life is good

A glorious sunrise

2012-02-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

Most of our colorful sunrises occur in January and February. Today this beautiful sky greeted me when I got up and I could not pass up taking these photos.

Click on image to enlarge

Colorful places to get groceries

2012-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

I love the three co-ops we have in Portland and try to shop at each of them regularly. The top one is Food Front which goes back to the 1970's. The middle is Alberta Co-op - serving a more working class neighborhood since 2001. The 'bottle wall' is in People's Co-op - also from the 1970's which has a farmers' market each Wednesday year round!

Click on image to enlarge.

A more typical winter day

2012-01-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

Whitaker Ponds Nature Park is a lovely place to visit on an overcast January Day. The sun was peaking through the clouds and the geese were splashing on in the water. It's wonderful even in winter.

Click on images to enlarge

Green even in winter

2012-01-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

We hardly ever get snow in Portland, mostly rain in the winter. This year it's been dry and sunny. Driving around recently these two images caught my eye. I love frogs and this mural on a city building is so green and vibrant. The two elephants in the North Park Blocks were a gift to the city from Huo Baozhu . They are a full sized replica from the Shang Dynasty.

Click on image to enlarge.

Sunny December

2011-12-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

This has been the driest December in Portland on record - usually, it is the wettest month. Great for getting out and taking pictures like these. The one at the top is the Steel Bridge built in 1912 and will celebrate 100 years in July 2012. The building in the other picture was designed by Michael Graves in 1982 in a style called 'postmodern'. It is near a park that recently was home to 'Occupy Portland' campers and is closed to be cleaned and reseeded.

Click on image to enlarge.

Pacific salmon rule!

2011-12-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

Besides great for eating, salmon make wonderful house decorations. Here are a few of my favorite. The ones on the fence look like a classic salmon 'run' .The three on the garage door look like they are going up stream. I could not resist including the one on the door although it may not be a salmon

Click on image to enlarge,

People's Co-op

2011-12-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

Located in SE Portland - this is one of my favorite places to shop. It's been around since the 1970's and is still going strong. You can find everything you need here. The bottom shot is of the inside wall made of glass bottle bottoms and a little table and chair for kids to play while you shop. Love this place.

Click on image to enlarge.

more old gems...

2011-11-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

Seem to be spotting old cars everywhere. The red one is a Ford Ranchero 250 made from 1957-79. First model with a truck bed. The yellow is a Ford Custom 8 truck from 1956. Love old cars and the people who own these keep them is such good shape.

Click on images to enlarge.

Urban renewal

2011-11-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

New shops going in on this colorful block in an area not far from where we live. The first may be a wine shop. But the second will be an undergarment shop for 'real women' - can't wait to see that.

Click on image to enlarge.

Counter culture

2011-11-16T11:53:00.000-08:00

This is the counter at a one of my favorite Mexican restaurants called 'Por Que No!' The food is very tasty and the decor funky and colorful.

Click on image to enlarge.

Little blue house

2011-11-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

Not far from where we live....a ceramist lives in this lovely blue house. She has a studio in back and a very lovely front yard which is just starting to get some fall colors.

Great sunrise

2011-10-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's sunrise was one for the record books.....or at least for the photo album. It was glorious!

Click on image to enlarge.

art is where you find it.....

2011-10-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Many businesses allow artists to exhibit and sell their art. Here is a piece at the Cha Cha Cha restaurant (at the top) and a some colorful pieces by Louie Ardus at Crema Cafe and Bakery.

Click on image to enlarge.

The wild west

2011-10-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

Not too many wild horses left here in Portland.... I like these tame artistic ones found around town.

Click on image to enlarge.

Love old cars

2011-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

There seem to be quite of few of them in town.....looks like people keep them in good shape and love to drive them!

Click on image to enlarge.

Lovely flower shop in the Pearl

2011-09-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here are two lovely flower shops in the Pearl district. This is a recently renovated part of town known for its art galleries, fine eateries and more condos then anywhere else in town. Love the 'bird of pardise' in the image on the left and the 'guard dog' in the image above.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Salvage Works

2011-09-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Second-hand and consignment store in N Portland which has some very interesting old objects and new art.

Click on image to enlarge.

Columbia River ... roll on...

