Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate the day, and happy day in general to those who don't. The pumpkins in the photo above are two I've painted to go in my yard tonight. I'm a bit of an M&M fanatic, so I do at least one M&M dude each year.

The blue one on the right isn't finished -- his 'm' still needs worked on. They'll both be donning cowboy hats tonight. They're actually fake pumpkins, so I won't have to paint them again, unless I change my mind and decide to paint over them.

Stayton's pretty good about decorating and getting into the Halloween spirit. It's nice to live in a small town where it's pretty safe for the kids to go trick or treating.

I've started a Flickr photoset of my Halloween decorations, if you're interested. I'll be adding to it as I get more photos taken.

FYI: tomorrow's the City Daily Photo bloggers' monthly theme day. You won't want to miss it.

Update: Marie over at Alexandria Daily Photo made a nifty Halloween web ring, which includes various daily photo bloggers who posted something relating to the holiday:

Alexandria - Evry - Phoenix - Greenville - Paris - Queens - Brussels - Nottingham - San Antonio - Rotterdam - Cottage Grove - San Diego - St. Paul - Little Rock - Tucson - Barcelona Carlos - Auckland - Houston - Bath - Kyle - Sequim - Wellington - Stayton - Sydney Nathalie - Photowannabe - Passante's World - Chattanooga - Joplin

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Tree street

I can't remember which street in Stayton I actually took this photo on (somewhere between 3rd Ave. and 6th Ave.), so let's call it tree street. Anyway, the trees are almost through losing their leaves for the year, and I thought they were pretty, especially with the rather colorful trees down the road a bit behind them.

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Skeleton lights

Last night, my niece and I started putting up the ol' Halloween decorations. We always have to wait until the weekend before Halloween because it's a big undertaking, and a lot of the stuff can't go out until a few days before the holiday.

I probably go a little bit overboard with the music, lights, decorations, etc., but it's all in the name of fun. That, and scaring various children to the point of them being too scared to walk up our driveway. Everyone needs a hobby.

I'm sure I'll be posting more photos of my decorations at least once more in the next few days.

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Douglas-Fir Trees

Since I've featured so many photos as of late of trees losing their leaves, I thought I'd show some trees which are all over the place here in Oregon, and are always green, in the sense they're evergreens. Funny, that.

Despite having 'fir' in the name, they aren't technically fir trees. But let's not get picky. I think they're beautiful. And tall. Very, very tall. They're my favorite type of tree to get as a Christmas tree.

The trees in the photo are in a residential neighborhood in Stayton, in the yards of a couple of homes.

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Foggy windows

Last night I went out to take some night shots of Stayton, and happened by the Stayton Memorial Pool pictured above. The windows have some nifty condensation on them, which makes the various colors inside the building glow.

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Underneath the Texaco star

Here's something I'm sure you were waiting to see -- one of the various gas stations in Stayton. Well, wait no more, because I, your faithful city daily photo blogger, am here to fulfill that very desire.

This Texaco station is on the corner of 1st Ave. and W. Hollister St. It sits in front of Wilco, an agriculture-oriented store.

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Autumn at the duck pond

I went to visit my duck friends at my favorite pond in Stayton a couple of days ago. The two mallards on the left appear to be playing follow the leader. I thought about joining in, but I didn't want to get my camera wet. ;)

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Attack of the inflatable creatures

A house in Stayton has the most inflatable Halloween decorations I've ever seen in one yard. And it's not a very big yard. I must admit, I experienced a bit of decoration envy when I was taking the photos.

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Afternoon at the matinee

Last weekend I took my niece to see a matinee at the Star Cinema in Stayton. We arrived early, so I took a couple photos of the theater. The one above is of their nifty matinee sign, which was made by a local artisan out of wrought iron.

There's a railing inside made by the same artisan (wish I could find his name) which also has the movie reel theme and is truly beautiful. The Star's history page on their site has a couple of photos of the railing... scroll down to the bottom of that page to see them.

At right: since I've already posted a photo of the front of the Star (more than once), I'll just include my latest as an extra. Click on it to see the bigger version on Flickr.

Hey look -- today's photos don't have autumn leaves in them! I can't make any promises about tomorrow, though. Consider yourselves warned. ;)

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Walk amongst the leaves

I've discovered it's almost physically painful for me to take photos of something not involving autumn leaves at present. That means today we have another photo with leaves.

Today's photo, a leaf covered sidewalk, is about a half block away from Pioneer Park in Stayton. I've always been enchanted by that little patch of sidewalk, with the bushes and grass growing around it... it just seems to be its own little world.

Don't forget to check out my autumn photoset on Flickr. It keeps growing every day. I tell you, I'm obsessed with fall.

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Autumn's reflection

Today's image is... well, it's of autumn leaves. Again. But this one's different, in that it's taken via the rear view mirrors of my scooter. See? Totally different.

