Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 8

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The man's hooded jacket has not been streaked with watered-down white paint. Those streaks are the falling rain, better visible after I altered this photo with PicMonkey's HDR. I wanted you to be able to see the rain. I took this photo downtown a block east of Pioneer Courthouse Square.
 

This is the unaltered image--very little rain visible. Rest assured, at its original size at Flickr, you can see rain drops in more parts of the image than his jacket.

Still life No. 2, Bijou Cafe

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The omelette and potatoes I had ordered. A single pancake in the distance. Consistently delicious.

Still life No. 1, Bijou Cafe

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On Saturday, February 16, I waited patiently for brunch, but I couldn't help myself. I had to take a photograph.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 7

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I got off the MAX Yellow Line at the Union Station stop so that I could walk a block west to the main post office. As I crossed the street, the MAX train rounded the curve in front of Union Station. Photo opportunity--the juxtaposition of these two types of transit. At BeFunky, I used the HDR special effect, after I had already straightened, cropped and resized at PicMonkey.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 6

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Sweet scene, this daddy and his two children patiently waiting for the MAX Green Line--I'm on the Yellow Line, so I know they didn't want it, or they would have been standing up as we approached. The rain stopped, the sun came out, a chill remained.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 5

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On this particular Saturday, it rained off and on, the sun came out now and then. I liked how the darker sky in the background of this photo and the lack of leaves on the trees make the buildings pop. Those tree limbs speak to me of summer-time-shade. The buildings are on the north side of West Burnside. The trees are on the south side of West Burnside. I'm at this intersection most every workday, on my way home on the bus. On Portland Trail Blazers' game days, I catch the MAX Yellow Line to the right of this photo and head for the Rose Garden Arena. If you look closely, near the No Parking sign on the left, you'll see two male skateboarders. One is on a bench; the other is standing at the end of the bench and is mostly hidden by the sign. 

The large structure just to the right of center is one of the many fountains in Portland. I found on the city's Web site that it is officially untitled, that it has become known as the Kelly Fountain. It runs spring through fall, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Also online, this description: Oregon artist Lee Kelly won an international competition to design this sculpture. Kelly has designed several other sculptures in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest. In this work, water flows over several 20-foot-tall steel structures. In conjunction with the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Water Bureau helped to restore Kelly's fountain to its original beauty in the spring of 2004. The fountain had become run-down over the years. 

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 4

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A minute after the cleaner in yesterday's post cleared out of this sidewalk space, here came this woman and her big white dog. The restaurant whose kitchen is off the unmarked door and whose entrance sports its name, Bistro Petit Oiseau, is The Oregonian's 2012 restaurant of the year. One of these days I need to go there for dinner. 

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 3

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As you can tell by now, I'm having PicMonkey-special-effects fun with several photos from those that I took on Saturday, Feb. 16. I wish I could make it out, but I cannot read the patch on this man's vest--even at its largest size. I took the photo from too far away. It seems to include a MAX train in the center as well as the word "mall" in the yellow border, two things which make me think he's hard at work cleaning the downtown streets under the auspices of the Portland Transit Mall. One thing I know for certain, the streets of downtown are amazingly clean considering the volume of foot traffic any time of the day or night.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 2

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The colors in this photo, their vivid strength, took me by surprise when I uploaded them to the iMac. It was the chance to photograph a photographer that got me to take a few photos, not the colors. To get them to pop, I decided to alter them using the HDR special effect at PicMonkey.
 

Color mixed with grays and silvers--her purple hat and his purple shirt, her green polka dots on her pants and the green bicycle safety lane behind them, her golden yellow shoes and her jacket, the red stripe on his camera strap and around the lens, along with the rusty reds on the building--as well as all sorts of shapes and lines, all of this makes me happy. Their checking to make certain that the image on the memory card  is what they want, not just a random snap.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 1

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First, that white cloth above his jeans is the top of his tighty-whiteys, not a "crack in the butt" sighting. I promise. I looked, with some trepidation, at the original image in its largest size, just to make sure. Second, I first saw him as we walked toward each other. As he stopped at the Benson Bubbler, I approached on his right and watched without being obvious as I walked by. I knew I had to take a photo, but I also knew that it would be smart for me to take it once I was beyond him. I definitely did not want him to notice that I was taking a picture. Third. Out of the shopping bag, he took a partially filled two-liter plastic bottle, opened it and held it in his left hand. The liquid in it was orange. Next, he filled his mouth with water, brought the bottle neck to his mouth and spit the water into the bottle. Honest. That's what he did, several times before I managed to get past him and turn to take this photo. Tell me the truth, now. You're glad I didn't get a photo of him spitting into that bottle, right? 

