Memories, seen from a new perspective, thanks to the AHC's tour of 705 Davis Condominiums

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I took these photos from different windows in other condos--looking at the views was just as much fun for me as looking at the condos themselves.
 

On the sidewalks of NW Everett, between NW 22nd and NW 23rd--I'd have a hard time counting how many times I walked these sidewalks, in all kinds of weather, before and after work, on weekends, to and from the Fred Meyer, by myself, with Mama and our little dachshund Duncan, with my two sons, with my brother when he visited, my our friends-so-great-that-they-are-family visited from Mississippi and California, with a sweetheart of a friend from Mississippi who also became a Portlander, and with a friend I met at the bus stop who had a pet skunk. Walked with those folks in all sorts of combinations over the years. Back when we had a car, the '96 Buick, I parallel parked on either side of this one-way street numerous times--on NW 22nd also--sometimes with the ease of a hot knife in butter, sometimes not.
 

I could almost type the exact same text beneath this view, too, except that it's looking at the dead-end intersection of NW King with NW Davis. I parked the car here a lot, too. Boy, am I happy not to own a car any more!
 

Here's more of NW Davis, just east of the intersection in the photo right above this one. Mama walked the sidewalk on the right back when she was healthy enough to go to the beauty shop which was on the corner hidden by all of the leaf-laden trees. I have to tell you that when I looked out the window and took this photo, I got choked up for a little while, remembering the day she asked me to find her a beauty shop that she could walk to from our apartment. I used Google Maps Search Nearby and found us a beauty shop. I'm getting choked up right now just typing this because over the years we knew what we'd really found was a sweetheart of a woman, our friend Rosa. This woman came to our apartment in later years and gave Mama her trims and perms there because Mama's mobility lessened as congestive heart failure took its toll. The last photo of us together Rosa took with her camera after she'd done our hair in our kitchen, on the Sunday before Mama died in her sleep on Friday afternoon, January 7, 2011. I count myself blessed to still have Rosa in my life.
 

Back in the day, when Mama was mobile, we walked together to Fred Meyer a few times. We never carried our groceries home in a bag (back then the stores in Portland were allowed to use plastic bags, but not now as you can see from this paper bag in the hands of that man). We used a rolling black bag. Another thing, back in the day, we could walk right into our Fred Meyer with our little dachshund Duncan on his leash. It was hard to tell you was more popular with other shoppers, Mama or Duncan.
 

One last memory. See the mustard-colored, multi-storied building, top left? It stands diagonally across the street from our building. We lived on the top floor of our four-story building, and I seem to remember that the building we're looking at had six stories. Our living room was on the corner of our building closest to the intersection, therefore not far at all from the building we're looking at. Our TV was in the corner, with two good-sized windows in each of the two walls that made up the corner. I could sit in my chair, placed diagonally in front of the TV, and easily see most of the top floors of the building, not the two walls you can see in the photo, but the wall just out of sight to the left. Mama could not see what I could see from her recliner. Anyway, one night I'm sitting there in my chair, watching TV with Mama. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed motion in one of the windows, a repetitive, rhythmic motion. Taking my attention from the TV, I focused on that window and realized that I was seeing a man and a woman having sex in what I figured must be the living room, without any curtains shut. Her legs were straight up in the air and he was very busy between them. "My gosh," I said, "there is someone having sex in an apartment over there!" Mama said, "What? Where?" Then we decided we'd turn out the light so that she might could catch a glimpse without us being noticeably voyeuristic, but by the time we did that, it was all over over there. Truth.

Creative Problem Solving, #4

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How do you let passing bicyclists know that right there on the sidewalk--on NE Couch, just west of NE Martin Luther King--free coffee and donuts await? You make and hang a sign!
 

How do you transport what you use to hang the sign to that spot on the sidewalk? You tow its folded-up-self behind your bicycle. Creative problem solving!

Sidewalk slice of life.

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The sidewalk scene in front of City Market NW, 735 NW 21st Avenue. I took this photo on May 2 while on the Architectural Heritage Center's Historic Multi-Family Housing of NW Portland Walking Tour. Naturally I have lots of photos of said housing, too. More on them later. I've been in the City Market, back when Mama and I lived in the neighborhood. On a weekday after work I bought Farmhouse Country pate from Chop, right there inside the store. Yummy.

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!

Altered with Picnik, Vibrance Special Effect, No. 2

Altered by cropping, tinkering with the exposure, and using the Vibrance Special Effect to make the colors pop.

What do you think is going on here? Did the man on the bicycle squeak in pain after taking the curb, causing the man waiting to cross SW take a close look? They are in front of the United States Bank, architect A. E. Doyle, on SW 6th on the Portland Transit Mall.

