Walked 4.07 Miles - West Hills of Brooklyn

Today I walked in the West Hills of Brooklyn, because I didn't feel like walking too far from home. Even though the day was sunny, there was a dark cloud hovering over the sun for most of my walk. I was actually pretty grateful for the shade. As much as I've enjoyed the sun the past couple of days, I already need a break from it. It's such a beautiful time of year. I walked a bit slower and enjoyed my surroundings. It was a great walk. 

I'd driven past this tree a couple of times, but I kept forgetting to get a picture of it. I'm so glad the eggs were still up a couple of days after Easter.














I went a little over board with the flower pictures today, but I just couldn't help it. 





The tulips are overflowing with pollen. 

















This poor house is still boarded up. It was in a pretty bad fire a couple of years ago. I keep hoping someone will come along and restore it.








This was an extraordinary house. Whoever lives here is very talented.








"We're wheeling around Brooklyn in a wagon." Such entrepreneurs. I sure hope I run into these two. 

Walked 3.49 Miles - Kennilworth Park

On my last walk to Westmoreland Park, I noticed that they had started to tear down the photo restoration place at 17th and Holgate. A few days ago, I heard on the news that an old wooden rail car had been discovered in the building. I knew that I had to check this out on today's walk. I can't believe the luck I had, but I talk more about that below. I ended up in Kennilworth Park and it was just the most beautiful day to walk.

Good life - I agree.





ABC, easy as 123





When I first walked past the rail car, I felt comfortable taking pictures of it even though there were worker bees everywhere. It had been on the news, I figured it was probably being photographed often. I took pictures from all sides and then walked on. 





I never get tired of taking pictures from the Holgate overpass.





At first I thought this was a bracelet. Nope, it's an earring.











I'm still fascinated by the sap on the trees at Kennilworth Park.





Today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen. This lyric by Radiohead was playing on my iphone; I stopped and took this picture. And I felt grateful for the day.








It was pretty overcast when I first walked by the rail car. The sun was fully out on the return trip, so I wanted to see if I could better shots. As I was taking pictures, a very nice, well dressed lady said that I could go inside the fence. Nobody would mind. Really? She said sure, go ahead. I didn't ask twice. I thanked her and went in. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. I'm grateful that I was able to go inside and see this bit of history. I didn't want to take advantage of this situation and only went in a few feet. The men in hard hats were nice, but they didn't look all that thrilled. I took a bunch of photos and then left after only a couple of minutes. I didn't want to wear out my welcome. 





Turns out the very nice lady was a reporter from Channel 12 (she's in blue, I wish I had gotten a better picture of her) and they were interviewing people about the rail car. I can't wait to watch the news tonight.





Only two more years to wait. 





But progress is happening fast! There are new curbs where the Semaphore used to be. It's getting easier to visualise the future tracks. 





This is a block from my house and I saw it yesterday when I was out running errands. I'm so glad it was still here today. It reminds me of Lord of the Flies.

Walked 5.57 Miles - Westmoreland Park

Today I headed to Westmoreland Park. Yesterday was an intense weather day with beautiful sun to monsoon downpours sometimes only moments apart from each other. It was pretty overcast when I started walking, but I took a hat and sunglasses just in case and I'm so glad I brought them both. I got very lucky and it only rained a bit. One the return trip home, I was treated with hail! So fun! It doesn't hail here too much and it's always a joy to see it.

My hummingbird was on the small tree in front of my house. He usually sits up crazy high in the neighbor's tree. He was close enough that I could see his beak open and close when he sang.





I walked along 17th to see how the Milwaukie-Portland Max construction was going. So much work! There are many groups working on different parts of the road. There were even flaggers in three different areas. 





It's getting to the point where it's almost too difficult to walk this street. There are so  many sidewalk closures. Crossing Holgate, I noticed that the digital archive building was being torn down. 








I found this pick up again in a completely different part of town. I can't wait to find it again.








I really dig this picture. Mushrooms on the side of a tree. They were about a foot over my head.





I walked up the Bybee bridge to see the MAX construction going on below. It's crazy to think there will be tracks here soon.





Here is a view from the north side of the bridge. The big metal thing on the left of this picture is hanging from the rig below and must be about 20 feet long if not longer. It will be pounded into the ground soon.





The park was pretty empty and the clouds rolled in pretty fast. Usually it's incredibly easy to take good pictures here. Today the ever changing weather and light made it tricky. 








These folks had a bag full of food for the birds. On the pole (very left) is a sign saying "don't feed the birds".








I didn't know that palm trees were so hairy. You don't see many of them in these parts.

Walked 2.64 Miles - West Hills of Brooklyn

This was a hard walk. I stayed close to home, because I wasn't really in the mood to walk. And after about 10 minutes, my legs were really hurting. It felt like I was walking through mud with cement shoes. Each step was a chore. I pushed myself a bit and gave myself a point in the distance to walk to before turning for home. 

