Vintage Corolla

An old Corolla in the library parking lot.

Lavender

Seems appropriate to post a delicate flower picture for Mother's Day. (Anyone know what kind of flower this is? Beats me.)

Our house sure is lucky to have an incredible woman like my wife. Mother of three, teacher of two, cook for all five, kisser of cheeks, healer of wounds, cleaner of messes, washer of clothes, all-around-keeps-the-house-running-glue-that-holds-our-family-together woman.

Yep. Pretty lucky.

Guilded Ceiling

Painted ceiling from Renaissance Room in the Governor Hotel--a hundred year-old schmancy place in downtown Portland.

Not So Fast

The speedometer on our van. No, I wasn't driving at the time. Just waiting in the parking lot with a kid in the backseat while dear wife was in the library. A perfect time to get the camera out and shoot! (Told ya--I never leave home without it! Okay, almost never.)

Bike Rack, Part III

Adding to my collection of bike rack photos.

Kitty Kitty

Looks fierce, doesn't he? He's actually very lovable. Neighbor's cat from way down the street.

Library Stitch

A stitched panorama of the Portland Central Library facade. Click the image for a larger view.

Boy in Blue

That's my boy, lost in playful thought. The thing in his hand is just a piece of cardboard, but in his endless vivid imagination, it becomes a hundred other things. He was frantic when he got home and realized he had left it at the park. Being the nice dad that I am, I drove him back to the park to retrieve it. Now life is good again.

Just Dandy

A dandelion prepared to launch seeds and spread a sea of yellow into nearby yards.

Doesn't it take you back to childhood? What kid can resist picking these guys and blowing the seeds to the wind?

Chess on the Square

An amiable game of chess at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland this past weekend. It's scenes like this that make Portland seem like such a quaint, friendly little town.

Colorful Convertibles

Toy cars lined up on display as if pulled in to watch a tiny drive-in movie.

Grid Light

Lines of light and shadow down the back wall of Woodstock Library on a sunny afternoon.

Reedwood Cross

A cross from the Reedwood Friends Chapel in Portland (Oregon, not Maine--for all you who've been wondering). Happened to be at the Friends church for a meeting last weekend.

Gates of Knowledge

Doorway of the Central Library in downtown Portland. The library hosts FREE concerts on Sundays--and I do love FREE. This time it was a top-notch instrumental trio and a vocalist performing flamenco / mariachi / latin music.

Summer Begins

Spring has done sprung--summer is in the air! A perfect weekend for running in the park and rolling down grassy hills--the kids that is. I'm more content to lay in the shade and snap pics of them in action.

Pipe Shadow

A rainwater drain pipe casts a long shadow at high noon.

Gotta Key?

I don't know where it leads, but you're not gettin' through. Nice of them to let you know though.

Russell

A Russell steam tractor at the Wooden Shoe Bulb Company's tulip festival.

Midwest Sunset

One thing I do miss about living in rural Ohio are the endless fields and stunning sunsets. The sun sets in Oregon too, of course. I just don't get to see it unobstructed.

Z Under the Tree

Cute pic of the Z-man under our glorious maple tree last summer.

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Misty Morning

Sidewalks shimmer from a morning drizzle along Holladay Street in Portland.

Cup Colors

A few of my kids' colorful toy stacking cups. I love sunny Saturdays with nothing pressing to do...

Vibrance

I still can't get over how strikingly colorful this flower was--didn't enhance it at all.

Mossy Pillars

Simple row of columns lining the sidewalk outside the Portland Central Library downtown.

Elephant Eye

Figurine in a store. Just seemed like an interesting thing to shoot.

Crystal Spire

One of the twin glass spires of the Portland Convention Center in a winter sunset.

Spiral Rack

Another loopy bike rack. This one's in front of one of the dozen or so Target stores around town.

[And how do I know that there's so many Target stores? Because I called EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM this last Christmas to see if they had a specific toy for a little boy I know. They didn't.]

Delicate Yellow

Had the pleasure of visiting fields of fragile tulips at the Wooden Shoe Bulb Company's tulip festival this weekend--nearly 80 degrees out, sunny, and clear blue skies. Perfect day for shooting.

Only after we were leaving did I find out that a Canon camera dealer on site was lending some awesome cameras and lenses out for FREE. Sneaky way to get my wanter wanting. Someday I'm gonna splurge big to upgrade to better lenses. I think it's gonna have to wait until some mid-life crisis or retirement.

