Willamette River and My Hiatus

I snapped this photo of the Willamette River while looking northwest of the easternmost footbridge, near Springfield (the city immediately east of Eugene). Beautiful.

My husband and I recently learned that our landlord was planning to sell the house we're living in. No big deal, right? Well, after meeting with the realtor today and learning all that is involved in selling a house, we've decided that we're going to try our hardest to move out in the next month or so. Since we haven't even found any housing prospects yet, we've got our work cut out for us. So...I need to put my blogs, and my life, on hiatus while we sort out finding a place to live and then actually move. Sigh.

Roller Derby

My apologies for being away for a few days. I had some technical difficulty with Blogger and with my laptop cache and it took me a little while to figure out how to log back in.

The above image is the last one I'll post from last weekend's Eugene Celebration parade. These two women are with the Emerald City Roller Girls. Too cool.

Lots of Pigs

I wish I could recall the name of the organization of pigs who put on such a great show during the parade. I believe the group represented sustainable development and growth, but I was too busy trying to snap some photos that I didn't catch their name.

2007 Slug Queen

Meet the Eugene Celebration's 2007 Slug Queen, Queen Glorious Gastropause (aka Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant), a comedian from the region.

Judging: A Serious Business

The rosey-nosed fellow and his two companions were the judges for today's Eugene Celebration parade in downtown Eugene. For the next few days I will feature images from this year's colorful parade. Stay tuned!

Food Not Lawns

This home near downtown Eugene has an edible front yard instead of a lawn. Densely planted edibles cut down on water use (and the grocery bill) and create a wonderful, interactive space.

Street Scene

The Bel Ami restaurant and cafe at 16th and Willamette streets. I haven't eaten there since it was the L & L Marketplace (many years ago), but I hear it's good.

Noggin Rubs

This kitty, outside the public library, appears ambivalent about the attention.

Unusual Flower

I spied this flower in a nearby neighborhood and snapped a photo to help me identify it. Anyone familiar with this unusual beauty?

Recent Canal Repair

This section of the Amazon slough was recently "repaired" for erosion. These wonderful rocks were brought in and the water has been clearer and the ducks happier ever since.

Tahkenitch Creek

A beautiful place to spend the first day of September. Tahkenitch Creek and Campground is located about 15 minutes south of Florence, Oregon. Not a Eugene photo, but beautiful, yes?

Feed the Birds

An interesting place to put a bird feeder, yes?

Beautiful Blue Sky

While out dropping off my rent check I noticed the bright blue sky and wispy clouds and snapped this photo on 16th near Willamette St.

Bread Bullies

Otherwise known as geese, these are pushy and persistent buggers. The last time I fed some geese (many years ago) so many of them ganged up on me that I tripped over my own feet and fell. I probably should have stood up to them, but they were bitey.

Fence Bird

This bird paused to take in the view of the fields at O'Hara School.

Golden Grass

Dry summer weather has prompted the many Willamette Valley grasses to die back, as they are naturally inclined to do. So the usual green carpet of this area is, for a time, replaced by golden grasses instead.

Duck Watching

It's a popular pastime in these parts.

Beautiful Beans: Grassroots Garden III

At Grassroots Garden beans are planted very close together and trellised over a series of "walls." There are three or four bean walls at the garden this year and these beautiful veggies are keeping volunteer pickers busy.

Grassroots Garden II

A section of the Grassroots Garden that includes beds of celery, onions, young cole crop starts, beans, raspberries, sunflowers, etc. In the far distance are more than ten varieties of tomato plants as well as sweet peppers. Very inspiring!

Grassroots Garden I

For the next few days I will feature photos taken at the Food for Lane County Grassroots Garden site. The Grassroots Garden is a wonderful place. It's a very productive mini-farm (producing 52,789 pounds of food for hungry families in Lane County last year). It's a great place to volunteer. It's a learning center. It's also a great place to lose yourself for a while.

I've been volunteering at the Grassroots Garden this summer and loving it. I've learned a great deal and feel like I'm doing a little something to help my hungry neighbors.

This shot, taken in one of the greenhouses, features a variety of pepper plants and shows some onions and garlic bulbs curing. Yum!

Farm House?

This house, actually a real estate office, sits near downtown. As someone obsessed with most things rural I am fascinated by houses that look like barns.

Eugene Weekly

This building is home to the Eugene Weekly, the local events and political news rag.

Eugene Yard

Every square inch of this yard is growing and/or blossoming. It appears well-tended and organized, despite the plethora of plants. Beautiful.

The Fair

Yesterday marked the final day of the 2007 Lane County Fair and it looked like the place was hoppin'. Despite rain, attendees were undeterred.

