PhotoHunt - Bridges

This week's PhotoHunt assignment: BRIDGES.

Portland is chock full of bridges - the Willamette (pronounced 'will-AM-et) River divides the city east and west, and the Columbia River in far north Portland divides Oregon and Washington state.

I took a variety of bridge shots this last week. Some from above, some from underneath! Enjoy! Be sure to click on the photos to enbiggen.

This is taken from the Eastbank Esplanade on the Willamette. I was underneath the freeway (Interstate 5) bridge and shooting the Hawthorne Bridge, which is the one I traverse most frequently.
It goes right downtown; you can see the cityscape in the background.

Under the Morrison Bridge - also on the Willamette, one bridge north of the Hawthorne.
Looking west, that's downtown in the background.

Under the freeway. Such interesting lines and curves. A bit noisy though.

The Morrison Bridge, reflected in the river.
The Burnside and Steele Bridges are behind it.

The red pillars are a floating foot bridge, part of the Esplanade.

Foot bridge in the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. Much more quiet than the others.

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Camera Critters - 02-07-09 Crows nest?

This meme is all about photos of animals/critters.


Click on the photos for more detail.




I noticed these nest-like structures under the bridge down by the river the other day. On closer inspection, I don't think they're nests. They look like accidental mini eco-roofs growing out of the pipes. The crows loved them though - I think they stash some treasures in there.

Can you tell what this crow has in its mouth? It looks a bit like a cell phone.

Impressive talons.

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Alphabet Soup

Ever on the lookout for new and different challenges, I've decided to take on Melli's alphabet challenge. The idea is to find each letter of the alphabet in a naturally occurring state. In other words (or in other letters), no fair using the 'S' in a stop sign; rather you need to find something that is shaped like an 'S'. I'm a few weeks behind, so managed to find A, B, C, D, E and F this week. Here they are:

A - discovered in the handle of a basket.

Sunglasses (of sorts) - you might have to squint your eyes to see the B.
(Hey, Jientje used a bra for her B!)


This B was a close runner up; it's the side of a hand drum. You vote.

A rather stylized C

Rocking chair arm gives up a D

The ladder to my meditation loft = E

I saw F in this string of lights.

Oh, I wonder where G will appear!
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Looking at the Sky on Friday: Catching the Moon in Broad Daylight

Be sure to click on the photo for an awesome enlargement.

Waxing gibbous moon, 75% of full on a clear, sunny day.

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Photostory Friday: Down by the Riverside

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

One of the things I love about living in Portland is the diversity of characters. You just never know what you'll run across here. I took my camera down to the Eastbank Esplanade on the Willamette River Wednesday. First thing, I encountered this wonderful but unlikely trio playing their music. Can't say I've ever seen a sousaphone in a trio with guitar and drums! Click on the photos for an expansive view.


















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