2011-08-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Friends from Ohio visited recently and we took them to see the Columbia River Gorge as seen from Crown Point about 20 miles east of Portland (above). And then on to Multnomah Falls about 11 miles farther along the gorge. The foot bridge over the lower cascade was was built in 1914.

Click on image to enlarge.

Summer time in the city

2011-08-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Top image is Mt Hood , which is about 50miles east of Portland, as seen from the city. Most of the snow has now melted. Although there is summer skiing on the Palmer Glacier.The bottom view is a colorful mural on a building in our part of town. For some reason it made me think "Captain America."

Click on image to enlarge.

Double decker

2011-08-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

A double decker bus which is actually a dress shop. Mostly consignment items as you can see from the photo of the inside. Fun place to shop and nice use of this old bus.

Click on image to enlarge.

Willamette River

2011-07-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Willamette River as it flows through downtown Portland. Upper image is of the Hawthorne Bridge (looking to the northwest) and lower image is of the Marquam Bridge with the Ross Island Bridge (to the south) in the distance.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Summer has arrived

2011-07-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Another colorful 'food cart' has been added on this corner. This one serves micro-brewed beer. I especially like the two crows on the side of this very old van.

on a clear day.....

2011-06-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

..we can see the tip of Mt St Helen's - the volcano which last erupted in 1980. It is about 55 miles north of Portland in the state of Washington. Still has snow on it which will melt during the summer. It is my favorite volcano!

13th Avenue Salon

2011-06-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

First day of summer! Here's a nice place to get your hair cut, read a book and admire art!

everything is blooming....

2011-06-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Poppies are popping out brilliant red and the palm tree has some yellow flowers on it.

when is a bus not a bus....

2011-06-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

...when it becomes a 'food cart'. This one is located in one of the many 'food courts' in Portland.. I like to call them 'restaurants without borders'! They are colorful and the food is usually tasty and reasonably priced.

wisteria and rhodies are in full bloom

2011-06-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

All the rain we're had has contributed to things blooming like I don't remember before. So much color and so much green - we love it!

waters are rising....

2011-05-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a view of the Willamette River as it flows through downtown Portland north on its way to join the Columbia River. Because of the rainy spring we have had and the snow melts from the mountains, both rivers are higher than normal but not at flood stage yet.

Portland's water supply

2011-05-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

My friend Carol from Australia posted photos of the Australian coastline on her blog (Art Matters) and it reminded me of this photo I took recently of the reservoir at Mt. Tabor in SE Portland which provides water for a large part of the city. The water comes from the Bull Run which carriers snow melt off Mt. Hood.

grey sky but color everywhere

2011-05-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

View of a lovely wall at local co-op made up of bottle parts. Also has a little graden in front looking south. Great place to shop and just hang out.

Blue skies are here again...

2011-05-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

Oh happy days! Here is a peak out the front window at a totally blue sky. There are buds on the wisteria getting ready to blossom- although later than usual this year. And the palm has survived the cool, rainy winter and spring.

maybe this is the last of the rains....

2011-04-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a long, wet spring. with sunshine now and then - like when we visited the cherry blossoms last week. But sunshine is on the way. This is a view from our front window today - wet and green

Click on image to enlarge.

Cherry pink and.....

2011-04-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

Portland has cherry trees growing along the Willamette River in downtown. And they are out in force. We also had a few sunny and mild days so everyone was out admiring them including me!

It's green at Whitaker Ponds

2011-04-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a few months since we visited this natural refuge close to our home. We were surprised to see how green it had gotten. Of course we've lots of rain! Things are blooming and lots of birds were flying about and singing. Love this place.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Before and after?

2011-04-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is not the same building before and after, but it could have been. The top image is a building in an industrial area and it has been painted over and boarded up. The one on the bottom is in an area that is 'up and coming'. The mural is by Tom Cramer. I like both of them.

Colorful art is everywhere!

2011-03-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Someone painted the side of a garage which faces an alleyway. It sure adds color to this otherwise ordinary alley. Some homes built in the 30's had garages open onto an alley instead of the street. This is in the north part of town. The photo was taken with the 'pano' application on iPhone which gives a 'wider' view.

Click on image to enlarge.

It's officially spring!

2011-03-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

The daffodils are out. I was out on errands this morning and spotted this nice old building which I could not pass up and stopped to photograph. Right across were these lovely daffodils someone planted next to a commercial gas fill-up place.

Click on images to enlarge.

it just sparkles.....

