Colorful toe-wiggling time at Pioneer Courthouse Square, downtown Portland

Taken on August 5 as I waited with Marsha and Lamont for the beginning of the Architectural Heritage Center's Downtown Terra Cotta Walking Tour.

Hey, if you wanna see me standing at Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s pit box at Talladega Superspeedway last Nov. 1, click on Mama and Me from PDX, found in My Other Blogs. If that's not inducement enough, I'm wearing a special hat!

Seen on the streets of Portland, near the bus stop at SW 5th and SW Salmon

I sit at the bus stop, waiting. I look around and notice how passing pedestrians appear through the glass wall.


I notice the man on the right who is sitting at the other end of the bus shelter; it appears he's on his computer.

As the women pass beside me, heading south, I think, "There's no denying it; they have to be mother and daughters."


I swivel on my chair and get this photo which proves my point rather well.

Light and shadow, stripes and swirls, lines--seen at Pioneer Courthouse Square

Taken a few seconds apart as I walked from the top of the square to the bottom. Naturally the cat and its beautiful markings caught my eye. The time is about 6:25 p.m., thus the waning sun on the bricks.

Entree Envy, Anyone?

Succulent, sweet, wonderfully textured new entree at 3 Doors Down Cafe, orecchiette, oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, smoked bacon, scallion sauce--I ate half of it for my Friday night supper and brought the rest home for lunch on Saturday.

What makes a cherry tomato sweet? It's bound to be a miracle inside that tiny globe, the combination of sugar in the tomato's meat, held inside by that tight, firm skin. Put them in the oven, sliced in half by a properly sharp knife, and a proscribed number of minutes later you've got a bite of heaven with each one.

Bridge Lift, Morrison Bridge, July 16, 2010

After the PDX Bridge Festival KICKOFF event, I walked south to the steps that go up to the Morrison Bridge so that I could catch the 15 bus home. As I climbed the steps, I noticed tail lights on the bridge, cars crossing the bridge from Southeast Portland or coming off the exit from I-5 southbound. Ah, I said jubilantly to myself. Sharon Wood Wortman's bridge walk is now inside the western leg of the Morrison Bridge. The bridge operator is opening the bridge as part of the tour! What an ever-lovin' treat to see it from where I stood at the top of the steps. You see, I went on one of her bridge walks back in 2008 and have yet to post about it because I took so doggone many photos that I can't make up my mind which ones to post!


This is blurry, but I wanted to share it with you anyway. I took it from the 15 as we rode west across the now closed bridge. That's the bridge operator's tower you see through the window. Those colors and shapes are some of the people on Sharon's bridge walk. That is one of the things you get to do, hear all about it from the bridge operator. Neat-o!

Vivid, seen on the streets of Portland

I love the way the sunlight enhances her hair. They are on the corner of SE 37th and Hawthorne. I took this photo on the way to 3 Doors Down Cafe.

By the way if you want to see some steaming mud, take a look at Mama and Me from PDX, my other blog.

A Couple of Zipsters! That's Mama and me.

Kaleb of Zipcar took this photo of us right after we walked up to the Grand Opening of their new office on the corner of SW 10th and SW Yamhill. I had taken a day of vacation so that we could go to the Lucky Eagle, but we went to her lung doctor's office first so that she could have her oxygen titrated and her home oxygen prescription updated. Now we can go somewhere and spend the night! Once we finished there, we headed for the Grand Opening. I couldn't believe how lucky we were to find a parking spot within a hundred feet!


The new office--very visible to all who go by on mass transit, both the MAX and the Streetcar. They just might be potential Zipsters!


Meet Scion xA Artale, our vehicle of the day. It lives at NW 21st and Flanders, a mere two blocks away from home. It drives very well, but my first thought as I pulled out to turn right was "This is like driving a windshield!" Not one bit of the hood is visible as you drive.


Mama posed at the back of the car.


Mama posed at the passenger door of the car. She's standing there, both feet in the street, then she asks, "Want me to put my foot up?" Cutie pie! I like this one a whole lot!


Mama in the passenger seat. Don't worry, I put her seatbelt on her before I got into the car.


And here I am, smirking somewhat for the camera as I held it out in front of me and pushed the button.

We lost our money at the casino--imagine that--but we did enjoy the outing. I got to take a few photos of a splendid vintage Chevrolet Apache truck as well as a few of some round bales of hay. Come back for them tomorrow.

And head on over to Mama and Me from PDX for our supper and some trick-or-treaters from Oct. 31, 2009.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Bright Colors

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Here are my photos for Theme Day--I couldn't pick just one! The Hawthorne Bridge is 100 years old this year. It is the oldest vertical lift bridge in the United States. We are currently right in the middle of its birthday party, so to speak. It's the first ever PDX Bridge Festival. One of the special events involves fabric and light on the bridge, fabric and light that interacts with traffic and pedestrians as they cross the Willamette River.




