Around

Dizzy shot of the Riverfront Carousel in Salem, Oregon. Same carousel that this horse is on. The blue fish thing in the lower left corner holds a ring that the kids can try to reach out and grab. Winners get a free carousel ride. Losers--the kids who fall off trying to grab the ring--get a free lawsuit filing.

Carousel Horse

Horse head from the Riverfront Carousel in Salem, Oregon. Kids riding the carousel can reach out and try to grab a ring hanging on a pole. If they catch the ring, they get a free ride. (Click for larger view.)

Portland Water

Portland is called the "Rose City". Though I haven't seen any more roses here than elsewhere in the U.S.

Tennis Only

The tennis court down the street. "TENNIS ONLY". I have yet to see someone actually playing tennis there.

Ooga Mask

Hanging on the front of a house in the neighborhood.

Pole Stuff

That's a lot of stuff on them poles.

Fence Slats

Chain fence with slats -- patterns that mesmerize me.

Click for larger view.

Marlboro

Padlocked Pipes

I'm a sucker for visually repeating items.

Barbed

Rusty barbed wire. See it in the country to keep cattle where they belong. See it in the city to keep people where they belong.

Spiral Bulb

Modern spirals of an energy-efficient light bulb.

Just Grate

Portland's ubiquitous grates around trees at the MAX train stops.

Pluggy

Electrical outlets from an old building.

Push for Coin

Cell phones have killed all my fun. As a kid, I used to check all the pay phones for people's forgotten change -- what a thrill to find a quarter or dime. Felt like a millionaire. But no one uses pay phones anymore.

Frozen to the Fence

Icy leaf frozen to a fence.

This photo has nothing to do with the holidays, but Merry Christmas everyone!

Too Chilly to Play

A neighbor's playhouse. But too cold to play today.

USPS

So I take pictures of postal trucks. It's an odd hobby.

Spoon in the Road

To paraphrase Will Rogers, "When you come to a spoon in the road, take it."

Take Out the Papers and the Trash

Colorful trash and recycle bins outside a house.

Seems fitting considering the election. Out with the old. In with the new. This isn't a political blog (I keep saying that, don't I?) and I'm not about to say who I voted for. I just hope someone will restore America's image and goodwill in the world. There's a big mess to be cleaned up.

Cash for Cars

The car salesman tells me that this sign has been up since 1970-something. That makes the sign an antique. And me too, now that I think of it.

Fenced America

A shot from a neighbor's yard as I was out photo-walking this weekend. This blog isn't about politics, but this image could make a strong statement for those who oppose building a fence between the U.S. and Mexico.

Fence and Shadow

A study in light, lines, angles and depth.

Along the Sidewalk

View along the sidewalk. Not sure what's so special about it. I just liked the feel and intersection of lines and shapes.

When Pigs Fly

Rooftop ornament from the neighborhood. Insert your own pig joke here.

Bakery

From a cafe nearby. They make some incredible chocolate espresso cookies.

7303

Numbers from a telephone pole.

Pallet Stack

Stacks of pallets, like grown up Lego blocks.

Tennis Anyone?

Rusty chain link fence around a tennis court at Grant Park in Portland.

Caged Candle

An imprisoned flame.

Recycle

Guerilla tactics in the war on waste. A graffiti reminder on the handle of a dumpster lid to prick the conscience of anyone about to contribute unnecessarily to the landfill. Gotta love Portland.

3 on Hydrant

Since yesterday's post obsessed with fire, it's only fitting to post a fire hydrant today.

"Never seen nobody take a picture of hydrant b'fore," says the middle-aged lady watching me from her driveway.

I forget how strange I must look--of course, I am a strange looking person in general--kneeling in the middle of the street to get just the right angle.

"Well, it's the ordinary stuff that makes for interesting shots," I smile back. "We get so used to it, we stop paying attention."

"Guess that's right," she nods.

Caustic Wisp

Love campfires. Hate smelling like smoke.

So how do you scientifically categorize fire? Doesn't seem like it fits as a solid or liquid or a gas. Those are nouns. Fire seems like a verb--a caustic wisp of inbetween when something alive escapes into nothingness, leaving ashes as a memory.

Am I the only one who ponders fire?

Filament

Summer night, evening lights, and music in the air. An outdoor concert on the lawn wraps up a fun evening of berry picking at Sauvie Island in Portland.

Never Trust A Skinny Cook

"Never Trust A Skinny Cook" was the title a favorite cookbook of my mother's. This jolly chef stands outside the M&M Restaurant (not like the candy) on north Main street in Gresham, Oregon.

Dollar Dogs

Found myself bemused by this vendor's sign selling hotdogs today. Mostly because right across the street was the "Dog Town" canine obedience school.

Coincidence?