I walk past this every morning on the way to the bus stop. I've made many mental notes to take a picture while walking. I finally remembered.




















My dog friend is now sporting a festive scarf.

Walked 2.49 Miles - West Hills of Brooklyn

I stepped outside with no destination in mind. One look at the epic clouds in the sky and I knew I need to find a place to take pictures of the them, so I headed to the West Hills of Brooklyn and a bit of higher ground.

Today felt like a day in May. It was so beautiful and warm.





I walked up to McLoughlin and the clouds were just incredible. I had to keep reminding myself to look down at the ground every once in awhile. 





The moss has taken over the sidewalk completely. When I walked on the moss, it felt about 2 inches thick. 








I cut my drinking teeth on HRD. I'm pretty sure most people in Portland do. I remember shoulder tapping co-workers to buy some for me and friends 20 years ago. I think it was 3 dollars a bottle back then. It was definitely no more than 5 dollars which is why it's so popular. It doesn't get more bottom shelf than this.





These are popping up all over the hood. When I saw this one, I immediately thought they were referring to Valentine's Day.





I walked up to the Brooklyn Community Garden to get a better look at the clouds. This tree was alive with robins. You can see some of them in the trees, but there were many more you can't see. The moon is also peeking through on of the branches. 





These plants are high above my head on a tall wall. From this angle, they look like a tiny forest. 





I wonder what kind of animal used to own this skull.





I don't think I've ever seen a brand new fire hydrant. 





Construction is everywhere. There really isn't a day that I walk and don't see something like this.








I spent the entire walk thinking about how it felt like a May day. I was very surprised to see that this poem at the very end of my walk also talks about a day that felt like the month of May.

Walked 3.11 Miles - SE Portland

Today was all about the chickens! I figured since it was Valentine's Day that I would treat myself by walking past my favorite house. I've taken pictures here a few times and I just love that their chickens are so close to the sidewalk. After seeing the chickens here, I saw so many more. They are becoming very common in SE and it seems like every other house has a coop. 

The weather was just perfect. These seed pods hanging from trees look really alien to me.





The big long building is finally completely down. It was a weird shock to walk around the corner and see the Gideon Pedestrian bridge which was always hidden by that building before.





The folks in the middle of the bridge were totally making out. It was sweet to see young love on Valentine's Day.





It feels so open now with that massive building gone. You can even see the KOIN tower and downtown in the distance. 





There was already so much happening around this bridge and then a train came through honking it's horn.














Such a fancy coop!














This glass flower was a needed bit of color in this winter yard.





The love birds were gone when I returned to the pedestrian bridge, so I was able to take a picture of the Max construction from my usual vantage point.





My 'waiting for the light to change' picture. Someone had decorated this utility box with Mardi Gras beads.








Construction is definitely ramping up. I had watched worker bees construct the large rebar circle things )on the left) for a couple of weeks. Each one is probably about 20 feet long. It's fun to see them actually go into the ground. 

Walked 3.01 Miles - West Hills of Brooklyn

I'm having a rough day. I missed walking on Monday, so I knew I needed to get outside today. I really wasn't feeling it and almost didn't go, but I finally got out the door. I was a few blocks from my house when I saw a car stopped at a stop sign across the street from me. Completely stopped, just sitting there. I started crossing the street, because I had the right of way. I was halfway across when I looked to my right to see that the car had crossed the intersection and was coming right at me. I don't think she would have actually hit me (at least I would like to believe she would have stopped before she hit me), but she came about 2 inches from me and I jumped out of the way not to be hit. As I was dodging her car, I looked at her and she had a deadpan expression on her face and she was just staring at me. Really, really scary.

It all happened so fast and she was gone before I could come to my senses and think about getting her license plate number. In the three years that I've done this project, I've never had anyone intentionally be malicious like this lady. It really shook me up. At first I was seeing red mad. Then I looked up Franklin street and saw the big hill many blocks away. I knew I needed to walk up that hill just to blow of stem and to get my mind thinking about something else. I managed to get 3 miles in today, but I was kind of cranky the entire time. Heck, I'm still kind of cranky. 

On a happier note, I saw so many cats today. It's been weeks since I've seen a single cat. Today they were everywhere. I took time to stop along my walk and pet the 3 cats that would let me. Cats always lift my spirits and it was just want I needed to help settle my nerves. 











This yard was filled with wood shavings. I couldn't see what the project was. Only the shavings were left.











I headed to the Poulsen house which I just adore. This is what the house looks like when you are outside of the gate. On top of the tall stone wall is a very large hedge. It makes it a challenge to photograph, but that's half of the fun.





It's nice that someone cleared a path on this sidewalk. Moss is everywhere. I love it so, but it's super slippery on wet days. 