#8, Hawthorne Bridge, focus on the circle between the eastbound & the westbound ramps and/or the intersections of the ramps with the surface streets

It's Theme Day at lots and lots of City Daily Photo Blogs. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants who have posted an Action Shot for your enjoyment and/or edification.

A - Angle of the raised dump truck bed.
C - Circle being reworked for to the fall, 2012 arrival of the Portland Streetcar Eastside Loop.
T -Tamp Tightly like the man with the shovel in the top photo.
I - Interest I have taken in these goings on.
O - One of these days this series of posts will be complete.
N - Not a moment too soon, I'm sure some frequent visitors will testify.

S - Smoothing accomplished by that wheeled contraption in the bottom photo.
H - Hot asphalt.
O - One more sidewalk to finish; take a close look at the bottom photo.
T - Tell me what you think of my ACTION SHOT, please and thank you!

The person closest to the back of the dump truck operated some sort of latch which opens some sort of chute and allows the hot asphalt to stream out onto the street, in a narrow, elongated hump-like shape. Looks to me like the next man is tamping it down with a shovel, tight as he can get it against the new curb on the new sidewalk on the inside of the circle.


Next thing I know, the first-laid asphalt has been rolled over by that wheeled contraption the man is riding and driving. See how smooth it looks up against the curb? You can sort of see the slight dip for the truncated domes matt at the handicap section of the sidewalk, too. Now the wheeled contraption is flattening the asphalt up against the newly formed curb across the street. And asphalt is being dropped out of the dump truck to complete the entire surrounding of that point of curb. There is still no concreted sidewalk completed there, though. Up on the eastbound Hawthorne Bridge ramp you can see two men working with a traffic diversion sign of some sort, so you know that work surely continues at or close to the intersection of SE Hawthorne and SE Grand.

#6, Hawthorne Bridge, focus on the circle between the eastbound & the westbound ramps and/or the intersections of the ramps with the surface streets

On such a sunny day, working outside with a task one could accomplish must have been a rewarding activity.

I took this photo later in the day from when I took the photo on Monday's post, a little over four hours later. A crew poured the rest of the sidewalk on the inner edge of the circle. The white truck is pulled to the curb on SE MLK, which is a one-way street, southbound. The bridge ramp above it is the eastbound exit ramp of the Hawthorne Bridge. The Ross Island Sand & Gravel truck is pulled to a stop on the circle. The man on his knees is creating a recess for the installation of the yellow vinyl section of truncated domes, that rectangle that looks sort of like permanent, wide-spaced, opaque, yellow bubble wrap which you see along the edges of subway stops and in the handicapped ramps from sidewalks down to street level. Truncated domes, which meet ADA requirements, serve as a detectable, tactile warning surface for the visually impaired. I myself like to stand on them at corners while I wait for the light to change, unless there is a visually impaired person there, too. My feet enjoy the massage. You can see what looks like two pieces of yellow, one on each side of him as he scrapes and smooths. I for one am glad to see that the sidewalk is as high off the surface of the circle as it is--I doubt that rain will stand on that sidewalk, ever.



The truncated domes matt has been installed, near the end of the plank the man is standing on near the bottom center of the photo. Now these men are continuing to finish the sidewalk's surface. The man on the left is using a pad attached to the extended-length handle. The other two men are on their knees, smoothing by hand.


In this photo you see more finishing work in progress. The man walking on the plank is crossing back to the street because he has finished using the extended-length handle and pad on the concrete. And you can see the slightly different colored rectangle to the left of where steps, there in the gray concrete. That is the truncated dome matt. The planks that cross from one side of the sidewalk to the other were moved to the right a few feet, and the work continued.

#5, Hawthorne Bridge, focus on the circle between the eastbound & the westbound ramps and/or the intersections of the ramps with the surface streets

I took Saturday and Sunday off, chilled and painted with acrylics on canvas board and such. I'm back now.


On November 10, the view from SE MLK, looking east. I was so taken with the BUMP sign that I failed to notice the area to its right, ready to become the rest of a new section of sidewalk. You see, previously along the edge of the circle, no sidewalk existed, just a narrow paved path with a handicapped ramp to street level, but no crosswalk or signal for the handicapped to use in crossing the circle, however. You can see the ramp and the no crosswalk clearly here.

This photo illustrates what I had said here about the circle reminding me of a tilted bowl. See how much higher the circle looks where the pavement disappears into the leaves on the tree? And see the traffic through the guardrail? That traffic is heading north on SE Grand Avenue. The traffic signal with the One Way sign at the right edge of the photo is the second photo in this post.

Music moves.