I took these photos Thursday night, July 29, 2010, from the Eastbank Esplanade. Since I didn't have a tripod with me, I rested my elbows on the metal pipe railing and held my breath as I took each one.


All of a sudden I heard ringing bells and saw flashing red lights. A bridge lift! Hooray!




What a delicious few moments of serendipity!


Here's the tugboat and the barge, on their way north, upriver towards the Columbia River and possibly the Pacific Ocean.

The tunnel of light, usually known as the Hawthorne Bridge, downtown Portland

Part of the PDX Bridge Festival involves highlight the birthday bridge, the Hawthorne which turns 100 this year.

Here's a bit about the lights on the bridge, from the PDX Bridge Festival Web site:
FABRIC AND LIGHT

The centerpiece of this years festival is the Hawthorne Bridge, which celebrates its hundredth anniversary in 2010. In honor of the centennial of the nation’s oldest working vertical lift bridge, we’ve designed an installation that will transform this bridge into a large-scale work of kinetic art. The lighting display makes use of programmable and environmentally aware lighting technology to interact with the nightly vehicle and bike traffic on the bridge. The lights accentuate 48 panels of colored fabric installed in three spans of the bridge trusses, turning the structure into a wash of color and moving light, and marking the rhythm of commuter traffic as it moves across the bridge. The installation will be visible for the 15 days of the festival and can be viewed from neighboring bridges, both esplanades of the Willamette River and downtown buildings.

I got to take this photo Thursday night through the windshield of the Zipcar Artale, a Scion xA. After making sure that no one was behind me a we headed west across the Willamette River, I stopped on the bridge and took four photos. Oh, joy!

Come back tomorrow for some that I took from the Eastbank Esplanade. They will be my City Daily Photo Theme Day pictures!

To see the latest on our vacation and my trip to Talladega Superspeedway, be sure to check out Mama and Me from PDX. The truck race is on!

When I left the KICK OFF event for the PDX Bridge Festival, my miniature art car "Icons on Parade" was still in one piece.

A little girl admires my miniature art car.


Everyone's inside--this is only part of the Olympic Mills Commerce Center which used to be a cereal mill. From the Internet: "The Olympic Mills Commerce Center, located in the close-in southeast riverfront area, joins other BEAM mixed use creative / office / flex-space developments - the Water Avenue Commerce Center and the Eastbank Commerce Center - in offering beautifully updated, affordable, historic rental spaces to a wide range of creative businesses."


Entertainment provided by the Amazin Jerkz--they danced on what I assume was the loading dock at one time. I stood on the street and tried to get some good shots.




Can you see the guy standing on his hands? The rest of them are certainly enjoying it!




I took this photo of these handsome, energetic and talented young men after their scheduled show, then I met a lady name Kay--I think that's her son is in the orange shirt.


A few minutes later on of their appreciative fans, a young man, asked me if I was having a good time, to which I replied, "Sure am." He danced around to the music that the DJ continued to blast from his set-up. I continued, "But I can't dance like you do." He said, "Aw," as I went on to say, "But I can do the Electric Slide," after which he implored me to teach him. I moved out into the edge of the dock area where the Amazin Jerkz had been dancing and proceeded to show him my ol' lady version of my favorite dance after the two-step which I don't ever get to do 'cause I don't have man! Anyway, I saw Kay go by and snagged her to dance with us, then in a few minutes we had folks watching us and smiling and another woman whose hair is grayer than mine joined in. What fun we had for about 15 minutes, until the Amazin Jerkz got to dancing again--see below a few more shots--I could use the rest!













Head over to Mama and Me from PDX for the latest vacation post!

Seen on the streets of Portland: 1952 - maybe - Chevrolet Pickup Truck, going south on SW Broadway

A beauty. A beloved beauty, from the looks of it. I tell you, vintage vehicles abound in Portland--I am a blessed woman.

By the way, please look at Mama and Me from PDX (in My Other Blogs) to see a new vacation post. Thanks!

KICK-OFF PARTY: July 23rd, PDX Bridge Festival

First let me say that I have decided to post about our vacation over at Mama and Me from PDX--you can get there from the link in My Other Blogs. Today is all about Milton, the Cajun Fryer, and loads of fried delights!


My miniature art car, "Icons on Parade," is in the art show! Read all about the evening below. It ought to be quite a night! The entire PDX Bridge Festival runs through August 8--find out all about it at PDX Bridge Festival dot org.




Fireworks from the 4th of July seem fitting in celebration of the Hawthorne Bridge's 100th birthday--that's what got the PDX Bridge Festival going.

