National Train Day, May 10, 2014 - two photos of a hug and the resulting joy, plus a bit about my personal joy

The hug. In the space between Union Station and the tracks, the Oregon Zoo's Titus the Tiger handed out hugs to all who approached.



That single hug sent this little girl over the moon. Such joy!

By the way, I'm sure that you've noticed I've been gone. In fact, I've been off my game to one degree or another since May 13. My repetitive refrain, spoken only in my mind: Allergies, get the behind me!

Finally, I say finally, I believe I have won! My energy levels returning to normal, my eyes not itchy and/or watery, my left ear just about completely unstopped, I no longer have to take allergy pills regularly because of whatever is blooming, pollinating, blowing through the air. And I no longer have to worry about busting out in ugly sneezing fits that always, always, always happen when allergies impact my body, and I feel the slightest chill. Ask anyone who has heard a sneezing fit of mine--they'll tell you just how ugly they are.

While in my work cube I endured and sneezed until the fit ended, miserable among a few co-workers, but I recognized that I needed a method to keep me from sneezing among a larger crowd on the homebound bus, once the air conditioning came into use in June. When I waited at the bus stop, I knew as the sun shone on me and my backpack that I'd be sweaty, warm, the perfect prey for chilled air. The only thing that saved me on those after-work commutes was my rather voluminous black rectangular scarf which, before I stepped onto the bus, I tented over my head and shoulders, hiding my arms and hands. I sat down and held my backpack on my lap and carefully kept the scarf in place. As long as I remained covered until I stepped off the bus once I reached the stop near my building, I didn't sneeze. And let me tell you, I felt joy every single time I made it without a sneezing fit. Real joy.

Signs, out and about in NE Portland, No. 2

Northeast Portland interests me for many reasons, not the least of which are the sorts of signs I find now and then. This one seen from the TriMet bus window, used to say Paulsons on the ovals--I think it's vintage and have to wonder if it originated with the Paulson's Floor Covering store that used to be in the building, since the number of ovals matches the number of letters in the word. There must've been an apostrophe on that next to the last oval, looking left to ride as we ride along westward on NE Sandy Blvd.
 

Flower Study, No. 1

Since I ended up on the 20 bus Saturday for part of the ride home, instead of the 12 or 19, I decided to take advantage of getting off in a different place, to see what I could see. Was I ever happy that I did. Flowering trees with blooms close enough to photograph. Wonderful, exciting, hopeful time for me.

Sunny Saturday! Been to a lecture and walked around taking photos. About to go out again into the sunshine, just as soon as I get this posted!

Walking from The Circuit Bouldering gym just of NE Sandy at NE 18th, on my way home today at 12:46 p.m. I had stopped for a few minutes to visit with Lamont and Leland who were in there bouldering. Lucky for me, they had a few minutes to stop climbing and visit with their little ol' Mom! Lucky for me also to get this photo of the two buses that I ride home from work--the 12 and the 19. That's my usual stop that the 19 is at--it's named NE Sandy and NE Flanders. The 12 is at the traffic signal at NE Sandy and NE 20th. The multi-browns brick building is the triangular one that houses Halo Salon, on the tip, and right behind it, The Blue Diamond PDX, my practically-perfect-in-every-way neighborhood bar. Depending on whim or weather, I can walk either direction at the tip of that triangle to get to my building--there's a side door if I go right, and there's a front door on the street parallel with NE 20th. Often I go to the front door so that I can get in a few more steps.

Seen from the bus on SW 6th Avenue, near West Burnside

I took this photo on March 30, 2013. I need to go out this weekend, looking for the downtown planters. I'll bet they are full of flowers either already blooming or about to bloom--we've had some warmer temperatures lately and some soft rain.

Cooler air outside, warmer bodies inside, large windows opaque as a consequence of those differences--the 20 bus on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

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Wearing a quilted black satin brimmed hat, my multi-colored polka-dotted black rubber boots, and with my thigh-length raincoat completely zipped up and the hood pulled up over my hat, I boarded this 20 bus Sunday, September 29, at 12:49 p.m. on my way to a fundraiser tour for the Architectural Heritage Center. I had my Nikon secreted inside the upper left side of my raincoat and my over-the-shoulder black, rain repellant, many-pocketed handbag hanging outside my raincoat on the right side. I left my backpack at home because I had no idea how much turn-around space I would have on the tour. I certainly didn't want to knock anything off of someone's table or wall.

