 a.m. to do the test again before the chemo appointment at 8:30 a.m. Anyway, here's what has been approved by the doctor for in between Round 4, tomorrow, and Round 5, probably on October 22--I will only work seven days once I feel well enough to go back to work, not ten like I did this time. Hopefully, by working two days, being off three days, working three days, being off three days, then working two days before I get ready for Chemo Round 5 I will be able to endure the fatigue better. I'm certainly ready to try it. Thank you so much for your continued prayers, love, and concern.



Mountain Hemlock, exhibited by Bob King. Species, Tsuga mertensiana. Estimated age, 150+ years old; time in training, 15 years. Origin, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.



California Juniper, exhibited by John King. Species, Juniperus californica. Estimated age, 100+ years old; time in training, 10 years. Origin, Mojave Desert.



Buttonwood, exhibited by Michael Fedducia. Species, Conocarpus erectus. Estimated age, 150-200 years old; time in training, three years. Origin, Florida.

This is the artist statement excerpt published in the booklet that went along with the exhibition: This tree was collected in south Florida in the early 80's by Joe Samuels, one of the early pioneers of bonsai in Florida. In my humble opinion, it is by far one of the best representations of the larger buttonwoods that reside on the rocky islands of the Florida Keys that I have seen, and is one of the oldest collected specimens that I have encountered. Some of the trees I find most inspiring stand alone on small coral rock islands off the coast in the Atlantic ocean. They show a true will to survive in the face of adversity, overcoming the lack of a constant fresh water supply. Only to be replenished when a rain shower passes through saturating the stone in which they live. Gripping the coral tightly over the centuries as hurricanes push through, threatening to rip them away from their rocky perch, and still they hold on. They are inundated with salt day after day, and have adapted to excrete the excess through specialized glands at the base of their leaves. Living on the ragged edge of life and death, they exude strength and beauty while sharing the story of their constant struggle through the scars that they have earned. It is my hope to capture this image, if only a glimpse, and to allow the viewer to see this species in all it's glory as I have kayaking the ocean waters.

UPDATE and The Artisans Cup, some of the American Bonsai as seen at exhibit held in the Portland Art Museum

UPDATE: I don't know how it happened, but I didn't really get up today until 9:49 a.m. Best of my memory, I woke up at 6 a.m., but didn't get up other than to get in front of the TV because I really wanted to be awake at 7 a.m. to watch CBS Sunday Morning. I think I watched most of it, dozing now and then. Before it went off, I fell asleep all the way. I don't know what woke me up, but I was hungry, so ate leftover rice with kidney beans and smoked beef sausage slices with leftover Coca Cola from the Subway on Thursday afternoon that I didn't finish when I had my little picnic in the front yard. I feel pretty good. Tomorrow afternoon I have an appointment with the chemo doctor. Wednesday before work I go for the pre-chemo bloodwork. Thursday at 8:30 a.m. I have the chemo appointment for Round Four. I hope my blood counts are where they need to be. Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and concern!



It's easy to see why this tree had to be all by itself in the foyer to the exhibition room. It's huge compared to the 71 trees listed in the booklet handed to us when we entered the exhibit hall. Here's the info about this tree: Englemann Spruce, exhibited by Ryan Neil, Founder of The Artisans Cup. Species, Picea englemannii; origin, the Cascade Mountains. Estimated age is 350 years; years in training, three.



Coastal Redwood, exhibited by Bob Shimon. Species, Sequoia sempervirens; origin, Mendocino, California. Estimated age is 100 years; years in training, 18.



Japanese Maple, exhibited by Ram Lukas. Species, Acer palmatum 'Kashima;' origin, collected landscape tree. Estimated age, 50-60 years; years in training, 10. I cropped it like this because I didn't like all of the light on the leaves from the overhead fixture. I wanted you to be able to see the delicate leaves.

More American bonsai soon.

UPDATE and Leland with the heritage tree from pioneer times in Portland's South Park Blocks

UPDATE: I made it through the night fine, slept until about 5:30 a.m. I stayed awake until maybe 6:45 a.m., then fell back asleep until 8 a.m. Thank goodness! Thank you so much for your continued prayers, love, and concern. Leland and I had a good time together today. He came up with a neat event for us to check out, The Artisans Cup, a bonsai tree display at the Portland Art Museum in downtown Portland in an area known as the South Park Blocks. After that, we ate a late lunch, then went to see Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation at the Laurelhurst Theater, a vintage neighborhood jewel that shows second run and classic movies with a realistic ticket price; when I'm well, I am able to walk the ten blocks there and back; today, thank goodness for Leland's car. After he brought me home, I managed to see almost then entire second half of the Mississippi State win over Auburn. Go, Dawgs!



My darling younger son Leland agreed to stand here for me to take a photo. He's pushed his sunglasses up onto his head, and his hair's going every which way on his left--I love it! When I noticed if he moved to his left a bit the sun would be on his face better, he graciously moved for me and smiled again. I love this photo--I cropped it so that you could get a good look at this young man who got me out and about today for a bonsai tree exhibit and a movie, with a very late lunch at Burgerville in between. I ended up too tired to make it to Fred Meyer to get groceries, so he's going there tomorrow to get mine for me. Sweetheart, y'all, he's a sweetheart.

In this photo, take a good look at the width of the trunk and the height of the root area at the base of the trunk--I guess that's what you call it.  Now, scroll down to the fourth photo and compare, please. I'm amazed at the way this tree has grown, in the midst of all that goes on in downtown Portland and in such encumbered space for its roots.



If you look closely at this wide shot, the first of the three that I took, you can tell that Leland's left foot looks much more comfortable in this position. In the cropped photo, the second of the three and taken after I asked him to move to his left, you can see that he's managing to stay on those roots with his left foot in an awkward position. Thank goodness he didn't have to stand like that but a few seconds! Thanks, Leland.



Here's a wide shot of the tree that I took on the way back to the car. Perfect weather today!



Here's photo taken from almost the same spot as the one I took today with Leland standing on the tree. I took this one on August 29, 2009. Be sure to compare it with the top photo in the post, please. Are you as amazed as I am by the amount that the tree has increased in girth in the past six years?



There's a sign on the tree--I took this photo on August 29, 2009. The sign is still there today.



I like this sign, too, at the base of the tree in the sidewalk--another photo from August 29, 2009.

This is information that I found and put on the blog, back on October 12, 2009, when I decided to post about the Heritage Tree: I just love the Internet. I've found a pdf of a brochure or booklet, "Oregon Geology," published by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, from November 1985. On pg. 7, I've read about the sidewalk plaque. "At the northwest corner of the intersection of Main and West Park there stands a magnificent london (sic) plane tree (Platanus acerifolia) (a) that was planted in 1800 by Sylvester Farrell. At the base of the tree, a gneiss marker indicates incorrectly that the tree is a sycamore (which is a close relative of the london (sic) plane tree). The marker also left out an "L" in the gentleman's last name. The tree has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the sole survivor from pioneer times in the immediate area." The gneiss marker is in the photo above, embedded in the sidewalk.



Last photo of the tree--I walked east and turned back to get this one on August 29, 2009. I didn't have the energy to do that today, well, I saved what energy I had for viewing and taking photos at the bonsai tree exhibit that Leland and I had decided to see, inside one of the Portland Art Museum's buildings. The Artisans Cup and its bonsai trees turned out to be grand. Photos soon!