Neons are in! No street visible this time, just a glorious giant boot! No. 10

Thanks to the map, you can tell that we're now on the northeast corner at Dr. Martens. We've made it around the entire intersection now. I took these photos on October 16, 2010.
    

I cannot resist the chance to say this, "I fell head over heels for the giant boot at Dr. Martens!"
 

The laces, stitching, and writing on the loop at the back of the giant boot certainly are neon yellow.
 

For you who frequent Portland Oregon Daily Photo, a perspective which shows the location of Dr. Martens, on the northeast corner of NW 10th Avenue and West Burnside, in relation to the Big Pink, for me another oft-blogged-about-iconic-Portland sight. The Big Pink is at SW 5th and West Burnside, five blocks east of Dr. Martens.

Hope you've enjoyed the Neons are in! as much as I have. Thanks!

Neons are in! Once again, not exactly neon, but for real we've got street level matching colors, No. 9

Here's the map of the intersection. Today's photo is of the corner at the Sizzle Pie. You can tell from the map that it's one of those intriguing triangle-shaped corners and/or buildings. I took this photo on May 19, 2012.



Standing on SW 10th Avenue at West Burnside, pedestrians wait for the traffic signal so that they can continue to walk north.

One woman wears a salmon orange top. Coming around the corner is a younger woman wearing the same color top, just muted a bit. Then you've got the dark reddish orange letters with golden yellow light bulbs which make up the letters Sizzle Pie. And then in the corner window behind the man in the green beret, a red or reddish orange vehicle is reflected in the pizzeria's windows, along with its red neon Pizza sign.

Plus that lady with the grayish-lavender knee-length shorts is wearing a gray top and gray cardigan which match the painted bricks at Sizzle Pie. Her shorts, the man's plaid shirt, and the woman coming around the corner wearing the purple cardigan all match, too, in that they're in the purple family.

All of the men are wearing hats. And at least six of the pedestrians are wearing denim jeans. Cool!

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 8

Here's the map again. Today's photo, taken on May 19, 2012, shows SW 10th which is the same street that the bright yellow Portland Streetcar rode on in the post from Monday, 05/28/2012. The vehicles are heading northbound on the one-way street.
 

I realize that I really don't need to point out the three, count 'em, three people wearing the matching neon chartreuse green! They're as obvious as the noses on our faces! Abundant serendipity at play here.

Now for the street level matching colors, also abundant. The girl walking away has on shoes which are two shades of gray, as well as a gray skirt, all of which match the pavement, parts of the sidewalk, that pole in the light gray base on the right, plus the wall and overhang on that building down the street. Part of her shoulder bag is a muted chartreuse, the section beneath the flap, the outline of the flower on the flap, and the shoulder strap itself.

The girl walking towards me has on a black coat, black pants and carries a black bag, all of which match the line of poles either beside her or marching out of sight beyond her. Also, check out that man walking towards me, wearing sunglasses. He's got on a black jacket and black pants!

And the girl sitting on the light gray base of the gray pole had getter hope that when she gets up from there that her white pants are not light gray! In the meantime, her pants match the extremely clean-looking white T-shirt on the man walking towards me as well as the random white-painted traffic stripes.

To tell you the truth, this photo provided the inspiration for this series. So, you can blame it on these three strangers!

Neons are in! Well, OK, it's just bright yellow and there are no matching street level colors, but who cares? No. 7

Here's the map of the intersection. We're focused this time on the southwest corner, labeled on the map as Pod: the Sculpture.
 

Who could resist a bright yellow Portland Streetcar in a series like this? Not I.

On the right you see a young woman with her hoop, entertaining the pedestrians who are crossing West Burnside on SW 10th Avenue, heading north at the corner. It appears no one paid her much mind once they'd passed her on the way to cross the street.

I've noticed that the majority of the pedestrians are wearing denim jeans, so that's a sort of matching. Plus those three boys have on shorts. Two of the three people between the brown poles have on baggy pants. And one bicyclist waiting beside the streetcar has on a yellow bicycle helmet. Tidbits of matching going on here.

At the very right edge of the photo you can see just a bit of the kinetic sculpture, Pod. If you're tall enough, you can reach up and touch part of it which makes it swing slowly back and forth, much like the girl rhythmically rotated her hoop with her hips.
 

