UPDATE and I went to the Blazer's pre-season game!

UPDATE: I made a meatloaf from scratch today and baked three potatoes. Now one of the potatoes is gone, as well as part of the meatloaf. Gone, as in enjoyed bite by bite! Work tomorrow 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, too. Thanks for your continued prayers, love, and concern. 



Right after I sat down in my seat, I took this photo with my iPhone--pre-game-shoot-around. Here's how I got to my seat. First, Lamont let me know that he'd pick me up at 5:30 p.m. so that I would be there in plenty of time for the 6 p.m. start of the game. Then, on the way I called the phone number I'd been given last April for the wheelchair escort. It didn't work, so I asked Lamont to let me out at the curb, and I walked slowly to the entrance I always use.



Once I got inside and through security, a Portland Police Bureau officer complimented me on my hat! Sweet! Thanks, Lori, for making it for me! Other employees smiled at me, but I'll bet it was my hat that got them going!

Next I talked with some Guest Services guys, Jose, Pecola, and Braheem, who made certain that a wheelchair appeared quickly to whisk me away to my entrance. They also let me know that I had been given an incorrect phone number last April. Now I've edited it and know that once I appear at that gate, Pecola says he'll have a wheelchair waiting for me and/or send one out to the curb for me, if need be. I want to walk when I feel good enough to do so. I also found out that before the wheelchair escort leaves, I can make a reservation for the return of the wheelchair, say a specific time or when the game ends, etc. That's great to know!



The Blazers didn't play very well until the 4th quarter when all of a sudden we were totally in the game. This young man, C.J. McCollum, scored 18 of his 26 points in the 4th quarter and OT! This is a photo of my big ol' TV screen when C.J. was being interview after the game.

I had asked Leland to pick me up at 8:15 p.m., so the wheelchair arrived back at my gate at 8:05 p.m. The game was very close, and right after we got outside, I checked the app--it looked like we had a chance! The wheelchair escort LaShawn waited with me on the sidewalk until Leland got there. By the time we pulled away, the game had gone into overtime! And when I got home and turned on my big ol' TV, the Blazers had the lead and went on to win! Who cares if it was just a pre-season game? The players leaned a lot tonight, I'll bet. I liked that they never quit!

How nice all of these men were tonight, from my sons Lamont and Leland, to Pecola and Braheem and LaShawn, plus Jose who also had been nice and helpful for me several times four years ago. I cannot forget to mention the usher at my section, Paul. What a great guy! I was very tickled to recognize him as I approached. I hope that I feel good enough to go to the home opener on October 28!

UPDATE and I miss being out and about, looking for fall foliage to photograph. The next best thing, searching my Flickr account for photos taken in October. 2007.

UPDATE: Saturday's been much like Friday, and I'm thankful for no increase in the fatigue. Leland, my younger son, came over today and did two loads of laundry, figured out what I'd touched on my camera to cause a couple of distracting actions and tried patiently to get stuck in my chemo-addled-mind what to do if/when either one happens again.



Downtown, the elk stands tall on SW Main between two lovely, square block city parks. I really like this statue, The Thompson Elk Fountain. Notice that line of TriMet buses in the background? Since this is October, 2007, the downtown Transit Mall is rerouted to SW Third--the street you see--and SW 4th which is behind me to the west, so that the actual mall on SW 5th and SW 6th could be totally redone which took a couple of years. The building with the teal-colored glass is the Justice Center, home to various courts and one of the Multnomah County jails. I've seen vintage photos of horses hitched into delivery wagons drinking from this fountain, and I've witnessed Portland Police Bureau horses taking a drink from it.



The teal-colored lower floors of the Portland Building look neat against the golden leaves of the gingko trees. Here's a bit about the fountain, from the city's Web site, fountain page: David P. Thompson drove sheep to Portland over the Oregon Trail. From 1879-82 he served as Portland's Mayor. In 1900, Thompson's gift of this bronze elk sculpture was intended to commemorate elk that once grazed nearby. Roland Hinton Perry sculpted the elk.



Here's a 4 bus making its way by the elk without difficulty. Lots of days after work, I'm on that bus, lately only if I miss the Portland Streetcar outside my work building.



Other vehicles successfully pass the fountain, too.

