Power At Rest

Frequent visitors to this blog might have noticed I kind of have a thing for motorcycles. So whenever I see one around town, I have to stop and take its picture. Which is what I did yesterday when I spotted this Yamaha parked in front of a building on 3rd Ave. It's very pretty. And shiny. And pretty.

Spinning Kickbox

Okay, I have two theories about this sign outside Stayton Fitness on 2nd Ave. The first one is 'spinning kickbox' is a class designed around the premise that one must spin constantly while kickboxing. The very thought of that makes me so dizzy I want to... um, think about something else.

My other theory is they have spinning boxes, and the classes teach you various ways to kick them. I hope they're sturdy spinning boxes.

Either way, it sounds interesting.

I suppose it's possible these are, in fact, two separate classes. If that's the case, maybe I'll develop my two theories into actual classes and sell them to various gyms and fitness centers and make loads of money. I'll be rich, rich I tell you!

Look But Don't Touch

I am irresistibly drawn to motorcycles. I can't ride them, mind you, but I do like to look at them. And take pictures of them from weird angles. I spotted this Harley-Davidson near Pioneer Park the other day. It's so pretty and shiny.

Note: the license plate has been altered to protect the privacy of the owner of the bike.

Also note: it occurred to me I took another photo of a motorcycle in the same location last year, and I do believe it's the same one. (Yes, the license plate is different, as I had rearranged the numbers on that one, too, but in a different way.)

City Hall

You've had, I am quite certain, a burning desire to see a photo of City Hall in Stayton. At night. In black and white. With a slight green tint. Which would make it black and white and green. And also part of a car which was in the way.

That's why I'm here, friends -- to make your dreams come true. So here it is, the illustrious City Hall, in all its black and white and green splendor.

You're welcome.

A Trickle Becomes A Flood

Today's photo is the final image from my trip to Silver Falls State Park, an amazing park not far from Stayton (see also: South Falls, North Falls, Upper North Falls, and a black-tailed deer).

The above photo of water cascading down some rocks was taken near a bridge in front of South Falls. You can spot such mini-waterfalls (or whatever they're called) in various locations around the park.

We also came across some very cool (ha!) icicles near Upper North Falls. My pictures of them didn't turn out all that great, but my friend Steve captured a very nice one. Check out his photo: Nature's Ice Sculpture.

Rush Of Nature

Today is waterfall photo three of three (see also: South Falls and North Falls) I took at Silver Falls State Park.

Upper North Falls is an adorable waterfall, and very different from the first two. It's shorter, wider, and extremely cute. I wanted to take it home and put it in my yard. It wouldn't actually fit in my yard, mind you, but let's not let reality get in the way of things.

I'll be posting a non-waterfall photo from the park tomorrow, and maybe one more after that.

Falling Down

Today's image continues our mini-tour of a few of the waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park (see also: South Falls), which is about 17 miles from Stayton. This is North Falls, taken from an observation point some ways away. It's truly a beautiful setting, with the tall trees surrounding the falls.

Tomorrow I'll post a photo of Upper North Falls. Stay tuned.

P.S. Thanks for the kind comments on yesterday's photo. I very much appreciate it.

Over The Edge

(See also: color version of photo)

I went on a day trip yesterday with my friend Steve to Silver Fall State Park, which is about 17 miles from Stayton. The both of us lugged our camera equipment around and saw three of the waterfalls at the park. That means you're going to be seeing waterfalls for the next few days. :)

Today's photo is of South Falls, an awesome waterfall which has a walking path that goes directly behind it. I took said path and promptly felt like I'd just taken a very cold shower. I didn't get any decent photos from back there, though. Too much water spray on the lens.

As a side note, I freely admit I stole my black and white processing technique from Steve's amazing shot of South Falls. Go check his out while you're here.

STAYTON

Here we are today with a glamorous shot of Stayton's water tower on E. Regis St. It's really tall. And, uh, it says 'STAYTON' on the side. Yep. Big tower.

Those things at the top are cellular/mobile things.

