UPDATE and something I miss right now

UPDATE: Still very little peripheral neuropathy or aching knees. Yes! The biggest side effect is fatigue, but I continue to listen to my body and take naps when I just cannot stay awake. I'm sleeping at night, too. Yes! Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and concern. Y'all are special to me!



I took this photo on a glorious October 25, 2008. Look at that fall foliage along the east side of the Willamette River! I miss seeing sights like this so much this fall. However, I'll be well and out and about next year, taking lots of photos with matching street level accessories, like the Broadway Bridge and the rail cars. I know that I will!

UPDATE and my interesting morning TriMet commute

UPDATE: Made it through today fine. Ate leftover meatloaf and rice for supper. Going to have pre-chemo blood work tomorrow morning, then an appointment with the chemo doctor. Chemo Round 5 is Thursday. Thank you for every single prayer, for your continued love and concern.



Straight out of the camera, a photo I shot through the 12 bus windshield when we joined the traffic stopped by a bridge lift on the Burnside Bridge. The giant square looming over the vehicles is part of the bridge itself. That's the Big Pink in the background, the multi-story building. I've never been stopped going westward by a bridge lift, only a couple of times going eastward, on this particular bridge. After we started moving again, there was no evidence that I could see of the vessel that caused the bridge to have to open to allow it to pass.



Same photo altered at BeFunky with HDR1. What's your favorite detail? Your most unexpected detail? My favorite, the lighted traffic directional sign in the pickup truck bed, it's two leftward-pointing arrows guiding your eye to the part of the bridge that is raised. My most unexpected, the bit of the bus driver's fan, top center, photographed along with lots of reflections.



Straight out of the camera, zoomed in on the raised part of the bridge.



Same photo, altered at BeFunky with HDR1. I used the HDR effect to give you the best chance to see details--I like how it increases the sheen on the Big Pink windows. By the way, it lightly sprinkled rain at this point in my morning commute.



Straight out of the camera. When I realized the part of the neon Portland Oregon sign could be seen past the pickup truck, I zoomed in for this photo. You also get a good view of the pavement and the lane markings on the raised part of the bridge. Plus, you're able to see the 20 bus way ahead of the 12 bus that I'm in. I'll bet the 19 bus had to stop not too far behind us. Once the traffic started to move again, lots of vehicles and at least three buses passed us, going east. Bridge lifts occur frequently in Portland because we're a city with maritime traffic which comes from the Pacific Ocean on the Columbia River and then onto the Willamette which all of our downtown bridges cross, plus the St. Johns Bridge which is north of downtown. It, along with the Fremont, the Marquam, the Tilikum Crossing and the Ross Island bridges do not lift because the were constructed with plenty of clearance and are much younger than those bridges which have to raise for river traffic of certain heights. There's one more which I assume will not have to lift because it's being replaced by a new bridge, the Sellwood Bridge.



Same photo, altered at BeFunky with HDR1. I like this one a whole lot because there are details all over the place, from houses over in the West Hills to birds on the lamp posts alongside the sidewalk. 



Once I noticed those birds, I decided to look at the photo's original size at Flickr. That's when I noticed two birds, one on each of the two shortest poles, at least they look shortest because most of their height is blocked by the lighted traffic directional sign. Both birds face north, their rusty red feathers smooth, their white tails glowing, the shapes of their heads discernible because they are in profile. I think they are hawks, and the rest of the birds are pigeons trying to ignore their juxtaposition with two birds of prey. I tried cropping so that you could experience these particular details. The result is so-so. So, if you like, please click on the image which will take you to my Flickr account. Once there click at the bottom right of the photo on View all sizes which appears when you hover over the downward-pointing arrow. Once there, click on view Original and scroll around to your heart's content. Do you think that's a drone flying visible between two poles to the right? Do you have any idea what kind of hawks these are? Are they even hawks? Thanks!

UPDATE and the after-work commute today

UPDATE: I made it through work today without any problems--hooray! Soon I'll be back in the recliner at the Oncology Center for Chemo Round Three. I wonder if it will be different, the side effects. Or, will it be much the same as Rounds One and Two? We'll see.