A part of the sculpture Talos No. 2 by James Lee Hansen is visible at the right. All along the TriMet Transit Mall downtown, you'll find public art of all sorts. This corner is where the Bank of California stands, right across the street from the U. S. National Bank, both by architect A. E. Doyle. If you search my blog for Bank of California, you'll see the corner on several of the posts. I cannot get a link to any of them to work--sorry.

Bubble maker at Director Park

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On March 7 after work, I ate a bite the Elephant's Deli at Director Park and thoroughly enjoyed watching this guy making bubbles with two rods, string, and a container filled with bubble liquid. I told him thanks, that I was enjoying seeing them, and that I noticed two small ones had floated all the way to the intersection. He replied that once he got home, he'd put more soap and glycerin in the mixture so that the bigger bubbles would stay intact over a longer period of time and distance. I hope I come across him again so that I can witness that action. By the way, I used the Focal B&W special effect at PicMonkey to make this alteration.

Look who I found in the Trail Blazers' weight room mirror!

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On the left, partially visible, is Joe Becker, sportscaster from KGW, Channel 8, Portland's NBC affiliate. Right next to him is KGW Ace Sports Photographer Brian/Bryan. And there, in the black and white checkered flag visor--that's me! I took this photo on February 20 at the Trail Blazers' Player Palooza. Moments later, I looked around, saw Joe and stuttered myself into a conversation with him, all about how awestruck we were to be in the Blazers weight room and what we thought about Player Palooza. Before we parted, he'd asked to interview me for the sportscast, saying he couldn't guarantee that it would make it on the air. My answer when he asked what did I think of Player Palooza made it on the evening's three broadcasts--I was still at the event when the earliest one showed, I managed to stay awake to see the 10 p.m., then promptly fell asleep and missed it at 11 p.m. One person I ride the bus with and two people I work with saw me, too!



Here it is again, altered with the HDR special effect at PicMonkey.
 

And here's the original, uncropped, unresized, and unaltered image. By the way, the two folks sitting on stools just outside the weight room door--two members of the Trail Blazers stunt team.

Seen on or from mass transit on Saturday, March 9, 2013

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Seen on the 12 TriMet bus: Usually I sit where this little girl sits, or across from her in the parallel row of seats beneath the windows on the passenger side of the bus. This particular morning the mother and daughter had spread out over these three seats, and across from them a couple of loud, out-of-the-ordinary women took up those three seats, so I sat here instead. I'm glad that I did, because I had the chance to snap this photo, not taking enough time to focus properly. To me, her face and hairstyle take me back to the 1950s. When the 12 stopped at the intersection of NE Couch and MLK, I got off and walked a block east, then a block south to wait for the streetcar. My goal, Memorial Coliseum and the Oregon FIRST Robotics competition, my free access to the building itself, as well as a chance to witness high-school-student-produced-Frisbee-flinging robots!
 

Seen from the Portland Streetcar CL Line: For a few minutes I watched this man who had stopped where I waited at the bus/streetcar stop on the corner of SE Grand Avenue and East Burnside, bus transfer grasped tightly in his left hand. All the while I hoped that I would get the chance to snap a photo. Finally, after I boarded the streetcar, I stood up as we slowly pulled away and got this one. I can't figure out what fascinates me the most--the two-tone shoes, the black-and-white striped socks, the Mr.-Green-Jeans cuffed just so below the knee, the matching-toned-plaid jacket with the black fur collar which looked too warm in the sunshine, the multi-pocketed mossy green satchel, the white-collared, long-sleeved dress shirt, or the burgundy and gold tie. To tell you the truth, I've decided that the well-thought-out components of his outfit fascinated me most of all, as they combined to create just the look he was after. Even more fascinating, every single item he wore appeared to be brand-spanking-new. 

I love Portland 'cause you never know what you're going to see next!

Thanks for your indulgence

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Oh, look! Oh, look! The mountain's out!

I shall have to change my walking route.
A photo or two I must stop and take
Then meet Lamont for our date
At Paddy's Bar & Grill and big-screen TV

On which the Blazers defeating the Spurs I plan to see. 