These keys are such an enigma. I've seen keys before with this purple key chain. Then on subsequent walks, no keys and only the purple key chain. Now keys are back. A street pole doesn't seem to be the safest key caddy to me.











First signs of sidewalk chalk. Spring is on its way. 











I catch the bus across from this building. I see it almost every day of my life. Today was the first time I took a picture of it. 

Today I set out without any intention on where to walk. I finally decided to head up Holgate over to Gladstone up and then to Kenilworth park at 34th. It was a cloudy day and not too warm, but luckily I stayed dry the whole time.

This why I don't put up holiday decorations. You have to take them down - eventually. I'm going to keep my eye out to see when this large nativity scene is finally put away.





I love it when the sky is filled with these huge clouds. The sun popped out many times, but mostly it looked like this.











I'm so glad I went to Kenilworth Park, because I was rewarded with Winter Daphne. This fragrant flower is in my top 5 favorites. It's such a treat in the winter and the smell is just amazing. This is the first time I've seen it in bloom this year. I can't wait until it's blooming everywhere.











Many of the trees in the park had tons of sap oozing out of them. Is this normal? I haven't seen this in other parks in the area. I'm worried that these trees aren't so healthy. Hopefully I'm wrong. I was very careful not to get to close to the pitch. I have lots of memories of being covered in pitch after climbing trees. It's so hard to get off.








I have a friend who takes an exercise class at Mt Tabor. She often posts pictures of the tree canopy. Remembering this helped me to remember to look up and see how amazing the tree canopy is at Kenilworth. 








Grout Elementary is such a pretty school. I've taken a watercolor class here with my sis. They also have a great holiday craft fair each year. I just love all the details in the architecture. 








Coming back over the Holgate overpass, I could see this storm starting to roll in. It was really so beautiful that I took a ton of pictures all the while realizing that I should probably get a move on it.





As a comparison, this is what it looked like on the other side of Holgate looking over Brooklyn Yards. Quite a difference. Luckily, I was headed towards the blue skies. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if the storm would catch  me, but it never did.





I think these buds look super alien.

I had bagged walking this afternoon, because I just wasn't feeling it. When Greg decided that he was going to walk after work instead of run, I invited myself along. I really, really liked walking in the evening. Such a change for me and it brought out so many new picture opportunities. It also greatly limited my ability to take pictures since it was getting darker by the minute. 

Winterhaven school is even beautiful at night.





I've always wanted to take this picture, but I knew it wouldn't look good during the day. It's too far away from the sidewalk and the glass would create glare to obscure the great font. I love this font and I love Brooklyn. The porch light made it shine and the cover of darkness gave me the courage to walk up the sidewalk to get a closer shot. I finally got the picture I could mentally see in my head for so long.





At the light to cross Holgate, the building to our left had a large lit sign that spins around. When the sign it just right, there was amazing light on Greg. When the sign turned, he was in the dark. This is the second walk we've taken together since I got minimalist shoes. The difference is night and day. Before I would have to struggle to keep up with lots of pain slowing me down. Now I can keep up easily. He kept walking while I took pictures and it was no big thing to run to catch up with him. In fact, it was kind of fun.





Crossing over McLoughlin, I had a rush of gratitude that I don't have to commute in traffic. I enjoy taking the bus to work, but everyone once in a while I drive. I love that my commute is less than 1 song long.





I've walked past this machine store many times. I could never see inside, because the glass reflects back (like a mirror) during the day. It's way cooler than I envisioned

This week was pretty much sheer insanity at work. I have a few deadlines that are hitting at the same time creating a perfect storm. It's been stressful and keeping me up at night. One of the reasons why I like my job is because 90% of the time, when I walk out the door I don't have to think about it until I return. That quality of life is important to me. Sleepless nights and too much to do that I'm wishing I could bend time isn't fun at all. I blew off walking Monday and Wednesday, because I was so overwhelmed. Today I left work (Friday is my usual day off) feeling more on top of things than I had in weeks. I treated myself to a bellyful of Zenbu (my very favorite sushi place) and then went for a long walk in the glorious sun. I usually never walk the same place twice in a row, but I made an exception today. I walked to Westmoreland park hoping I'd see lots of birds again. And my last walk was just so great that I was hoping to recreate a bit of it again. I needed that after such a hard week.

I've really fallen hard for pictures of frost. I like how it accentuates the texture of the plants. It's just so beautiful. I didn't really expect to find frost at 2pm on a crazy sunny day. I was happy to see it.

The sun is shining through the peeling bark.





I didn't think that Westmoreland had any alleys, but I found two today that were each a block long with gravel. They were no where near each other. These were the first two alleys I've ever seen in this hood. I'm curious if are any more.





Throughout the entire holiday season, I looked for a giant Christmas tree ornament for a self-portrait. I saw many ornaments, but never any that were close enough to the sidewalk for me to get a decent picture. Finally, I found one on Jan 18th.