Here's a photo that I took on October 16, 2010, which shows almost the entire sculpture--you're just missing the third leg. That black, bulbous shape is what one must reach up and touch or shove to make the more than 70 stainless steel rods sway in unison. I've actually seen the tips of the rods separate somewhat when the shove had some elbow grease behind it!

The building diagonally across from the Pod has been changed, with a different business on its ground floor. You'll get to see a symbol of that new business in a later post in this series.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 6

Here's a map for you. I hope it will enhance your enjoyment of today's post, as well as those on the upcoming days. We'll start with Powell's Books, on the northwest corner, and then go counterclockwise from there.



First up, a man in bright red-orange shoes, wearing an orange jacket. He is walking north across West Burnside at the intersection of SW 10th (behind him) and NW 10th (in front of him). You see, Burnside, whether it be West Burnside or East Burnside, divides Portland into its northern and southern sections.

There's a good chance that he's going to Powell's Books which is on the corner he's headed toward. The red post and railing is in front of the store's main entrance. Powell's Books takes up that entire downtown Portland city block.

There's an orange sign on a pole just beyond the woman who has turned to look south, towards me. Although I can't quite read it when I click on the original size, I can see that there is the logo of the Portland Streetcar. Up the street to the north on the man's right, there appears to be a sign on a building which is red and orange.

Lots of matching colors to be found, thanks to the man's orange jacket and shoes. I took this photo on May 1, 2012.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 5

Talk about serendipity! Look at this guy's helmet juxtaposed with the back of that stop sign on the corner of SE Stark and SE 6th Avenue! How cool that I snapped when I did and the camera got that split second in time! Wow! I'm excited about this photo.

Oh, before I get totally distracted by my excitement, look off in the distance, south down SE 6th. See those parked vehicles, many of which are red? They match the man's backpack. There's a north-facing red stop sign, too.

OK. I found something else that matches--there's a teensy bit of bright green there at the corner to the right of the bicycle's front wheel. When I clicked on the original size for an up close look, I saw that it appears to be what's left of a bottle brush, crushed and torn up by traffic, no doubt. And it's the same color as his jacket! Whoopee!

I took this photo on November 9, 2011, on my walk to work.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors--well, not on the street this time, but who cares! No. 4

Turns out that waiting for a bus gives me some of my best chances to get interesting photos. Like this one which I took at the corner of West Burnside and SW 2nd Avenue. Well, I was standing at SW 2nd, he was coming south from NW 2nd.

I took this photo on March 24, before the leaves came out, so there is no green matching item off the bicycle, but the green part of the frame matches the green back wheel. Can you find the other bit of matching green? It's the bicycle seat, peeking out. And the pink part of the frame matches the pink front wheel. Then there's the perfection of the handlebar grips! He knows he's a cool dude on one cool bicycle.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 3

Last Saturday on the way home from a fine lecture at the Architectural Heritage Center and a rewarding trip to Powell's Books, I got off the bus for the block and a half walk to my apartment building.

On the corner, I noticed these two stacks of orange traffic cones as I crossed to wait for the traffic signal to change at the corner of NE Sandy Blvd. and NE 20th Avenue. "Hmmm," I wondered. "Is tomorrow's Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon coming by here?"

Then I saw the man approaching on the bicycle, wearing, of all things, an orange knit hat covering,  I imagine, a head full of dread locks. I couldn't believe it--orange and orange, right at the same instant that I stood on the corner, camera on its strap hanging around my neck.

Yea for serendipity!

(And more about the cones later on in this series.)

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 2

Another bicyclist, seen downtown on May 5, pedaling north on SW 6th Avenue at SW Salmon. I'd call his bicycle is a muted chartreuse green which nicely complements the big leaves on all of those trees. I also like the orange traffic cone, the orange "Don't Walk" hand on the traffic signal, and in the distance west up the sidewalk, there's another traffic signal with the orange hand and that pedestrian wearing a muted orange, long-sleeved shirt. I like the silver horizontal stripe on the orange traffic cone which is reflected in the stripes on the stone facade of the building on the corner. Plus, there's the yellow Broadway Cab waiting there at the curb, and up the street a block is another yellow Broadway Cab waiting at the opposite curb--several hotels nearby mean cabs nearby.

Are you as curious as I am about what he's got in that wooden basket on front of the bicycle? It looks like a vehicle battery when I open the original size of the image and can get an up-close look. Bicyling the battery to the vehicle--ah, Portland.

