The Happy Flamingo

This cute fella lives on the front outside wall of a small building on 3rd Ave. I can't remember what the building houses (that would require me to pay attention), but I know it doesn't have anything to do with flamingos.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the City Daily Photo monthly theme day. It will have you seeing red... in a good way.

Bird & Hat Inn

This lovely house is a bed and breakfast on 3rd Ave. I've never been inside, but I always enjoy passing by, as they maintain the yard beautifully. I'd love to just wander around the place and take pictures. Think the guests would mind? :)

Stayton itself doesn't have an actual hotel or motel (though there's one very nearby), but we do have two or three B&B's. A little more personal, I think, though I've never actually stayed at a B&B. Maybe someday.

Tin Man

When the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz retired, he realized he needed a job to make ends meet. Thus, he worked part-time as a lamp post. It was an easy job. Really, his heart just wasn't in it.

:)

This lamp post resides on Fern Ridge Rd. Who knew Stayton had a celebrity in its midst?

Police Bike

I saw this beauty in the parking lot of the police station on Monday. I hadn't seen it before, so it was a happy find.

It's really very pretty. My little Honda scooter was jealous.

Fish

I spotted this carved fish alongside the road, and it inspired a poem:

A Fish Made Of Wood
By Celine Chamberlin

A fish made of wood
Wouldn't taste very good
Nor would it go down well

A fish made of wood
Doesn't swim as it should
At least, not that I can tell

A fish such as this
Is quite hard to miss
And its carving is quite nice

So I'd be remiss
If I didn't mention this fish
Just don't eat it with some rice

Notice I didn't say it was a good poem.

A Little Reflection

Here's another photo I took at the "Saturday In The Park" concert over the weekend. The stage was set up on the back of a semi truck's trailer, and the wheels of the truck were too pretty to ignore.

What can I say, I like chrome.

If you look at the middle of the wheel, you can see some of the folks who attended the concert.

Oh, and congrats to the OSU Beavers for winning the College Word Series!

Saturday In The Park

Yesterday was the 2nd annual "Saturday In The Park" benefit concert, headlined by the local band, Centerline Tragedy.

The concert started with Centerline Tragedy's former incarnation, Drift, playing a set before Centerline took the stage. In between sets, a couple of folks sang karaoke and there was a coloring contest for the kids. And, perhaps most importantly, there was some good food to eat.

You can visit Centerline Tragedy's MySpace page to listen to some of their songs and find out more about the band.

I took approximately 98 bazillion overexposed photos (and a few which more or less aren't). I've posted some of the better photos as a Flickr photoset.

Wild Poppies

I found these lovely poppies growing wild in an empty lot on either 4th or 5th Ave. I think. It could have been 6th Ave. I really should pay more attention to where I am when I take pictures.

Or just in general.

The photo at right is another shot of a poppy, in all its yellow-orange goodness. Click on it to see it in a bigger size.

Road Warrior

I caught this guy pulling out of the parking lot at the classic car show I attended two nights ago.

He's wearing an Oregon State University Beavers shirt. The OSU baseball team is presently kicking posterior end at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Go, Beavs.

Stro's Wednesday Nite Cruise-In

Last night, I was surrounded by over one hundred beauties like the one above. I finally managed to go to one of the twice monthly cruise-in events held at A&W Restaurant.

I posted over 40 photos to a Flickr photoset if you'd like to see more of the cars. And a dog. 'Cause the dog was cute.

Visit Stros.biz for more information about the Stro's car shows.

Baby Bunnies Lifejackets

This sign outside Stayton Animal Supply has me wondering... does this mean they carry life jackets for baby bunnies or life jackets made of baby bunnies? I was afraid to go inside and check. ;)

A Bovine Extravaganza II

A couple of months ago I posted some photos of some black cows who live in town. Since last time was such a moooooving experience, I decided to visit with them again over the weekend. Below are more photos of the lovely ladies (click on the thumbnails to see 'em supersized):

Coming Soon To A Living Room Near You

I went wandering around the edge of a Christmas tree field on the corner of 10th Ave. and E. Pine St. yesterday, the same field I featured a year ago. After all, it makes sense to post a photo of Christmas trees in June. Doesn't it?