I bet the view from the top is awesome. I have no desire to actually go up there, but I bet it's pretty up there.

Down On The Farm

The weather 'round here has been rather wet, so with the exception of yesterday's photo, I haven't been able to get out much to take pictures. Today's photo is one more from my recent trip around the Scio area (see my shots of the Shimanek and Larwood covered bridges, plus a tree in a foggy farm field).

This farm sits right next to the Shimanek Bridge, and has all kinds of buildings and old farm equipment, not to mention those awesome trees which curve up and over the scene.

My friend Steve has a very cool photo of of an old wagon from the farm. Be sure to check it out.

Rocks And Rocks

It's new year's eve already? Really? Wow. So, like, tomorrow's a new year, then? Whoa.

Well, to celebrate this occasion, I bring you rocks. Lots and lots of rocks.

These rockin' rocks rock.

It's a rock group.

I can has rocks?

They're a bunch of stoners.

When factoring in weight, size, and volume, is a field of rocks dumber or smarter than a box of rocks?

Oh, and just so you know, this is the very field of rocks mentioned in the It's All A Front post from a couple of weeks ago. I know, major wow.

Seat Cover

Unlike recent posts, today's photo is not of Christmas decorations (that was so yesterday). I spotted this bicycle behind Red Apple, a restaurant on 2nd Ave. The box over the seat is for crinkle cut french fries, the thought of which makes me hungry.

I hope everyone had a great holiday.

merry-go-round 1b

Today's photo is of a page from a rather large dictionary at the public library. It was helpfully open to a cute little picture of a merry-go-round.

I can't remember the last time I used an actual dictionary, since it's much easier to look things up on dictionary.com. My unabridged dictionary is being used to weigh down a dehumidifier to keep it from squeaking. There's some sort of social commentary in there somewhere, but I don't want to think too hard about it. ;)

Amanda-Lynn

Meet Amanda-Lynn (read: "a mandolin"), an adorable and very friendly little French bull dog puppy. She hangs out at Cartwright's Music on 3rd Ave. with her owner, Ken Cartwright.

I took a bunch of photos at Carwright's yesterday, so I'll be featuring one or two of them over the next couple of days. Thanks, as always, to Ken for letting me take pictures at his shop.

The Wall

Today's the first day of school in Stayton... which has suddenly made me realize I graduated from high school 15 years ago and I am officially old. Anyway, the photo above is a portion of a mural wall surrounding a small amphitheater at Stayton Elementary School.

I featured another part of the mural in June of last year.

Another Stop Along The Way

This little shed sits next to the little creek just off of 4th Ave. I don't know why the shed is there... it's on private property, so I couldn't get any closer to investigate.

Stayton

I spotted this written on the side of a flatbed truck the other day. For those who don't know -- and, really, why would the rest of the world know this -- the town of Stayton was named after a man named Drury Smith Stayton back in the 1800's. He helped his children build homes, and the town was formed around their plots. For this and other Stayton-related facts, check out the visitor's info page at the Stayton-Sublimity Chamber of Commerce web site.

What's Left Behind

This big pile of rubble -- cinder blocks, chunks of concrete, etc. -- is all what's left on a lot where a house apparently used to be on W. Ida St. I don't know what happened to the house, but it's nothing more than a bunch of nothing now.

Insert Tab A Into Slot B

Today's photo (aren't I clever how I use those two words to start almost every post? Yeah, I didn't think so) is of a fence. A wooden fence. It surrounds the front yard of a house.

It's not my fence. Just some random fence surrounding some random yard.

In that sense, it's a lot like this post -- random, very random.

The Walk

Today's photo is of my teenage niece walking along the fence outside the elementary school. She was lost in her own little world, listening to her iPod, as we were on our way to a movie.

Cemetery At Dusk

Today's photo is a view of St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery looking towards 3rd Ave. It sits right next to Lone Oak Cemetery. It's a peaceful place to honor those who've passed, and it's a great place to watch the sunset or the city's fireworks show on the 4th of July.

