Seen on TriMet, MAX Yellow Line this time for people watching.

I'm making up a story here. When she boarded the MAX Yellow Line train, the lady sat in the only empty seat and turned tightly to her right, holding herself so that she didn't accidentally look at the boys beside her or what leaned between the legs of the one with the black hair. That lady had a brother who loved his skateboard back in the 1960s when they were new to the world and much shorter, narrower, rolled on a different sort of wheels. It's been over fifty years, and she still can't look at a skateboard, it matters not that these days skateboards look nothing like they did back then. If she glimpses a skateboard, hears one clackety-clacking on the sidewalk, and the break in her heart freshens with her awareness. Yet her reaction has nothing to do with those changes and all to do with the fact that her beloved brother, drafted into the US Army, came home from Vietnam in a body bag.

Sight I saw while out and about yesterday, enjoying a few moments of sunshine, plus an UPDATE

With Lamont here to help, we took a load of clothes down the 10 steps to the basement laundry room. After we returned there to put the clothes in the dryer, I decided to walk out the building's side door and around to the front door to get back to my apartment which is near the front door. While taking a photo of the sunshine in these banana tree leaves, I caught the guy who had just rattled by on the sidewalk. See him just to the right of the leaves.



He's got a plastic tub stuffed to the gills with something, topped by a black drum, all balanced on top of a skateboard.

Skillfully he pushed his cargo from the sidewalk, through the intersection, and continued south on the street.

Ah, the joys of being out and about in Portland.

UPDATE:  I have  low grade uterine cancer. Friday morning at 8 a.m., I have an appointment with a surgeon who deals with what the scheduler called "cancer from the belly button down," in other words, her specialty is cancer in a woman's reproductive tract. We will discuss the pathology report thoroughly as well as a plan for what's next, which the scheduler labeled a plan for care/cure. I will leave the appointment with a complete understanding of the pathology and the plan.

THANK YOU for your continued prayers, love and concern.

Downtown on April 8, 2011. Laughing in the sunshine while waiting at the door.

Noticed these two laughing in the sunshine. Here's my take on what's going on. They know each other, work together; they're waiting for the door to open so that they can report to work. She rode to work on mass transit, her entire commute. He rode most of the way on mass transit, then changed to his skateboard for the rest of the way.



This second photo shows the two of them still laughing and obviously still waiting on that door.



The door now open, the lady's already stepped out of sight except for a corner of her purse. He's holding it open for her and, from the shape of his cheek, is still smiling. I believe these two had a great day at work! Since they're entering an unmarked door, I'd be guessing where they work, but at the time I took this photo, I think the downtown Nike store was still in the building to the left of the door. He's wearing Nike shoes. I can't see the sides of her shoes, but I believe there's a swoosh on her jacket. So, I'm thinking they worked in the Nike store in the multi-story building known as the Public Service Building, designed by prolific Portland architect A. E. Doyle, completed in 1927.

Mini mass transit, the skateboard, and a sports report

Lots and lots of folks travel Portland's streets and sidewalks on skateboards. During the warm months when we keep our windows open, Mama and I hear them all hours of the day and night, clickety clacking at each expansion joint of the sidewalk or just zipping along on the street in front of or beside our building. I'm glad they make noise because I doubt I'll step out in front of one when I'm waiting on Duncan to come out from beneath the shrubs.

This particular guy skates along in front of three parked Portland Police Bureau cars. The lot is across the street from PGE Park, and at this particular moment on Saturday, April 26, the Portland Timbers were about half an hour away from playing the Seattle Sounders in a USL First Division soccer game. Heated rivalry, hence the security. I had witnessed a bus load of Sounders' supporters loudly and profanely disembark at another nearby corner earlier, then saw a family taking their small son to the gate. "How will they explain the rowdiness and the profanity," I wondered. Portland won 2-0.

Do you see people commuting by skateboard in your city?