Shoot the Moon

It’s a full moon, the largest viewing moon in months, and I had to shoot it--with a camera. But it wasn't that easy. I wanted a clean shot of the full moon over the I-5 bridge. There are few places west of the bridge that have viewing access. However, I couldn’t resist the challenge.
But the journey was not as easy as the photos tell. First, it was night, so I couldn’t see too well. Then I was going to places I normally don’t travel even in daylight. And third, it was windy and cold. The thermometer on the car said it was 51 degrees. With the wind-chill, I bet it was ten degrees less. So I am standing outside with the wind blowing trying to get the camera focused. My tripod was not cooperating for some reason. Anyway, the moon was slowing rising, and my window of opportunity was going north.
Since I love bridges, and Portland has plenty, I zipped across the I-5 into Vancouver and parked the car right next to the bridge. I was able to take one last photo before the moon disappeared from view.

Driven Crazy

I drive a lot. This is completely against the Portland belief that we reduce our carbon footprint by walking, biking, or taking public transportation. I drive because I network with people, and I like fact-to-face contact. However, there are times when even I don’t drive in Portland. Fact is, Portland is having major road issues. It seems as if several of the downtown streets are either in repair, being upgraded with trolly tracks, or reduced to one lane because of building construction. Sometimes it’s a nightmare, however, this is why I am writing today's thoughts. Because I love Portland, I believe in public transportation, and encourage as many people as possible to consider alternate forms of transportation, such as the MAX or trolly, especially if getting there is within walking distance to a destination.

If this were some other city, the transportation wizards would tear down buildings and add another lane in the road. This only leads to more congestion. So I say too bad if we are stuck in traffic. Most drivers are sitting, fuming, in their cars alone. They don’t even carpool. Too bad. We have to get use to public transportation or biking, or heavens to betsy--walking, to get where we need to go.

Ideally with city planning, we should be ten minutes from where we live, work, and shop. Which is the concept of the Pearl District. Not every part of the city should be high rise condos, but the idea that we can live, work, and shop within ten minutes is a great idea.

So when I go crazy driving around the construction, I blame myself. And I hope it becomes so bad that we all will consider alternate means of transportation. It is much healthier on our nerves, and we get to see this gorgeous city just a little bit better.

Homage to Ikea

Most folks in Portland are opposed to “big box” businesses. We like our mom and pop places; love to sip coffee for hours in our favorite coffee house, and purchase our bling at a local shop. Yeah, right. Portland has just gotten a big dose of the big box when Ikea came to town. The Swedish home furnishing store has placed its behemothic footprint just seconds from our PDX airport, a perfect place to shop and fly.

Before they opened in August, their towering Ikea sign had lit the Portland night as we drove by on the nearby I-205 freeway. I wondered how the citizens of this town, who are passionate about sustainability and community, would greet our foreign invader.

I have been a huge fan of Ikea, in fact, my home’s interior could be called the house that Ikea built. I would make the three hour one way drive to Seattle periodically to fill up my van with stuff. In fact, my van was purchased with Ikea in mind! So now I am just a few minutes from the store. Should I go or not on opening day? I certainly don’t need anything, but what the hey, it’s opening day in Portland, land of no sales tax, and I had to make an homage. But would anyone else?

Our local press, the Oregonian, sure seemed to love the store. They ran a number of stories about Ikea, including one on in the food section. They warned Portlanders that the freeways would be congested, and to park and take the public transportation. Or better yet, wait about six weeks until the surge died down. EEK, it was certainly nail biting time.

Opening day was quite on the I-205 as I passed by. Then around 5:00 p.m., I took the plunge and parked in a park and ride lot a few miles away and took the MAX line in.

What is wonderful about the entire store is that it is smack on the MAX line. So that when one purchases a bookcase, they can haul it home on MAX. Riding the MAX to Ikea is almost like being in an amusement park because the ride takes us up over the freeway at speeds often surpassing the traffic below. I wondered as the MAX came to a stop, would anyone else be there?

No worries, Portlanders love Ikea. It was busy but not jammed packed. Except for the cafeteria where their famous Swedish meatballs are served. I didn’t purchase any home furnishing that day, but I did stand in line for an hour and a half with other dopes to eat those meatballs.

So my homage to Ikea is that it has smitten the hearts of many in Portland, and for that matter, other places and states, like Idaho and Montana. Now they can take the multi-hour drive. I don’t have to. But I still love my van. It carries more than Ikea boxes.

Welcome to the Zoo, Sam Adams

Well, it's official, Sam Adams is running for mayor of Portland. And he invited the entire city to watch him officially toss his hat into the ring October 3 at Roots, an organic brew pub. I was there, because I'm a HUGE Sam fan. And, as you can see, I was not alone. I got there a bit early, and the place was already packed. There was a band playing near the front window, and just about every square inch of space was occupied by humans. It was truly sardine time.
As we waited around, the bar made a killing. There wasn't a dry mouth there. Everyone was networking, looking around to see who else was in the place, and waiting, and waiting for our Sam. About an hour after the announced time, he showed up. Well, his entourage showed up, then the press showed up, then, almost as an afterthought, Sam Adams appeared in the doorway. He had to take his time, because of the human crush that awaited him. First he had to get around the dozen or so reporters with camera equipment and lights, which was just about impossible. Then he had to squeeze past the well wishers in the front of the room. Then he had to wait while a couple of well-meaning associates thanked everyone and made brief announcements. Then it was Sam's turn to speak. His official announcement came that morning, this was just a get together, and a get-em-while-they-are-excited with the volunteer sign up sheet party.
I had a great time, because I love Sam Adams. I also realized that this is a great way to network. As long as you like Sam.