Arnica String Quartet

Portland has so many opportunities to hear really great music. For a small city it will keep you busy going from venue to venue. Tonight was the Arnica String Quartet playing Britten and Ott with Daniel Ott attending. Kudos to them all including the guest pianist, Susan Dewitt Smith, and oboist, Erin Gustafson.

Bogart in Portland

Humphrey Bogart as seen on SW 11th Ave opposite the Elliot Towers.

Art Class at the Portland Art Museum

The Portland Art Museum doesn't open until 10:00am most mornings. This group was settled in and hard at work at 9:45.

Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria

Chris Burden's Three Ghost Ships "sailed" into the Portland Art Museum. Here they are as they looked this morning...

Blue Monday

Sometimes mornings are just that blue... Today I had coffee at the Portland Art Museums coffee shop, Museum Grounds. Cornflowers grace the tops of the tables...

Fremont Bridge

A drizzling Sunday in Portland. We journeyed across the Fremont Bridge and this was the view on the way home, heading west...



The bridge trip was to harvest fruit and veges at our friend's home east of the Willamette River (underneath the bridge above). Here's what was left of the bounty after I made ratatouille.

Oregon Symphony Marquee

Opening night of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra's 2011-2012 season ...

Carlos Kalmar conducted a performance of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2. Elina Vahala was the violin soloist playing Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2.

Rust as Fence

Today's walk included some moments at Tanner Springs Park ~ a quiet oasis in the North Park Blocks near NW 10th and Northrup. This fence always fascinated me with its swirling rust and glass.

Portland Art Museum ~ At Dusk

The Fruitbat and I invaded the Portland Art Museum tonight...

Tanner Springs Park

Tanner Springs Park here in Portland Oregon offers many opportunities to sit and contemplate or walk through on an amazing maze like boardwalk.

View from Neurology

The Center for Health and Healing is OHSU's waterfront campus. Occasionally we will visit and today was one of those days. The view from the eighth floor is quite good providing an interesting perspective on the activity on SW Moody and also the Portland Skyline. SW Moody has been turned into a construction zone as the Portland Streetcar's expansion to Lake Oswego is underway.

Checking in at Work

Here's the newest employee at the Portland Art Museum!

Union Station

This would be in Portland, Oregon. We were to meet some friends who had a layover here in PDX on their way down to California. All we saw was their train. However, since we waited for the train to leave the station, they did see us!

Window Shopping

Just around the corner from me is an art gallery. Included in its window is this grouping of handblown perfume bottles by Andy Paiko.

Reunion with Friends

Today's walk was out for tea with one of my friends. She brought me this Welcome Back Bouquet.

Signage at Portland Art Museum Changes

As Allure of the Automobile is in its last week, the signage at the Portland Art Museum has already begun to change. The workers in the background have already reinstalled this front sign and are working on the one at the Hoffman entrance.

After AMS to PDX Flight

Home but not well...

Heading to Schipol

These ladies reminded us of the line we'll be facing at Schipol here in Amsterdam tomorrow. Heading home to Portland...

Lovely Ladies

Here's one on a bicycle...



And one in a window...

Sunday Afternoon on Ten Katestraat

You're now in Amsterdam. The day has gone from sunny to cloudy to windy to rainy to windy to sunny to cloudy... You might be in Portland but not... you're along Ten Katestraat near where we're staying. These fellows have been enjoying whatever this board game is for two+ hours. They and their friends are having a wonderful time and hopefully you are also.

Amsterdam Plaza

This plaza could be of importance to you. On some days there is an open air book market. On others it's just people, but more importantly the American Book Company is on the left. Toilets and water are available as well as books in English in case your Dutch is not up to par. What we've found is that about half of the Dutch speak English. It seems to be generational... if you learned it in school and are now 50 and haven't practiced your skills are probably greatly diminished. On the other hand, our Dutch is minimal. We've had some very nice encounters with the Dutch young and old who have as much English as we have Dutch.

Last Day In The Hague / First Day for This Couple

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A rather romantic sight as we were wandering today...

Cemetery Cat

This cat seems to be quite at home at the Old Oak and Dunes Cemetery. Cemeteries are one of our stopping spots when we travel. Ms. Calico seemed to want to have her image published...

Schopenhauer by the Sea

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I had to travel across the Pond and to The Netherlands to find an unusual sculpture of Schopenhauer. He was there at Museum Beelden aan Zee with a number of other philosophers but not necessarily his friends...

Amsterdam Bicycle

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What's a trip to Amsterdam or anywhere in The Netherlands without photos of bicycles. Here's one from today when it was cloudy and wet ...

Amsterdam Flea Market

In addition to all of the miscellaneous junk at the open air market, there were any number of book stalls. I must say I hung around to take this fellow's image. His beard sang out to be captured.

Flashers and Aliens ~ UIT Festival

Today's event was the UIT Festival in Den Haag, The Hague.

First up are the Aliens, tall and dexterous ~


And then the Flasher!

Mondrian and Gay Pride

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Yes, the day was filled with culture ... Mondrian at the Gemeentemuseum


and watching various acts at the Gay Pride Festival

Portland and Amsterdam Share Two Loves

Walking the streets of Amsterdam, you'll find a number of similarities in addition to the bicycles, admittedly Amsterdam has more of those and more canals also. (Voice from the Couch commented on canals that they're similar to parts of male anatomies ~ they come in all sizes. That came after seeing a condom shop... But back to the similarities. Pods of dogs are being walked and graffiti abounds!





Check out the size of the condoms here ~ they're hanging in the window ...

The Hague

A lovely walk...