July 2, 2008 ... ABC Wednesday - X is for X to the Nth

OK, so I didn't plan to have that bottle of Dos Equis hanging there on the left side of the photo. In fact I had absolutely no idea that it was there when I went looking for X photos a little while ago. It was the metal bands that make up the big head, criss-crossing themselves into a plethora of Xs that I wanted to find among my thousands of phot. I mean, I took these photos last October, knowing that sooner or later I'd find a use for them, and here they are!


I shot this, too, so we'd all know what the sculptor's intentions were, for the big heads--there's one on each corner, a block apart. I got off the bus early that sunny afternoon and walked to the south side of West Burnside on purpose, just to take big head pix.


See, here's the other one.


And here's the first one again, with PGE Park in the background.

I'm kinda tickled with my ABC Wednesday X post--hope y'all are, too!

If you're of a mind to, please go to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place for loads of other ABC Wednesday blogs! Look at the list of links per Mr. Linky.

A warmish Saturday afternoon in April ...

... looked like this, folks seated outdoors, enjoying friends, food, fun at the Kingston Bar & Grill, near PGE Park. And it was maybe 70 degrees and overcast. Can you even imagine how the city looked today when the temperature made it into the mid to high 80s, the skies clear and blue? Take my word for it, I saw full tables at every available spot on my bus ride home. And that was only a half hour ride. It'll be like that until well after dark, on every single nice day from now on.

The sunshine and warm breezes enticed Mama all day, making her want to get outside. She walked a little ways with Duncan and me, on his after-work walk. Then, somehow, by the skin of her teeth and utter determination, with her cane to prop on, Mama walked a very long-seeming block from our apartment to a corner restaurant. We took Duncan, too, but there were no outdoor tables left, so she was seated indoors to wait while I took the little guy back to the apartment and his kennel. We had a nice meal and a slow walk home. Mama thoroughly enjoyed herself and is now taking a nap in her recliner, Duncan right beside her, asleep.

Mini mass transit, the skateboard, and a sports report

Lots and lots of folks travel Portland's streets and sidewalks on skateboards. During the warm months when we keep our windows open, Mama and I hear them all hours of the day and night, clickety clacking at each expansion joint of the sidewalk or just zipping along on the street in front of or beside our building. I'm glad they make noise because I doubt I'll step out in front of one when I'm waiting on Duncan to come out from beneath the shrubs.

This particular guy skates along in front of three parked Portland Police Bureau cars. The lot is across the street from PGE Park, and at this particular moment on Saturday, April 26, the Portland Timbers were about half an hour away from playing the Seattle Sounders in a USL First Division soccer game. Heated rivalry, hence the security. I had witnessed a bus load of Sounders' supporters loudly and profanely disembark at another nearby corner earlier, then saw a family taking their small son to the gate. "How will they explain the rowdiness and the profanity," I wondered. Portland won 2-0.

Do you see people commuting by skateboard in your city?