PGE Park

This is PGE Park, home to the Portland Beavers minor league baseball team and the Portland Timbers soccer team. Next year the Timbers will be a major league team for the first time.

Yesterday morning I attended a meeting at the park for a remodel expansion that will begin right after the first of the year. Among other things there will be 5000 seats added to the stadium.

I haven't been to the park in years. It was nice to snap a few shots as two groups of contractors did a "walk-around".

There has been a movement for years to bring a professional baseball team to Portland. It keeps getting shot down because the park is not big enough and it would make the downtown area too conjested. The other alternative is to build a new stadium but no one has figured out how to fund it.

In my line of work I deal with maintenance people not contractors but in this challenging economic climate I've starting to work with contractors too.

It was a good time of renewing old contacts and meeting new people.

When you visit Portland consider taking in a game. Public transportation makes getting to the park easy from downtown restaurants and hotels.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Vespas at the Mall

How about riding a Vespa home for Christmas from the mall? Friday afternoon I saw this interesting display. The weather outside was about 35F so I'm not sure how many takers they had that day.

Santas alternative method for delivery.

Fridays sunset from the mall parking structure.

As we approach Christmas I hope you're plans are coming together and you're surrounded by loving family and friends.

San Juan Police Bike

 

A few years ago we were blessed to take a trip to Puerto Rico. This is a police bike in San Juan. Similar to the Northwest, they get a lot of rain. Many streets are narrow.  Maneuvering this around the city might be tricky at times.

Tunnel Vision

An underground tunnel at one of the hospitals in Portland. I've walked through this tunnel hundreds of times. For some reason today I thought I'd take a picture of it. Each cable, pipe, and conduit has a purpose. It all looks complicated but it makes sense to someone.

There's light at the end of the tunnel.

Sunday Morning Drive

 

The drive through the country to the jail this morning had a mixed bag of fog with ice on the road. Last night I was thinking I might ride but that wouldn't have been a good idea. Riding is always the first choice but sometimes prudence wins out.

 

Looking forward to global warming again. This week should be "nice" as nice goes in December.

Downtown Shadows

On a suggestion from Bobskoot I thought I would post a couple of images from the Park Blocks in black & white. He thought the grey scale would give more contrast to the long shadows. I think he was right. Also in the color version I didn't noticed the globes on the lamp posts as they go off into the distance.

 The long shadows go all the way up the front of this church.

Thank you Bob for your suggestion. It's interesting how we all see things differently.

Winter isn't officially until the 21st. The short days and longs shadows make me kind of sluggish. I hope I'm not getting ready to hibernate.

The "Gingerbread" Benson Hotel

This is The Benson Hotel on Broadway in downtown Portland. Here's a quote from their Website. "Since opening in 1913, The Benson Hotel in Portland has graciously welcomed celebrities, CEOs and U.S. presidents. Now it’s your turn to discover the timeless beauty of our AAA Four-Diamond landmark, featuring Italian marble floors, Austrian crystal chandeliers and Circassian walnut paneling from Russia."

 

The Benson is one of the oldest hotels in Portland.  Every year at this time the chef and kitchen personnel do a fantastic job of replicating the hotel out of gingerbread and have it on display in the lobby.

 

As you can see, the detail on the front really matches the building. It's obvious a lot of hours go into making this. It's not only a display of workmanship but also of great patience. They make improvements each year on the design.

Have you made your gingerbread house yet?