2011-03-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

We have so much rain here that when the sun does come out even for a day, everything sparkles. Here is a view of downtown from the east bank of the Willamette River. On the right is the Hawthorne Bridge connecting east and west sides of Portland. It is one of 12 bridges across the Willamette in Portland. My goal to to capture them all this summer. This was made by merging a string of photos on Photoshop.

Click on image to enlarge.

sunny day at the pond

2011-02-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

After a few raining days (see below) we got a few sunny days! Yesterday we visited a nature area near our home - a refuge for birds, ducks and bullfrogs. We didn't see any bullfrogs. This was shot with the iPhone 'Pano' application which is a favorite of mine now. Looking forward to returning when everything is green again.

Click to get a larger image.

view from the window

2011-02-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

After some mild and sunny days, the rains have returned. Last night a small storm passed through and I took these out the front windows. Later watched David Lynch's 'The Straight Story' and now I think these shots would look good in a film noir!

Click on images for a larger view.

the big picture

2011-02-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

There is an 'application' on iPhone which takes 'panoramic' shots which allow you to 'pan' the scene and include more in it than in a regular photo. It has a bit of a 'wrapped' look. Here is one I took of Mario recently. I love the red door.

Here is one Mario took of me. The building in back of me is not curved as it appears. And I love how you can see both ends of the alley!

Click on photos to enlarge.

...feels like spring!

2011-01-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

It's still January - but just let us have one or two sunny days and we all think it's spring here in the Pacific Northwest! The witch hazel on the left is out on time - it blooms in late January or early February and is so delicate and fragrant. Last weekend we drove around town so we could get some views of Mt Hood (above) with the Willamette River flowing below. Love this place!

winter lanscape

2011-01-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

While most of the rest of the US is covered in snow, we are having lots of rain and fairly mild temperatures in the Pacific Northwest this winter. As a result, it's green even in January. And that is because what grows best here are evergreens, herbs, succulents, rhodies, etc. which add a rich green color to our otherwise grey pallete. Not sure what the top plant is, but in the center is rosemary, which if not trimmed can grow to be a very large bush.

heavy metal

2011-01-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

We have lots of art in our house - most of it is my husband Mario's. Here are a few pieces from when he used to do welding. The one on the window sill is titled 'Helen of Troy' and always has been a favorite of mine. The lower one is a face at the bottom of a piece called 'Hard Headed'. See post from Dec 7, 2010 for a few more of his metal pieces.

Click on image to enlarge.

St Johns Bridge

2011-01-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

St Johns Bridge is one of 12 bridges which cross the Willamette River in Portland Oregon. This 'art nouveau' bridge is a single span steel suspension bridge located at the most northern part of the city. Its Gothic arches make it also one of the most beautiful bridges. It was built in 1931. Even saw some ducks enjoying the sunny day.

Click on images to enlarge.

...a cold January morning

2011-01-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

Sunrises in January seem to be very colorful. It was very cold this morning but the sky was lit up with a glorious sunrise. On days like this I am happy that I am a morning person!

winter solstice

2010-12-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

Today is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - in some places to the north the sun does not show itself above the horizon. I shot these photos of the morning light coming into our house yesterday morning using an iPhone application called Hipstamatic. It gives everything a green tinge.

Click on photos to enlarge.

move over Monet....

2010-12-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

... just kidding. I took this trying to capture the early morning light with a new iPhone photo app called 'ProCamera'. The picture did not come out as I though it would but I decided it was a 'keeper'. A bit moody and looking somewhat like a painting. If only I could paint like that!

art is where you find it....

2010-12-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

As my friends post photos of wintry, snowy scenes, here in Oregon, except for an occasion brilliant sunrise, the skys are grey and it's just raining. So I decided to brighten my blog with some colorful art. I did not have to search far. Here are some pieces we have in our living room. The three profiles are parts of metal sculptures done by my husband . The wooden 'totem' by the window is by Portland artist Tom Cramer and the car on the sill is by California artist Mark Bullwinkle.

one a day...

2010-11-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Quite a few of my blogger friends belong to 'one a day painting or photo' groups. My husband joined Blipfoto recently which allows one image to be posted that must be taken on the day it is posted. Am I ready for that much discipline? Not sure....my creative energy seems to need some 'brewing' before I execute. Here is a picture of a garage door I saw on my way home today and could not resist. I am always on the look out for that great shot!

something's 'a foot'...

