Organic Iron

Plant and floral motif preserved in iron. Funny how we take stark materials like stone and metal, then shape them to resemble living things. This column head can be found in Ankeny Square in Portland.

Guilded Ceiling

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

Library Stitch

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

Grid Light

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

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.

Pipe Shadow

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

Mossy Pillars

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

Crystal Spire

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

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.)

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!

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.

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.

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.

Green Door

A forgotten door to a forgotten building.

Lace Curtains

Our neighborhood is lined with some wonderfully quaint houses that just seem to say "Portland" to me.

Hatch Lumber

All that's left of an abandoned lumber yard.

Ankeny Motif

A floral relief from Ankeny Square in Portland.

Blue Stripes

Out for a photo walk the other day and came across this architectural bit from a building around the corner. The metal is actually copper colored, but with a simple change of the camera's white balance, striking blue stripes pop out.

Narrow Passage

Another passage through the Folk Art Museum in Guangzhou, China. One of my favorite shots in the China series.

Forbidden City

Another view inside the Forbidden City, Beijing.

Garden Window

A shuttered window hides a lovely garden view at the Folk Art Museum in Guangzhou, China.

Pearl River Bridge

A shot from our dinner cruise in Guangzhou, China.

Moon Window

A circular window, a common architectural feature in China, displays garden area outside a tea shop.

Ornamental Wall

A decorative wall from the Folk Art Museum in Guangzhou, China.

Imperial Gate

An ornamental gate at the Summer Palace in Beijing.

Thoughtful Passage

One of many long meditative passages through a Folk Art Museum we visited while in China. I could have spent an entire day there strolling about in peaceful reflection.

Marble Boat

Big boat made of stone. Nope, it doesn't float. Just for decoration. Useful, huh? (Taken at the Summer Palace in Beijing.)

One Year Ago

Colorful rooflines from the sparse, yet elegant Forbidden City, the Emperor's expansive grounds in Beijing.

February marks an important milestone in our household. One year ago, my wife and I traveled to China for nearly three weeks to get our third child, a precious eight-month old girl. To celebrate, I'm featuring some of my China photos all throughout this month's blog posts. I'd love to go back to China, but this will have to suffice for now. (Anybody wanna send me to the Beijing Olympics this summer? I'll pack myself in your suitcase!)

Column

Contrasts of light on a column's lines and spheres. On 1st Avenue and Burnside in Portland by the (former) Saturday Market near Skidmore Fountain.

Smoke Stack

Like a monument to the industrial age, a brick smoke stack rises against a clean blue sky. Skies like that don't come every day in Portland, so ya gotta make the most of them when you can. For us, it was a beautiful January day to play in the park and take a stroll.

Nothing Rhymes with Orange

Does anything rhyme with "orange"? My wife says, "door hinge", but I think that's a stretch.

In the Sky with Diamonds

A stitched panorama of the Portland airport ceiling architecture, blended from three separate photos. (Click the image for a larger view.)

Foggy December

Festive green lights adorn the top floor of the office building where I work, peeking through the morning fog.

Farmhouse Window

Old houses make me wonder about the stories of the people who have lived in them over the years. If those walls could tell their tales...

Chipped and Cracked

Layers of weathered paint add character to the old train depot in Bryan, Ohio.

Depot

Architectural detail from an old train depot in Bryan, Ohio. What must have been one of the bustlingest places in town now sits in silent neglect.

Stone Wall

An intricate pattern of masonry on a massive stone wall near the Portland Zoo. Someone spent a whole lot of time getting those blocks puzzle-pieced together. So much more beautiful to look at than a stark concrete wall, which would have been cheaper, I'm sure.

Stone, Glass, and Leaves

I've fallen in love with downtown Portland which, like many cities, is rich in diverse architecture. We had a few extra minutes one night to stroll along and shoot some photos before meeting friends for dinner last weekend. Can't wait to find a free Saturday or Sunday to wander around again.

Warehouse

Something about the repetition in this practical architecture caught my eye. This building sits just a block from us, but I never noticed this side of it until last week.

Cross and Bell

From a church in town.

Chapel Door

Gothic architecture on a church in town.

Hole in the Wall

Pretend I said something deep about this ladder. Or the hole in the wall. I'm sure it's a metaphor for something...

Rusty Latch

Wooden green door from the old train depot in our town. One of those places you wish someone would restore and turn into a museum, ice cream shop, or something.

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