Fun in old snow

There were three patches of snow left on the Square after Friday’s Campus Rail Jam. The Square management put yellow caution tape around each patch and left them to melt. There was just one problem. Yellow caution tape won’t keep kids away from snow! They had a blast playing with the stuff all day Saturday. I spent about an hour watching the activities, and came away thinking, we spend way too much money trying to entertain kids. I liked the guy in the bottom photo, who was photographing his bike from various angles on the snow. He probably posted it on Facebook, and said he was at 10,000 feet on Mt. Hood.

Campus Rail Jam Tour

After five months and 15,000 miles of searching the western US for the best rail riders, the Campus Rail Jam Tour was back for its fourth year, in a downtown Portland showdown! The Square was transformed into a snow park for the day and the top 80 riders competed to take home the crown and a piece of the $10,000 in cash and prizes. Please readers; don’t try this at home! For more information about the tour: http://campusrailjamtour.com/

Cone Orange

A few days ago, I was talking to a friend at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I looked across the way and noticed a man talking through an orange cone. I told my friend goodbye, gotta go. As I headed in the direction of the man with the orange cone, I was thinking he’s a perfect subject for this blog. I couldn’t have been more right. Roscoe Koppel hangs out at the Square twelve hours a week, talking through an orange megaphone. He speaks out against U.S. Defense and National Security spending. Trust me, he has a lot to say. If you would like to know more about Cone Orange, check out this link:http://www.coneorange.com/

Four free hugs

I was on the Square for a little while today. I started feeling a little down because I couldn’t get any more free bison burgers, and rain clouds were forming overhead. I looked across the Square and noticed four young people with signs saying “Free Hugs.” I thought, that’s just what I need, and hustled over to get my four free hugs. It was just what I needed to lift my spirits. Thanks guys for the all the hugs you gave out today.

Bison burgers

That’s right you can get a bison burger at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Some nice folks from Wyoming are on the Square this weekend to promote their great state. Visitors can get a bison burger, rope a steer, listen to some country music and chat with some people from Wyoming about roaming free in their state.

How sweet it is

I can’t tell you how great it was checking out on the Square at noon, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Just ask the little guy in the top photo! That’s what I was wearing, a Boston Red Sox T-shirt and shorts, for the very first time this year. It was an amazing feeling, sitting in the warm sun, watching all the people on the Square enjoying their lunch. Finally, I can throw away my vitamin D capsules and get some real sun. The Square is coming back to life!

Free Palestine

People supporting an end to Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip were on the Square today at noon. They were protesting Palestinian human rights violations all over the world, and the fragmentation of land on the West Bank, stating that it blocks creation of a viable Palestinian state. I can’t think of anything more complex than these issues, with emotions running extremely high on both sides.

Hamburger Mary

Hamburger Mary stopped by the Square a couple of days ago. She was selling some tasty little burgers for charity. When I stopped by to find out what was going on, one of her assistants handed me a burger. She said they were leaving and only had one burger left, so take it and enjoy. I did and it was very good! If you would like to meet Hamburger Mary in person, check out her web site. This is a good example of how much publicity you can get if you give me something for free! http://hamburgermarys.com/pdx/

Honoring our fallen heroes

It was a sad evening on Thursday at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Radio station KUPL organized a candle light vigil for members of the armed forces from Oregon and Washington, who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq, since the beginning of those two wars. As everyone present lit their candles, several people read the names of all the fallen heroes from those two states. I regret that I was unable to participate in holding a candle, as I was taking pictures to commemorate this event. The young man in the painting is PFC Christopher Walz, a member of the Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade, who died while serving in Afghanistan. My thanks to KUPL, and those people who participated in this candle light vigil. Once again Pioneer Courthouse Square provides a place, in the heart of the city, for people to gather and share their feelings.

Missed Vanna White

Unscheduled events are the most frustrating things about doing this photoblog. I check the Square calendar and some other sources to keep up on coming events. Once in awhile I miss something, and that always upsets me. This was the most frustrating day of all! I missed Vanna White doing a commercial for Wheel of Fortune. It wasn’t on the Square calendar, because they didn’t want a huge crowd. I try to get there at noon on most days to check out the action. When I arrived today I noticed a large film crew shooting something in the middle of the Square. By the time I got my camera out and got in position to shoot, they were turning out the last light. I asked a crewmember what was going on, and he gave me the shocking news. They had just completed shooting the Wheel of Fortune commercial and Vanna was gone. Vanna was gone! I felt totally defeated, this was my big chance, Vanna White on Pioneer Courthouse Square, and I missed it. The only thing left to shoot was the crew taking down the equipment. Please forgive me, I promise to be more diligent in the future.

A rose for Portland

Alaska Airlines had all four corners of the Square covered today. Employees did a great job handing out free roses to the general public during the noon hour. They were there to make people aware of Alaska Airlines sponsorship of Rose Festival events. People walking around downtown who weren’t aware of the event, must have wondered why hundreds of people were carrying a rose around with them. People seemed surprised and pleased to get a free rose. I heard one guy ask for five roses, because he had five daughters. It worked! He got five roses. Of course there were people like the guy in the bottom photo, who was hiding roses behind his back, while asking for more. All in all, it was a lot of fun and excitement for an hour. Thanks, Alaska Airlines.

Taiwan musicians

These young people are singers and dancers visiting from Taiwan. They had a musical program at PSU on Saturday night. Due to a communications problem, I wasn’t able to get the name of the group. They will be sight seeing in Portland for the next few days with a trip to Mt. Hood on the itinerary. If I can obtain a link to their web site, I will add it in a couple of days.