2010-11-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

I may have a foot fetish or at least a shoe fetish. Sometime my camera points down and there are my feet - ready to be photographed. I noticed they had an important roll in my last video 'Windy Day' which can be viewed by clicking on the 'My YouTube' link at the left.

morning light

2010-11-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

Winter can be a very grey time in Oregon. It rains a lot. But this morning I was pleasantly surprised to see the sun peaking out and coming in the windows on the east side of the house. This image is the reflection of the light from the window on the wall. I like it for its haziness and softness.

coming and going...

2010-11-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here I am at Blackfish Gallery - coming and going at the same time! This photo was created using an iPhone application called 'Pano' which allows you to take a number of pictures, like three walls in a room, and string them together into one panorama. If you happen to be in more than one photo - it gives this surreal effect of seeing yourself going and coming.

Click on image for a larger view.

splash of color

2010-11-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Portland may seem grey once the rains start, but there are lots of places where one can find very colorful art and street scenes. I noticed these paintings and car on streets close to our house. They remind me of places 'south of the border' - where the climate is sultry!. The car looks like one you might see on a street in Havana.

Click on images for a larger view of photos.

e - photos

2010-10-20T14:20:00.001-07:00

Are 'e-books' going to replace regular books soon? I hope not. I still like to hold and read a 'real book'. But 'e-photos' -- that's a different story. We no longer need a camera, film, developer, paper, etc., to create a picture. Almost all cell phones now shoot, develop, print, let you manipulate and share images in minutes. The quality is good and the effects are interesting. I took the above pictures in my front and back yards recently with an iPhone, used some 'apps' and got these results. I am hooked!

Signs of the time

2010-10-10T12:25:00.002-07:00

I shot these around Portland last week when we still had some sunny weather. The rains have started so it may be a while before I am out and about again. Enjoy!

handpainted signs

2010-10-03T14:36:00.001-07:00

Inspired by my blogger friend My-Mind's-Eye's recent posts, I was hoping to find some interesting signs to shoot. However, the window on good weather in Portland is closing slowly, so my project is on hold for now. This sign, pointing the way to a great beakfast, caught my eye at the farmer's market last Saturday.

(click on friend's blog to view posts)

Doors along NE Alberta

2010-09-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

Here I am enjoying some colorful doors to businesses along NE Alberta St in Portland Oregon. Thanks to Mario for helping me with these shots.

To view slide show again - click on middle bars and then on the arrow.

Paul Bunyan in Portland Oregon

2010-08-26T09:04:00.001-07:00

Located in the Kenton neighborhood of North Portland, this 31 ft. statue of Paul Bunyan was erected in 1959 to celebrate Oregon's centennial. It was created by a father and son team who worked in the nearby Kenton Machine Works. It is the only work of its kind in Oregon that is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Alley Way Art

2010-07-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

Alleys are popular in Portland's older neighborhoods. Peoples' back yards and garages open onto the alleys. Most are not paved and are overgrown with grass and weeds. These are photos of art, graffiti and businesses that I found on four alleys off NE Alberta.

(To view slideshow again, click on arrow and then on small arrow in the middle.)

Red Rose of Shaver St.

2010-05-14T14:51:00.001-07:00

This was not the first rose to open this year. That was the yellow rose from the bush up against the garage getting lots of sun and shelter.The first one opened at the end of April and got beaten down by the cold and rain that we had in early May. This rose is from one of the three bushes along the fence. It it is the most fragrant and the color is so deep it is almost black when it is still a bud. Here is it upstairs in our house.

Alley off Mississippi

2010-04-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

In the 1920's many neighborhoods in Portland had alleys leading to back yards and garages. We strolled along this one off N Mississippi in Portland recently and found a wealth of images. This is the alley behind the Rebuilding Center looking north. In the next block we found chickens which had 'escaped' from Pistils Nursery pecking away in the gravel. There seem to be more and more households in Portland raising chickens in backyards for fresh eggs. And Pistils Nursery carries chicks and other supplies for would-be city farmers. The Rebuilding Center is a repository of building material salvaged from old homes and other buildings ready to find new homes. The photo in the middle is of what appears to be left of a garage in someone's back yard.

(Click on images to enlarge and on highlighted words to link to the sites.)

