As you can see ...
... it was a nice day today. (That's not our home, btw. It's just a nice home nearby and we liked the blooms.) In any case, Portland can be quite rainy in the winter, so it's nice when you begin to get more clear days in the Spring. We decided to go for a walk in the sun today and, to add a level of fun to it, we decided that we would stay *only* in the sun while we walked. For example, if we came upon a patch of sidewalk that looked like this ...
... then we would walk only on the sunny parts and not in the shadow. It was quite a lot of fun. From time to time, we found that we *had* to walk through some shady area. When that happened, we ran through it, and held our breath while doing so. Or, in a situation like this...
... we were often able to just walk on the street, thus avoiding the shade completely.
... it was a nice day today. (That's not our home, btw. It's just a nice home nearby and we liked the blooms.) In any case, Portland can be quite rainy in the winter, so it's nice when you begin to get more clear days in the Spring. We decided to go for a walk in the sun today and, to add a level of fun to it, we decided that we would stay *only* in the sun while we walked. For example, if we came upon a patch of sidewalk that looked like this ...
... then we would walk only on the sunny parts and not in the shadow. It was quite a lot of fun. From time to time, we found that we *had* to walk through some shady area. When that happened, we ran through it, and held our breath while doing so. Or, in a situation like this...
... we were often able to just walk on the street, thus avoiding the shade completely.
So, let's take a walk and see what we happened across!
Well, as you saw above, there are many interesting trees in Portland. Some even have their own plaques. For example, here's one we saw today:
(We did take a photo of that tree, but it appears not to have turned out well.)
(We did take a photo of that tree, but it appears not to have turned out well.)
Occasionally, Portland's famous "weirdness" would call us into some unforeseen direction. In this instance...
... it was to take a look at the odd statues on the porch. While walking there, we happened across this electrical box covered with rubber ducks:
Upon closer inspection, we saw that it had one of those magnetic word games on it. So, we stopped to make our own sentences. Mine appears atop the photo, Wendi's two sentences appear near the bottom:
At one point, we came across this horse statue that's chained to a ring in the sidewalk. We suspect that those rings (which are everywhere) were historically there to tie up (real) horses (as the neighborhood dates back to the late 1800s. So, we thought it was a humorous commentary by some local artist.
Much to our surprise, we spotted another one several blocks away:
Of course, not everything in our neighborhood is old. New homes are popping up in the rare vacant lots (or, in places where dilapidated homes have been torn down). Here's one such new home:
We've noticed that many new homes seem to be marketed with fancy signs such as the one shown in the picture. Whether this is a long-standing practice or a new trend in home marketing is unknown to us (as new city-dwellers). What IS known to us, though, is the price: $469,000. That seems borderline outrageous, although we certainly recall similar home prices from our days living in Washington, D.C. In any case, we're very thankful to have found a fixer-upper home in this trendy, yet quirky neighborhood!
... it was to take a look at the odd statues on the porch. While walking there, we happened across this electrical box covered with rubber ducks:
Upon closer inspection, we saw that it had one of those magnetic word games on it. So, we stopped to make our own sentences. Mine appears atop the photo, Wendi's two sentences appear near the bottom:
At one point, we came across this horse statue that's chained to a ring in the sidewalk. We suspect that those rings (which are everywhere) were historically there to tie up (real) horses (as the neighborhood dates back to the late 1800s. So, we thought it was a humorous commentary by some local artist.
Much to our surprise, we spotted another one several blocks away:
Of course, not everything in our neighborhood is old. New homes are popping up in the rare vacant lots (or, in places where dilapidated homes have been torn down). Here's one such new home:
We've noticed that many new homes seem to be marketed with fancy signs such as the one shown in the picture. Whether this is a long-standing practice or a new trend in home marketing is unknown to us (as new city-dwellers). What IS known to us, though, is the price: $469,000. That seems borderline outrageous, although we certainly recall similar home prices from our days living in Washington, D.C. In any case, we're very thankful to have found a fixer-upper home in this trendy, yet quirky neighborhood!
As for the quirks, well, how about a second-hand store that has no employees?! As the sign says...
... if you see something you like, just call them and they'll open the store.
... if you see something you like, just call them and they'll open the store.
Finally, no Portland walk (in the sunshine or otherwise) is complete without noting the many felines encountered along the way. Some stand sentry to their homes ...
... some walk down the steps to greet you, perhaps in hopes of a friendly pat ...
... and others walk away, which in cat language translates roughly to, "Talk to the tail."
What else fun can we do for an hour? Leave a suggestion as a comment! We would like to pick things on a regular basis. If a suggestion if inspiring to you and you complete one of the activities, be sure to send us a pic!
... some walk down the steps to greet you, perhaps in hopes of a friendly pat ...
... and others walk away, which in cat language translates roughly to, "Talk to the tail."
What else fun can we do for an hour? Leave a suggestion as a comment! We would like to pick things on a regular basis. If a suggestion if inspiring to you and you complete one of the activities, be sure to send us a pic!
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