UPDATE and some fall foliage

UPDATE: I didn't work today which was planned; I work on Monday and Tuesday next week. I rested every time my body told me to take it easy. I didn't want to go outside, so I walked in the building hallway some. I enjoyed watching the Royals beat the Blue Jays 5-0 on my big ol' TV. Thank you for your continued prayers, love and concern.



The Saturday that Leland and I went out taking photos of Forest for the Trees 2015 murals, we saw these beauties south of East Burnside. I imagine they all been blown off the trees by now. I'm glad that I got the photo through Leland's windshield .

UPDATE and a decision being made at Dutch Bros, corner of SE Grand and SE Belmont

--> UPDATE: Made it to work, worked four hours, made it home from work. Very tired after work. Stopped at the Blue Diamond for a great deli sandwich and salt-less tater tots--I only ate half of it, the rest is in frig for tomorrow. I'm watching Mets v Dodgers on TV now. When I finish this post, I'll head for the recliner. I don't work again until Monday, but I will figure out some walking opportunities the next three days, for sure. Thanks for your continued prayers, love, and concern!



After work today I took two photos through the Portland Streetcar window as we waited at a traffic signal. I captured a slice of life. This Dutch Bros coffee stand stays busy, drive through window opposite side of it from this walk up window. The man in the doorway works there and stepped part-way out as his opinion on what to drink is needed. The first man in line asked; maybe the second man in line is gaining info, too--that's what his body language says to me.



The girl  with the white and blue braid (Elsa, anyone?) stepping through the door behind the guy helping the customers carried a tray filled with something I didn't get a good enough look at to decide what it was other than small and light enough that she easily carried a sort of bread loaf tray like you see at bakery outlet stores filled with whatever it was. Maybe bags of flavored coffees or flavorings to add to base coffee choices? I have no idea--I don't drink coffee. Anyway, by the body language of the two men in line, I believe they've both made a selection and are happily either telling the guy or are about to tell the guy. Slice of life, y'all, reflections and all.

UPDATE and a quick bit of fall foliage, well the beginning of it on these particular trees

UPDATE: Felt like myself until 1 p.m., then the fatigue came back, making me out of breath after walking 12-15 feet. I have places to rest no matter where I am, be it a bench or a chair, a wall or a post. In other words, I make it. I continue to make it.



This morning I transferred from the 12 to the 4 at the shelter downtown at SW Pine and SW 5th. Sitting in one of the seats, I noticed this autumn-leaves-tipped trees and zoomed in for this photo. When I uploaded it to Flickr, I saw that I have one of my favorite things in the photo, too, what I call a street-level-matching-accessory--the orangey bronze Honda parked on SW 5th. Love it! You'll find lots of leaves that it's color matches very well. Plus, y'all, take a look at the bricks on the sidewall of the service station. Orangey! Double SLMA!

UPDATE and I took a lot of photos because I really liked the sky with the roses

UPDATE: Today was rough due to, let's see, how should I call it? Digestive irregularities. Made it to work and back, though. Not too much fatigue, thank goodness. Tomorrow's another day, y'all.



Lovely light and shadows made for some fun for me with my camera. Notice the orange windsock? Sometimes a news helicopter lands on that roof.



This wide shot sets the scene for you. I took both photos while seated on one of the benches on the south side of the entrance sidewalk. For the top one, I zoomed in--the roses are behind the benches on the north side of the entrance sidewalk. The tan building is across NE Sandy where NE 22nd joins it.

UPDATE and a lovely rose

UPDATE: OK today, some energy some of the time, not much the rest of the time.



Isn't this one lovely, y'all? Especially in front of the dark clouds? I hope you like it as much as I do. Thanks!

UPDATE and I tried to get creative Saturday morning taking photos in the roses at Albertina Kerr

UPDATE: I went to the Fred Meyer with Lamont today and walked quite a bit throughout the very large Hollywood store, using the grocery cart to provide rest when needed. That was good for me, to work on stamina. However, when we got home, I found myself exhausted which means that my oncology pharmacist's prediction that fatigue would set in even more between Chemo Round Four and Round Five has come true. I shall not give up. I shall walk and rest and repeat until I accomplish however much I am able to manage. I shall not overdo anything so as to put myself in jeopardy. And, as always, I thank you for every single prayer, for your love and concern.