Early. Meandering? Hardly. Focused. Ready. Drum. Tambourine. Somewhere. Music!

Sidewalk Session No. 2

Saturday, I'm waiting at the corner of SE 12th and East Burnside because I had to get off the 20 so that I could catch a 12 and end up closer to home with my rolling black bag filled with fresh vegetables, etc., from the Portland State Farmers Market. I decided to take a photo of the hippo on the pillar at the Hippo Hardware store. Little did I realize I also got a far-off glimpse of some of the participants in my latest Sidewalk Session.

By the time the first 10 boys made it behind me and started talking among themselves, I soon wondered just how many F-bombs and S-bombs these guys had in them. Middle schoolers, sounded like to me. Mostly they discussed where to eat with whatever money they had and how none of them knew where they were supposed to go next, then a couple of them began to talk about two stragglers who were still down the sidewalk. One boy kept hollering, "Come on! Hurry up!" or something along those lines. The stragglers ran up the hill after they crossed the street and arrived saying, "We told you to go on!" "We don't know where to go," I heard, along with more profanity, possibly from the one who had been exhorting the two of them to catch up.


Once I could tell they had moved away from over my right shoulder, I turned to see what was up. That's when I took this photo of them, riding away on the sidewalk and leaving my personal space.

Interesting that these two Sidewalk Sessions have involved overt profanity. I know lots and lots of people regularly engage in cussing, be it about the vegetables available in the grocery store or how much food you can get at Wendy's for $5, but I still can't get used to hearing it loudly and openly on the streets. And I still don't have to like it. Not that I don't say hell, damn, crap, and piss myownself now and then, but I do not speak or think or write the F-bomb, nor do I say those four loudly and openly in public. I'm a regular hair-splitter, ain't I?

Sidewalk Session No. 1

To set the stage for this series of photos/events that I've decided to call a Sidewalk Session, here's a photo I took as I walked from the streetcar towards Kenny and Zuke's where I planned to eat supper. See the silver car's brake lights? There to its right you see a bicycle chained to a barricade. And there's a shiny metal metal sculpture on the corner; it's got three legs. I wish the car had not been there because you could see the bench where I sat later. When I took this photo, I had no idea what would happen on the sidewalk. Well, I suppose I ought to say what might have happened. Was the threatening sky a portent of things to come?


After finishing supper, I walked to the intersection seen in the top photo where I sat down on the bench to wait for the bus. I was on West Burnside, across the street from Powell's Books. The narrow blue pole with the signs is the bus stop. Naturally, I had my camera around my neck. I took this photo and felt someone closing up behind me. I didn't turn to see who it was, but I did hold my camera so nothing on the view screen could be seen from over my shoulder.


I heard the rumble of a motorcycle. When I glanced to my left, I saw a bit of yellow and wondered if this could be the motorcycle that Mama and I used to hear rumble by our apartment over on NW Everett--a few times we actually happened to be looking out the window and saw it. It certainly sounded like the same one, a distinctive, deep-throated, rhythmic rumble which its rider coaxed from the engine. I took this photo, and the person behind me sat down at the opposite end of the bench. Once again, I didn't actually look. As I glanced peripherally, I felt that I had seen her at another time. She just sat there, picking up a discarded newspaper from the seat.


I looked to my right, behind her, and noticed the intersection. I thought I could get a good perspective between the legs of the sculpture on the corner (more about it in another post), so I stood up and walked behind the bench, past where she sat. Here's the one of the first few photos I took. The woman on the bench heard the camera or turned and saw me taking photos. I don't know which. All I know for sure is she started to speak loud enough for me to hear, something along the lines of "Stop taking "profanity" pictures!" I quietly and slowly moved farther away from the bench, never looking back.


Here's the last photo I took before I stepped closer to the actual bus stop. In a moment, the bus pulled to a stop. I got on and sat facing the bench, wondering if she would follow.


When she didn't, I took this photo, hoping she would not notice. I have used Picnik to blur her features, not only to hide her identity, but also to protect myself in some fashion.

Serendipity #2. Look at his feet.

I saw this young man running toward me Sunday morning as I walked to a nearby convenience store to buy a newspaper. Running on NW 23rd Avenue. On a cold, cold morning. I thought, "Why not document his efforts for the blog?" Click. Then when I downloaded the photo to the iMac, I noticed that I had captured both of his feet off the ground--see the shadows beneath them, on the sidewalk? What a split second of serendipity!

Sidewalk Shot

Taken in front of The Heathman Hotel and Restaurant on SW Broadway. The street you can see in the background is SW Salmon. I couldn't resist the regal-looking dog and the straightforward message on the sign.