Seeing folks dressed in coats or hoodies, some with their belongings wrapped in plastic bags, didn't surprise me. All of us knew that it had been raining and blowing for hours and hours and would continue to do so.

On my way home after the tour, the 20 bus filled with thoroughly wet Portland Timbers' soccer fans who gave no clue as to the outcome of the game. It wasn't until I got home and checked Facebook that I learned the team had beat the LA Galaxy 1-0. And that 20,000 filled the stadium in the rain. Guess those who managed to quickly fill the 20 bus felt too water-logged to be excited about the victory. The hordes left on the sidewalks waited for the next bus in the downpour.

Seen downtown, No. 5

Let me count a few of my daily life blessings for you.

First, from my employer I get a 24/7/365 mass transit pass. 

Second, I work in a building a single block from a bus stop where three bus lines that go west over the Willamette River stop at the beginning of my lunch hour. 

Third, those buses all stop a couple of blocks from the Wednesday downtown Portland Farmers Market, located at Shemanski Park in the South Park Blocks, behind the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. 

Fourth, while this particular version of the PFM is less than a square block, I prefer to think of it as being village-like, intimate and personable and filled to the brim with the bounty of folks who must have huge hearts because they're willing to grow all of these vegetables, fruits, and flowers--or to bake tarts and breads and cookies and quiches or make goat cheese--so that we can zoom over there on our lunch hour and shop among the trees. 

Fifth blessing, those founders of the city who donated the downtown blocks of land which have become home  of two versions of the Portland Farmers Market, this small one at the north end of the South Park Blocks and the huge Saturday PFM at the south end of the South Park Blocks.

So, this week on Wednesday I happily saw once again, up close and personal, why it is so ever-lovin' OK that it rains in Portland. These vegetables. Other fruits I didn't get a photo of because I was carrying too many vegetables back to work with me and couldn't manipulate the camera. And the flowers in the next photo, one that I took before I had all of the vegetables to lug.




Once I got home from work, I took everything out of the bags and washed it all and put it in these two colanders to drain.

Sixth blessing, knowing I'll soon cook and eat all of these beautiful vegetables. More on that next time.

• Seventh blessing, my friend Sarah of Portland Creamery sold me some mighty fine chevre and gave me a great big hug!

Salvador Dali Ankle

At first, I thought I'd title this post Accidental Frame so that I could mention the serendipity of the juxtaposition of the pedestrian and the yellow metal framework near the bus door. However, as I looked at the photo in PicMonkey where I uploaded it for resizing, what appeared to be an unnaturally shaped and angled ankle, combined with the wavy curves of the calf, made a different decision for me. I would be remiss to miss out on the chance to compare the waviness I saw--brought about I believed by the perspective of the pedestrian's leg as photographed--with those wavy, melted watches of Salvador Dali.

When I clicked on the photo at its largest size, the actual reason became easy to see. A wide streak of sun-glare obliterates the outer half of her foot and washes out the outer half of her blue shoe. So, you can rest easy. This woman's right foot is regular and doing a good job helping her wait patiently for her own bus.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 5

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On this particular Saturday, it rained off and on, the sun came out now and then. I liked how the darker sky in the background of this photo and the lack of leaves on the trees make the buildings pop. Those tree limbs speak to me of summer-time-shade. The buildings are on the north side of West Burnside. The trees are on the south side of West Burnside. I'm at this intersection most every workday, on my way home on the bus. On Portland Trail Blazers' game days, I catch the MAX Yellow Line to the right of this photo and head for the Rose Garden Arena. If you look closely, near the No Parking sign on the left, you'll see two male skateboarders. One is on a bench; the other is standing at the end of the bench and is mostly hidden by the sign. 

The large structure just to the right of center is one of the many fountains in Portland. I found on the city's Web site that it is officially untitled, that it has become known as the Kelly Fountain. It runs spring through fall, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Also online, this description: Oregon artist Lee Kelly won an international competition to design this sculpture. Kelly has designed several other sculptures in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest. In this work, water flows over several 20-foot-tall steel structures. In conjunction with the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Water Bureau helped to restore Kelly's fountain to its original beauty in the spring of 2004. The fountain had become run-down over the years. 