Neons are in! Street level matching colors, No. 1

April 20, 2012, outside the Rose Garden Arena, I noticed a colorful sight, this young woman on her Day-Glo orange bicycle which has buttery yellow sidewall tires and even brighter orange wheels. There's even a narrow, swooping orange stripe on her creamy white-colored bicycle seat. She's wearing a bright chartreuse green safety vest. Her bicycle helmet has a matching orange stripe, a matching green stripe, and a soft blue stripe on its creamy white surface.

I saw her outside the Rose Garden Arena, pedaling north at through the intersection of NE Wheeler and NE Multnomah. Just to the right of the street lamp, up that slope, lies I-5, the southbound side of it. NE Multnomah crosses beneath the interstate.

I had a good time looking photo, noticing street level matching colors. Shades of orange--a streak at the base of the street lamp, rust on the fence poles, some sort of flaking sherbet-colored paint on the concrete wall. Shades of green--the new grass, the trees and shrubs, the flaking mint-colored paint on the concrete wall. I can't get myself to count the green on the street signs, though--it's just too different to count.

Seen through the windshield at SE Belmont and SE 33rd

Portland, a wonderfully quirky city inhabited by wonderfully quirky people. One of the things I've believed since I first visited Portland is that this place is special for many reasons, not the least of which is that here you are openly allowed to be yourself.

Less than a week away! So You Think You Can Dance returns!

Two whole hours Thursday, May 24! Auditions in Dallas and New York! Dancers! Judges! Yippee!

Here you see Kent from SYTYCD 2010, the live show at the Rose Garden Arena. I probably looked just like that young girl caught in the inadvertent spotlight. Mouth wide open. Heart and mind filled with awe and joy.

And how cool it is that the Kent sign caught the spotlight just long enough for me to get it in the photo, too!

The first, and only, corner building I've entered in all of Portland

I took this photo on my walk to work September, 29, 2011. This is the only wedge-shaped corner building which I've been inside in all of Portland. I have eaten lunch at here with my two sons, Lamont and Leland, on several occasions. Click here to see the menu at Michael’s Italian Beef and Sausage Co. It's an interesting menu, filled with selections and guidelines for ordering and a tidbit at the very bottom which I do not believe that I have ever seen on a menu--"menu prices reflect cash discount." Have you seen that on a menu? I'm quite curious to find out if you have and where you saw it.



If you've arrived in an automobile, you park right there behind the building. If you work nearby, you can just walk on over. Since my building is a mile away, we ride in Lamont's car. No matter how you get to this street corner building, you enter the building beneath the black awning above the sidewalk (as seen in the top photo) and get in line to the right of the door (seen in this photo). By the way, I took this photo and the rest of those below on April 14, 2011.



While you wait your turn to order from one of the folks behind the counter, you can pick up a menu and make up your mind what sort of meat or meats you want on your sandwich, whether or not you want it wet or dry (juice spooned on or not), what sort of peppers and/or onions you want. I get a dry half Chicago Style Combo--sausage and beef on Italian bread with sauteed onions only, no peppers for me. With my sons, I share an order of fries which Michael's calls Shoestring Potatoes, fried in 100% Canola oil--we share two orders, actually. And I get a Barq's Root Beer. I can't remember for sure what the guys get to eat, but they like it.

Once we place our orders, all in the name of either Lamont or Leland, we walk towards the other end of the building, the wider end, and find a seat at a table. From that spot I noticed the meat-inspired decor hanging over the counter. Love the cleaver, the knives, the pincher, the machete and that giant axe-thingey. Way cool!



Once the order is ready, whichever son's name is called goes to get the tray of food. One son already had picked up his sandwich from the tray--seems like it was Lamont and he had a meatball sandwich--the photo I took of it is not any good, but he said the sandwich was very good.
 

Then we chow down! This is my lunch!

It's all in the eyes

This dog's eyes mesmerized me, instantly. As I took this photo, curiosity overcame my good sense, so I walked over to take a closer look. Lo and behold, I realized there were some sort of artificial lenses on the dog's eyes. I surely do wish I could have talked with the owner. No time, though, because I was headed to the Laurelhurst for a movie. Maybe I'll see them again sometime since that particular Whole Foods is within walking distance of my apartment.