After work today, I missed the streetcar, so I took the 4 bus across the Hawthorne Bridge to wait for the 12 that I would then ride the rest of the way home. Here we are looking south on SW 6th Avenue. Where's that next bus? I like to be in downtown, so I do this most all of the time after work when I'm there full time because the bus gets filled up with folks coming out of downtown office buildings. That means if I were to ride the streetcar or a bus north on SE Grand to change at East Burnside like I did last week in the middle of the afternoon, I'd be waiting on a 12 or 19 bus with no seats available. I'd rather go west across the river, then end up going east to make certain that I get a seat. It's safer to ride sitting down than standing up, in my opinion.



Ah, there's the 12 at the other end of the block. Why? I know. It's shift change, from driver to driver. When I walked by after getting off the 4 bus, I had noticed a TriMet employee sitting on the sidewalk with his back leaned against one of the huge concrete planters that dot the streets of downtown Portland. When I noticed the 12 pull in, I put two and two together and came up with shift change. I've been riding the bus since July, 2006, and often make correct guesses as to what's going on after observing lots over time.



Curbside service, thanks to TriMet and the 12 bus, y'all! I only had to wait seven minutes, total; I spent the first few minutes sitting at the bus shelter, but the sun shined on me too directly which I knew I didn't need to have happening, due to the chemotherapy, so I ended up standing where I figured the bus would come to a stop in order for all of us commuters to board.



I decided to put my phone on, I guess you call it Facetime, so that I could hold it up to the window and catch some candid shots, maybe a video. Here's a photo that I cropped because about a third of it was of the inner wall that separates this window from the next one. I like how this turned out! The shelter and the stop are at the MAX Green and Yellow Lines' stop beside Pioneer Courthouse on SW 6th between SW Yamhill and SW Morrison. Pioneer Courthouse Square is directly across the street.



I like this video! The building is one of A. E. Doyle's best, in my opinion--it's my favorite--the Bank of California built in 1924. I wish I were filthy rich 'cause I'd love to own it! The video ends as the 12 pulls to a stop at the bus shelter in front of a restaurant called the Original Dinerant on SW 6th. The next building north is the Big Pink. I've eaten at the Original twice, but that was at least two or more years ago. The food was good, sort of expensive if you don't make Happy Hour, and I might stop there some time in the future before I go to a Portland Trail Blazers' home game. I would then catch the MAX to the game at the stop beside the Big Pink.



Here's a video as we head up the slope of the Burnside Bridge and on across the Willamette River. I stopped the video sooner that I meant to, but that's OK. You get the idea of how the bridge railing looks, as well as the sidewalks. At the beginning of the video, the bridge approach is above downtown streets and the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, thus all of those trees.



Finally, here is a video shot through the windshield, showing you the new building being built at the east end of the Burnside Bridge, right up against the north side of the bridge. The building's name? Yard. Just Yard. Not The Yard.

Chemo Round One, Day 4: Flugtag came back to Portland today. I stayed home, but in 2008, I had a blast at the event!

The anti-nausea meds continue to work! Hallelujah! The main chemo side effect I'm dealing with--peripheral neuropathy which is nerve pain. And how!

From mid-thigh down, my legs have been humming since yesterday at 3:30 p.m.--that's the only way I can describe it, underneath the skin it feels like tissues are vibrating slightly, thus I decided the word humming fits. Plus my knees and sometimes my ankles have ached and have not wanted to be stretched out on the recliner or on the bed, so I've stood up and walked around. I did manage to sleep some in both places during the night, after I took some Tylenol. Off and on today, the humming and the aching waxed and waned--thank goodness. Those times of steady humming are not any fun, period.

Another thing that peripheral neuropathy causes is stumbling and balance problems while walking. This has happened enough that I noticed it as I made my way around the apartment, so I decided not to walk in the hallway today--no reason to tempt fate, right? No falls or trips in here--I am blessed. Plus, although I have felt tingles and twinges in my hands, they've been few and far between.

One more good thing, I now only have to take anti-nausea meds as needed, so that means less chemicals entering my body. That's got to be a good sign!



