UPDATE and the blog post - Size, often it's all in perspective and location. Sometimes, it's just flat out huge. No. 4

UPDATE: Dr. Steiner's nurse Naomi let me know Monday afternoon that the final pathology report says it's probably cancer, so I'm having surgery on Thursday, probably at 1:30 p.m. I'll check in at 11:00 a.m. or so. I will get a phone call on Wednesday with a definite time for both. I will be in the hospital at least one night, probably just the one. I will then be recovering for weeks and, if all goes well, will return to work on August 10. During those six weeks, I will have two appointments with Dr. Steiner, one a post-op, on an evaluation of my fitness to return to work. Probably at the post-op, I will learn the results of the pathology of any tissues removed during the surgery. If it is really cancer, I'll have to have chemotherapy and/or radiation.

To tell you the truth, this is what I expected to hear, that I would have an operation on Thursday. I am thankful that I found out for sure today and didn't have to wait any longer--Thursday will be here very soon. I am ready for what's next and feel certain that Dr. Steiner is paying the best possible attention to my situation. My sons and I thank each of you for your prayers, your love, and your concern.



Close up as The World approaches the completely open Steel Bridge.



Closer but with maneuvering left to be done.



Looks like it's a straight shot from here, doesn't it?



You can see that The World must angle its way through the raised Steel Bridge. The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912.



My goodness, but that's one huge ship, y'all. Clearances . . . 26 feet closed, 72 feet with the lower deck raised, and 163 feet fully raised as it is here.



Now it is headed for the Broadway Bridge which is where I'm standing and taking photos.



Commuters held up by the lift of the Broadway Bridge.



So close and so huge, about the head beneath the Broadway Bridge.



Slow going.



There in the background, a portion of the Big Pink.



You can see the barricade with its reflective section in this photo--it's down to keep folks from falling off the bridge while the bridge is up.



A tugboat which surely has been working with The World to help it leave Portland.



Folks waiting for the bridge lift to be over so that they may continue on their way. Their view certainly is amazing.



Looks like all or most of The World is now past the Broadway Bridge and headed for the Fremont Bridge. It is not a bridge that opens and was built high enough for even ocean-going ships like The World to pass beneath.



Good-bye to The World.



By the time I'd walked part way to the bus stop so that I could catch one and get to work on time, the traffic had cleared very well. You can see that the bridge is completely closed, of course.



Here's a view of the bridge deck as it joins the streets at the west end of the Broadway Bridge. I took it through the bus windshield.

UPDATE: It ain't the news we wanted. And upside what happened in Charleston, SC, Wednesday night, my news is an eyelash loosened from our eyes by the tears we have shed. While you're praying for me, please, I entreat you, consider praying for all of us to treat each other as the valuable people we each are. Now, for the blog post I already had made for Friday: Size, often it's all in perspective and location. Sometimes, it's just flat out huge. No. 3

UPDATE: The needle biopsy results say that there are fragments of atypical cells like the adenocarcinoma which was the kind of cancer that was in my uterus. So, I have an appointment tomorrow at 2 p.m. with the doctor. Tentatively scheduled to have surgery at a different Kaiser facility where there is a robot which will be used for the surgery to remove lymph nodes. I will know about those two things, the pathology and the plan, after the appointment tomorrow. I will have to be off work for probably five weeks. I will not give up. Thursday at work I felt a consisten energy level throughout the day, a decent energy level. I take that to mean that I am stronger. I know that I have lost weight, I know that I recovered smoothly from the hysterectomy. I intend to do that this time as well. I will not give up. Thank you for your prayers, your love and your concern. Love y'all.



One more close up before the photos that I took of The World's journey north on the Willamette. I couldn't be at the beginning of it and along the river, so I opted to get up very early and ride a bus to somewhere I'd never been, get off, and walk back onto the Broadway Bridge to see what I could see.



Here comes The World. That is a smokestack that you see to the right of the raised Morrison Bridge. The white things sticking up in between the decks are part of The World. I am standing east of center of the Broadway Bridge, zoomed in as far as I can.



In this photo, three bridges are lifted simultaneously. To the far right, that's the Morrison beginning to close. In the center, that's the Burnside Bridge, not quite raised all the way. And to the left, the Steel Bridge looks about half raised.

Come back tomorrow for more photos of The World's exit from Portland on the Willamette River. Thanks!

