Rainy autumn in my neighborhood, No. 6

On Halloween, I took the photo of the street beside my apartment building through the windshield of my Zipcar. I was stopped at the intersection, nothing dangerous going on with the camera and the car. The other three photos are ones that I had taken last Sunday on my short walk.

Never expected to see this among the autumn leaves.

On Halloween after I had parked my Zipcar where it lives over on SE Ankeny at SE 20th, I did a walk around, checking it out before walking home. As I stepped up onto the curve, look what caught my eye. Someone's lost Zipcard had been found and carefully placed so as to be seen.

Gosh, I hope that person who lost it comes back to get it. One cannot open your reserved Zipcar without one's Zipcard. You must place the card on the card reader at the top left of the windshield to unlock the door and start your reservation's clock ticking. When I'm out and about in a Zipcar, I continually reaffirm the location of my card.

And guess what extra benefit I got with my card on Wednesday? I drove to the downtown Zipcar office, parked in front of the Multnomah County Central Library next door, walked into the office and showed my card to get $10 driving credit. All because I had a Halloween headband on my head, complete with a couple of bats on springs. Way cool, Zipcar. Thanks!

Finally, I have to say that I love this space because beside the two parking spaces where two Zipcars live, you find at least one bike rack--notice the back tire on the right side of the photo. And one block north on East Burnside, you find on diagonal corners bus stops for the 20. Alternative modes of transportation abound!

Special Halloween Memories

My younger son's birthday is today. At PicMonkey, I have vampired and day-of-the-deaded and zombied him, in honor of his having been born on Halloween. Happy birthday, honey!

Oh, the original photo was taken on our mushroom hunting trip in 2008, eleven days after his birthday.

Quirky find of mine, from October 30, 2010

While waiting at the TriMet bus stop, I noticed a strange sight at the bottom of the window on the adjacent apartment building. When I realized that it was a a Halloween mask wedged between a closed window and its window screen, I knew that I had to take a photo to make a record of one more quirky find of mine in my beloved Portland.

Happy Halloween!

The tree with the sign on it which inspired my altering the photo for Halloween! Picnik is so much fun! The tree is in the backyard at the Zimmerman House Museum in Gresham, Oregon.

Happy birthday to Leland, my younger son!

Happy Birthday, Leland! Happy Halloween!

I entered a pumpkin carving contest that Zipcar held. Here's one photo of the finished product, treated to the neon effect at Picnik. Mama's on the left of the photo, holding the pumpkin at a tilt for me to take the photo. She's a trooper!


Here's the photo that I submitted to the contest. Although there were no specifics about whether or not the photo had to be unaltered, I decided to err on the side of caution and merely crop my submission. My idea was to have the big pumpkin be the Zipcar and the two little ones be the wheels. So that the entire Jack-o-lantern grin could be seen, I sat the pumpkin on an upside down bowl. On Friday, 10/29, I got an e-mail stating that while I didn't win the big prize, they so liked my pumpkin that I would get $15 driving credit! Hooray!


Leland is 32 today. Happy Birthday, honey! Here he is with his darling girlfriend Kailey. I took this photo on Super Bowl Sunday, 2010. Click on my Sept. 24th post for lots and lots of photos of both sons, mostly from when they were little boys. You'll be glad you looked at them because, like any proud Mama would say, they're mighty cute!

Vacation, Day 11, 10/31/2009, Part 4

Another yummy supper, Halloween Night, 2009, at Talladega Superspeedway.


Baked beans.


Ham.


Potato salad.


Bread.

Now for the few trick-or-treaters who stopped by the campsite.

Looking in the windows of the Red Light Clothing Exchange in SE Portland

I took all of these photos in October--Halloween must have been a whole lotta fun for some folks!


The store and its fantastic windows are at 3590 SE Hawthorne Blvd.











ABOUT US, from their Web page.

Open in Portland since 1999, The Red Light Clothing Exchange is the City of Roses’ one-of-a-kind, homegrown, buy-sell-trade, men’s and women’s fashion emporium.

