Shadows

Late afternoon shadows.

The Holly and the Ivy...

Harvesting the holly used in many Christmas wreaths and decorations. Olson's Farms, east on Hwy 22.

Thanksgiving Blessings

We had a very nice, thankful day. I watched Chef Emeril prepare a turkey and followed some of his suggestions. I must say it turned out really nice, so pretty that I failed to photograph it before we all dug in! So here's our centerpiece to enjoy. Blessings to all.

Bountiful Blessings

We in the U.S. celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the 4th Thursday of November. Our family enjoys the traditional meal of roasted turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc. We give thanks this day and every day for an abundant table and try not to forget those around the world whose table is sparse or empty. Feed the Children is one of many wonderful programs that make a difference.

Happy Thanksgiving blessings to all. If you celebrate Thanksgiving, do you have turkey, or duck, or ham, or goose, or tofu?

Territorial Dilemma

This woodpecker was very frustrated that he couldn't seem to run off his competitor and claim this as his territory. After a few noisy days at my kitchen window, he finally gave up.

Until warmer weather...

At EZ Orchards farm market.

Circuit Riders

Beautifully detailed statue on the east grounds of the State Capitol.

It Happened in Salem

On the anniversary
of a sad event,
the assassination
on Dealey Plaza
in Dallas TX
of President Kennedy...


Twenty-three years later,
right here in Salem,
on Center St.,
in this very building,
on a cold,
rainy,
wintry,
November day,
a very happy event
quicker than expected,
MUCH quicker,

22 years ago...





Our precious son was born! He had his Mom's (formerly) copper-colored hair (and probably had a thing or two to do with it turning gray!). But we love you son!!

The building is the former maternity annex of Salem General Hospital located on east Center St. It was closed 6 months later and birthing was moved to more modern facilities in the hospital's new addition on Winter St. It underwent remodeling and is now part of the rehabilitation center.

Green and Gold on Marble

Entrance to East Wing of the State Capitol.

It was a dark and foggy night

Well, I'm experimenting with taking night shots. This isn't very good, but I liked how it showed the foggy parking lot as we were leaving the grocery.

Salem's Finest

Salem firefighters on the job. Thankfully this time it was a small fire in an electrical vault under the sidewalk, caused when a cable contractor hit a below-ground power line. I am a child again when I see shiny red trucks.

Italia!

Another interesting bike rack. This one is on Court St. downtown in front of Lullu's. Ming found a interesting one in NYC.

McDVDs

These are showing up at local McDonald's restaurants and quite often have a line/queue. We rarely rent movies, so maybe they've been around for awhile and I just didn't notice. Is this a U.S. thing?

Gold in Them Thar..Streams?

The gold I found though was a reflection of the bright leaves arching over the water. This is one of the rewarding sights found when traveling along the Quartzville National Back Country Byway, and along the meandering waters of the Wild and Scenic Quartzville Creek through a landscape of old-growth timber. This area is under the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). Gold panning is allowed. If my retirement fund keeps sliding, I may have to give it a try.

Urban Wetland

East of Lancaster Drive between Shopko/Winco on the west and Houck Middle School on the east, this wetland was created to 'mitigate' the wetlands filled when the school was built. It is entirely fenced off to protect it from human impact. Oregon currently has an aggressive wetland protection program. Why are they important? To name a few reasons, wetlands trap and remove excess nutrients such as fertilizers, chemicals and other pollutants, and suspended sediments from rivers, streams and runoff that feed them. Wetlands help protect against flooding by absorbing water (like a sponge) and releasing it during a dry season. Wetlands do not always appear to be 'wet' as this one. But what a lovely neighbor it makes for the small housing development surrounding it.

Blueberry Fields

A local blueberry grower's fields give us another wonderful treat in the fall-this one for the eyes.

Tree Sitting

This is Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky. She is about 50 feet above the Capitol grounds in a tall pine. A member of the Eugene chapter of environmental group Rising Tide, she is protesting the Western Oregon Plan Revisions which would increase logging on federal Bureau of Land Management land in Oregon and hopes to sway the governor's decision. The logging plan has been presented to Gov. Kulongoski and it is being reviewed.

Autumn Vines

Even through the misty rain, some color shows. Headed into an underground parking lot.

11:00; 11/11

November 11. "...a temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In 1954 President Eisenhower signed a bill to change the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day, to honor all America's veterans for their patriotism and willingness to serve.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_Day

A Lucky Break

There were occasional sunbreaks during the rain on Saturday. One lit up this beautiful tree and just as I aimed my camera, I noticed the rainbow! What a lucky break.

Noted

Interesting notice posted in the cafe at Mission Mill Museum.

Colorful Abundance

Colorful cauliflower at a local market.

Sculpture

This is one of an interesting pair of sculptures outside the Dept. of Forestry Administration building on east State St. The plaque was gone (metal thieves no doubt), but I was able to find that the creator was Anne Storrs, that it is made of cast concrete and called 'Cone'. When I inquired at the building next door, a gentlemen told me it represented the cone of a Douglas Fir tree, though it is upside down. (??) Below is a photographic representation of said cone.

A Quiet Ride

A few days ago it was sunny and warm and a good day for a walk or ride through Minto-Brown Island Park. A couple miles south of city center along the Willamette River, the park consists of over 800 acres and has approximately 16 miles of trails, 5 of which are paved.

Labor y Libertad

This interesting mural entitled Labor and Freedom was painted by Hector H. Hernandez at Colonia Libertad Farm Worker Housing Development on Lancaster Drive SE and Kuebler Blvd.

On Mirror Pond

One more shot from our visit to Bend, Oregon. This beautiful home graces the shoreline of Mirror Pond in Drake Park, downtown Bend.

Autumn Doorway #5

A beautiful display of color from last week when it was still nice and sunny. The forecast for this week is rainy weather, which has already knocked so many leaves off the trees.

Beggar

A back deck beggar, looking at me through the patio door. He is wondering where the cat food went.

Theme Day - Books

The State of Oregon was granted ownership of Sections 16 and 36 of each township by the federal government at statehood in 1859. The intent of this land grant was to provide a source of revenue to fund public education. When this land is leased or sold, exchanged (for better management purposes), easements granted, or land donations received, these books contain the resulting deeds.

The first deed in the first book, dated July 13, 1868, is for the sale of 5 lots of school lands totaling 44.53 acres for the sum of $89.06.

To hold a book, containing hand-written documents, 140 years old is very cool.

City Daily Photo network designates the first of each month as a "theme day" and today it is "books". You can see 178 cities participating --> view thumbnails.