Labor Day Weekend - Black Butte Ranch

Labor day weekend, the weekend before the school year begins, was spent in Black Butte Ranch, eight miles from the town of Sisters in Central Oregon. Black Butte Ranch or BBR is a laid back gated community filled with recreational activities that include tennis, golf, swimming, hiking, canoeing, fishing, horseback riding and biking on 18 miles of bike path. BBR is a great place for families to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and just kick back doing fun stuff or nothing at all.

Public ArtWork, Portland Oregon

"The Quest"
A beautifully sculpted fountain by Count Alexander von Svoboda.
It is a prominent piece of artwork in downtown Portland that depicts nude figures intertwined in a "swim"

Summer Offering - Free Urban Concerts

"Music on Main Street" - Portland Center for the Performing Arts
Every Wednesday from 5.00pm to 7.00pm, between Broadway and Park, free music performance in the rotunda lobby of the New Theatre Building. This week, OB Addy and I & I did their magic. Great Reggae performance by OB Addy!

Portland Skyscape

The juxtaposing of the old and the new buildings in downtown Portland.

Art in the Park

- Isolated Molecule for a Good Neighborhood -
One of the three bronze sculptures that make up the "Constellation", which represents the connections between our civic gardens and our gardens and our role as stewards of those relationships

A Day On The Beach - Neskowin, Oregon

Lifeguard Post No. 8

Chairs in a row - waiting for its occupants.

Summer Offering - Ripe Peaches

Sweet Sue Peaches

Donut Peaches

Oregon Country Fair 2006

Oregon Country Fair is an annual 3-day festival where there are plenty of entertainment, hand-made crafts, good food and wealth of information sharing. It is held in a wooded setting in the town of Veneta, Oregon. For three days out of a year this area becomes the fourth largest city in Oregon.

Prayer flags lined the way to the entrance of the Fair.

Participants dressed up in colorful costumes as mythical beings.

One of the many impromtu parades

Belly dancing in the Gypsy Caravan

Portlandia - The Unspoken Hero

Portlandia, the second largest sculpture in the United States after the Statue of Liberty, by Raymond Kaskey and the accompanying poem by Ronald Talney

She kneels down,
and from the quietness
of copper
reaches out.

We take that stillness
into ourselves,
and somewhere
deep in the earth
our breath

becomes her city.
If she could speak
this is what
she would say :

Follow that breath.
Home is the journey we make.
This is how the world
knows where we are

~~ Ronald Talney, 1985~~

More Pride Revellers..

Gay Pride Parade 2006

Revellers at the 2006 Gay Pride Parade in Portland Oregon

Where In The World..

~Pioneer Courthouse Square, the City of Portland's "living room" ~

A whimsical signpost listing the distances to the
nine sister-cities and other geographical destinations.

A signature Portland icon
"Allow Me", says the bronze life-size
sculpture offering his umbrella

Portland Arts Festival

An annual Rose Festival event where
local, regional and international artists displayed their work in a variety of media.

Oregon Coast - More Photos..

Interesting Sights That Sneek Up On You When You Are Not Looking!

A colorful train-stop in the coastal town of Wheeler

The Concept of Recycling and Reusing
A Bicyle Garden - what a great idea

Poppy Flower

Oregon Coast

These are some photos of what Oregon Coast has to offer --

Antique motorbike for sale

Windchimes Everywhere

If you wonder around enough, you might find some very interesting artwork at some very interesting places.
My favorite - Metal Sculptures at the City Dump!

Oregon Coast - Wish You Were Here - Sunset

Sunset at the Oregon Coast.
It was one of those night when the sky is clear
and one can see the sun setting beautifully.

Portland Rose Festival - Grand Floral Parade

The Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade is on Saturday June 10, and I have the chance to look at the floats up close. Together with some friends, I volunteered a few hours last night to help with decorating the Parade's Floats. We were assigned to one of the floats that will be in the Parade. The Float that we worked on is sponsored by Spirit Mountain Casino, and it is called The Grand Salmon.

Oregon Zoo

Was too impatient to wait for the Peacock
to display its tail

One of the many attractions and fun things to do
at the Oregon Zoo - feeding the Parakeets.

Portland Rose Festival

Portland Rose Festival is celebrated in the month of June with many organized events happening around the city. The highlight of the Festival, I think, is the Grand Floral Parade where awe-inspiring all-floral floats are paraded along the parade route. The Grand Floral Parade is recognized by the International Festival & Events Association and USA Today as one of the top five parades in the nation.

In Full Bloom - Portland Oregon

Spring is here and in full bloom.
Beautiful and colorful flowers everywhere to fill your senses. After a long cold and rainy winter, this is a joy!

Forest Park - Portland Oregon

Wild Rhododendron

Maidenhair Fern

Spectacular Hike - Eagle Creek in the Columbia Gorge

Punchbowl Falls, one of many waterfalls along the Eagle Creek trail.