PDX Bridge Festival organizers will combine three of their favorite things in one kick-off event at Olympic Mills Commerce Center: ART + MUSIC + PERFORMANCE! Join PDX Bridge Festival and curatorial art partner Portland City Art, as they begin two weeks of art, music, culture, and fun celebrating the bridges that connect us all. In keeping with the theme of bridging cultures, the opening event, Curated by our partners-in-art, Portland City Art, “Nuts, Bolts, and Slabs of Steel” showcases the 2-D and 3-D art works of over 50 Portlanders. PDX Bridge Festival’s opening event will also feature performance by a number of established and newcomer troupes, and involve our elected officials in sanctioning the fun and freaky side of our creative city! From massive sculpture to individual performance, this event—co-produced with Portland City Art—sets the tone for the weeks to come. Don’t miss it!

Free/All Ages

Olympic Mills Commerce Center, 107 SE Washington Street

July 23rd, 6 – 11 pm

At 7pm, Mayor Sam Adams will officially open the festival with brief remarks about the importance of art and culture in our city. Outlining his plan for arts and culture in the coming years and how an event such as PDX Bridge Festival fits into that vision, Mayor Adams will also speak about his role in the festival from its inception to its launch.

Music and Performance:
Following the mayor’s remarks, the event will feature a performance by the AMAZIN’ JERKS — an up and coming teen dance troupe from Northeast Portland with a very unique street dancing style. You can see their work here: www.vimeo.com/9354335. DANNY CORN will be spinning music all night long on Scion’s customized xB DJ Booth Car, which converts from a road-ready city cruiser into a mobile sound stage. Later in the evening, from 9-11pm, the event presents additional performances by:

DEVIANT DANCE COMPANY, a bellydance fusion troupe devoted to storytelling and the deep spirit of dance.
WANDERLUST CIRCUS, the proudest circus family in Free Cascadia, will preview some of their bits from their special PDX Bridge Festival production, “Battle for the Bridge”
BRIDGETOWN REVUE TRIO will close out the night with acts of acrobalance and vaudeville from their repertoire.
Roving performers will roam the gallery and entertain guests as they peruse the art and enjoy the space and music.

About the Art:
Ever wondered how many nuts, bolts, shims, slabs of steel, cables, contractors and pounds of concrete are poured into a bridge like our very own Fremont? And is it a Howe Truss, and X-Truss, Burer Arche, Town Lattice, Partridge Truss, Whippel Trapeziodal or just a plain Suspension design? If these questions leave you confounded, clouded or curious, the answer might be standing, laying, hanging and swinging from the walls, floors and scores of seams of Olympic Mills Beam Bridge Gallery. 7′ bronze sculptures and 10′ steel renditions of the St. Johns Bridge Cathedral Spires—surrounded by 75+ paintings, collages, photographs, prints and posters from stellar Portland artists—fill the Beam Bridge Gallery at Olympic Mills.

Beer will be provided by PDXBF sponsor Lagunitas Brewing Company, and delcious wine graciously donated by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly. Come on down to the Beam Bridge gallery and see what a celebration and homage the artists are cooking up for PDX Bridge Festival!

Setting sun sparks KOIN Tower windows as I wait for the 4th of July fireworks

From my friends' boat on the Willamette River, I noticed the KOIN Tower windows, glowing wondrously. I clicked the D50 a few times, hoping to get at least one photo that would do justice to the sight. I like this one best because it not only shows the windows but also give you a good idea of the size of the crowd at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival there in Tom McCall Waterfront Park as well as the number of boats visible in the narrow space captured by the camera.

The building is 509 feet tall, Oregon's third tallest building. The building was originally named Fountain Plaza, but it quickly came to be known as the KOIN Center, or KOIN Tower, reflecting the name of its highest-profile occupant, KOIN television. The building was controversial while being constructed because its location blocked the view of Mount Hood that had long been seen by drivers emerging from the Vista Ridge Tunnel under Portland's West Hills going eastbound on U.S. Route 26. The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is the largest blues fest west of the Mississippi and the second largest on in the USA.

Savor summertime at 3 Doors Down Cafe

New entree on the menu at 3 Doors Down Cafe. This is the first time I've ever taken a photo of a dish that I didn't eat afterwards. I had listened to Lamont's description of it and knew immediately that I would want to photograph it. So I asked him to let me know when he plated it again. Our waitress did just that. It's pan-roasted Oregon albacore tuna, bacon, chilled mache greens and sliced heirloom tomatoes with Mama Lil's Hungarian pepper aioli.

Before I forget, since Mama and I were at 3 Doors Down on Sunday night, we had Happy Hour food, all small dishes which we shared: grilled corn on the cob with blue cheese butter; tuna salad stuffed piquillo peppers; egg fettuccine, truffle oil and black pepper; mini meatballs, marinara, mozzarella. Actually I took half of the fettuccine and the tuna-stuffed piquillo peppers home and ate them for lunch on Monday. Lucky, lucky me!

Going south on the Willamette, towards the 4th of July fireworks

The Fremont Bridge takes my breath away. Looking south at the bridge.










Looking north at the bridge.