A comment I received on Flickr from someone named elTwitcho sums the photo up well:

In front of the scooter, fall, leaves on the ground. Behind the scooter, remnants of summer, green, and trees only starting to turn. I like that.

That is absolutely what I was going for... except I didn't think of it until I saw the comment. :)

The photo was taken in front of the school district offices on 3rd Ave. in Stayton.

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Just waitin' on a friend

These two adorable little doggies were waiting for their owner to come out of the post office in Stayton the other day. They were very patient, and while they watched all that went on around them, they didn't bark or try to climb out of the car.

If it were my dogs, one would have jumped out the window and chased everything (she loves to play), another would have barked but wouldn't have left the car (she's lazy), and the other would have fallen asleep (she's lazier).

So all in all, I was quite impressed with the two dogs in the picture. Of course, it was a long way to the ground from that window. ;)

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Burnt Orange

Hi, my name is Celine and I'm addicted to taking photos of autumn leaves. I can't help myself. There are so many beautiful orange and red and yellow trees right now, I feel compelled to try to photograph them all. I won't be able to stop until all the leaves are on the ground. And maybe not even then.

It's to the point where I feel sad if I see someone sweeping or raking up leaves, since each and every leaf is a potential photo subject.

Is there is a recovery center for this sort of addiction? Just curious. But if it involves taking away my camera, I'm not interested. ;)

I've created a photoset on Flickr called Autumn, which houses various fall-themed photos, some which have appeared here and some which haven't. I'm sure it will grow before the season is through.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Big pumpkin

It's not easy to tell from the photo, but this is a large pumpkin. How large? Not a clue. But it's large. It's presently living at Postal Connections in Stayton, which is run by the rather nifty Don and Sue Harteloo.

It took two men (and I think a dolly or something... I really should pay better attention) to get it inside the door, but it proved too heavy to carry an extra 10 feet to the postal scale to weigh it. So there it sits, just inside the door, so folks can come inside and stare at it in awe... and tap it with their fingers to see if it's real. At least, that's what I did.

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Doorway

The above doorway is on a building which used to be a bank but is now a fitness center. I suppose that means people once would sweat to earn money to put in the building, but now pay money to sweat in the building. Or something like that.

The big square thing on the left used to house an ATM, I believe.

For a very nifty daily photo blog dedicated to doorways, check out Doorways Around the World, run by Marie of Alexandria Daily Photo.

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Have a seat

This bench resides just outside the door to City Hall on 3rd Ave. I've sat on it plenty of times to wait for the movie theater next door to open, or during the yearly SummerFest, and just because it's nifty to sit there and look around at the various buildings, people, etc.

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Hearse

I happened to spot the hearse above going down Washington St. in Stayton and managed to get a picture. It appeared to be on its way to Weddle Funeral Home, which is one of two funeral homes in town.

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Going downtown...

What better way is there to depict the heartbeat of a town than to photograph it on a bustling Friday night? Well, except when the town is rather small, and even on the busiest street in town, 1st Ave., you'd be hard pressed to find much happening.

The photo above was taken looking south, near where 1st Ave. meets Locust St. I would have done a longer exposure, but I couldn't remember how the heck to change that setting on my camera. Maybe next time.

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Yellow leaves

Yes, friends, we have yet another photo of autumn leaves. This time we have some lovely yellow leaves, apparently off a maple tree. The tree, whatever kind it is, lives on Wyatt Ave SE in an area of Stayton known as West Town. No, I don't know why the street is labelled as southeast when it's on the west end of town. It's just one of life's many mysteries.

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Oak after sunset

I've previously professed my love for a couple of oak trees on Pine St. in Stayton. Above is one of those trees silhouetted by the late evening sky. It's still pretty, even when in shadow. Sometimes I get the urge to climb up in it, sit on a branch, and swing my legs back and forth like a little kid.

But then I remember I'm not a little kid, and I was never good at climbing trees, anyway, so I think I'll stay on the ground. I'm sure the people whose property the tree is on would agree.

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Be afraid... or not

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I go fairly overboard with decorations, from witches to ghosts to skeletons to coffins to giant dead people... whatever it takes the scare the kiddies. ;)

For some reason, I don't have a giant blow up decoration thing like the one above. I don't really need one, as it seems every other house in town has at least one. Some houses have two or three. They are cute, though, so it's okay by me.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

House on the hill

This house is on the edge of Stayton, though I'm not sure exactly where. I saw it from across a couple of fields, so I don't know where it actually sits. Except up there on that hill. Probably somewhere off of E. Pine St. Or not. How's that for an informative Stayton Daily Photo post?

I can say the little white dots on the left side (on top of the hill) are people who were out for a walk around that there house.

In other news, a new daily photo spot at fanpop.com has been started for the daily photo blogs, so give that a look see if you have some time.

Speaking of that, it inspired me to create an Oregon spot. If you have or know of an Oregon-related site, blog, etc., feel free to add it to the Oregon spot.

