Tag: colours

How to get from Portland to Multnomah Falls without a car

Multnomah Falls is a must do destination when in Oregon, but until recently was only accessible by car or tours.

In recent years, CAT introduced the Gorge Express which takes a mere 25mins from Gateway Transit Centre.

Gateway TC is easily reachable my Max Lines and buses, from as far as Downtown and the Pearl District in Portland.

The Gorge Express costs 10 USD one way and runs every hour or so.

Be sure to have cash on you to pay the driver and off you go.

You will be dropped off in the car park. Note Hood River bound is a different stop to Portland bound, yet both about 3mins walk through the underpass to the falls.

On arrival rember to get the Multnomah Falls Tour/Transit Access sticker from the driver which allows you entrance to Multnomah Falls.

Visitor numbers are monitored so best time to arrive is the morning to avoid queues and a wait.

Enjoy!

Random stories in metal

Andrew Baldwin’s open air metalworks automaton exhibits are warmly welcomed at a time when everything is in lockdown in London.

The playful sculptures, moving parts and colourful lighting tell fantasy stories, a parallel universe within deep winter’s energy of colourful skies.

Located in Trinity Buoy Wharf, earthbound figures matrix into a melting pot of sensations made in fairy tales.

Winter wonderland materialised.

Lockdown urban London photos with people

Well here we go again, only this time things are a bit different.

In London, there are noticeably less people out after dark, but shopping malls and cafes are still serving take outs and grocery essentials.

This means the earlier photos from the lockdown in spring bear a significant difference to the way urban landscapes look now.

For example, there are a fair amount of labourers and cleaning staff going out and about their business as usual. Spaces look less derelict and more like Sundays before London got crowded millennium onwards.

In urban green spaces, people don’t consider being in fairly crowded conditions, a threat from covid anymore. Benches are open and cyclists have equal access to parks.

The level of interaction with larger crowds is a personal preference.

On a recent cycle with Simon around trendy Hackney Wick and guardian reader pretentious Hackney on Victoria Park, the crowds were heavily dense in many public play areas and entrances.

Away from the long queues outside to pick up coffees and take outs in places where some think it’s important to be at, our was certaintly picking a fish and chips from a good old reliable affordable local chippy just east of Victoria Park to the Wick.

No queues, no wait, no hassle. After a five minute walk, we were enjoying dinner on a bench in the park.

In my next blog I will write about meaningful ways to spend preparing for Christmas holidays and Christmas day itself.

Many get carried away with meaningless cultural traditions, missing the point. Culture can be as oppressive as American culture’s cultural non existence, when it adds no experiental reflection or mindful rest.

In a time of self reflection I couldn’t be luckier having met four days after landing back from a two month trip away early August 2019. And here we are still are today.

Back in the park, we sat watching the lowering sun introducing the mist, the temperature drop, the sensation of colours struggling to define themselves in this new reality.

I suppose this time, it is also the first time of the year’s season under covid for our urban neighbourhoods too. Well I say, we can only pay homage to this another new reality for the family albums to come.

Really, what’s there to complain about? And why not to?

  • Canary Wharf, Canada Place, London
  • Wharf Market, Jubilee Place, CW
  • Bow Gate, Victoria Park
  • Hackney Wick
  • Skate Park, Victoria Park
  • Bridge over the canal, Bow

Shadow Play

After dark we have a blast
with flashlights in the night.
We play with the shadows
until daylight hides the sight.

Darkness becomes beautiful
with every flashlight sway.
The shadows are a form of art
where creative fingers play.

The wall is painted in the dark
and my hands make a design.
The sight of a duck or dog
are from the best of mine.

My fingers make much more
when I bend them into shape.
If the light fills the entire room
my masterpieces will escape.

The shadow’s are brought to life
in the darkness where it stands.
I control the beaming flashlight
that displays the art of hands.

by Shelley Williams