Normally I post recent work on this blog. Every Blue Moon, there was one this morning in case you weren’t looking, I revisit my archives to make room on my hard drive or to review earlier projects. Today I revisited Portland. I hadn’t taken a solo photo trip out to the West coast and Portland seemed as good a place to start with as any. This was 3 years B.T. (before Trump). While Portland has long been a bastion of liberalism, protests back then were peaceful, not angry as they are in 2021, not the events that sometimes escalate to riots. I won’t go into the social and political reason for these events. I’d rather show you the Portland I enjoyed, the Portland with a number of positive attributes, its diversity, architecture, the support for arts, social services, the sense of community and of course, the natural surroundings. 

Portland is the sister city to Sapporo, its Japanese Garden features koi ponds, waterfalls, a tea-house  built in Japan with ancient construction techniques and the Strolling Pond with the five-tiered stone pagoda lantern. It is a visual kaleidoscope blending artful gardens and architectural flourishes.

For largest display, click on the individual image

The flip side of the purposefully designed gardens is the energy of Portland. The Portland State University Farmers Market, Modern dance theater on the plaza and a myriad of food trucks lend Portland its distinctive flavor. 

Polaris Dance Theater

To be continued …