Sampo

Standing 30-feet tall, this sculpture by Lee Imonen is fashioned from old-growth red cedar salvaged from a fire in Roseburg and galvanized steel. "The Sampo" is a reference to Finnish mythology, the Kalevala, in which gods create a magical harvesting mill, to help the people work with the land. It stands in the courtyard of the State of Oregon North Mall Office complex between Summer and Winter streets.

Information from the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Blue Pepper

Art, Music and Internet Cafe downtown Salem on Commercial, across the street from the parking garage. The Blue Pepper supports Fair Trade Certified coffee.

The 'Real' Tallest

The First United Methodist Church on the corner of Church and State Streets. The marble stone embedded in the front is inscribed:

"M.E.Church.
Founded on this coast
by Rev. Jason Lee A.D. 1834
First church built on this site 1851.
This in 1872.
Reverence My Sanctuary."

As mentioned in yesterday's post, this bulding is the tallest in Salem.

'Highrise'

Salem's tallest building, if you count just the 'building' part. This is about as 'high' as it gets in Salem. Built in 1927, the 11-story Capitol Center is surpassed in total height by the First United Methodist Church (measuring to the top of the spire). Thanks to Jon Hazen of salemoregon.com and George Wilhelm and staff of Wilhelm Engineering, Inc. of Woodburn for setting the record straight.

Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is part of Bush Pasture Park, a tract of land that was the family home of one of Salem's business pioneers, Asahel Bush, early Oregon banker and newspaper publisher. Mr. Bush donated a portion of his estate to the City in 1917 to be used as a park.

Home of Jason Lee

The home of Reverend Jason Lee, leader of the Methodist Mission to Oregon in 1834. Built in 1841, it is the oldest frame house still standing in the Pacific Northwest. This sounds odd when I look at the daily photo blogs of Eric in Paris, Pierre in Venice, Zsolt in Budapest showing buildings centuries old. But Oregon wasn't even a state until 1859!

Jason Lee established a school known as the Oregon Institute, which later grew to become Willamette University, the first college in the Oregon Territory.

The Lee house is located on the small, peaceful grounds of the Mission Mill Museum.

Off go the trees..

A log truck puffs and rumbles up the hill. Load after load of Douglas Fir was removed last summer across the road from our property on the outskirts of town. Last checked, this land was zoned Agricultural. Hopefully it will be replanted with trees rather than houses.

Local Fruit

Local apples abound at EZ Orchards Farm Market. The rich, fertile Willamette Valley, along with mild climate and generous rainfall brings a bounty of local fruits and vegetables.

Riverfront Carousel

Located in Riverfront Park in downtown Salem, the Carousel has 42 horses and two 'Oregon Trail' wagons hand-carved and hand-painted by volunteers and that authentic music I remember from my youth. They are even having carving classes this spring.

Shoppers' delight

Salem downtown is connected by a series of enclosed sky bridges -- 7 8 if my count is correct--from parking structures to malls to department stores. This one connects Meier & Frank Macy's with the Salem Center. These are especially appreciated on cold and rainy days.

Geese Crossing

A large contingent of geese live on E. State Street at Airport Road and cross daily from along the bank by Mill Creek in front of the state prison to the yard in front of the State Highway Division campus. They will gather along side the road and wait for vehicles to stop, then cross in a bunch. Drivers are usually courteous. The building in the photo is the State Lottery, built in 1996.

The Willamette River

Salem's only bridges over the Willamette River, taken from Riverfront Park, on the east bank.

On this day in history...

Oregon was admitted to the Union, February 14, 1859 -- 149 years ago.



One of the reliefs sculpted in marble at the main entrance of the state Capitol in Salem. This one depicts Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea.

Waldo Park

One of the smallest parks in the United States, Waldo Park consists of a single Sequoia Redwood tree planted in 1872. It may not be so much appreciated today as the city has grown around it--read more here.

Oregon's State Capitol

The 23-foot gold-leafed statue, the “Oregon Pioneer” atop the State Capitol represents the spirit of Oregon’s early settlers. Energy generated from solar panels installed on the roof of the west wing in 2002 is used to illuminate the statue at night.