When I got to the park, there were no geese! Well, there were maybe 15 grazing on the lawn, but I'm pretty sure they are the same 15 that are always there. I saw a few fly overhead, but nothing like the huge skeins I'd seen the week before. (Fun Fact: geese are in gaggle when not in flight. They are in a skein when flying. Thank you, Wikipedia!) I headed to the back baseball field, because I thought they might be hanging out there.





I did find too many seagulls. There were probably a few hundred hanging out on the lawn and in the water. 





Their reflection is so crisp and the light was just perfect.





The ground was covered in feathers.





The casting pond (a 1936 WPA project) is one of my favorite parts of this park. The perfectly square pond of water with the beautiful ring of trees surrounding it is just spectacular. 





I hadn't seen this benchmark before. It brought back memories of when I worked for ODOT on a survey crew the summer after high school.





I was surprised to find ice at the back corner of the casting pond. 





When I got to the baseball field, there were still no geese. Instead, I hung out with my favorite ducks, the American Wigeons. They are so cool looking. You can see the ice on the water in the background.





This is called Uroboros, the name for an ancient Egyptian and Greek symbol that depicts a snake that bites its own tail. This public art was created by Charles Kibby and installed in 1979. I couldn't resist the-sun-through-a-hole shot. 













This hand painted tile was leaning against a tree at Winterhaven. I hope someone didn't forget to take this home. 

You really can't believe my surprise when I opened up this amazing Christmas present from my dear friend Karen. I think I might have even squealed. I have always wanted to own a painting by Chris Haberman and I can't believe how completely perfect this gift is for me.





Karen found out that Chris was painting pictures of different Portland neighborhoods. She had him paint me a painting of Brooklyn.





I'm so impressed that he used pictures from this blog. The second I looked at the painting, I instantly recognized each smaller picture and remembered where I had taken the cooresponding photo. It makes this present even more personal and special.





I'm so glad he put my feet in the painting. He also captured very important elements of my walks. I have several recurring themes that I'm naturally drawn to and he picked the most important ones. 





This is the perfect way to celebrate two years of this blog. Brooklyn is such a part of my core now and I'm so happy to have this painting. I can see my hood without even going outside. 





But of course, I'll continue to head outside and walk Brooklyn and the surrounding neighborhoods. 





I'm so very blessed to have such great friends in my life. Karen and I met at PSU in 1995. I'm so glad we have kept up our friendship. She is a such great person (and smart as hell) and I know we will be friends forever.

Greg has started training for his next half marathon and needed to run this morning. I used the time to go on a walk. I asked him where I should go and he suggested the Ross Island Bridge to see the new bridge construction. Sounded like a great idea to me.

It was a cold morning and frost was everywhere. 








My job is at the end of this bridge; it's the world's best commute. I've never walked to work because getting on and off the bridge is extremely dangerous for pedestrians. I see near misses all the time. I'm more than happy to ride 4 bus stops to work. This was the first time I've walked on the bridge and boy, it was kind of frightening. The sidewalk is narrow and the traffic is loud and fast. I was nervous the whole time on the bridge.





The new bridge is coming along. It's fun to watch it grow.





This cage is how worker bees get underneath the bridge. I'm so glad this isn't my job.





The bridge makes quite the shadow.





This is SW Moody where they have finished installing the streetcar. To the left of the streetcar tracks under the Marquam Bridge, you can see the brand new MAX tracks. MAX will cross over the new bridge. It's so exciting to see how much progress is happening downtown. 





Looking back at the new bridge from the very end of the Ross Island. This gives some perspective of how large the new bridge will be. The view from this spot 3 years from now is going to look drastically different.





I caught a glimpse of the tram when I turned around to head home.





I saw several boats like this and a few kayaks. It was a great morning to be on the water.

 

This the first time I've gotten a good look at Ross Island Sand and Gravel. It's massive.

Che Guevara posters  have been popping up everywhere in the hood. I hadn't seen this picture of him before.





I wanted to see if I could get a decent picture of the Dairy Cooperative that's painted on the side of a Darigold and right at this moment, a Ferrari pulled in and parked. Not something you see often in these parts.

Today was down right warm for January. I wore a hat and a coat, but I could have easily left them at home. I headed over the Gideon pedestrian bridge and walked up to SE 39th via Brooklyn and Tibbetts. I'm amazed at how much faster I can walk to 39th now. Previously, it was all I could do to walk this far, but today it wasn't hard at all. 

Another building is on its way down! This is at the tail end of the long building that is next to the Gideon pedestrian bridge. It's going to seem really weird and open when this building is completely gone.





I peeked inside to get one last look of the building.





Here is a look at the Max construction. The railroad tracks parallel SE 17th and pass over Powell Blvd (you can't really see Powell here since it dips below the tracks).