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Book sale

I meant to post this yesterday, but I got all sidetracked with the post office box photos. I'm so easily distracted.

Anyway, the Friends of the Stayton Public Library group holds a used book sale twice a year to fund projects at the library. So, twice a year I go to the sale and end up bringing home more books than I could ever read. It's tradition.

I would have taken a photo inside the sale, but I knew once I went in, I wouldn't come back out unless I had more books than I could carry... which meant no room for a camera. Sometimes, one just has to make sacrifices. ;)

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Going postal

Just inside the doors of the post office in Stayton is a small alcove of post office boxes, which is where I took the above photo and the photo at right (click on it to see a bigger version), which shows a reflection of the other boxes in the alcove.

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Table and chairs

Two days ago I posted a vintage bicycle propped next to a small bakery in Stayton. Today's photo is directly in front of the bakery, the spiffily named The Lovin' Oven.

There aren't many places in Stayton to eat outside -- I can only think of two or three off hand -- so seeing the table and chairs makes me wish I were sitting there, eating the goods the bakery has to offer. Right now, anyway... before the rainy season kicks in. ;)

By the way, is it just me or do the backs of the chairs remind you of thong underwear? Just curious.

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A day for a daydream...

These last few days of decent weather before autumn really kicks in inspired me to go to a field near my house to try to capture the feeling of... well, decent weather, I suppose.

For the above photo, I set my camera on the ground, angled it up a bit at the sky, and hit the shutter. The viewpoint reminds me of what one might while laying (unless it's lying) in the field, looking up at the sky, and just daydreaming the afternoon away.

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Bygone bicycle

Downtown Stayton on 3rd Ave. has an older feel to it, as some of the sidewalks and buildings are pretty much as they were during the early part of the last century. The bicycle in the photo seemed to fit right in with the "retro" feel of the area.

I found it sitting next to a retail bakery called The Lovin' Oven. I've never been in there, but I have to say I love the name.

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Behind the fence

Out the east end of town on Santiam St. one can see the view above stretching out over a farm's field. It's pretty nice to live in an area where almost every direction I look I see trees, trees, and even more trees.

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Pump Station

Because I know you've been dying to see the Reservoir and Pump Station here in Stayton, I went out of my way -- approximately 4 or 5 blocks -- a couple of days ago and took some photos. The one above shows a small portion of the building, which is very large and very round. You can see the whole thing by clicking on the thumbnail at right.

It has several lovely trees surrounding it whose leaves have turned red for the fall season, which prettied up an otherwise stark and boring building.

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A Passel of pumpkins

The local grocery stores have started putting out Halloween pumpkins in anticipation of the upcoming holiday. The display at Roth's in Stayton inspired me to not only take the photo above, but to write the following:

A passel of perfectly plump and pretty pumpkins are propped up proudly for passersby to peruse, pick up, and purchase.

Sorry. I have a thing for alliteration. And Halloween. I'm sure I'll be posting photos of Halloween decorations over the next month.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Daily Photo Theme Day: Taxis

Today's City Daily Photo theme is "taxis." Since Stayton is too small to have actual taxis, my photo is of the CARTS (Chemeketa Area Regional Transport System), which provides a dial-a-ride service for Stayton and nearby Sublimity. It's mainly for "transportation disadvantaged" folks, but anyone can use it to go to the grocery store, bank, the doctor, etc., or whenever one needs to go in town. It runs on week days, and costs only a dollar each way.

44 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st October theme, please use the links to below to visit them.

Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

1 (Porto ) -2 (Albuquerque ) -3 (London ) -4 (Seattle, WA (USA) [Kim] ) -5 (Edinburgh ) -6 (Stayton, OR ) -7 (Greenville, SC ) -8 (Budapest ) -9 (Antigua Guatemala ) -10 (Alexandria, VA ) -11 (Manila ) -12 (Twin Cities ) -13 (Szentes ) -14 (Paris ) -15 (Portsmouth ) -16 (Ryde ) -17 (Sydney ) -18 (Oulu ) -19 (Singapore [keropok] ) -20 (Santiago ) -21 (Melbourne, Aust ) -22 (Dubai UAE ) -23 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -24 (Copenhagen ) -25 (Sequim ) -26 (Singapore ) -27 (Tenerife ) -28 (Sharon, CT ) -29 (Tuzla, B&H ) -30 (Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -31 (Rotterdam ) -32 (Brussels ) -33 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -34 (Aliso Viejo, CA ) -35 (Oshawa, ON, Canada ) -36 (Vantaa, Finland ) -37 (Trier (Germany)) -38 (Newcastle upon Tyne ) -39 (Hong Kong ) -40 (Shang Hai ) -41 (Brussels ) -42 (San Diego, CA (USA) ) -43 (Sydney (Nathalie)) -44 (St Paul (USA)) -45 (Delta, CO (USA)) -46 (Trujillo, Peru)

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog