2014 Festival of Flowers, No. 3

Never expected to see someone on the way to catch fish pushing his bicycle across Pioneer Courthouse Square during this year's Festival of Flowers. Never. Yet, such a sight is quintessential Portland. One of the things I love about this city is how easy it is to be yourself--no one messes with you as long as you're not creating some sort of problem or trouble for your fellow citizens.



See her? That little girl in the shorts set? She's stopped on a dime admid the flower-formed maze.



I wonder if the sprinkler's being on while folks were on the square surprised him. Could be that's what he's looking at. My best guess, anyway.



Isn't he a nice looking man? And check out those socks and sandals. This guy knows how to wash whites, or, at the very least, someone in charge of his socks knows how to keep them whiter than white!

Of sunshine and shade and stringed instruments

She pedaled through the sunshine, one musical instrument on her back, one behind her in the bicycle's basket--at least that case appears to hold another stringed musical instrument.



She pedaled into the shade, on her way west across the Hawthorne Bridge over the Willamette River. Does the green instrument in the purple backpack make you think of a banjo? To me, there seems to be a circle-ness in its shape hidden inside the backpack.

The chartreuse-colored pavement marks a dedicated bike lane.

Another one of those blue sky days in Portland!

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June 16, 2012, a Saturday. I must have been on an errand to the main post office nearby. Who could resist taking a photo of these bikes and balloons on such a sunny day? They pulled me in as they stood there on the sidewalk, catty-cornered from one of my favorite vintage Portland buildings, the United States Customs House which opened for business in 1901. Back when we lived in Northwest Portland, I used to walk by the building on the way from the apartment to a bus stop on NW 3rd--it was a fine sight to see during that early morning exercise. Click here for some interior photos and news of the building's future.

Creative Problem Solving, #2

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Richard's bicycle came up with a flat tire on its rear wheel as he rode near Sublimity, Oregon, on Sunday afternoon, September 8. I just happened to have pulled off in the gravel nearby to take a photo when I noticed him sitting on the railroad ties used to separate the parking area from the grassy area. I pulled closer and asked if all was well, and he told me yes and smiled. I told him that I have sons so I felt compelled to check, then I asked if I could take his photo and put him on my blog. He smiled again and gave me permission. I told him my blog's name and wished him a good ride the rest of the beautiful afternoon. He agreed that it was a wonderful day in Oregon.  I did not ask if he had walked along for a while with the flat tire or if it had happened just before he arrived at this spot on the highway. I did know that I had carefully passed him not long before. So, here's Richard, creatively solving the problem of having somewhere to sit while he changed his flat tire.

Parked

The blue bicycle with the pink front wheel and the yellow back wheel caught my eye as I walked by. Then I noticed the child seat on back of that other bike. I didn't walk inside to look for parked cars, but surely there were some somewhere, some time. After all, it's a parking garage.