I held my camera among the small blossoms in a large pot placed between two benches on the south side of the front walk up to the doorway of the Albertina Kerr Center. Sitting on the other bench and twisting myself to the right, not wanting to crush any of the flowers and not being able to see my tilt screen very well in the bright sun so I had no idea where the focus might lock, I held the camera as still as I could, depressed the shutter button half way, heard the focus sound, and took one photo after another, repeating the steps until I had to sit back and rest, enjoying the smell of the roses blowing in the breeze. None of the photos are exactly what I hoped to accomplish with such a haphazard process, but I am pleased with this one, so I'm sharing it with y'all.

UPDATE and the skies of Portland over the past few weeks

UPDATE: Slept well until around 3:15 a.m., then slept off and on until 8:30 a.m. I've been outside before the predicted rain started so that I could get in some walking. I'm walking in the building off and on now. I don't have much stamina yet, but I'm working on it. In fact, I walked the two blocks to Subway and got a tuna sandwich which I carried back home in a rain shower--I wore my hooded raincoat on purpose, y'all, so I was fine and able to rest at the somewhat wet picnic table at the Blue Diamond's back door on the way there and back. Y'all, thanks for your continued prayers, love, and concern.



I took this photo today, mid-morning, when I went out for a walk. For me, the sky tells the tale of why this flag flys at half mast--the heaviness in a lot of folks hearts and minds after the murders at Umpqua Community College on October 1. I assume that's th case, that Albertina Kerr followed the President's call to lower the American flag to half mast; however, they've not returned it to the top of the flag pole yet--the order was half mast through October 6.



Portland has some fantastic blue skies, sometimes with clouds which magnify their impact. I took this photo on October 8, six minutes after I took the next one on today's post. I was on my way home after work. I waited at East Burnside and NE Grand for a 12 or a 19 bus. That building on the left will end up 21 stories, not all visible from this position since the ground floor of it rests below the height of the Burnside Bridge, and I'm at that height here on East Burnside. The one on the right tops out at 10 stories. Both of those heights are what I found online in early stories about the construction--I assume there have been no changes.



Thirteen blocks south of the previous photo, same day, 2:34 p.m. I took this one as I sat at the Portland Streetcar shelter, waiting. I like the juxtaposition of the rust-induced-chocolate-truffle-colored public art with the blue sky. The sculpture's title is Inversion Plus Minus.



Downtown, outside the Portland Art Museum, September 26, when Leland and I had been inside at The Artisans Cup American Bonsai exhibition. I'm sorry to report that I don't know the name of this sculpture; it's in the outdoor courtyard between the two buildings that make up the PAM. The 175-foot tall church bell tower peeking between the trees and the cloud is across the South Park Blocks; it's the First Congregational United Church of Christ and is amazing in its architecture and Povey Brothers Studio stained glass windows.



One last photo of Portland skies, this one taken as I arrived at work on September 22. More of Inversion Plus Minus, the public art which also appears at the opposite end of the block and is shown in an earlier photo in today's post.

UPDATE and a lamp post detail in need of some TLC

UPDATE: I made it better going to and from work. In fact, I went on an after-work field trip in search of fried chicken by catching a bus across the street from work--it let me out in the same block as my destination, then I caught one later on right across the street that took me downtown a little over a block from where I caught my last bus of the homeward commute. I found a fried chicken breast on the side at Pine State Biscuits, as well as a biscuit with butter and strawberry jam. It satisfied my craving but wasn't really what I was looking for--I'll have to keep looking around Portland for it 'cause I'm not gonna be cooking it myownself. After I got near home, I stopped by the Blue Diamond to visit a while and was there long enough to get hungry again, about four and a half hours after the chicken. So, I decided to see if I could satisfy another craving I've been having, for a steak. I ate almost all of a tasty small sirloin strip steak, nice-sized baked potato and a side salad. I haven't done anything like this is weeks. I walked on home and don't feel sleepy yet which is good since it's just after 8 p.m. I'll be walking in the building's hallway over the weekend and on Monday. Thanks for your continued prayers, love, and concern. Y'all mean so much to me!



Earlier this week I noticed this when the streetcar stopped to pick up or drop off. I thought it certainly worthy of a photo to share with you.



Here's a bit of a wider shot.



And one still wider which also includes the sign for the business on the corner. I hope you've enjoyed these three photos on the blog today.