Iron

Today's photo is of part of some iron drainage grating on the side of a road down the street from where I live. The full text reads 'Salem Iron Works'... Salem being our state capitol and about 15 miles NW of Stayton.

Scenes From A Library

Check out my Flickr photoset for more photos from the event.

Last night was the official dedication of the newly expanded public library. A lot of people came to the ceremony so it was a bit tough to get photos of the folks doing the talking, so instead I focused on the quieter aspects of what was going on.

The boy pictured above was happily reading a book about Hawaii in a corner while the grownups did their thing. He didn't even seem to notice what was going on around him.

The other photos are from the children's section of the library, which is much larger than before and has all kinds of books, reading areas, stuffed animals, games, etc. The smaller picture at right is of a sign out in front of the library, showing how much money has been raised, all via private donations.

It's rather nifty to live in a town where people came together to make their library bigger and better than before.

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):

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.

:)

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."

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.

Twisted

Today's photo is small part of a chain link fence surrounding the public library while it undergoes construction for an expansion. That's all, just a bit twisted metal.

If you want to see more of the fence, just repeat the visual above in your head intersecting with other twisted metal bits over and over again until it forms a large fence, 'kay? :)

Make A Wish

I found these nifty dandelions growing by the side of the road. Kim at Seattle Daily Photo asked if I got down on the ground to take the picture, but, alas, 'twas not the case. The camera was the only thing down that low. Yes, friends, it suffers for my photography so I don't have to. Or something like that.

Rottweiler

I spotted this adorable dog (male, judging by its size) in a parking lot, in the back of a truck with two other dogs. My own rottweiler won't pose for me (she has an aversion to holding still), but this dog was more than happy to sit there while I clicked away.

By the way, did you know my browser's spell-check wants me to change 'rottweiler' to 'potboiler'? I don't think I will.

Used Book Sale

Yesterday was the semiannual Friends of the Library used book sale at the community center. That means it was time for my semiannual trek to the sale to buy entirely too many books I'll never have time to read. But I'll try, anyway.

The photo above is of some of the books at the sale. I had some trouble deciding which photo to post, so click on the thumbnail for my second choice.

The Bustle of 3rd Avenue

Look at all that activity. A few parked cars and... um, well, that's it, really. If you look close you can see a person standing next to the middle car. Whoo. I just don't think I can keep up with this level of excitement.

In this shot you can see the police station, movie theater, City Hall, a bar, and a few other businesses. This was taken at just after 9pm two nights ago. As you might suspect, I'm still recovering from the wild and wacky that make up Stayton's evenings. ;)

A Doggy in the Back of a Truck

This adorable doggy was in the back of a truck, hence the clever title you see above. I spotted him/her in a parking lot, being very well behaved. I don't know what kind of doggy it is, but he/sure is definitely a cutie.

DP Theme Day: A Public Mail Box

Ol' Blue in Black and White

This month's Daily Photo theme day is "a public mail box." There are no creative or otherwise unique public mail boxes in Stayton... just the standard things like the one above. They're all postal service blue, which is why I posted the photo in black and white. A bit of variation, I suppose.

Speaking of variation, back in October I posted a photo of some post office boxes, which are, in effect, private mail boxes in a public place.

