The Narrative Image

In the summer I seek out shade. In the winter, I get in touch with my inner flower. If the winter sun should happen to poke a finger through Portland 's perpetual cloud ceiling, and if the wind is not blowing at gale-like velocities, I'll throw the kayak on the truck - well O.K. - I'll strenuously leverage it onto the ladder rack (all the while making old man sounds) and head for a nearby river or lake.  This is how Smith & Bybee Lakes looked two weeks ago. The fickle sun had stopped diddling the clouds by the time I got to the lake, but I had been taking steps to make friends with the rain, even if my camera had not... ...and so I launched my kayak anyway and enjoyed the spectacle of cat-like clouds stalking the Willamette valley, looking for some dry place to lie down. Sunday, the Sun wasn't teasing anymore. It grabbed the cloud ceiling firmly in two hands and yanked (like a housekeeper yanking the sheets off a hotel mattress) to unc...

(Your Mission Should You Decide to Accept It) St. Johns Bridge 01-08-2012 Bernadette told me about the class. It was advertised as a Paddle-sports Photography Clinic, organized by Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe, and presented by Neil Schulman ( www.neilschulman.com ) It was also free. I bring it up because in retrospect, I think the big take-home message I distilled from the evening might have helped me with my ongoing efforts to take a decent picture of the  St. Johns Bridge , a bridge that demands - like a girlfriend on the third week of a rigorous diet - only flattering pictures. I took this picture from my kayak several years ago on a hot summer day. I think it was the reflection that caught my attention. Blue is supposed to be a cool color, but on that day it was so bright it was blinding. If you turn the thermostat up to 95 and pour some salt water in your eyes, you’ll get some idea of what it was like. I’ll be damned if I understand how the picture c...

In the middle of the night I go walking in my sleep Through the desert of truth To the river so deep - Billy Joel The River of Dreams I had this idea to paddle down the Willamette through the heart of Portland (actually, I got it from a canoeist I met at the Willamette Park boat ramp during a recent excursion to Ross Island )…but Monkey-Cam didn’t want to go. He and Naked Picasso think they’re going to Nepal to surprise Rudder Starboard. One of the advantages of being imaginary is that there are relatively fewer constraints regarding money and travel. Fortunately, a Facebook friend (Mr. T., but he doesn’t have a Mohawk) materialized into an actual corporeal kind of friend and we were able to set up a shuttle from the Willamette Park boat ramp to the boat ramp at the St. Johns bridge. Willamette Park Boat Ramp 01-30-11 This is the Willamette Park boat ramp at night. But it also pretty much serves to illustrate what the Willamette Park boat ...