Anyway, the trees are a bit taller now and still a lovely sight to see whenever I pass by. And it makes me happy to see trees being grown for the specific purpose of being Christmas trees... no deforestation, and they help the environment while they're growing. Good stuff.

Below are a couple of other shots I took at the field:

Bird On A Street Light

I can't remember why right now, but I pulled over to the side of the road yesterday, and this bird was sitting pretty on top of a street light right by where I pulled over.

So I took its picture.

And now I've posted it.

Yay.

:)

Nature's Beaker

Today's photo is of the last vestiges of a red hot poker / torch lilly / kniphofia uvaria flower. To me, it looks like nature's version of Beaker from The Muppet Show.

The flowers are much prettier when they're in full bloom, but I didn't happen upon it in time for that.

Little League Field

Today's photo is a view of Regis Field, a little league field next to Regis High School on W. Regis Street.

Regis, Regis, Regis, Regis, Regis.

I feel like Kelly Ripa on "Live with Regis and Kelly."

Feelin' Groovy

Cartwright's Music on 3rd Avenue always has a display of very pretty musical instruments in the front windows, and they're even prettier at night.

The thumbnail at right is another one of the guitars on display.

By the way, I didn't think about today being Flag Day, or I would have posted my American flag photo from two days ago today instead. So let's pretend, shall we, that I did and today's photo was posted two days ago. Okay? Good.

Star Cinema

I went to see a movie a couple of nights ago, and took the opportunity to take another photo of the Star Cinema (web site) while I was there.

It was quite appropriate for the S and T to be unlit in the 'STAR' on the neon, leaving it saying just 'AR'. They were showing Pirates of the Caribbean 3, after all. Don't pirates say "Arrrrr"?

Long May She Wave

Today's photo is of the American flag which flies above the police station on 3rd Ave. I tend to take a lot of photos of the flag, since it represents this country, with every part of the design full of meaning.

Plus it's pretty.

Stayton Public Library Expansion Update

Time once again for my periodic photo of the Stayton Public Library to show how far along they are in the expansion construction which will more than double its size.

So here it is.

:)

Okay, some actual information of the informational variety: according to the library expansion foundation's web site, the building will add 7500 square feet to its existing 5000 square feet.

The construction should be completed within a few weeks. They've raised over 2 million dollars through fund raising, grants, etc. I've just been amazed how this pretty small community has put this much time, effort, and money into this project. It's rather cool.

Note: I actually took this photo a week ago, so it's probably a bit further along than pictured.

Previous library construction photos:

• February
  
• March
  
• April

I missed getting a photo in May. It's just one of those things.

"Pssst... Wanna Hear A Secret?"

I went and visited my duck friends at Community Center Park a couple of days ago. They swam, preened, and waddled around, I took some pictures... fun was had by all.

Now if I could just convince them to come to my side of the creek where they hang out for some closer photos, I'd be a happy camper. We're friends, but right now it's more of a long distance relationship.

Another shot from the visit is at right (click on it to see it in a bigger size).

Caught Up

Today's photo was taken at the small creek which runs by Community Center Park. I think the silhouette of the tree branches which somehow became caught up in the creek is kinda nifty.

But, then again, it's 2am as I'm writing this and I'm half asleep, so my judgment probably isn't all that sound. ;)

Juicy Fruit

There's a fresh strawberries stand in the parking lot of Ace Hardware selling these locally grown juicy treats. I bought a basket of them yesterday, and it was only partly so I could take photos of them. ;)

I have it on good authority (my mother) the berries are very good, so if you're in the area, get 'em while they're fresh. I don't know how much longer the stand will be around. The berries I bought will be gone rather quickly, of course.

Horsing Around

Guest photographer Mark Mason has kindly provided today's photo. It was taken in Gaston (a town northwest of Stayton, near Portland) at a Horse Rescue Ranch. Mark says:

"I think he has character."

I rather agree. I love it.

Thanks, Mark, for providing us with a great and unique photo. Y'all rock.

Be sure to check out previous guest photographers' photos from Mark and others.

Fly Like An Eagle

It's actually a crow, but let's not quibble over details.

We had really icky weather yesterday, so today I'm posting a photo I took the other day of a (mostly) blue sky to remind me what one looks like.

Yep. Okay, I'm good now. Carry on.

;)

The Speed Of Nothing...

... And that 'nothing' is speeding.

