CONTEMPORARY EXPLORER

  Ever since the TV series Portlandia, the Rose City has gained an image of being different, even strange. There is a feeling of artsy in the young people and the many small businesses catering to the Portland way. In recent times, the nature of the place has led to problems, drugs and homelessness. Still it remains a wonderful place to explore. The city has a wealth of low profile buildings especially in the Northwest and East Side portions. Colors and contrasts abound. There is nothing here that say “the same.” No ditto buildings piled against other ditto ones.  They say that good photography is born out of finding stillness and studying all aspects of a scene. The contrasts of people, buildings and vides in Portland teach a different dance for your camera. Some of the contrasts are just meant to be together, others stretch the mind to blend and understand. It all works out though, as you walk this wonderful city and find yourself dancing it’s side streets.

  A good parking garage can make the day, especially if they are well designed and close to popular venues. Many though are dark places, often ill planned and underused. Every crime drama seems to have one, the infamous garage scene. Candy Man, Fargo, Death Sentence, Terminator and Furious 7.  While your in them, you can imagine most anything. Shapes and sounds pull at your mind. Shopping center garages often sit largely empty for most of the year, only to fill to the edges during Xmas shopping season, adding to the uneasiness of them. Few have the smoothness and finery of the building they serve. The contractor leaving rough marks, the architect making it the last thing they design. Over the years, some become blights on the city, no longer serving any purpose. Still the ones that do still work are indispensable.  Developers are always cautioned to not pay the contractor until the garage is finished. Good advice, as many look like they are not. The darkness is not a frie...

  They call it “autophenophobia,” the fear of car washes. More people have it than you think. And can you blame them. You pay a fee, really a chance at making it through. The attendant guides you to the automated lanes. Then you give up complete control. Your car and life are dragged into the beast with whirly brushes. All among the splashes of soap and water that blind your vision. Some say its the claustrophobia nature of the enclosure, others the sensory overload of the machine noise, the fear of damage and always the loss of control.  The car is pushed side to side by the powerful equipment. You look out the window to see if everything is still there or if any parts of other cars are beside the rails. You know there must be scary things in there, machinery or parts you don’t know about all jumping out of every side it seems. You reassure yourself remembering that these dragons of clean first appeared way back in the 1950’s. Called Rub a Dub, Elephant Car Wash and other fri...

  The recent Vanity Fair article “Banksy Unmasked”’ claimed the graffiti artist’s name was finally determined. It peaked my interest as a follower of Graffiti art. Well, it turns out that the mystery of him remains. So does the meaning of his images and sayings such as the question he poses, “Does Graffiti change anything?” At least with his art, there is something to consider not like most graffiti efforts. Shapes that best look like badly done scrambled eggs and colors bold enough to blind you. There are various names for different graffiti styles including throw ups, pieces, Angels, heaven spots, back to back, roller and devil spots. There are good reasons why Banksy and others want to remain anonymous. The law with handcuffs are never far behind. Graffiti has a short life, usually ending up repainted by another artist or washed away by city workers. The most interesting effect is when a desperate building owner simply paints over graffiti. These often take the form of blocks of...

  It’s easy to feel lost and unaccomplished in the age we live in. There seems to be billionaires everywhere, yachts float in the harbors, multiple mansions bought and $100,000 cars fly by on the road. You start to question your worth and even your view of the world, not believing what your eyes and senses are telling you. Where do I fit anymore? If its not enough to hear about the happenings of the 900 powerful billionaires in the country and a new millionaire created each day. The media and advertising are always telling us the things we should want and the way the rich live. Some have called it “the blur of the new Gilded Age.” There has never been a more important time to keep you own counsel and build faith in yourself. It’s the means by which you can survive and grow. Not to do so risks making bad decisions, more anxiety and life limitations.  There are some great books and articles on this subject including the article “How to Deal with Feeling Unaccomplished” by Chelsy...

  It’s a modern marvel that Amazon and other packages find their way to our door. Passing through numerous shipping, warehousing, handling and delivery systems. They all gather marks along the way, some intentional and others not. Everything from the smudge from the loading dock to stickers designating a sorting order or contents. Bar codes that keep it on track. There are the hands of the driver and the unseen ones of pilots in flight. They all make for colorful packages at our door each with their own travel tale. None of this would be possible or as low cost without the invent of the shipping container that allowed for the efficient handling of freight. Affording space for thousands of different packages versus the bulk shipping of the past. The container was Invented by Malcom McLean in 1951 rapidly growing to worldwide adoption. McLean only had one truck in his small freight company, but quickly gleaned on to idea of using containers when he started hauling empty tobacco barre...