Usually there will be a colorful garage or an interesting car. This is the first time I've seen both together. 





I wonder if this is left over from Halloween.











Do you see the face? I did a double take when I first saw this.





These mushrooms are growing inside of an oak barrel.








Have anyone see these Portland Heritage Tree tags before? The tag says 1995. This was the first time I've seen one. It's really great to know that this is a Yellow Buckeye. I'm going to keep an eye out for more of these.





I was reaching up on my tiptoes to take a picture of a ceramic frog on top of a really high fence (that picture didn't work) when I felt something brushing up against my stomach. I take a step back and this calico was standing on a 3 foot wall. It was a startling, but nice surprise.

Today I walked for the last time in 2012. Over the course of the year, I walked 324 miles on 91 different walks. That's only 20 miles shy of walking to Seattle and back. I'm so proud of this accomplishment! I really didn't think I had walked this much in 2012. I've set a new goal for 2013 to walk even further. I also have a few races I'm thinking about participating in. The future is definitely bright!

For my last walk, I decided to head to Oaks Bottom. I wanted to jog a bit and I really like how flat the Springwater Corridor is. I'm still very frightened of tripping, so it's the perfect place to practice without fear of curbs, cracks, or other hazards. 





Due to the Max construction, road closures are common and constantly changing. Often when I drive home, now, I have to find new routes because of the closures.





This entire row of colorful flowers caught my attention from a block away. Such a sight for sore eyes in the dreary winter weather. It wasn't until I took the picture that I realized they were all fake.








I've walked past this broken window for well over a year now. I finally stopped for a self portrait.





I recently drove past the Sellwood bridge and saw this construction in progress. They will be shifting the bridge to sit on a temporary structure while a new bridge can be built. The whole thing sounds like magic. I can't even comprehend what it takes to move a bridge, let alone build a new one. Portland keeps getting better and better! 





Just as I started to descend down into Oaks Bottom, it started to snow. It only lasted a few minutes and the tiny snowflakes didn't last on the ground, but it was a perfect moment. While the water isn't completely frozen, I was amazed to see it covered in ice.





I walked around the tadpole pond and came upon these newly filled bird feeders. So many beautiful birds were waiting their turn to feed. I stopped here and stayed as still as possible, so they would eat in my presence.





I love the reflection of the trees in the water. The water was perfectly still today.





The path around the tadpole pond was extra slippery due to the frost on the mud. I was very careful walking this trail.











I heard these crows from blocks away. I changed directions and tried to get as close to them as I could. They were constantly on the move circling from tree to tree. There must have been over 100 birds.





It's fitting that Oregon has been filled in by moss.





The fall leaves may be gone, but their imprints remain.

After the massive amounts of rain that Portland has seen over the past few days, I stayed close to home on this walk. The clouds were ominous at times and at others the sky was bright blue and sunny. I opted for no coat and just a hat to protect me from the rain. I'm a true blue Portlander and getting wet is not a worry of mine, but the monsoons of the past few days are a little much even for my webbed feet. I wanted to be able to beeline it home if another monsoon hit. Luckily, it only rained a bit and it was a great walk.

















I love these bright purple berries. I have no idea what plant this is. I've been trying to get a clear picture of these little guys for a really long time. 





The sight of these trees took my breath away. The sun's evening rays almost made the trees glow against the rainy gray background. 





I spent some time walking all around these trees taking pictures from every angle I could imagine. 





They made me so happy that I wanted to remember being in this moment.









Yes, we do have many homeless folks in our neighborhood. For the most part, they live in harmony around us. I like this idea of leaving canned food out. It's such a nice gesture especially as the weather starts to turn. 





The top of this was probably 15 feet in the air and marked the entry gate to the house.





I love seeing patterns in my walks. This is a tomato plant holder I found many blocks away.





I've passed by this wall before. It was only after seeing this damage that I actually took a good look at it.









I love the shadows on this plant.





I have no idea what this plant is, but the bright tomato red perfectly round balls against the green feels very whimsical.





Lost headphones dangling over a stone wall. I hope the owner comes to claim them.

































Halloween is on its way! I can't wait to see more decorations.





A sure sign that summer is over. The sidewalk chalk is soaking wet.





I haven't stumbled since my walk a few days ago when I stumbled twice. I have definitely been much more cautious and keeping my eyes peeled for these kinds of things.





I love this picture! This cat was fiercely keeping watch over these 3 free roaming chickens. He would not take his eyes off of me as I slowly walked the entire length of this yard. I was really just blown away by this on so many different levels. Chickens just chilling with no fence to be seen. A cat obviously intent on taking care of those chickens. All in the very urban heart of inner SE Portland. I'm so happy to live in Brooklyn where this kind of awesomeness is a common thing.

