Osprey near the Morrison Bridge

Portland is host to many osprey. Their call fills the air at certain times of the day. Look up and you may see one or more circling and if you're lucky you'll see one land in a tree as this one did this morning. It spent quite sometime in this tree near the Morrison Bridge.

A Visit to Pioneer Place

Voice from the Couch has been complaining that his iPhone case is falling apart. A quick trip to the Apple Store at Pioneer Place took care of that. Of course, while I was there I had to stop at the counter where the MacBook Airs are on display. So sweet! Someday...

Mr. Monet Comes Home

Or at least that's what I thought when I saw that Claude Monet's Waterlilies had returned to its spot on the first floor of the Portland Art Museum's CMCA. It's a beautiful painting and we're lucky to have such a fine example from this series that Monet painted during the last years of his life.

Portland Art Museum ~ Brushstroke Cleaning

Roy Lichtenstein's Brushstrokegraces the front of the Portland Art Museum. Walking by earlier today, I was able to watch as it was being cleaned.

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Mid-morning tea at the Lan Su Chinese Garden here in Portland. This teapot was on the table in the corner.



And this was taken on the walk along the pond.

Crows and Timbers

Out and about today I took a motion photo for tomorrow's class on blur ...


and this one of crows for me...


ending with a night at the Portland Timbers exhibition game against Club Atletico Independiente.

How to Spend a Summer Evening

Although there are any number of outdoor activities here in Portland, Oregon, many of us gravitate to Powell's City of Books. Filling a city block with books, this oasis of knowledge is a great place to kick back and enjoy yourself.

Babik

Three guesses as to what this man does for a living. Seriously, he sells rugs at Babik's on NW23rd here in Portland. His charming demeanor is probably only matched by the quality of his rugs. They're beautiful!

Reflected Light

This building is lit up in the afternoon with reflected light from the Metropolitan next to it. If you look carefully you may even see some aliens ...

Sauvie Island ~ North of Portland

Head north out of Portland, cross the bridge over the Willamette Channel and arrive on Sauvie Island. Head north through farmland and eventually you'll arrive at a gravel/dirt road. Follow the dirt road and you'll see signs for Clothing Optional beaches. Head west on a compacted dirt road and you'll pass this body of water before arriving at yet another along with a boat ramp.

All in all you'll have a grand adventure. Retrace your "footsteps" and you'll be able to stop and purchase your choice of any kind of berry imaginable.

Wallace Park Concert

Every summer Portland puts on concerts in local parks. For Wallace Park the month for the concerts is July. They're on Thursday nights. Even colder, cloudy weather didn't keep people away this Thursday.

At the Laundromat

Out on NW Thurman and 26th Avenue, the Lost Sock Laundromat boasts a gum ball machine. While waiting for the rugs to finish, I decide to take some images of the world inside of this round sphere.

Bat and Ball at Wallace Park

Nothing better on a summer evening than a stroll to the park and watching an inning or two of bat and ball...

Pioneer Square ~ Portland's Living Room

Summer appeared again in Portland today. Not too warm but not too cold either. No rain at lunch so everyone could sit and enjoy the activities of the Farmers Market and concert.

Bike Fantasy

This weekend was filled with images of bicycles dancing through my head. With a full blown long distance cycling addiction, I've put my bicycle up on the wall in the garage. This red beauty sits on my shelf ... I can ride it most anywhere in my dreams.

A Winning Day

I don't play Bingo and I don't gamble with money. However, I did feel that today was a Gold Medal day. The afternoon was spent in a Creative Photography class. Lots of new techniques and then she sent us out on a scavenger hunt. BINGO

Osprey in Portland

This osprey nest is occupied. No vacancy this year! Located near OHSU's Center for Health and Healing, the juvenile stays put as the parents forage for food.

Wallace Park

Fun in the park listening to this group.

Music at the Farmers Market

Every Wednesday in the South Park Blocks in addition to the Farmers Market, there's also music. This week it was the Portland Metro Youth Pipe Band.

Random Chaos

Today seems as if it has been filled with random chaos. On our late evening walk I spotted these objects neatly aligned on NW 27th Ave. They seem to speak to a certain order in the random chaos.

Forest Park

Forest Park here in Portland is one of my places to not only hike but also to run. Django, the little black chihuahua, and I came across this fallen tree on our jog.

Chess in Portland

There are any number of chess boards in public spaces here in Portland. This one in Director Park is the large economy size!

Mississippi in Portland

Yes, Virginia, there is a Mississippi in Portland ~ a street on the east side of the Willamette River easily accessed by Tri-Met from downtown and well on its way to having a demographic shift. Like most weekends in July in Portland there were far too many options for "Things to Do". The automobile buffs had old Ford, Oldsmobile and Buick cars to look at in the North Park Blocks after they had exited The Allure of the Automobile at the Portland Art Museum. The Farmers Market had live entertainment, fresh farm fruit and vegetables as well as food carts for breakfast and lunch.

Saturday Market always attracts people to the area around the Burnside Bridge for arts and crafts vendors as well as more food carts. A Bastille Day Celebration complete with a waiters race took place in Jamison Square. What we chose after the Portland Art Museum and the Farmers Market was the Mississippi Street Fair ~ fun for everyone of all ages...

Journey's End

Having flown to Las Vegas, packed several cars with necessities for a month's stay without the comforts of home for my son, driven across the country and watched him settle in for "camping" in Hampton, my journey is complete.

Destination Reached

After seven days on the road from Las Vegas, NV to Hampton, VA with a few side trips, we have reached our final destination. No incidents except for the check engine light coming on in the Mazda I was driving and the squirrel litter on the driver's side of said vehicle. That would be the pistachio dust from shelling those nuts while I was driving.
Here is a view of the lobby of The Chapman apartments in Hampton. Off to the side are the common areas. Outdoor comes with an upstairs patio with trees and very nice seating. And inside there is a group area that includes a pool table etc. and free wi-fi.

More Rivers, More Bridges

As we approach the East coast, the number of bridges increase. We ran by this bridge over the Kanawha River in Chaleston, West Virginia.

Versailles, Kentucky

Who said you can't have fun on a trip across the country? Must be in Hampton, Virginia by Friday, but there has been time to go hiking in Zion and the Arches National Parks. Yesterday we went to the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri. Today, we stopped at Woodford Reserve near Versailles, Kentucky, where great Bourbon is distilled.

These rockers are set out for you to rest in after sipping the sample at the end of the tour!

Missouri Botanical Garden

This 928 piece Dale Chihuly hangs in the lobby of the main entrance to the Missouri Botanical Garden. There are others dotted throughout the outdoor space. Plan to spend a while here when you visit so that you can truly enjoy the experience.

Kansas Run

Day 5 of the road trip started in Kansas. The wind blew so hard in Goodland last night that we were convinced Dorothy and Toto were somewhere nearby. This morning the clouds were reforming when we went out for a run on the south side of I-70. Goodland is situated at about 3600 feet above sea level, not as high as Grand Junction or Springdale, but high enough.

Celebration in Kansas

Zion to Arches

National Park Day on our trip across the country. We started in Zion and ended in Arches National Park...