Cripes on a wall.

Found in industrial SE Portland on a wall along the railroad tracks.

On display, No. 5

Colorful windows at Red Light Clothing Exchange, 3590 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Avalon Theatre, 3451 SE Belmont Street, SE Portland

Awe, gee, whiz. I love this neon!












A bit I found at the Web site for the Avalon, and its sister Milwaukie Cinema--I don't have any photos of it.

Now showing movies in two great theatres. We will be showing movies all day every day, all presented in surround sound. Our snack bar will be open with candy, soda pop, ice cream, and enough popcorn to satisfy any appetite. With the best prices in town seats will be only $2.50 for adults and $2.00 for children 11 & under and seniors, starred attractions may be $4.00 for adults and $3.00 for kids under 12 and seniors.
Avalon & Milwaukie both will run as a Wunderland Video Arcade as well. They are fully loaded and ready for hours of fun for all ages. Separate tickets will be sold for the movies and the game room admissions. Now Showing: CORALINE, GRAN TORINO, FRIDAY THE 13TH, BEDTIME STORIES, HOTEL FOR DOGS, PAUL BLART:MALL COP, THE CURIOUS CASE
OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Have you seen any of these movies? Recommendations, please.

Deco to Disco--couple more drive-by shots, in Southeast Portland

I put the camera on my left shoulder as I sat at the traffic signal, in the Buick, and took these two shots. See the sign, Flagger Ahead?

Here's the flagger, reflected in the window. How neat is that?

I like this store a whole lot, but I have to stay out of it because we don't have enough room for anything else in our apartment, no matter how cool it might be--ha, ha! There is always something neat in the windows, like that red, egg-shaped chair which reminds me of "Sleepless in Seattle." And isn't that street address perfect for a vintage store?

Deco To Disco Llc (503) 736-3326, 1960 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 736-3326

Drive-by Photography

Floyd’s Coffee Shop has a drive-up window. I took this photo from the Buick as I slowed down for the intersection, what I now call drive-by photography, a safe sort of drive-by shooting—as long as I pay attention to the traffic, which I can assure you, I do with diligence.

Un, Deux--Deux Chevaux

Driving on July 31, from downtown to the Southeast, with Lamont and Mama on board, when I slowed at an intersection I saw this cute little car. I grabbed the camera from the seat beside me and quickly got Photo #1 and Photo #2. I couldn't back up to get a better photo because another vehicle was right behind me. So, I held the camera up to the window, pointed it back toward the car and clicked off Photos #3 and #2.
Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

Photo #4


Little did I know that a couple of hours later, after the three of us and Lindsay had had a good time at Bar Avignon, that Leland would look up from behind the counter where he worked diligently preparing orders and say, "Mom, look at that car," then point with his chin out the front door, onto SE Division. Thus, Photo #5. I believe it's the same Deux Chevaux, but there is every possibility that more than one shiny, maroon and black beauty lives in Portland.
Photo #5


Thanks to Snapper at Gabriola Daily Photo for his post that helped me identify the car.

Friday, July 11, 2008 ... Bicycle Parking on SE Belmont

Mama, Duncan and I went on a sort of field trip in the Buick Tuesday after work. After Lamont and Lindsay got the thing to start--they kept it attached to her Honda for almost half an hour before trying to turn it over--I knew we needed to drive it for a while. I circled the block and picked up Mama and Duncan, with the kids help getting the two of them downstairs and quickly walking Duncan. Then, we were off, cruising here and there after we crossed the Willamette River. I don't mean to give you the wrong idea, though, because we had a goal in mind, the Battery Exchange at SE 20th and Belmont where we planned to get the battery checked and/or buy a new one. Long story short, checked, bad cell, new one installed. Then, we off again, with the A/C on this time, a change of circumstances that Duncan especially appreciated.

On the way from there to our next goal, the Dairy Queen on SE Division, I spied two sets of this unique bicycle parking. I quickly picked up the camera, pointed and clicked--the traffic hardly moved, so I felt safe in doing this, realizing that I might have a photo of a curb or a wall or a post. You see the cropped photo above, and the original photo below.

Monday, June 30, 2008 ... Dining at Nostrana

Leland, my 29-year-old son, tosses pizza dough at Nostrana Saturday evening.




Our friend Danielle heads back to California tomorrow. We've certainly enjoyed having her with us as she completed her field work towards her occupational therapy degree. She herself enjoyed very much getting reacquainted with Portland and friends here. She'd lived here for several years before going to school in Oakland.

To say thanks to us for being her hostesses, she wanted to take us out to dinner last night. We decided to go to Nostrana over at SE 14th and Morrison--that's where Lindsay tends bar and Leland cooks, sometimes pizza, sometimes other stations in the kitchen. When we walked in and toward the bar where we wanted to sit, Leland saw us, smiling and waving. I thought to myself that he must be working the wood-burning oven so just maybe I could get a photo of him tossing the pizza dough--hooray! The three of us didn't opt for pizza, though, since we'd had one delivered from a nearby pizzeria earlier in the week.

After a delightful appetizer I shared with Mama about which I cannot remember the name or the ingredients other than paper-thin slices of a delicate mushroom and wild greens, my pasta dish arrived.

I found the details at Nostrana's Web site: House-made fettuccine with chive oil, true and snow morels and fava beans. Fantastic! As I ate my third or fourth bite, I remarked, "This tastes like summer time!" I happily devoured the entire dish.

Danielle started with the Summer Minestrone with Arborio rice and basil pesto, chilled, followed by the Warm carpaccio of Highland Oak Beef Tenderloin with cremini mushrooms, shaved Parmigiano and arugula. She kept saying, "This is so good!"


Mama got sand dabs, but I was too busy eating by the time that Lindsay got the backbone out of each fish. Like Danielle and me, Mama repeatedly said that it was delicious.

For our shared dessert, Lindsay thought we'd enjoy the Warm Chester blackberry jam crostada with mascarpone. We had a scoop of vanilla ice cream instead of the mascarpone. Yummy, yummy.

Mama and I are so blessed to be here with these two young men who love to cook, aren't we?

Finally, we wish Danielle and her mom a safe drive home--Pat is flying up Monday to make the return trip with her which I find comforting since the forest fires are so bad in California. Let's all remember the firefighters in our prayers, as well as those who live in the endangered areas.