Walked 3.74 Miles - Kenilworth Park

Today I set out without any intention on where to walk. I finally decided to head up Holgate over to Gladstone up and then to Kenilworth park at 34th. It was a cloudy day and not too warm, but luckily I stayed dry the whole time.

This why I don't put up holiday decorations. You have to take them down - eventually. I'm going to keep my eye out to see when this large nativity scene is finally put away.





I love it when the sky is filled with these huge clouds. The sun popped out many times, but mostly it looked like this.











I'm so glad I went to Kenilworth Park, because I was rewarded with Winter Daphne. This fragrant flower is in my top 5 favorites. It's such a treat in the winter and the smell is just amazing. This is the first time I've seen it in bloom this year. I can't wait until it's blooming everywhere.











Many of the trees in the park had tons of sap oozing out of them. Is this normal? I haven't seen this in other parks in the area. I'm worried that these trees aren't so healthy. Hopefully I'm wrong. I was very careful not to get to close to the pitch. I have lots of memories of being covered in pitch after climbing trees. It's so hard to get off.








I have a friend who takes an exercise class at Mt Tabor. She often posts pictures of the tree canopy. Remembering this helped me to remember to look up and see how amazing the tree canopy is at Kenilworth. 








Grout Elementary is such a pretty school. I've taken a watercolor class here with my sis. They also have a great holiday craft fair each year. I just love all the details in the architecture. 








Coming back over the Holgate overpass, I could see this storm starting to roll in. It was really so beautiful that I took a ton of pictures all the while realizing that I should probably get a move on it.





As a comparison, this is what it looked like on the other side of Holgate looking over Brooklyn Yards. Quite a difference. Luckily, I was headed towards the blue skies. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if the storm would catch  me, but it never did.





I think these buds look super alien.

Walked 2.30 Miles in the Evening

I had bagged walking this afternoon, because I just wasn't feeling it. When Greg decided that he was going to walk after work instead of run, I invited myself along. I really, really liked walking in the evening. Such a change for me and it brought out so many new picture opportunities. It also greatly limited my ability to take pictures since it was getting darker by the minute. 

Winterhaven school is even beautiful at night.





I've always wanted to take this picture, but I knew it wouldn't look good during the day. It's too far away from the sidewalk and the glass would create glare to obscure the great font. I love this font and I love Brooklyn. The porch light made it shine and the cover of darkness gave me the courage to walk up the sidewalk to get a closer shot. I finally got the picture I could mentally see in my head for so long.





At the light to cross Holgate, the building to our left had a large lit sign that spins around. When the sign it just right, there was amazing light on Greg. When the sign turned, he was in the dark. This is the second walk we've taken together since I got minimalist shoes. The difference is night and day. Before I would have to struggle to keep up with lots of pain slowing me down. Now I can keep up easily. He kept walking while I took pictures and it was no big thing to run to catch up with him. In fact, it was kind of fun.





Crossing over McLoughlin, I had a rush of gratitude that I don't have to commute in traffic. I enjoy taking the bus to work, but everyone once in a while I drive. I love that my commute is less than 1 song long.





I've walked past this machine store many times. I could never see inside, because the glass reflects back (like a mirror) during the day. It's way cooler than I envisioned

Walked 5.23 Miles to Westmoreland Park

This week was pretty much sheer insanity at work. I have a few deadlines that are hitting at the same time creating a perfect storm. It's been stressful and keeping me up at night. One of the reasons why I like my job is because 90% of the time, when I walk out the door I don't have to think about it until I return. That quality of life is important to me. Sleepless nights and too much to do that I'm wishing I could bend time isn't fun at all. I blew off walking Monday and Wednesday, because I was so overwhelmed. Today I left work (Friday is my usual day off) feeling more on top of things than I had in weeks. I treated myself to a bellyful of Zenbu (my very favorite sushi place) and then went for a long walk in the glorious sun. I usually never walk the same place twice in a row, but I made an exception today. I walked to Westmoreland park hoping I'd see lots of birds again. And my last walk was just so great that I was hoping to recreate a bit of it again. I needed that after such a hard week.

I've really fallen hard for pictures of frost. I like how it accentuates the texture of the plants. It's just so beautiful. I didn't really expect to find frost at 2pm on a crazy sunny day. I was happy to see it.

The sun is shining through the peeling bark.





I didn't think that Westmoreland had any alleys, but I found two today that were each a block long with gravel. They were no where near each other. These were the first two alleys I've ever seen in this hood. I'm curious if are any more.





Throughout the entire holiday season, I looked for a giant Christmas tree ornament for a self-portrait. I saw many ornaments, but never any that were close enough to the sidewalk for me to get a decent picture. Finally, I found one on Jan 18th.