Two young men took great pains to get their hair just so

Spikes in their ears, spikes in their hair, seen in the warm sunshine at Portland's Cinco de Mayo.

Mama makes her daily protein drink, even on vacation

It's great to remember my Mama on Mother's Day. This is the second one without her here with us, but we're doing as well as can be expected. Since 1978 Mama and Daddy, and anyone else she could wise up to the benefits, partook of Shaklee protein drinks, vitamins and minerals, as well as lotions, creams, make-up, laundry and cleaning products. We were, and are, the better for all of it.

Here, in honor of Mother's Day and my little Mama, I give you a series of photos I took which depict the process Mama used to make her daily morning Shaklee protein drink. We're on vacation at the Ester Lee in Lincoln City, Oregon. Our friend Lucy had come from Mississippi to visit, so I took a couple of days off work so that we could go to the beach. Well, not exactly to the beach, but to where we could see the ocean and also go to the Chinook Winds Casino to play the penny machines. The three of us had a blast!
 

After pouring in the requisite amount of milk and scooping in just the right amount of Shaklee Energizing Soy Protein, Natural Vanilla, Mama liked to add several firm, lengthy squirts of Hershey's Chocolate syrup.
 

Next, after setting the blender jar into the base, Mama took great care with the lid. She'd found out the hard way that the lack of a properly, tightly inserted lid meant, at the least, a spray here and there of milky liquid permeated with protein powder. A mess, in other words. Mama did not suffer messes gladly, even her own.
 

One more all important step prior to pushing the first button, checking the seat of the jar in the base. A blender jar spinning out of control more than likely would lead to a mess. Plus, who wanted to waste those ingredients? Not my Mama.
 

Now for the button she always pushed first--a quick mix of the dry ingredients with the milk came about when she held her finger on the last button on the right--the Ice Crush button.
 

Mama's searching for the Liquify button. In the scheme of things, one would not want to push an incorrect button. After all, it's a process with specific steps to be followed. One wants the same drink, day after day, because one realizes the benefits of said drink.
 

Once she had found the button, Mama held her finger on it and looked up at me to ask, "Why are you taking pictures of me doing this?" to which I replied, "I think it's great how precise you are, Mama, and I want to record it for all time!" Naturally, we laughed a lot, as did our friend Lucy.

Of all the photos in this series, this is my favorite. There's my little Mama, smiling at me, as she takes great care with her every morning habit which certainly enhanced her health over the years.
 

I don't have a photo of her pouring the drink from the blender jar into her glass, nor do I have one of the first taste of the morning. But I do have this one which I like a whole lot because she looks settled and satisfied, certain that she's doing well for herself. Which, of course, meant she was doing well for all of us who loved her. Thanks, Mama!

Sunshine napping at the Saturday Market

April 21 Portland's weather meant glorious sunshine to be enjoyed by everyone who made their way outside. As I walked along the Saturday Market at Tom McCall Waterfront Park I witnessed the usual--walkers, bike riders, skateboarders--and the unusual.

Yep, I've not seen anyone taking a nap in the sun on the concrete, although I have seen lots of folks napping on the grass in the park. However, she seems well into it, no doubt relishing the warmth of the sun collected by her hard bed. I think she was smart to be up against the temporary fencing--she's less likely to have someone walk right into her. Also smart of her to be on the back side of the market, closer to the Willamette River,  because within the market itself, hundreds of folks walked through the arts and crafts and food booths. Hundreds out in the sunshine.

She's wearing stockings with wide-spaced, straight-in-a-line tiny black polka dots, well straight as in following each other straight along her curved thighs and calves.

Can you see that curved grid on the sidewalk? Looks to me like it's there to help drain the sidewalk when rains come down.

One more thing. I believe her right shoe has thrown a heel. Maybe she's had a chance to get it repaired since then. Or found herself a new pair of comfy walkers. Hope so, because we're in for another sunny weekend here in Portland!

Wrought iron, two ways, at Pioneer Courthouse Square

A view of the wrought iron gate on the east side of Pioneer Courthouse Square, this one taken on February 28, 2009, of an ongoing fashion shoot. Don't miss the eyes of the woman walking by on the sidewalk. It's obvious that the last thing she expected to have flying into her peripheral vision were several arms and hands.

 

Another view of the wrought iron. I took this one after work on April 20, 2012. I have no idea why the wrought iron glows a teal color. Nor do I understand why it looks soft and fuzzy.