Since the beginning, The Red Light has been buying, selling and trading clothes with people from all walks of life, from all over the Northwest. Our extensive inventory changes daily (thanks to all that buying and trading!), but it always includes a vast selection of choice vintage pieces alongside brand-name modern garments. Plus, our incredible clothing inventory is complimented by a large selection of wigs, deadstock novelties, socks, tights, jewelry and other accessories.

We don’t cater to one particular fashion style, instead focusing on providing unique, quality, stylish clothing at truly affordable prices. Whether you’re in the market for classic basics, one-of-a-kind statement pieces or just costume frocks, we’ve got you covered. That’s why on any given day shopping at The Red Light you can rub elbows with local trend-setters, touring rock stars, eco-conscience thrifters, Japanese tourists and Portland bargain-hunters. They all shop here because there truly is something for everyone at The Red Light.

Another reason shopping here is so fun: our famous décor. From the blood red walls to the velvet paintings and ornate carpets, we provide a uniquely lavish shopping experience. Vintage burlesque movie posters, Urkle dolls, Spanish iron hanging lamps and old black light posters all have a place in The Red Light…and we’re always adding new art and collectibles to our eclectic space, too.

This one-of-a-kind inventory and ambiance has gotten us a lot of attention, from local awards to international reviews. Along with “Best of” recognition from Portland media such as Portland Mercury, Willamette Week and Citysearch, The Red Light has been spotlighted by Lucky, GQ, Elle, NPR and even London’s The Guardian and Japan’s Lightning. Likewise, Britney Spears, Benicio Del Toro, Cate Blanchett, Billy Bob Thornton, The Dandy Warhols, Beth Ditto, Tigan and Sarah and Leslie Hall are just a few of the celebrities who have shopped at The Red Light.

Still, nothing means more to us than the personal kudos from everyday customers. “You’ve got great stuff!” is magic to our ears and we’re constantly working hard to keep you happy!

(Oh, and because so many customers ask about our relationship to Red Light in Seattle: our owner is the founder of Seattle’s Red Light. Selling that business allowed us to relocate to Portland and we love it here. The Seattle and Portland stores are not affiliated; the Portland business remains owned by its founder.)

Vacation, Day 9, 10/29/2009, Part 7

After it got dark, Ian took me for a ride to see some nearby Halloween decorations at the campground at Talladega, Alabama.








Kay's E-Z Ups and Halloween decorations.


I love these bats!

Vacation, Day 9, 10/29/2009, Part 5

You can easily see why this house grabbed my attention as we drove back from Talladega to the campground.


Lovely scenic fence--I wonder what it encloses?


From Tuesday through Monday, we're local!


On the way back to Talladega so that Ian and Kay could play golf and I could ride along on the golf cart and take photos, I spied this abandoned barn.


We had a stop to make first, to get the best available pumpkin so that Ian could carve it for Halloween.

Vacation, Day 8, 10/28/2009, Part 5

Tinkerbell's finished playing with the empty water bottle, for now.


Honest, I don't know who was messin' with Kay, or why. I do know that she's takin' it very well 'cause I see a grin! By the way, that trailer directly behind her is the bottom end of someone's U that faces the next road over. The front part of the trailer to the left of the photo is part of what turned out to be an L for us this time. Both sets of friends arrived in time to settle in well before supper and sunset.


See, she's using that sharp knife to prepare beef for fajitas. Ian's checking out the satellite reception for his grandfather Milton. And there, beyond Ian, you see it's open--that's where our U would have been closed if it hadn't turned into an L.


Here's Milton.


Now that he won't have to go back up the ladder to make satellite adjustments, Milton has hung the metal rack on it, the rack that he crafted for the kitchen sink. My Daddy would've loved this whole idea and its execution!


He's working with tubing and connectors for the sink.














The white hoses are for water.


Yowsers! Running water has arrived!


Kay's Halloween bat lights look good even in daylight.


Kay's Halloween ghost lights on the golf cart.


Moon rise.


Scary Halloween skeleton--what a look!


Kay and Ian cut tomatoes for the fajitas. You can tell the temperature's dropping--Kay's got on her sweatshirt.


Milton set up the outdoor heater. I think it's propane, but I'm not sure.


The sky is so pretty in this photo.