When I got to the park, there were no geese! Well, there were maybe 15 grazing on the lawn, but I'm pretty sure they are the same 15 that are always there. I saw a few fly overhead, but nothing like the huge skeins I'd seen the week before. (Fun Fact: geese are in gaggle when not in flight. They are in a skein when flying. Thank you, Wikipedia!) I headed to the back baseball field, because I thought they might be hanging out there.





I did find too many seagulls. There were probably a few hundred hanging out on the lawn and in the water. 





Their reflection is so crisp and the light was just perfect.





The ground was covered in feathers.





The casting pond (a 1936 WPA project) is one of my favorite parts of this park. The perfectly square pond of water with the beautiful ring of trees surrounding it is just spectacular. 





I hadn't seen this benchmark before. It brought back memories of when I worked for ODOT on a survey crew the summer after high school.





I was surprised to find ice at the back corner of the casting pond. 





When I got to the baseball field, there were still no geese. Instead, I hung out with my favorite ducks, the American Wigeons. They are so cool looking. You can see the ice on the water in the background.





This is called Uroboros, the name for an ancient Egyptian and Greek symbol that depicts a snake that bites its own tail. This public art was created by Charles Kibby and installed in 1979. I couldn't resist the-sun-through-a-hole shot. 













This hand painted tile was leaning against a tree at Winterhaven. I hope someone didn't forget to take this home. 

Chris Haberman Painting - A.K.A. Best Christmas Present Ever!

You really can't believe my surprise when I opened up this amazing Christmas present from my dear friend Karen. I think I might have even squealed. I have always wanted to own a painting by Chris Haberman and I can't believe how completely perfect this gift is for me.





Karen found out that Chris was painting pictures of different Portland neighborhoods. She had him paint me a painting of Brooklyn.





I'm so impressed that he used pictures from this blog. The second I looked at the painting, I instantly recognized each smaller picture and remembered where I had taken the cooresponding photo. It makes this present even more personal and special.





I'm so glad he put my feet in the painting. He also captured very important elements of my walks. I have several recurring themes that I'm naturally drawn to and he picked the most important ones. 





This is the perfect way to celebrate two years of this blog. Brooklyn is such a part of my core now and I'm so happy to have this painting. I can see my hood without even going outside. 





But of course, I'll continue to head outside and walk Brooklyn and the surrounding neighborhoods. 





I'm so very blessed to have such great friends in my life. Karen and I met at PSU in 1995. I'm so glad we have kept up our friendship. She is a such great person (and smart as hell) and I know we will be friends forever.

Walked 3. Across the Ross Island Bridge

Greg has started training for his next half marathon and needed to run this morning. I used the time to go on a walk. I asked him where I should go and he suggested the Ross Island Bridge to see the new bridge construction. Sounded like a great idea to me.

It was a cold morning and frost was everywhere. 








My job is at the end of this bridge; it's the world's best commute. I've never walked to work because getting on and off the bridge is extremely dangerous for pedestrians. I see near misses all the time. I'm more than happy to ride 4 bus stops to work. This was the first time I've walked on the bridge and boy, it was kind of frightening. The sidewalk is narrow and the traffic is loud and fast. I was nervous the whole time on the bridge.





The new bridge is coming along. It's fun to watch it grow.





This cage is how worker bees get underneath the bridge. I'm so glad this isn't my job.





The bridge makes quite the shadow.





This is SW Moody where they have finished installing the streetcar. To the left of the streetcar tracks under the Marquam Bridge, you can see the brand new MAX tracks. MAX will cross over the new bridge. It's so exciting to see how much progress is happening downtown. 





Looking back at the new bridge from the very end of the Ross Island. This gives some perspective of how large the new bridge will be. The view from this spot 3 years from now is going to look drastically different.





I caught a glimpse of the tram when I turned around to head home.





I saw several boats like this and a few kayaks. It was a great morning to be on the water.

 

This the first time I've gotten a good look at Ross Island Sand and Gravel. It's massive.

Che Guevara posters  have been popping up everywhere in the hood. I hadn't seen this picture of him before.





I wanted to see if I could get a decent picture of the Dairy Cooperative that's painted on the side of a Darigold and right at this moment, a Ferrari pulled in and parked. Not something you see often in these parts.

Walked 4.09 Miles to SE 39th

Today was down right warm for January. I wore a hat and a coat, but I could have easily left them at home. I headed over the Gideon pedestrian bridge and walked up to SE 39th via Brooklyn and Tibbetts. I'm amazed at how much faster I can walk to 39th now. Previously, it was all I could do to walk this far, but today it wasn't hard at all. 

Another building is on its way down! This is at the tail end of the long building that is next to the Gideon pedestrian bridge. It's going to seem really weird and open when this building is completely gone.





I peeked inside to get one last look of the building.





Here is a look at the Max construction. The railroad tracks parallel SE 17th and pass over Powell Blvd (you can't really see Powell here since it dips below the tracks).





Usually there will be a colorful garage or an interesting car. This is the first time I've seen both together. 