From Pioneer Courthouse Square's Web site: Portland Hotel Gate - Located where it once stood at the original Portland Hotel entry, the exquisite gate is directly across from Pioneer Courthouse. The wrought iron gate and fence are believed to have been designed by McKim, Mead and White, architects of the Portland Hotel. During the hotel's history only one president, Warren Harding, did not pass beneath this lovely feature.
 

Constructing, on the bus

Another sneaked photo. Who could resist such an eclectically garbed woman bent upon constructing a dandelion flower chain will traveling 30 miles per hour in a multi-ton vehicle? Not me.I took the photo and continued to watch. See her fingers? She's tying knots with the stems and trying to get the flowers to stay together, picking up, putting down, and rotating her construction, never looking up.

I did excel, however, at resisting offering to help her put a slit lengthwise in one flower's stem through which a another flower's stem could be threaded and tightened up to the blossom ... wait ... do I have that right? Has my memory deceived me? Where, oh, where are some picked dandelion flowers when one needs them? Not here in my apartment.

Wait! Who needs real dandelion flowers when you've got Google at your fingertips? How to make a flower chain? I Googled it! Step-by-step directions. There's even a well-done video, 1:32 in length. I especially liked the video because it mentioned using other flowers, among those clover flowers. Viola. I remember now! I made my flower chains with clover flowers because I never had daisies! Happy, happy! Joy, joy!

Pondering, seen TriMet

Altered at BeFunky dot com, sharpened and underpainted.
  Picture this. I'm sitting on the bus when across the aisle I see these two women, looking similar in visage and clothing, with a good 40 years' difference in their ages. Whatever could they be pondering? Oh, I want to take a picture so bad! Should I chance it? Yes! I pretend that I'm just looking at my iPhone and take one photo.

Altered at BeFunky dot come, enhanced detail and HDR.

What's your favorite part of which photo, please? For me, it's the lady on the right's cheek in the top photo. I love the impact of the BeFunky dot come special effect underpainting.

The unaltered photo shall remain unposted.

Folks among the flowers, No. 6

While I can't be sure of it, I believe it was something he said that led to the joyous smile and throwing back of her head in full-tilt-boogie laughter which you see there on the face of the woman with her hand on the stroller. I mean the man in the bee hat, of course. See the next photo for what I consider a great big ol' clue.
 

The reason I think that is how he's acting here in the second photo which isn't very good, but after all, I did take it on the fly so to speak, from my seat in a shuttle which transported folks from their vehicles and/or around the tulip fields. You do see his bunny ears, the man in the bee hat, right? Do you think he could have said something that made that woman laugh out loud?

 And how about the couple in what I would call Dutch costumes? Cool sight to see, there among the tulips.

Colorful Cinco de Mayo

All in all, Cinco de Mayo was not exactly what I had hoped it would be, lots of music and dancing. I suppose I just missed most of each on Sunday afternoon in the two larger pavilions, but I managed to get this photo of three little girls entertaining a small crowd.

Look! Look! Look! BeFunky dot com!

Looking east at the Portland Oregon sign while waiting for the bus at West Burnside and SW 2nd Avenue.

Original photo, straightened and sharpened only at BeFunky dot com.

Same photo, straightened, sharpened, and altered with Featured Effects 3, also known as Cartoonizer. I like it!

Same photo, straightened, sharpened, and altered with Featured Effects 1, also known as Cartoonizer. I like it, too!

Thanks to Randy at Santa Fe Daily Photo—click to visit—he takes fantastic photos of all sorts of sights! .

Perched girl, smoking

Disclaimer: I am not promoting smoking by putting this image on the blog. I didn't realize she was smoking until after I uploaded the photo to my computer and could see what was going on. I hope this image does not offend anyone.

I took the photo mainly because I couldn't believe how she was balanced on the stone wall in front of the wrought iron fence. So I clicked.

Then when I looked closer I saw what was coming out of her mouth. So I straightened, cropped, and altered the image at PicMonkey, with a couple of regular and special effects.
  I uploaded the image at Ipiccy, where I straightened, cropped, and altered it with several special effects.

How's this for a great big change from little girls and tulips?
Next year's seat for the season.
Yes, I remain a staunch fan of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Bring on the 2012-2013 season, y'all! I'm ready!
STH=Season Ticket Holder