This is the top of the hill on 10th Ave., near the hospital. People tend to go over the speed limit up there, which always amazes me. The visibility isn't great since the hill is fairly steep on both sides, and the hospital is about a half block past the sign.

I'm always happy to see them put out this reminder of what the speed limit (25 miles per hour equals about 40km) really is on that road. But as you can see, some folks still zip past it without much regard for what it says. When I stopped to take this picture, most were going roughly the limit, while a few didn't seem to care much.

The radar isn't actually tracking nothing, of course. There was a car going by outside of the view of my camera. I just liked the idea of it tracking... oh, say, the speed of light? A really fast bug? Random air molecules? Or maybe stupid ideas like the previous three?

Population 7700

The population signs greets folks as they come into town near where Fern Ridge Rd. crosses Highway 22. Color me a bit surprised we've reached 7700 citizens. That's a lot for us.

Why, I remember when it used to be 5000 people. Ah, yes, the good ol' days when everything cost a nickel and people would give you the shirts of their backs 'cause folks were friendly, gosh darn it, and we didn't have shoes so we strapped cardboard to our feet but we were grateful to have that cardboard, and we walked uphill both ways in howling blizzards just to get the school...

Oh, wait... nope, sorry, that was when my grandparents were young. My bad. ;)

Bench Reflection

I went to my favorite duck pond yesterday. The ducks were elsewhere waddling around the area, so I took some photos of the pond itself instead. The bench next to the water provided for a pretty setting and reflection in the water.

I would have gone over and sat on the bench for a spell, but it's in somebody's yard and I doubt they would have been very happy with me. :)

Living Out Loud

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." I don't know who originally said that, but I'd say the driver of this car takes it to heart (click on the image and then 'all sizes' on the resulting page to see the photo full size).

I missed getting the sticker on the side which says "I'm driving this way just to piss you off." I just had a split second to get the photo before he drove away.

The teddy bears on the roof rack are simply great. I used to have little koosh dudes (they're riding motorcycles) on my scooter, so I can relate. I had to remove them when I added a windshield. It was a sad day.

I still have that bumper sticker you see in the linked photo on it, though. ;)

Note: I altered the license plate to protect the privacy of the driver.

DP Theme Day: The View From My Room

This is the view out my bedroom window. It's a view filled with filbert/hazelnut trees, plants, the random grey squirrel, a lot of birds, and Rockwell the Gnome. Click on the thumbnail at right to see him better.

Rockwell, named after the artist Normal Rockwell, belonged to my grandmother. When she died, he came to live with us. Since then, he's been keeping a silent watch over all that passes his way. He's quiet, doesn't cause any trouble, has killer fashion sense, and wins any and all staring contests.

You'll notice the photos are on the dark side. That's because my yard is completely surrounded by Douglas-fir trees, and they don't let a lot of sunlight in.

A whole boat load of other DP bloggers are participating in this month's theme day. Please allow for time zone differences when you go a-visitin'. We don't all post at the same time. In fact, I'm posting this fairly early to try to keep in sync with other DP'ers in earlier time zones.

Take a trip:

Seattle (WA), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Toruń, Poland - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Vantaa, Finland - Madison (WI), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Cleveland (OH), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Omaha (NE), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stockholm, Sweden - Grenoble, France - Lubbock (TX), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Hyde, UK - Joplin (MO), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Kansas City (MO), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Manila, Philippines - Sydney, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - London, UK - Chandler (AZ), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Singapore, Singapore - Hamburg, Germany - Sydney, Australia - Tenerife, Spain - Moscow, Russia - Lyon, France - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Villigen, Switzerland - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Evry, France - Hayle, UK - Mumbai, India - Kitakami, Japan - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - La Antigua, Guatemala - Paderborn, Germany - San Diego (CA), USA - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Madrid, Spain - Lyon, France - Selma (AL), USA - Shanghai, China - Baziège, France - Cologne (NRW), Germany - North Bay (ON), Canada - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Stayton (OR), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Austin (TX), USA - Hong Kong, China - Trier, Germany - Joensuu, Finland - Paris, France - Greenville (SC), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Cork, Ireland - Bastia, France - Vancouver, Canada - Brookville (OH), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Mainz, Germany - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Zurich, Switzerland - Torino, Italy