Size, often it's all in perspective and location. Sometimes, it's just flat out huge. No. 2

Here's an even closer view of The World, taken as I stopped for a look from the sidewalk alongside the river. That is the Morrison Bridge in the background.



Leaves no doubt as to the name of the ship.



How many feet above my head is the deck? I don't know, but it looks pretty high up to me.



That's not a bottle of booze he's holding. It's plant refurbishment time while The World docked in Portland. Busy, busy times, I imagine for lots of those 270 crew members on board, whenever the ship is in a port.



A life boat.



Looking up at the decks with their balconies.



Wonder how large those letter are?



As I walked back towards the Hawthorne Bridge so that I could make my way back to work, I turned back for one more photo, this one showing the Portland Spirit and The World, both docked at the seawall. Also, you can see people in this photo, which gives you an even better idea of the difference in size of the two ships.

Size, often it's all in perspective and location. Sometimes, it's just flat out huge. No. 1

The World docked on the west side of the Willamette River. I took these photos on June 16, 2009, when I walked across the Hawthorne Bridge on my lunch hour. I had seen the TV news story about the ship and knew that I'd be a total fool to miss the chance to see it for myself. The Portland Spirit, a local river cruise boat, is docked to the left of The World. And beyond the center of The World, you can see the 30-story Big Pink--it is about a mile away, walking.

Found this quote in the June 17 Oregonian, made by an acquaintance of mine, as well as a bit of interesting info about the ship:

"It's something I have to go take my camera and get a look at," said Dan Haneckow, a ship enthusiast from North Portland. "You just don't see very many big ships below the Steel Bridge anymore."

Haneckow was talking about the 665-foot ship described as a floating luxury condominium complex, which boasts a variety of restaurants, two pools, a tennis court and a running track, among other amenities. The ship's 140 residents and crew of about 270 are touring the Portland area and seeing sights such as Multnomah Falls and Mount St. Helens.

They're also leaving behind some cash. Travel experts predict the ship's stop might inject some extra life into the local economy. While the exact economic impact of the Portland stop was unclear Wednesday, the industry standard for spending by cruise ship passengers is $125 a couple per day.

Bruce Connor, vice president of Sundial Travel & Cruise Center, which helped arrange the local itinerary, said the passengers could easily spend three times that.



Well, you can certainly tell that is is a close-up shot, can't you?



Here's another look with three of the four bridges which had to lift for The World to dock here and which will have to lift when it turns and heads down river, north to the Columbia, and then west to the Pacific. The closest bridge is the Morrison Bridge, the two bridge supports you see through the Morrison Bridge are part of the Burnside Bridge, and the black two towers in the distance are part of the Steel Bridge. The bridge not visible here is the Broadway Bridge. There is a westward bend in the river which, at this perspective, situates the Broadway Bridge to the left of the Steel Bridge. The tiny bright blue boat is a Willamette Jetboat, one that people pay to ride on, see the sights, get all wet. All that motion, turning, speed--not for me.



I took this photo from the 5th floor rooftop garden of my work building which is on the east side of the Willamette River. Remember, The World is docked on the west side of the river; my work building is five city blocks from the river--I don't know the distance in feet.



Here's that jet boat, speeding away after providing its passengers with a close up look at The World. They must've felt like flies on an elephant, size-wise.

Come back tomorrow for some photos I took as I walked alongside the sea wall, right beside The World. And the next day for photos which I got up very early to take on my way to work, well out of my way to work but on purpose. You'll understand when you see them.

Exercising at lunch in Tom McCall Park, June 18, 2009

Please scroll down to see today's dahlia, Swan's Desert Storm, from Swan Island Dahlias.

Happy Birthday, Lamont!

On my lunch hour I hurried to the bus, then hurried from the bus to the sidewalk along the river. I wanted to be sure to get some photos of The World, docked on the west bank of the Willamette. More about The World soon.

Anyway, I'm walking along, gawking with lots of other folks when I hear an amplified voice and look around to my right. I see this row of people being led by a diminutive woman calling out their exercise routine. Naturally I swung the camera up to my eye and clicked!

The grass has been worn out by the Rose Festival's Waterfront Village. It closed up shop just four days before I took this photo.

Today's dahlia, Swan's Desert Storm. Facts from Swan Island Dahlias--Bloom: 10" Yellow and Rose Blend, Bush: 3'