Sunday morning

2010-03-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

I know that there may be Turkish rug shops in other places, but the one in this slide show is in our neighborhood in Portland Oregon. My friend Cyn and I went out to take photos early this morning. Besides a wonderful park, our neighborhood has a commercial street running through it with cafes, restaurants, boutique shops, a Turkish coffee shop and much more - all in walking distance. The last shot is of our friend Margaret walking home from Ristrettos - a coffee and roasting place that some say has the best coffee in Portland!

Rogue Portraits

2010-02-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

Since I started to draw last fall, I have done mostly abstract images. But I have tried my hand at portraits too. These images are mostly from photos, live models (Mario) or from my imagination! Some of my friends may see themselves in these - not sure!

Mask making 101

2010-01-31T14:01:00.001-08:00

Recently, my friend Brita Gould, an artist who makes lovely small masks, was telling how she got into mask making. It was the 'Vaseline, plaster and gauze bandage' route . That reminded me of my teaching days in Woodburn Oregon where I made those very kind of masks with my fourth grade class. I was still shooting and printing black and white photos back then and I took these pictures of my students at various stages of the mask making process. These kids look like they were not too sure about their teacher's idea! I wonder if there are teachers out there who still do this and do kids have as much fun making them as I did then we made these.

(Click on Brita Gould above to see her lovely masks.)

The sky was ablaze...

2010-01-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

Some days I am really glad I am a 'morning person'. Today I was up early getting ready to do some yoga in the front room, when I glanced out the window and saw the sky ablaze with a glorious sunrise. I had to grab the camera and take some pics! I will assume there is no relation between the fact that today just happens to be Christmas for Christians of the Orthodox persuasion and this spectacular sunrise. Orthodox Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas on January 7 according to the Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar 45 BC) which is two weeks behind the Gregorian calendar (proposed by Pope Gregory 1582). My parents were Orthodox Christians so this was the day we celebrated Christmas when I was growing up. Click below for a slideshow of the sky on this cold morning.

back in the USSR...

2009-11-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

The recent anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall reminded me of my trip behind the 'Iron Curtain'. I never made it to Berlin but I did go on a study tour in college to what was then the Soviet Union and today is Russia and Ukraine. We visited Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Yalta and Odessa. Here are some shots from the trip: St Basil's Cathedral in Red Square. Me strolling along the Black Sea in Yalta with the Crimean Mts. in the background and me in Kiev with St. Sophia in the background. For such an important trip, I took very few pictures. My parents were apprehensive about letting me go, but when I returned safely, they were glad I went. American jeans and western music were of interest to our Soviet hosts back then. Everything was beautiful and everyone friendly and gracious. (click on photos to enlarge)

Out-takes from Rita's show

2009-11-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

Our friend Rita Catapano is showing her lovely photographs during the month of November at the First Unitarian Church in Portland, Oregon. The reception was today, Nov. 1, 2009 and we had a great time. Here are the photos that did NOT make it to the official album on the Beaumont Artspace Facebook page because Rita and I took turns closing our eyes...

happy birthday - brother!

2009-10-12T18:31:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am the youngest in my family, my sister Julia was the oldest and my brother Anatole was in the middle. October 17 is my brother's birthday and I want to say 'have a happy one' and I hope your family takes you out on the town! Lucky for me, my sister Julia left an album full of old pictures and here are two I really like. On the right is me and my brother somewhere in Rochester when I was just a kid and on the left my brother with what may have been his first car!

where have all my students gone....

2009-09-20T07:21:00.001-07:00

...long time passing....these lines are from a song by Pete Seeger and I thought of them when I decided to post this photo of my students and me from my teaching days in Woodburn, Oregon. As I mentioned previously, that is where I taught when I first arrived in Oregon many years ago. This is my class of fourth grade Russian speaking Old Believers and they are dressed in the traditional hand made and embroidered clothes everyone in the community wore. The young girls also covered their heads. The school where I taught had a bilingual program where they were taught in Russian and English through grade four. We all felt the program was successful in that it assimilated the kids to English gradually.