Your Tough Luck

Classy sign from a less-than-upscale establishment.

Birdless Bath

Overgrown, worn away, waterless bird bath. Sad day for dirty birds.

Frozen Fountain 2

Cool drink on a summer's day. A public outdoor water fountain in Portland. Similar to this shot from last fall.

Nothin' But Net

Basketball hoop at dusk. Just another sight around the neighborhood during tonight's photo walk.

Can Can

Soda can on the sidewalk. Or is it a "pop" can? "Coke" can (even if it's not Coke inside it)?

What do they call it where you're from?

(For those of you wondering why this didn't post yesterday, blame Blogger. Sometimes gives me fits when it comes to uploading photos.)

Sunset Sailboat

A miniature boat sails off into the horizon--where I suppose the tiny sailors will go home to their tiny houses, eat tiny dinners, and sleep in tiny beds.

Westmoreland Park in southeast Portland.

This Phone Is Tapped

Bright red phone in Portland's China Town.

--SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ALERT--

Happy birthday to Crossmark Photo Blog! Been at it pretty much daily for one whole year. Wanna send me a present? If ya like what ya see, tell a friend and invite them to subscribe.

Pale Ale

Four bottles of Mirror Pond Pale Ale left behind at Mt. Tabor park, as if an intentional art display.

At 90-something degrees, the weather was a tad on the warmish side, but a beautiful day for the park.

Bike Rack, Part III

Adding to my collection of bike rack photos.

Cup Colors

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

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.

Play

The great advantage to being a dad is the excuse to spend Saturdays playing. I realized once that I would have only 936 weekends with each child before they left me for adulthood and I don't want to waste a single one. So Saturdays have been christened Family Fun Day in which we try to spend a significant amount of time enjoying life and each other. There will be plenty of time for working weekends when they're grown. Then I'll drive by empty playgrounds and remember when.

If Only...

For all those times when the good stuff seems out of reach.

Red Swirly

Somethin' fun at the playground.

Purses

Display of purses in a shop down at the mall.

Time to Go Home

Hope y'all have enjoyed the month-long China retrospective, but it's time to wrap it up. One more post tomorrow and then back to scenes of daily life in Portland.

The above shot is from the China Hotel lobby in Guangzhou.

Stay On Your Own Side

Smiling Addiction

Any time I see a smiley guy, I can't help but think of this video.

Service for Six

A snowflake pattern of plates and bowls on display at IKEA.

Holes

Holes in the floor of playground equipment, shot at night.

It's Beginning to Luke a Lot Like Christmas

The Grinch has nothing on Darth Vader--it seems even the Dark Side of the Force has softened up with some Christmas Spirit. In what has to be one of the more surreal sights of my life, a half dozen Star Wars Storm Troopers stood outside Macy's this weekend ringing cutsey little bells to raise funds for the Salvation Army.

Spectrum

A blank compact disc prisms an artificial rainbow.

Shoeless

I imagine the second pair is there for revenge.

Hole in the Hedge

Curb appeal from a house down the street. I guess they got tired of walking around their 6-foot hedge, so they cut a hole in it and put in a gate.

Stone Stairs

Warmth of sun meets cold of stone on top of Mt. Tabor.

Asian Lantern

Decor from a Japanese restaraunt. I love the simple elegance in traditional Asian architecture.

Apples

Apples sit in the hollow trunk of their tree, stashed there by a critter, a person, or just happenstance.

Musical Thingy

Set of chimes on a playground in town. Kids can push the metal balls so that they strike the pipes and play a tune--or random noise.

Triangles

On the playground one evening last week.

Splatter

A rain drop ripples away water puddled on our deck during a storm, hammering its own temporary crater.

Fire

Enjoyed a weekend of camping with the family and good friends. So relaxing to sit around the campfire, mesmerized by the flames, lost in thought.

Ohio Art

One thing that put Bryan, Ohio on the map is a famous toy that's been around for generations made by The Ohio Art Company. It was even in the "Toy Story" movies. Can you guess what it is? (No fair guessing if you live or are from Williams County!)

Jurassic Bark

We drive by this tree a lot and it always looks to me like a dinosaur waiting to crush the next car that comes over the hill. Do you see it? I'm sure the guys from the electric company who trimmed the tree weren't intending to sculpt a piece of public art, but it certainly amuses me.

Macro Lens Fun

Had a little science experiment with the boys the other day. Took the macro lenses from my camera--which are essentially just magnifying lenses--and showed them how to focus the sun's rays to burn holes in leaves and make ants scurry pretty fast. It was a fond pasttime of my childhood. I was a very bored child. (The image above is the shadow of my hand holding a macro lens. Note how it casts an upside down image of the tree with the sun peeking through the leaves.)