Crossmark Music!

Hey, photo fans.  Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  Been busy sorting things out after my computer crash.  The good news is that I salvaged a majority of my missing photos!

Also been working on some other creative projects -- like music!  I'm finally getting around to recording some piano music I've written.

One song, "For Jason", was inspired and dedicated to a long-time friend who died of cancer just a few weeks ago.  His passing at such a young age has reminded me how important it is to do what you love with the people you love while you can.

If you're on Facebook, listen to the songs and become a fan of Crossmark Music.

You can also listen online for free at Grooveshark.

Fleur de Fence

Pointy decorative thingy on a fence.  Yes, "pointy" and "thingy" are the correct technical terms for it.

Plant Iron

Metal ornamentation of a leaves.

Plant Fragile

A delicate plant gone to seed.

Plant Fallen

A leaf in dim light.

Plant Green

Got a plant theme going on this week.  Stay tuned.

Winker

My daughter at the beach this summer.

Underleaf

Underside of a leaf.

Back Entrance

Back entrance to a mom-and-pop store near Foster and 92nd in Portland. I'm guessin' they don't use it much.

Marysville Windows

Colorful curtains at Marysville School in Portland, Oregon.

Stonewalled

Large stones from a wall at Camp Collins near Gresham, Oregon.

Damascus Carving

Another motif from a headstone at a small cemetery near Damascus, Oregon.

Orb Yellow

A not-as-gigantic-as-it-appears sphere -- a bit of playground equipment at Marysville School in southeast Portland.

Autumn Tribute

This week, a friend found out he has stage four cancer. I guess this photo is my tribute to him. Like falling leaves, his life is changing into a winter season of difficulty. But there will be a Spring.  Love you, Jason.

Through The Log

Is it a monstrous cave opening or just a hole through a log.

Ball and Stripes

There's a brand spankin' new playground at Marysville School in Portland. Bright colors abound.

(My son had to throw this ball up in front of the wall only about four times until we go the shot.)

Vented

Just a dryer vent with texture, shadow, shape and mess.

Marble Fleur

Decorative marble at a small, country cemetery near Damascus, Oregon.

Dusky Discs

It's not often I spy farm equipment now that we live in the city. Found this disc while out on a scenic drive in the outskirts.

Weathered Stump

A weathered tree stump on the dunes of Westport, Oregon.

Plant Tuxedo

Symmetrical plant leaves adorn a stem-neck like a green bow tie.

Viking Bell

A warning bell outside a warehouse near 17th and McLoughlin. The sign next to it says, "If this bell rings, call 9-1-1." That would be an interesting conversation.

Razor Loop

A loop of razor wire keeping the snoopers out of a warehouse lot.

I like to call this photo "Something My Mother Would Never Take A Picture Of".

Chain Proof

Here's proof that I'm not that great of a photographer. What I'm good at it post-processing. =)

Original shot:

For My Grandkids

I don't recycle for myself. I recycle for my grandkids.

(By "I", of course, I mean my wife.)

17th Street Warehouse

Went out for a drive this weekend looking for a good photo op. Found grunge heaven near 17th and McLoughlin -- an entire block of old warehouses.

Five Stones

Wrapping up a week of beach photos from Westport, Washington.  (Which was an incredible locale, by the way--if you're into free, secluded, luxurious vacations by the ocean.)

Refractions

A visual cacophony created by the Fresnel lens at the Grays Harbor Lighthouse near Westport, Washington.

25 Petals

(Did you count them?)

Sentimental Doodle

A sentimental doodle in the sand at Westport, Washington.

Sunset Rock

Sunset at Westport, Washington.

Jackson Tower

Finishing off my monochromatic theme this week with an architectural detail from Jackson Tower near Pioneer Square in Portland.

Fountain Alcove

Fanciful (yet non-functional) water fountain near Washington Park's Rose Garden in Portland.

Wooden Wheel

Continuing my monochromatic theme for the week.

(And for those curious about that teal wall in yesterday's post, click here to see it in color.)

Basement Window

Window near 36th and Hawthorne in Portland. The brick wall is actually a bright teal, but I'm in a monochromatic mood this week.

Addendum:  Here's the color version for those who are curious. Oh, and this wall is across the street from the Waffle Window -- a must visit for any Portlandians!

Olde Tyme

Antique clock on display at Philip Foster Farm near Estacada, Oregon. (Philip Foster was one of the first settlers in Oregon.)

Sleipner

A boat from the wharf at Westport, Washington. I romanticize about life by the ocean, sunset walks on the beach all summer long.

Sad Girl

Pensive pose of a girl in statue. From the Children's Museum in Salem, Oregon.

Bright and Cheap

A colorful, cheap motel along 82nd Avenue in Portland.

Steep Steps

From a lookout tower at the beach in Westport, Washington.

Rocket Fever

Space-age lines of the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington. Originally built for the 1962 World's Fair -- when space exploration was all the rage.

Sunflower Buffet

Two bees hit the jackpot.

Life Finds A Way

Plants, like some people, find ways to thrive in less than ideal circumstances.

Humming Carved

Carved humming bird -- detail from a bench at Leach Botanical Garden in southeast Portland.

I stumbled upon the botanical garden while out for a drive, looking for a place to shoot. It's a quaint place to take a peaceful stroll -- and free to the public.

Lady of India

Colorful dancer at the India Festival held at Pioneer Square this summer.

Cafe Brick

Bricks in the afternoon sun. Taken outside the Bread and Ink Cafe on Hawthorne and 36th.

Ode to the Goat

Part of a mural at Lents Park in Portland. The singing guy, I get. But the goat?

Adobe Window

Sunset against a textured wall (92nd and Ramona, Portland).

One Blue Rung

Lents Park playground in Portland.