One of the lines of the song is 'gone to flowers everyone' and I think we do look like a 'bunch of flowers' - I am the tall one in the middle. These kids were lively. One of the boys in the front row has part of a ball on his head (like a cap). I did not realize that until after the photo way taken! I hear from some of my ex-teacher friends that the Old Believers, who have lived in Oregon since the '70s, are doing well. Many own land in the Willamette Valley where they raise berries and other crops. They seem to have adjusted pretty well. I bet some of their grand kids are even on facebook!

the sentinel

2009-09-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

this grey cat sits on our front porch and keeps watch.....I think she lives close by and likes our porch because it has a southern exposure where she can sun herself...not a stray... looked right at me when I snuck up and took her picture through the screen door...

the loss of a sibling

2009-08-30T13:52:00.001-07:00

I have said in the past that it is hard to lose a parent no matter how old you are and how old they are. Now I know it is hard to lose a sibling, too. My sister Julia passed away July 18, 2009. She was the first born in our family of three children and I was the last. She was 16 years old when I was born and by the time I was 5 or 6 she was an adult. This is a photo of us at about that time. She was closer in age to many of my friends' parents. The age difference made it difficult for us to be close when I was young. And it was not until we were both adults that we became good friends. She lived most of her life in Rochester NY and after I moved to Oregon, she visited me many times. I have fond memories of all the wonderful places we visited together in the Pacific NW. She was very independent and had a great sense of humor. I miss her very much.

Nude

2009-08-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

I consider the master of black and white nude photography to be Edward Weston. His photographs certainly inspired me when I was taking pictures. I was lucky to have taken a class at Portland State University a long time ago with local photographer Robert Miller. Mostly our assignments were to go out each week, shoot, develop and present our photos to the class for critiques. My favorite subjects were people and buildings and I took lots of those. (See earlier posts for examples.) But one time, the instructor let us shoot a professional model in the studio in the nude! That was our lucky day. It sure beat asking friends and roommates to pose nude. I only have two pictures which I kept from that session. This one here is my favorite.

No farms...no food

2009-07-11T10:03:00.001-07:00

I have seen those words on quite a few bumper stickers around Portland and I agree. In the last week, I have picked blueberries from a bush we have in our backyard which had the best crop I've seen in years - just enough blueberries for breakfast each day. We have four or five tomato plants, a couple cucumbers, a kiwi that has yet to produce. Not exactly an 'urban farm', but it did make me think about people who do farm and what hard but rewarding work it must be. Here is a photo of Manton Carl, the father of my friend Kathleen, who was born, lived his whole life and died last year on the farm he and his family owned in the Willamette Valley of Oregon just south of Portland. At his memorial service last November, many spoke of how Mr Carl was a mentor to young farmers and how he loved the land. Here is a quote from the service: 'The relationship of a man to his land is never easy....but the land must be won...revered...and defended.' I am encouraged by what seems to be a small but important trend here in Oregon of young people looking to farming as a vocation and livelihood. Because I think it is true, if we lose our farms, we lose our source of food.

Havana on my mind...

2009-06-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading 'Telex from Cuba' by Rachel Kushner. A book about Americans living in Cuba and working for the United Fruit Company in the late 1950's as Cuba prepared for the 'revolution'. I also saw recently on public broadcasting that some Americans and Cubans together have restored the house Ernest Hemingway lived in for many years outside of Havana. It made me remember the post card collection I had as a kid, which included a postcard my brother sent me from Cuba. He visited there in the '50s when he was in the military and when Americans could still travel to Cuba. I looked everywhere for that postcard, but it must have gotten lost as I made my way from New York to Oregon. I took the photo above of a discotheque in the Mission District on a visit to San Francisco when I was very much into black and white photography. My Spanish is very rusty, but I would not mind visiting Cuba. I'd love to photograph the American cars from the 50's which people still drive there.

fathers and sons...

2009-06-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

This photo above of my brother and father, taken a long time ago somewhere on a park bench, has always been one of my favorite family photos. My father is long gone and my brother is a dad and granddad now and a great brother to me and my sister Julia. I want to wish him and all my brother-in-laws and friends who are dads a happy father's day! The painting to the right is of my dad done by Mario based on a photo that I also like very much and one of the few I have of my father.

'gotta love 'em'...