Good nachos, and despite Blazer injuries and a so-so well-margarita,
While we watched we talked music, basketball, and his cooking at Provvista.
By the final horn, the Blazers had built a thirty-point lead and won!
Lamont & I agreed we'd had a whole lotta fun!

We hugged outside on the corner.
I headed for a bus one way,
He headed for a bus the other.
Bye, love you, we always say.

I walked off thinking on
This city and living near
My two sons
Who are so dear.

Asked if my life is blessed,
I answer a resounding, "Yes!"

Streets at Night, February 26, 2013, intersection of Burnside and 10th

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When I walked from Kenny & Zuke's back to West Burnside to wait for the bus, the Sizzle Pie lighted letters tempted me into stopping for a photo. Across West Burnside from it, you can see the Doc Martens, store. The tracks in the street, shining in the foreground of the photo, serve the Portland Streetcar. Since it wasn't cold or raining and I had 12 minutes to wait for the 20 bus just to get to the stop at SW 4th and West Burnside where I would need to transfer to the 12 or the 19, whichever arrived first, I decided to walk the six blocks. All of the books I'd bought earlier at Powell's Books fit into my backpack, so the walk was nothing but interesting--photography-wise. More coming soon.

My first attempt at a make-shift panorama collage

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Powell's Books takes up an entire city block, from West Burnside that you see here on the south side of the store, north to NW Couch, east to NW 10th, and west to NW 11th. After I'd been to their Friends & Family Night on Tuesday, February 26, I walked south to Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen for supper before heading back to the bus stop in front of Powell's. I took these photos and decided to try to make a panorama out of them. I like how it turned out. What about you?

How I found the SP 4449 now and in the recent past. I adore this locomotive! I love the Oregon Rail Heritage Center!

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February 16, 2013, inside the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and from atop a set of stairs beside the Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 steam locomotive, I took this photo looking across at the 16-foot tall SP 4449. You see two men and a youngster intimately involved with the steam locomotive in an all-encompassing, all-important process, explained thusly at the SP 4449 Web site:

Steam locomotives still in operation in the United States must undergo a federally-mandated inspection every 15 years. SP 4449's certification expires this year, which means there are no excursions planned while volunteers take apart and inspect the locomotive. . . . With the rebuild underway and expected to last 1-2 years, we'll also be fine-tuning and polishing up the locomotive for another 15 years of operation!

Also found on the Web site:

SP 4449 was built in 1941 as a GS-4 "Northern" type locomotive. A 4-8-4 wheel arrangement, she is 110' long, 10' wide and 16' tall. The locomotive and tender weighs 433 tons, and it operates with a boiler pressure of 300 psi. Her eight 80" diameter drivers and unique booster truck can apply 5,500 horsepower to the rails and exceed 100 mph. The only remaining operable "streamlined" steam locomotive of the Art Deco era, this grand Lady of the High Iron pulled Southern Pacific "Daylight" coaches from Los Angeles to San Francisco over the scenic Coast Route and then on to Portland until 1955. Retired to static display at Oaks Park in 1958, most thought SP 4449 would never run again. In 1974, she was selected to pull the American Freedom Train throughout the United States, and was subsequently rebuilt. SP 4449 ran for three years to the delight of over 30 million people. She is arguably one of the most beautiful locomotives ever built -- and kept that way by the all-volunteer Friends of SP 4449!
     

December 1, 2012, inside the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and from the top of a set of stairs that took me up beside the cab of the , I found the SP 4449 ready to leave the building and soon take part in the Holiday Express.

Seen outside the Oregon Rail Heritage Center

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Saturday, February 16, I enjoyed visiting the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, going in through the front door, a regular-sized-people-use-door, through the building with gigantic steam locomotives on each side of me (more photos soon), and out the back doors which are huge because the locomotives use them! 

Out back I finally got a photo that I've been wanting to take since last September. Here's the Portland Streetcar crossing over the whole area on the bridge built especially for it. That streetcar was made at United Streetcar which is in Clackamas, Oregon, southeast of downtown. United Streetcar is a subsidiary of Oregon Iron Works. On the tracks in front of me, the Nickel Plate Road 324 switcher, not operating at this moment, so I'm completely safe. To the left, those ramps are part of the Marquam Bridge, I-5 north and south. The buildings in the distance are in downtown Portland.