Stillpoint Farm in Veneta, OR

Just west of Eugene is the town of Veneta. A largely rural area, it boasts several small farms, including Stillpoint Farm, where this photo was taken yesterday. This goat was the only one in the group who trusted us for a few pets. Our offer of fresh-picked blackberries a little bit later was unanimously rejected, however.

A Little Flare Never Hurt Anything

I never claimed to be a photographer. I'm an amateur. I know I'm not supposed to shoot with the sun at the angle. No self-respecting professional photographer would. Me, I like a little flare. Light does some interesting things and I like to capture a little of it from time to time. This photo was taken at 16th and Friendly streets a few weeks back. If I were to take this photo today things would look pretty different. 16th street runs behind the fairgrounds and, with the Lane County Fair going now, it's been completely congested with cars and RVs. This too shall pass.

Bathing

These ducks were bathing and preening when I first came upon them, but one of them stopped to watch me watch them. When I snapped this shot I didn't notice the stealth duck up in the left hand corner. Cute!

Waterfront Condos?

Do these look like waterfront condos to you? Up until about a year ago these buildings operated as low-income university family housing. The company that now holds them has renovated them somewhat and is marketing the ones near the slough (as pictured here) as waterfront property. Their asking price? Between $113 and $115 thousand for these 560 sq ft former low-income apartments. They can't actually be serious! Sadly, I'm pretty sure they are.

Looking East

Another section of Fern Ridge path facing east. Sorry folks. I'm here every day. It's bound to show up again and again in my images.

Bronze Brim

This hand belongs to the bronze sculpture outside the Eugene Public Library.

Frisbee Golfers

A couple of frisbee golfers on a west Eugene course.

Rose Garden

A small section of the Eugene rose garden, a beautiful place to visit during the spring and summer months. It's unfortunate that an overpass was built so near to the garden. While many of the senses are delighted in this place, it's definitely noisy.

18th Avenue

Looking east toward the university, this photo was snapped from the footbridge that spans 18th Ave just east of Chambers. A main west-to-east artery, there were surprisingly few cars on the road when I took this.

I Love Weird People

This is written on the bark of a graffiti-covered tree in west Eugene. The tree is also really quite beautiful on its own. Anyone out there know what kind of tree this is?

Friends

The dog's adoration is plain to see. This photo was taken along the Willamette River, just a little west of the rose garden.

Westmoreland Park

I snapped this photo facing east while at Westmoreland Park, located between Polk and Chambers streets just south of 18th. This is a great place for a stroll.

Aquatic Cycling

While at the banks of the Willamette River hoping to photograph some avian antics I happened to see the man in the white shirt heading straight for the river on his bike. I was able to capture him as he started to tip and fall. Interestingly, the birds don't seem at all phased. It's a wild life on the river.

Heron

While out for a walk this morning I failed to spot this beauty. Luckily a passerby pointed him or her out to me and I snapped a few photos while I had the chance.

Sunflower Redux

Nearly everywhere I look right now I see sunflowers. They grow tall and abundant, many of them "volunteers" left by birds. And wherever there are sunflowers there are worker bees. The flowers pictured here are just the tops of plants that had been put into buckets of water at the farmers' market, but they were alive with bees. One of the bees can be clearly seen here, but there were many others hard at work within the frame.

Eugene Has Few Highrises

This building (does it have a name?) sits at the corner of 11th and Olive streets. It's one of maybe 8 tall buildings in the Eugene area. I believe this building is a retirement or assisted living center, but I could be wrong.

If you haven't yet noticed it, Eugene isn't known for it's architecture. This is my home town and I love it here. Nonetheless, I think most of the buildings are pretty unattractive. We need an aesthetician STAT!

Bandon III

A beautiful view framed by some interesting coastal foliage.

Bandon II

Part of the Bandon, OR south beach from above. One more Bandon photo planned for tomorrow, and then the blog will be back to featuring photos taken in Eugene. Promise!

Bandon I

The Pacific Ocean flowing between some of the beautiful big rocks of Bandon's coastline. My 2nd favorite OR beach, the south beach at Bandon is truly a windswept beauty. More photos to come!

Florence II

Another photo snapped in Florence yesterday, near Old Town. Watch for images from Bandon (if I can choose just a couple of them!) in the coming days.

Florence I

For the next few days I'll be posting photos from my visits to Florence and Bandon, OR (I just arrived home a few hours ago). Sometimes a change of scene can clear the mental smog that can accumulate when one lingers in a single place too long.

Drooping Sunflower

Somewhere in West Eugene.

Monroe Park

Enjoying the warm temperatures at Monroe Park (8th and Monroe streets).

Middle of the Road

Looking north on Lincoln St (at 24th). The College Hill area is one of my favorite places to walk in Eugene. I wish I still lived in close proximity. Ah well.