Seen on or from mass transit on Saturday, March 9, 2013

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Seen on the 12 TriMet bus: Usually I sit where this little girl sits, or across from her in the parallel row of seats beneath the windows on the passenger side of the bus. This particular morning the mother and daughter had spread out over these three seats, and across from them a couple of loud, out-of-the-ordinary women took up those three seats, so I sat here instead. I'm glad that I did, because I had the chance to snap this photo, not taking enough time to focus properly. To me, her face and hairstyle take me back to the 1950s. When the 12 stopped at the intersection of NE Couch and MLK, I got off and walked a block east, then a block south to wait for the streetcar. My goal, Memorial Coliseum and the Oregon FIRST Robotics competition, my free access to the building itself, as well as a chance to witness high-school-student-produced-Frisbee-flinging robots!
 

Seen from the Portland Streetcar CL Line: For a few minutes I watched this man who had stopped where I waited at the bus/streetcar stop on the corner of SE Grand Avenue and East Burnside, bus transfer grasped tightly in his left hand. All the while I hoped that I would get the chance to snap a photo. Finally, after I boarded the streetcar, I stood up as we slowly pulled away and got this one. I can't figure out what fascinates me the most--the two-tone shoes, the black-and-white striped socks, the Mr.-Green-Jeans cuffed just so below the knee, the matching-toned-plaid jacket with the black fur collar which looked too warm in the sunshine, the multi-pocketed mossy green satchel, the white-collared, long-sleeved dress shirt, or the burgundy and gold tie. To tell you the truth, I've decided that the well-thought-out components of his outfit fascinated me most of all, as they combined to create just the look he was after. Even more fascinating, every single item he wore appeared to be brand-spanking-new. 

I love Portland 'cause you never know what you're going to see next!

A shared mass transit stop on SE MLK

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January 26 after the lecture at the Architectural Heritage Center, I decided to ride the Portland Streetcar down to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center to visit the steam locomotives. As you can see from this photo, the streetcar and the TriMet bus share this stop. That's the Morrison Bridge westbound approach you see there above the streetcar.





I waited while this lady boarded the bus. I think it's fantastic how that little ramp automatically folds out of the bus floor once the driver activates it. Once the bus drove off, the streetcar moved into place beside the yellow strip of ADA truncated domes which serve as a detectable safety zone, a system of textured ground surface indicators which assist blind and vision impaired pedestrians. Personally, I find them helpful, too, especially when it's been raining. I feel like they're less slick than a wet sidewalk. Anyway, the doors on the streetcar slid open and I walked on, took a seat and looked out the huge windows as we continued southward are MLK, going underneath the eastbound exit ramp of the Morrison Bridge. I love mass transit!

Seen on a TriMet bus

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At first glance, this photo looks like the end of a shopping trip for this young woman. However, I remember thinking when I took this photo on May 5, 2012, that I was glad that I did not have to pull that over-sized, thick paperback book out of that bag and study on the bus. She holds in her hand what looks to be the class syllabus--there are numbers and letters in the corner she holds with her slender, neatly manicured fingers--and the paperback book is opened to Chapter 1. What I find illogical is why what seems to be the beginning of a course of study is happening the first week of May. Oh, by the way, I'm certain she's repurposed the Macy's bag into a school tote bag. 

Seen on a TriMet bus

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(1) The bus rolled to a stop. I noticed two passengers in the space for one, associated with this motorized wheelchair and a hanging black bag. 


(2) The bus driver gives the pup a pat as he/she continues dangling on the back of the exiting wheelchair. 


(3) You know, I assumed the black bag was a backpack, but now that I see it from this angle, I'm thinking maybe it's a duffle bag with its handles hanging over the headrest on the chair. 


(4) Almost gone, swiftly and silently rolling on their way. Bye, doggie. 

I took this series of photos on November 20, 2010.

Seen either on or from a TriMet vehicle, be it bus or MAX, or maybe even the Portland Streetcar, which is not TriMet

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Straight out of the camera, I took this photo on December 8, 2012, while riding the bus home. The writing on the man's hat and jacket intrigued me.

 

Here the same photo has been altered with Snapseed, an app I have on my iPhone 5. On the hat, you may be able to read some of it. The best I can make out, it says, "Eternal life is in Jesus, the son of God." On the jacket, it says, "Orphans and widows indeed," then lists three Bible verses, Isaiah 1:17, 23; James 1:27, and 2nd Timothy 2:19. 

Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 

 
Isaiah 1:23 - Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

James 1:27 - Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

2nd Timothy 2:19 - Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.