I wonder if this is left over from Halloween.











Do you see the face? I did a double take when I first saw this.





These mushrooms are growing inside of an oak barrel.








Have anyone see these Portland Heritage Tree tags before? The tag says 1995. This was the first time I've seen one. It's really great to know that this is a Yellow Buckeye. I'm going to keep an eye out for more of these.





I was reaching up on my tiptoes to take a picture of a ceramic frog on top of a really high fence (that picture didn't work) when I felt something brushing up against my stomach. I take a step back and this calico was standing on a 3 foot wall. It was a startling, but nice surprise.

Walked 3.50 Miles to Oaks Bottom - Last walk of 2012

Today I walked for the last time in 2012. Over the course of the year, I walked 324 miles on 91 different walks. That's only 20 miles shy of walking to Seattle and back. I'm so proud of this accomplishment! I really didn't think I had walked this much in 2012. I've set a new goal for 2013 to walk even further. I also have a few races I'm thinking about participating in. The future is definitely bright!

For my last walk, I decided to head to Oaks Bottom. I wanted to jog a bit and I really like how flat the Springwater Corridor is. I'm still very frightened of tripping, so it's the perfect place to practice without fear of curbs, cracks, or other hazards. 





Due to the Max construction, road closures are common and constantly changing. Often when I drive home, now, I have to find new routes because of the closures.





This entire row of colorful flowers caught my attention from a block away. Such a sight for sore eyes in the dreary winter weather. It wasn't until I took the picture that I realized they were all fake.








I've walked past this broken window for well over a year now. I finally stopped for a self portrait.





I recently drove past the Sellwood bridge and saw this construction in progress. They will be shifting the bridge to sit on a temporary structure while a new bridge can be built. The whole thing sounds like magic. I can't even comprehend what it takes to move a bridge, let alone build a new one. Portland keeps getting better and better! 





Just as I started to descend down into Oaks Bottom, it started to snow. It only lasted a few minutes and the tiny snowflakes didn't last on the ground, but it was a perfect moment. While the water isn't completely frozen, I was amazed to see it covered in ice.





I walked around the tadpole pond and came upon these newly filled bird feeders. So many beautiful birds were waiting their turn to feed. I stopped here and stayed as still as possible, so they would eat in my presence.





I love the reflection of the trees in the water. The water was perfectly still today.





The path around the tadpole pond was extra slippery due to the frost on the mud. I was very careful walking this trail.











I heard these crows from blocks away. I changed directions and tried to get as close to them as I could. They were constantly on the move circling from tree to tree. There must have been over 100 birds.





It's fitting that Oregon has been filled in by moss.





The fall leaves may be gone, but their imprints remain.

Walked 2.62 Miles - West Hills of Brooklyn

After the massive amounts of rain that Portland has seen over the past few days, I stayed close to home on this walk. The clouds were ominous at times and at others the sky was bright blue and sunny. I opted for no coat and just a hat to protect me from the rain. I'm a true blue Portlander and getting wet is not a worry of mine, but the monsoons of the past few days are a little much even for my webbed feet. I wanted to be able to beeline it home if another monsoon hit. Luckily, it only rained a bit and it was a great walk.

















I love these bright purple berries. I have no idea what plant this is. I've been trying to get a clear picture of these little guys for a really long time. 





The sight of these trees took my breath away. The sun's evening rays almost made the trees glow against the rainy gray background. 





I spent some time walking all around these trees taking pictures from every angle I could imagine. 





They made me so happy that I wanted to remember being in this moment.









Yes, we do have many homeless folks in our neighborhood. For the most part, they live in harmony around us. I like this idea of leaving canned food out. It's such a nice gesture especially as the weather starts to turn. 





The top of this was probably 15 feet in the air and marked the entry gate to the house.





I love seeing patterns in my walks. This is a tomato plant holder I found many blocks away.





I've passed by this wall before. It was only after seeing this damage that I actually took a good look at it.









I love the shadows on this plant.





I have no idea what this plant is, but the bright tomato red perfectly round balls against the green feels very whimsical.





Lost headphones dangling over a stone wall. I hope the owner comes to claim them.

































Halloween is on its way! I can't wait to see more decorations.





A sure sign that summer is over. The sidewalk chalk is soaking wet.





I haven't stumbled since my walk a few days ago when I stumbled twice. I have definitely been much more cautious and keeping my eyes peeled for these kinds of things.





I love this picture! This cat was fiercely keeping watch over these 3 free roaming chickens. He would not take his eyes off of me as I slowly walked the entire length of this yard. I was really just blown away by this on so many different levels. Chickens just chilling with no fence to be seen. A cat obviously intent on taking care of those chickens. All in the very urban heart of inner SE Portland. I'm so happy to live in Brooklyn where this kind of awesomeness is a common thing.