Hill-a-Beans

Stump Town Coffee, a local favorite hang out, is known for its unique coffee, roasted right in front of the customers before brewing.

Morning Dew

Dewdrops glisten in morning light.

Nine

From a loading dock at Ohio Art in Bryan, Ohio--where they make the Etch-a-Sketch.

Shopping on 74th

An oddity of living in the city is that shopping carts turn up in the strangest of places.

Holes

Holes in the floor of playground equipment, shot at night.

Silver Mime

Throw a dollar in the pewter pot at his feet and this silver statuesque street performer comes to life, doing some stunning feats with silver orbs.

Dreams Come True

Okay, so I'll eat my words. I was dreaming of a green Christmas here in the northwest and we actually got a white one. It snowed in Portland on Christmas! I remember every Christmas as a kid wishing that it would snow, so today's blanket of white was nostalgic and happy.

Mossy Stairway

Steps leading up to Multnomah Falls near Portland.

Street Drummer

Clickety-clackin' a stack of buckets and pans to entertain the sidewalk crowd of Christmas shoppers near Pioneer Square. Poor guy had to grab attention away from the Star Wars Storm Troopers across the street, a chrome-painted mime on one corner, and a laddie with bagpipes on the other. How's a guy supposed to make a living with competition like that? Or maybe I'm in the wrong business. I do have a dusty clarinet under the bed. Maybe if I did a street gig people would pay me to stop playing...

And the Band Played On

Not just any piano store--nooooo.... It's the IMMORTAL Piano Company. IT SHALL LIVE F O R E V E R ! Bu-Wah-Ha-Haaaaaaaa!

Now that's marketing.

5 Blue Bins

A back alley sight on an overcast day.

15 Seconds of Fame

PUBLICITY UPDATE: This photo just got a nod from the OregonLive website where they highlight one Portland photo each day. Fun!

Tuba or Not To Be

A tuba top waits for its owner to assemble him and join the 200 or so horn players in the annual Tuba Christmas concert on Pioneer Square in downtown Portland. A quirky bit of fun, but powerful and moving at times too.

Blue Reflections

Great modern architecture on Pioneer Square in downtown Portland. "If you're gonna build a monstrosity, make it interesting to look at," I always say. This design is one of my favorites around here.

It's Beginning to Luke a Lot Like Christmas

The Grinch has nothing on Darth Vader--it seems even the Dark Side of the Force has softened up with some Christmas Spirit. In what has to be one of the more surreal sights of my life, a half dozen Star Wars Storm Troopers stood outside Macy's this weekend ringing cutsey little bells to raise funds for the Salvation Army.

Stone Flower

Rocky mosaic on the ground.

Dreamin' of a Green Christmas

Red leaf peeks through green. It's December in Portland with verdant leaves still on the trees.

Heavy Fountain

A bronze woman heaves the weight of Skidmore Fountain near downtown Portland.

Frozen Fountain

Water from a public drinking fountain, still as ice.

Spectrum

A blank compact disc prisms an artificial rainbow.

White Fuzzy

White fuzzies dress a garden plant with an artificial frost.

Leaf LIght

A flock of leaves flitter around a street light like amber moths.

167

Detail from a fire hydrant down by our Community Center.

Shoeless

I imagine the second pair is there for revenge.

Farmhouse Window

Old houses make me wonder about the stories of the people who have lived in them over the years. If those walls could tell their tales...

Chipped and Cracked

Layers of weathered paint add character to the old train depot in Bryan, Ohio.