2009-06-05T06:31:00.001-07:00

It seems a lot of my friends are 'cat people'. I'm definitely a 'dog person'. If you've ever had a dog or read any literature on dogs, you know they are smart, loyal, cute and totally there for you. The one adjective that best described our dog Ribs (long gone now) was goofy! He showed up as a stray at our NW Portland home years ago, hungry and bedraggled and decided to stay. One of his favorite pass times was to roll in dead fish whenever we went fishing. Oh how I miss that Ribs.

everyone has a great fishing story

2009-05-22T15:22:00.001-07:00

If you have ever fished, you can relate to the thrill of connecting with a fish. Here I am many years ago with what may be the first trout I ever caught in my life! Six inches (no less), most likely a rainbow trout, and I was thrilled. But the highlight of my fishing career was when I caught a fish twice that size, also a trout. My fishing partners, Mario and Kane, and I were fishing somewhere south of the Columbia River and north of Mt Hood in a very small stream. I cast my line and worm into what looked like a shallow pool under a wooden bridge and connected with the biggest fish I or they ever caught. At lease twelve inches and it was a beauty. Mario told me recently that the metal fish, which he welded and hangs on the side of our garage, was modeled on that trout.

To life...

2009-05-15T14:24:00.001-07:00

I have lots of old photos I keep looking at but only one of me as a 'babe' and it's this one. I am so glad my sister saved old family pictures and gave them to me on one of my trips to Rochester. Mario liked this photo a lot and a while back when he was making welded pieces to show, he welded the one above and included our dog Ribs (which he did in some paintings of me too - see older posts.) I imagine I am toasting the photographer and saying 'to life'.

Happy mother's day!

2009-05-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends and family everywhere: to all my sister-in-laws, my two nieces Roma and Natalie pictured here who now have teen age kids! To my friends in Oregon, Michigan and New York. I looked for a mother's day poem to include, but could not find one I liked. A line from a TV commercial keeps running through my head: 'When I grow up...I want to be an old woman'... I can relate to that.

Portrait of a lady

2009-04-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

There a many 'perks' to being married to an artist: I get to sit at the gallery sometimes with Mario when it's his turn to sit (see older post); we have lots of art everywhere in our house, basement and back yard both by Mario and other artists and finally I get my portrait painted occasionally. Here are a few of my favorites. I think the one of me and Mario is the oldest and it shows me when my hair was longer and permed. The one to the right Mario says reminds him of George Washington (thanks, Mario) and the one at the top left is my favorite. It is that for two reasons, I like the intense look in my eyes - I can see the resemblance to my father and brother (pictured above), and it has our dog Ribs (long gone) in it. I think Mario gave up on capturing my hair and cut off the top of my head and added Ribs there! All I can say is good thing I am not married to Frank Auerbach!

My Oregon Roots

2009-04-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

Woodburn, Oregon - that 's where I put down my Oregon roots in 1974 - teaching fourth grade at Washington Elementary School. My colleagues came from everywhere. About half were native Oregonians and the rest from other places. In the Oregon camp were George and Sue, Pam, Jane and Kathleen. From back east were me, Diane, Ken, Karen A, Karen F , Heather and Jessica. Woodburn was and still is the berry capital of the world and the hop growing center, too. Back then this small town was made up of Spanish speaking migrant workers, Russian speaking Old Believers, retired senior citizens and teachers. It is where I began my short photography career taking lots of pictures - including these of my students. I had no experience teaching elementary school when I was hired but I spoke Russian. When I left four years later I felt like a veteran. I hear Woodburn has not changed much.

Black and White

2009-04-09T08:56:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, black and white photos of people and places have always been my favorite to shoot. Here are a few I took back in the '80s: Newport, Oregon, a woman from Oman at the Neighbor Fair held at Waterfront Park, and Pioneer Square in Seattle. I made postcards of about 15 of my images and recently when I discovered Ampersand on NE Alberta (tiny bookstore which carries books on photography and old photos, ads, etc.) and showed them to the owner, he said they were not 'old enough'. He likes images from the 50's. So I guess I'll put them back in the basement and let them age some more!

Fish pond at Bagbag

2009-04-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Rochester NY, I did not know anyone that had a fish pond, ornamental or otherwise. Doing some research recently, I found they are common from Hawaii all the way to SE Asia. Here is photo of the fish pond Mario's family has in Bagbag ( pronounced 'bugbug') close to where he grew up. On our visit to the Phillipines in the early 1990's, we were taken there for a lunch of freshly caught and cooked tilapia, a fish common to that area. Here is a photo of the fish pond, some kids trying to catch fish or just cooling off and Mario's niece, Gisela, home from school for lunch, 'supervising'. Hello, Gisela (who now lives in Manila).