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Over 60 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st April theme, "A Public Mail Box", 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 (London (UK) ) -2 (Grenoble (France) ) -3 (Rotterdam (Netherlands) ) -4 (Greenville SC (USA) ) -5 (Hyde (UK) ) -6 (Villigen (Switzerland) ) -7 (Albuquerque NM (USA) ) -8 (Mazatlan (Mexico) ) -9 (Montréal (Canada) ) -10 (Stayton OR (USA) ) -11 (Shanghai (China) -Jing ) -12 (Arradon (France) ) -13 (Sequim WA (USA) ) -14 (Newcastle upon Tyne (England) ) -15 (Seattle WA (USA) -Kim ) -16 (Bastia (Corse) ) -17 (Minneapolis MN (USA) ) -18 (Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ) -19 (Joplin MO (USA) ) -20 (Sharon, CT (USA) ) -21 (Cottage Grove MN [USA] ) -22 (Houston, TX (USA) -Candice & Megan ) -23 (Singapore - by Keropokman. ) -24 (Guelph, ON (Canada) ) -25 (Menton (France) ) -26 (Monte Carlo, Monaco ) -27 (Naples, FL (USA) ) -28 (Kyoto (Japan) ) -29 (Tokyo (Japan) ) -30 (Aliso Viejo, CA (USA) ) -31 (Cape Town (South Africa) ) -32 ( Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -33 (Kitakami (Japan) ) -34 (Tel Aviv (Israel) ) -35 (Vantaa(Finland) ) -36 (Guadalajara (Mexico) ) -37 (Auckland (New Zealand) ) -38 (Nelson (New Zealand) ) -39 (Tuzla (B&H) ) -40 (Brussels (Belgium) ) -41 (Anderson, SC (USA) ) -42 (Lubbock, TX (USA) ) -43 (John, Melbourne, (Australia) ) -44 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -45 (Tenerife (Spain) ) -46 (Stockholm (Sweden) ) -47 (Boston, MA (USA) ) -48 (Not Strictly Seattle, Susan ) -49 (New York City, (USA), Ming the Merciless ) -50 (Paris [Eric], (France) ) -51 (Ampang (Selangor) ) -52 (Sydney (Nathalie) Australia ) -53 (ailea , HI (USA) ) -54 (Manila (Philippines) ) -55 (Sydney (Sally) Australia ) -56 (Cork (Ireland) ) -57 (Saarbrücken (Germany) ) -58 (Saint Paul MN (USA) by Carol ) -59 (San Diego, CA (USA) ) -60 (Mexico [POLY], (Mexico) ) -61 (Budapest (Hungary) ) -62 (Singapore (Singapore by Zannnie) ) -63 (Madrid [Dsole] (Spain) ) -64 (Nottingham (England) ) -65 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -66 (London - Jonemo (UK))

Fence Posts

I'm apparently on a 'rural' photo kick. Today's photo was taken on E. Santiam St. of some fence posts bordering a field, and a house sitting prettily behind them.

One Way

Today's photo (as opposed to... well, some other day's photo, I suppose) is of a 'one way' sign and a field next to the methodist church on Fern Ridge Rd.

So, like, go that one way and not the other, 'kay? ;)

Park Bench

This bench lives at a newish park on the north end of 3rd Ave. I think it's called Santiam Park, but I'm not sure. The park section for the City of Stayton is a bit out of date on that front.

If it isn't called Santiam, then let's pretend. The park, whatever you want to call it, is one of several public parks around town. I'm always happy to see places for kids and their families to have fun.

Open Door

In the 'historic' section of downtown Stayton, on 3rd Ave., several older buildings have storefronts at street level and apartments up above. This doorway leads to such apartments.

Front Steps

The front of this home on 3rd Ave. looks like it's from a different era. I'd love to have a big porch on the front of my home, with room for a chair swing like this one has.

Snow-Covered Wood

The snow may have melted here, but apparently I'm not ready to stop posting snow-related photos. I just can't help myself.

Today's photo is of some wood things which border Neitling Park, which is just north of (and just across a side street from) Pioneer Park on the corner of 7th Ave. and Marion St. I don't know if these are benches, or are meant to keep cars out, or both.

Most of the little divots in the snow on the wood are kitty paw prints.

School's Out

I don't want to shock anyone, but I actually managed to remember my camera and a spare battery when I went out to take pictures yesterday. I didn't get many photos taken, because the weather was being extremely annoying. But I did get a few.

Today's photo was taken out front of St. Mary's, which is a private catholic school for grades one through eight. The kids were leaving school for the weekend... which was always a happy time when I was in school.

Tomorrow I shall endeavor to post a photo in color, since the last handful I've posted have been black and white. Since the weather's been so dreary lately, things haven't looked good in color. But tomorrow I'll see what I can do.