Wrap-up…

I wish I had read a little more history before I went to Portland, because I would have been on the look-out for particular landmarks. Especially, I would have taken a picture of the Benson Bubbler fountains dotted around where we were walking. I thought they were a new feature, but actually the city started to place them back in 1917 from a gift from a local citizen (Mr. Benson) who was hoping to keep his loggers out of saloons at lunch time. They merrily bubble continuously (they are now set with timers to turn them off late at night and early morning) and are four bowls of continuous flow, bubbling along. Wish I hadn’t missed that picture. I did get these fountains, though, around the Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Bronze fountains around a Federal Courthouse reflecting the natural history of the area.

Of course, old buildings and new convention centers.

Had to take one shot from within the MaxTrain because it is such a fine system of public transit (and they refer to their senior citizens as “Honored Citizens”—now, that is a really nice place!)

Then it was time to fly home

Happy to have such good friends and old-time roomies to meet in far-off places to see beautiful cities and catch up on old times and children. Story after story and laugh after laugh. Lovely days, girls…see you next year.

Portland…

Chinatown

Using the Hipstamatic app.

Playing…

Inspired by my visit to a new city, new photos from the visit, and even a new app for my iPhone, today I have been playing…in between painting new doors and windows…almost done now, only the bathroom left for the worker guys to do.

The app is called CollagePro. It has a lot of nice things about it, however, it kept crashing before I could save what I was doing and I got very frustrated with it. Then I realized, if  I saved after every move I made instead of only at the end, maybe it would not get so temperamental about the whole thing and treat me nicer. So, I started doing frequent saving and combining parts I got out of CollagePro with other apps and I became more successful…a combination of CollagePro, PicGrunger, Blender, and Snapseed gave me these…

The center image is a texture shot of a large, bronze elephant statue in a Portland park.

Have I mentioned how much I like bridges? Here, the best is last…

I like…

about Portland, that it has:
Powell’s Books-a bookstore as big as a city block with uncounted rooms filled with every book you can imagine, and independent, too.
The Hawthorne Bridge-just waiting there to be walked over. (It reminded me that I have never walked the Golden Gate so I have put that on my to do list for a sunny day!) beautiful views and majesty.

Parks from the waterfront

to pocket parks where Kathy’s eagle eyes saw this wonderful elephant sculpture

the mixture of old and new architecture

and the most fantastically, wonderful Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) where we not only got to see the great exhibits, but we got to have lunch with Jenny’s son and my talented niece, Katura, who has just gotten a job there. Can’t get any better than that! I took these shots on the bicycle path back to the Hawthorne Bridge.

Almost forgot, I liked the Portland sense of humor (a sign in the middle of a busy road)

and Voodoo Doughnuts, where there is always a line, twenty-four hours a day, (but I wouldn’t want to eat one…

2nd Annual Roomie Reunion…

Last year it was Arnold, CA…this year Portland, OR…

Jenny, Murph, and I met for a few days of catching up…roomies on the town in a big city! We made good use of the hotel’s Happy Hour and free breakfast, and then we walked and walked.

We must not tarry here,
We must march my darlings.
WALT WHITMAN, PIONEERS, O PIONEERS

And march we did. Jenny forging a path and Murph reminding us to take our giant steps across the intersections before the light timed us out (guess who was the kindergarten teacher!) Then there was me, slow but steady, except when I had to stop to snap a shot. There was many a beautiful thing to snap, too.

I loved bridges before, now I reeaally love bridges.

A most unbelievable thing happened. Early one of the mornings, we were standing on the curb ready to catch the light rail to get to a new section of the city to explore. Constant chatter, of course. A man walked by, did a double take, walked by again, and then came up and said “I’m Rick Schaeffer.” OMG, he had been the Superintendent of Schools in Moraga. He retired the same year I did, but I didn’t realize he had moved to Portland. Such a small world!

The apps here include Hipstamatic, Diptic, and the native camera of the iPhone 4.