Murder in Mesoptamia

2009-03-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Recently I finished reading two books by a contemporary writer, Louise Penny - A Fatal Grace and Still Life and they were very good. I had not gotten over to Broadway Books to stock up so I decided to reread Murder in Mesopotamia written by Agatha Christie in 1935. I was not a big fan of mysteries until I read one Christie book a while ago and before I knew it, I read almost all her works. The copy that I have was published by Dell Books, but it has no print date. The main character, nurse Amy, is asked to look after the wife of an American archaeologist who according to him has 'fancies'. "Oh!" says Amy ( One usually knows what that means - drink or drugs!). The book is a gem and Christie remains my favorite mystery writer.

Fishing for ideas

2009-03-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Rogue River Journal a winter alone by John Daniel a writer from Eugene Oregon. He spent 5 months by himself in a cabin in the Rogue River Canyon without a TV, radio , phone or computer where he wrote this book. One thing he liked to do was fish. At one part in the book, he compares writing to fishing: 'Writing, like any art, is a kind of fishing. Poems....stories.. arise from the unconscious depths..' That may be... I do know the thrill of connecting to a fish. Mario and I used to fish a long time ago, mostly for trout. One of our favorite spots was Dodge Park where the Bull Run flows into the Sandy River. Here we are with our friend Kanetaka enjoying some freshly caught fish. The limit then was 6 per person so sometimes we had to eat a few before we left. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mario and Kane.

gallery sitters

2009-03-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

Here are Mario and me goofing off at Blackfish Gallery yesterday. Blackfish, founded in 1979, is a cooperative which currently has 30 members who have to 'sit' about once a month. Yesterday was Mario's turn and I kept him company. In spite of the nasty weather, about sixty people came by. Among them 15 students from PCC, an exchange student from Tokyo who arrived two days ago and artist Roger Long, a fan of Mario's who saw his show in Dec 2007. He especially liked 'Follow your bliss' which is the welded piece to the right of our heads. Mario is working on videos from the opening and me interviewing him and they will be on YouTube soon.

ka-wi-li

2009-03-13T15:15:00.001-07:00

Last week I bought locally made soap from my favorite soap maker, Lori Basson of Camamu Soap. Glancing at my check, she asked if Mario was Italian. I told her he was from the Philippines and his last name, Caoile, is pronounced 'ka-wi-li' which no one ever guesses. Lori then asked if I have ever been to the Philippines and I told her a long time ago Mario visited his four sisters and father there. Of the many photos we took, this is one of my favorites. It is of Mario and me posing with the local Igorot women in the Ifugao Province where there are many rice terraces . The colors of their clothes and the mountains were so beautiful.

artists disturb the peace

2009-03-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday I had my monthly hair cut at Salon Lumina. As we were leaving, Mario and I got behind a car that had this sticker on it: Artists are here to disturb the peace. I wonder if they meant "to disturb the piece". I am a fan of creative car stickers and Portland seems to have lots of them. The last election brought out some great ones, which I have forgotten. But a few days ago as I walked along NE Alberta, I saw this sign in a store window: "Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Barack could run. Barack ran so our children can fly". I like that a lot.

Mario's opening March 5

2009-03-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

On Thursday March 5, Mario had an opening at Blackfish Gallery in Portland Oregon. Many people showed up. He was showing with two other artists and it was 'First Thursday', the day galleries are open in the evening. Some friends came by too: Sue and George Hansen from Colton Oregon, David Pierce, Sally and Jim McKeon, and Roberta Dyer. She and Sally McPherson own Broadway Books and Sally's blog Bookbroads has inspired me to try my hand at blogs. (as has Mario, blogger numbero uno in our family.) I love to read and now I'll try writing too. Thanks to everyone who came to the opening. You can see more photos from that at the Blackfish Gallery blog

Andriy and Odarka

2009-03-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

I have always loved black and white photos. The ones in the banner are of me and my brother and sister a long time ago. This one is of my parents on a visit to Niagara Falls in the 1950's. I love looking a these old photos. After I moved to Oregon, I took tons of pictures - all black and white which I printed myself!

what's a person to do with this blog...

2009-03-07T14:44:00.001-08:00

what is a blog...log and a bee...fog and blistery...why oh why do I even want to 'blog'?