Today's event, covered by all of the local TV stations, evidently drew too many boats to the river to watch, so that the Coast Guard withdrew the event's permit at 4 p.m. The waterways have to be clear for commercial traffic, I think one station mentioned. Anyway, here's a photo that I took of a giant Big Wheel when I went in 2008 and stayed for hours and hours of crazy entertainment.



Here it is as it hit the water. I cannot tell for sure from subsequent photos, but I'm pretty certain that not only did the pilot (the guy on the Big Wheel itself) and the buy you see jumping off in this photo but also those other two in khaki and black jumped into the river. I don't have them jumping or on the way down, but they're not standing with the media crew, so since they were done pushing their Big Wheel off the edge, surely they all three jumped. Crazy folks having fun in Portland. I'll bet that went on today and the fact that the Coast Guard shut down the boaters watching didn't stop the competition from completion. One TV station said that Red Bull will release the results on Twitter.

Here's some info on the event itself, in case you're wanting to understand why anyone would want to get in a crowd of 80,000 people like I did in 2008 and watch folks jump, well, try to fly, off a platform into the Willamette River.

Why You Should Go

Red Bull Flugtag (“flying day” in German) has taken place worldwide for 23 years, entertaining more than 500,000 people annually. Teams of five from across the U.S. can submit a creative concept at redbullflugtagusa.com and if selected begin building their human-powered flying machines. Come August 1, 2015, they will push their crafts off of a 28-foot-high deck into the Willamette River in an attempt to break the world record of 258 ft. Participants will be judged on distance, creativity and showmanship.

Portland is the only U.S. Red Bull Flugtag taking place in 2015. A truly city-stopping moment, Tom McCall Waterfront Park has been filled with up to 80,000 spectators in previous year’s Red Bull Flugtag events. The fun packed event will let the wackiest and most daring participants from across the U.S. make a splash into the Willamette and attempt to break the current 258 ft. world record set in Long Beach in 2013.

Insider’s Secret

Anyone can apply to fly in the competition! Past applicants have used inspiration such as their favorite food, pop culture, technology, and mythology, and have even attempted to drum up hometown support with crafts based on colleges, sports teams, and other elements that their city is famous for – all in the name of testing gravity’s limits for the public’s entertainment.

Your Wallet Says Free to apply and free to attend!

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.

Bridge lifts and Fleet Week, 2015

So, this morning at my break, I walked around on the rooftop garden for a bit of exercise, and I noticed the Broadway Bridge up, then I noticed the Steel Bridge up. That meant the US Navy ships in town for Fleet Week, a part of the Portland Rose Festival, were leaving Portland as scheduled. I took this photo, hoping to be able to label it accordingly and use it on the blog. The two bridges are more than two miles from my work building. I'm surprised that I got decent photos with my iPhone 5, zoomed in. The labels on the photos don't show up as well as I'd like, but I'm too tired to fool with them again.



At my afternoon break, I took this photo for comparison purposes.



Also for comparison, here's a photo that I took of the Broadway Bridge from the MAX Yellow Line while on the Steel Bridge. The Broadway Bridge is a Rall-type bascule bridge spanning the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, built in 1913.



Also for comparison, here's a photo that I took of the Steel Bridge in 2011 when I got to be on a boat with the ships came in for Fleet Week. See the wavy looking bridge behind it, close to the bottom of the Steel Bridge? That's the Broadway Bridge which is north of the 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. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic (on the Pacific Highway West No. 1W, former Oregon Route 99W) and light rail (MAX), making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America, after the nearby Hawthorne Bridge. The bridge links the Rose Quarter and Lloyd District in the east to Old Town Chinatown neighborhood in the west.



During Fleet Week, 2011, I got to be on a boat on the river, taking loads of photos. Here's one of the completely open Broadway Bridge with one of the ships passing through it during the bridge lift. This is how a bascule bridge looks when it is open. The boat to its left is one of the River Patrol boats, part of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.



And here's the Steel Bridge with one of the ships passing through it, headed to dock for Fleet Week. This is how a double-deck, vertical lift bridge looks when the ship going through means that both decks have to be lifted. Sometimes only the lower deck has to be lifted, when the ship is much shorter than this one.