Swingin' and Smilin'

This girl is the smilingest thing I think I've ever seen. She lights up like that at the smallest thing, even something as simple as someone looking her way for a moment. I have a feeling she'll get through life just on her charm.

Credit goes to the Ma for this pic.

Courthouse Facade

Facade of the courthouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Arches and Ovals

Another view of the Central Library foyer in downtown Portland. (Parorama shot stitched from three separate photos. Click the photo to view a larger version.)

Loopy Pipe

A loopy pipe for storing bikes. Kinda looks like three giant prongs of a fork sticking up out of the ground. But then again, I'm weird.

Portland is a big bicycle town. I heard recently that they're converting an area of the car lane just before certain intersections to be reserved for bikes. At a red light, automobiles will have to stop several feet back from the light so that the bikes can be in front. The hope is that this will prevent cyclists from being hit by cars who don't see them coming alongside in the bike lane when the automobile turns right.

In Profile

My oldest son in shadow profile. Why do they have to grow up so fast?

Happy Red Buddha

A jovial statue on display in a local store full of international wares.

Fixturated

Guess I'm fixated on lighting fixtures.

This one comes from the ceiling of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland. Thanks to the Portland Library and the Oregon Symphony, we won FREE tickets to a children's concert there this afternoon. Had fantastic seats too! The concert was very well done and a delight we couldn't have afforded otherwise.

Let's hear it for FREE stuff!

Pies of Color

An art display in the lobby of a business tower in northeast Portland.

End of the Line

For two little boys I know, there's a huge thrill in riding the city train. The best adventure yet? Discovering what happens when the train gets to the end of the line. Does it turn around? Is there a loop somewhere? A giant turntable? How do they get it going the other direction?

So we rode the train all they way to the mysterious not-so-distant suburb of Gresham just to find out. This is the legendary "Gresham" that the boys hear every time they board the train (Automatic voice recording: "This is a blue line train to Gresham. In the priority seating area, you are required to move for seniors and people with disabilities. The doors are closing." The boys have this MEMORIZED and quote it randomly around the house.). Going to Gresham for them was like going to Disneyland.

And what happened at the end of the line?

I wouldn't want to rob you of the adventure. =)

Boys' Jeans

My son has scarcely any jeans that don't look like this. Of course, he likes them that way. Increases his "cool" factor.

Come Sit With Me

A park bench down the street.

When I'm in public places, I sometimes wonder just how many other people have sat right where I'm sitting, or have stood and looked at the very thing I'm looking at. What were they doing there? What troublesome and happy thoughts were rumbling through their head?

I'll never know them, but for a moment we've shared a connection.

Endless Columns

Okay, so they're not endless. These palacial adornments stand watch over, um--a food court and some small shops. Probably not what the masons who built it had in mind. (Ankeny Square, Portland)

Pachyderm Portrait

What do roses, elephants and the world have in common?

Beats me. This odd mural on the building at Burnside and 1st Avenue in Portland is being painted over, so I consider it my duty to archive it for future generations to puzzle over.

And if you can decipher its meaning--please, enlighten the rest of us.

Solar Luminary

Looking up at the massive chandelier in a lobby of the Central Library in downtown Portland where we enjoyed a free concert of American music--even had some by Aaron Copland, who ranks as one my favorite composers of all time. What a great afternoon!

Aging Shed

An old shed across the street from a new playground we were exploring on a warm February Saturday.

Brick and Blue

My entry into photography opened my eyes to so much visual interest around me, even around the back door of this school near Grant Park in Portland. Contrasts of color, light, shape, and texture--just waiting for someone to notice.

Dry Statues

It seems only appropriate that Portland yard statues would have umbrellas.

Actually, it hasn't rained here nearly as much as I was led to believe. A good drizzle now and then, but hardly ever enough for an umbrella. In fact, you can usually tell the tourists by their umbrellas. Real Portlanders just pull their hood up.

Iron Curls

Curly Q's from an iron door near Burnside and 1st Avenue in Portland.

When I'm out and about with my camera, I'll snap a picture of almost anything. It's not uncommon for me to return with 200-300 shots from just a brief outing. Then as I'm sorting back through photos weeks later, I'll re-discover a nice shot that I had forgotten about. This is one example.

Sidewalk Cafe

Two chairs waiting for friends to meet for an afternoon coffee.

Just noticed that I'm stuck on this "crop the picture into a square" routine. Can't help myself.

Iron Glyphs

Detail from a cast iron column at Ankeny Square near Skidmore Fountain in downtown Portland. The square displays ornamental pieces taken from historic buildings that no longer exist.