Soft

One of many blossoms on several hydrangea bushes around the corner, right beside the sidewalk.

A vivid surprise on the sidewalk

I'm walking down the sidewalk on the way to catch the bus Monday morning when I notice this streak of color on the sidewalk. Oh, photo opportunity! Click.

Walk a few steps closer. Click. That's a three-story house the camellia there on the right of the photo. It's been made into apartments, three I think with the digging out of the basement during 2008 which made the third one.

One of the beautiful blooms.

And another one. Don't the leaves look sad, though? Our street is a busy one, 24/7. The traffic volume plus the still-present gravel/rocks put down during the snows in December make for a fine gray dust. You can see that on the leaves, sticking no doubt on one of our recent damp days.

Seeking direction at the corner of SW Washington and 5th

I took this photo from the 18 bus, thus the reflections from the neon signs Kelly's Olympian, on the way home from work on March 2. The ladies are standing near the door to Everest College which states "Career training for life" on its Web site. Oh, I just noticed something. The ladies are seeking direction from the map. Students come to Everest seeking direction for their lives. Serendipity!
Here's Kelly's neon so that you can have the whole picture.


Please take a look at Mama’s 10 things at Casey’s blog. You can see each and every one of them as large photos by clicking on the small ones, and read her descriptions on the first page, beneath the small photos.

Sorry for not posting on Saturday and Sunday--way busy around here, having fun, helping Leland with an assignment.

Friday's photos for you

Our Secret Santa Pot Luck happened Friday at 12:30 p.m. I stuffed this small crockpot, the Kraft BBQ sauce, the Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies, and the plastic container of cookies into my large, water-repellent tote bag and carried them to work. All I brought home was about half of the cookies. Whooee, did we have the food! By the way, I didn't take the Wilton Holiday Cookie Set with me, although it is in the corner of the photo, behind the BBQ sauce. Another by the way, I can report that I made a tasty, popular choice with that Kraft Thick/n Spicy BBQ Sauce--I knew I had the minute I got to top off and started glug-glug-glugging it into the crock pot, on top of the cocktail wienies (my favorite name for those little goodies).

Right before I left the building, I took this photo of the intersection so that you could see that the snow continued to fall during the night, light accumulation in my neighborhood.

About 10:30 a.m., I noticed large flakes falling, so I knew I needed to try to get a photo or two. I mentioned what I found to WendyB, creative blogger who designs gorgeous jewelry, and she instantly named it for me, Split personality weather! See, it's snowing on the east side of the river and the sun is shining on the west side of the river--unreal. The flotsam-looking gray specks are actually snowflakes! You're looking west-northwest, with the Big Pink on the right end of the panorama of buildings.

Here are some proper-looking snowflakes, shot against the rock wall that separates the roof garden from the patio.

And here's that stretch of sidewalk, again, as of about 5:45 p.m. Friday. The big flakes didn't really accumulate around the city. But we have predicted as much as six inches in Portland, over the weekend. Six inches!

Autumn Interlude--Sky, Sidewalk, and Vehicle

A tree across the street from Lincoln High School, Saturday afternoon

A tree on NW Flanders at NW 23rd Avenue, Saturday afternoon

The tree to the left of our building's front door, before sunrise.

Nearby sidewalk, #1

Nearby street level matching accessory, #1

Shrub on nearby sidewalk, #2

Nearby street level matching accessory, #2, on NW 23rd at Glisan

Nearby sidewalk, #3

Nearby street level matching accessory, #3, on NW Glisan near NW 23rd Avenue

Nearby sidewalk, #4

Nearby street level matching accessory, #4, the corner of NW Davis and NW 22nd

NW Davis, a view I enjoy every afternoon after I get off the bus, taken Oct. 29 before it started to rain which knocked lots and lots of leaves from the trees

NW Everett, a view I enjoy every morning when I walk to the bus stop--although I took this photo in the afternoon on Oct. 29--it's too dark now to get a good shot in the AM

Part of the price for our autumn beauty--cars blanketed with leaves

The same car, different view

One last view of the autumn bounty.

All of these shots are within a four-square-blocks space, except for the one by Lincoln High School. They provide emphatic evidence of the necessity for Northwest Portland Clean Sweep--for us, the next one is Dec. 5--nearby streets either the week before or the week after. I found this on Portland Online:

PDOT and Neighbors West-Northwest have successfully collaborated for the past 15 years to clean the streets in NW Portland. Residents and businesses are notified in advance to remove their vehicles from the scheduled sweep area by 7:30 a.m. because City sweepers cannot make their way down NW Portland's narrow streets with cars parked.

Can you imagine how many leaves we'd have here if they didn't clean off the streets three times a year?