Bodysurferjan's Weblog

Stonehenge in Washington State, USA

bodysurferjan — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:09:29 +0000

This stonehenge replica is a memorial to fallen soldiers from Klictitat County near Maryhill, Washington. It is to scale and was built by Sam Hill, who also built Maryhill Museum, the Peace Arch in Canada’s Vancouver, and was a partner in building the Columbia Gorge Highway.

Bill painted runes on small, smooth stones and celebrated his 63rd birthday by throwing them upon the outermost Sarsen circle. “Life is short, art is long,” Bill states in the video. Two of them ended up on the sarsen, one thrown by the director of Portland’s Shakespeare in the Park production company. King Lear will be presented at this Stonehenge on June 20th of next year and he was there with his family to measure the altar and assess how to position the stage and audience. The other stones landed on the tops of Bluestone circle and Trilithon circle. Here’s a link to another UTube video of this Stonehenge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKjo-t1f4pk

Bill and I talked about concrete as we drove from the Portland area to Stonehenge. Sam Hill had planned on building with stone, but what was available nearby wasn’t suitable so he used reinforced concrete. This link gives a timeline for the history of concrete. http://matse1.mse.uiuc.edu/concrete/hist.html

Portland Baha’i Center was Historical Post Office

bodysurferjan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:40:40 +0000

This Sunday the Baha’is in the Portland, Oregon area held their annual unit convention. They elected a representative to go to the National Convention which elects the nine National Spiritual Assemby members (no clergy in the Baha’i Faith).

I took the opportunity to photograph some of the interior highlights of the center.

Downtown Portland Public Library

bodysurferjan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:32:03 +0000

This beautiful building is the oldest library west of the Mississippi. I’m enchanted by the marble staircase that has such words as BEGIN, EXPERIENCE, and DREAM chiseled in the stairs.

Timberline Lodge

bodysurferjan — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:16:51 +0000

Xebra Electric Car

bodysurferjan — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:48:18 +0000

Bill and I were amused by the skin of this electric car, seen in the Hollywood District Trader Joes during the Fourth of July Weekend.

: Electric Xebra

McMenamin’s Edgefield Hotel in Troutdale

bodysurferjan — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:43:14 +0000

McMenamin\

The Edgefield was built as a poor farm and has quite a history. This is the back view of the Power Station Pub.

Classical Chinese Gardens 中国古典

bodysurferjan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:05:13 +0000

Secreted away inside a walled downtown Portland city block, the Classical Chinese Gardens is one of my favorite jaunts.

Edgar Allen Poe Room at the Slyvia Beach Hotel

bodysurferjan — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:20:38 +0000

My youngest granddaughter, Khalia is most attracted to the Edgar Allen Poe room. I think I’d have bad dreams with the pendulum suspended over my bed.

Beautiful pit and safe pendulum

Both Rhianna and Khalia were delighted to spend time in the library and the loft. Rhianna definitely gave the Sylvia Beach Hotel her stamp of approval when she found a huge Oxford Dictionary in the library. There are shelves of unusual puzzles and games in the lounge, just off the library. You can fix yourself tea at any time and the selection of teas offered is wide. Coffee is also available.

My husband Bill, an English major, was delighted by the ambiance of this unique B & B. The other guests were interesting people, easy to converse with and the staff was very friendly. the seaside setting was an added bonus of sight and sound.

Historic Sylvia Beach Hotel

bodysurferjan — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:19:28 +0000

: Entrance to the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon

Silvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon is billed as a booklover’s retreat. What a treat to spent a night there! My granddaughter, Rhianna took photos of many of the rooms.

Bill and I stayed in the Mark Twain room.

The Twain room has a protected deck that overlooks Nye Beach.

Twain Scholar