Random Photo of the Day

As part of a huge campaign last fall, Budweiser Select was featured on outside advertising on a building here in Portland. Someone did a terrific and professional job of punking the ad, and it sat there for weeks before the ad company noticed and painted over the addition. I kept passing the sign and kicking myself for not having my camera, but I finally got this photo days before the ad was removed. Ironically, the outdoor ad company was responsible for treating me to a very nice business trip in Vancouver, BC a few months later. I thought it would be nice to send them all copies of this photo after I got back.

Random Photo of the Day

The beautiful and still-functioning Union Station here in Portland. Up until January 2007, I had a key to the tower because we had some cranky old PCs in a room up there, used to send schedule displays to the bus shelters in Old Town. As much as I enjoyed my visits to the upstairs of the building, with all the oak flooring and beautiful construction, I certainly don't miss those PCs.

Random Photo of the Day

Portland is the City of Roses, after all. A lot of tourists (and locals) visit the test gardens in Washington Park, with a spectacular view of the city and Mt Hood, but few of them visit the Peninsula Park rose garden in North Portland. It's a beautiful old park, with a wonderful brick plaza centered around a big pool and fountain. I've been told by flower experts that the gardens are superior to those in Washington Park, although they're admittedly smaller. The park was close to my old house and a natural destination for walks with the dog. In June and July, the roses are always breath-taking.

The Real Mousehole Cat

Antonia Barber and Nicola Bayley have a beautiful picture book called The Mousehole Cat , that was a favorite story of mine to read to my kids when they were young. In the story, a fisherman's black and white cat saves the Cornish fishing village of Mowzel (Mousehole) when their fishing boats are trapped in the harbor by a huge storm. When I had the chance to visit Cornwall this spring, Mousehole was at the top of my list (well, right after the Pirate Inn pub in Penzance, great food and lovely ale). The tide was out, the tiny harbor was completely dry, and at least one crew member wasn't going anywhere. I had found the real Mousehole Cat--the only cat I saw in the village.

Random Photo of the Day

I almost didn't want to post this photo, because my brain finally made the connection: Minneapolis, bridge . . . But this is a beautiful bridge across the Mississippi in downtown Minneapolis and it didn't fall and no one was hurt. It's just for pedestrians and bicycles these days, although clearly built in a much earlier time for more prosaic functions. And I thought after a few days, that we should celebrate a beautiful city like Minneapolis and I love the symmetry of the arches and the stonework.

How Do You Lose a Dog?

It's something I've wondered about. I feel sad when I see flyers stuck to telephone poles, with photos of sweet-faced dogs and notes about "lost dog!!" or "have you seen this dog?", "answers to the name Maya", but I have to wonder how a responsible dog owner "loses" a dog.

Was it inattention? Was the dog running in the park off-leash when the owner get distracted by the ice cream truck? Did the owner really believe you could leave a dog alone all day in the back yard, that a fence would hold in a determined dog? Or that the meter reader wouldn't leave the gate open?

And no one ever tells us how the story turned out. No one puts up flyers that say "Never mind! We've found Maya!" And I want to know. I think these people have some responsibility to relieve my concern. The damn flyer has been up there for two months and I still have no idea whether Maya found her way home, or whether the owners had the good sense to have an identity chip inserted in the dog's skin so the Humane Society could track them down. Are they doing a better job of keeping an eye on the dog?

Maybe the Humane Society has a list of dogs that have been happily restored to their humans. And I hope those people got a good talking to, as well. "You can have your dog back and soon as you put up those posters apologizing for worrying your neighbors."

Don't even get me started on cats.

Random Photo of the Day

Just a reminder that summer never lasts forever. Some of us really love the snow.