The pedestrian only Pont des Arts, with it's sides lined with locks, and the Institut des France. Paris, France; September, 2011.

Light fixtures covered in colorful, star-shaped paper shades. Storefront, Seattle, Washington; June, 2012.

I'm working with another Website

I have recently become a contributor to another website called My French Life. You can see my first efforts, a photo essay, here.

Park arbor with benches on the grounds of the Empress Hotel. Victoria, BC, Canada; April, 2012.

Over the weekend one of our favorite bands, the Austin, Texas-based Band of Heathens, was in the region playing Mississippi Studios. Although there have been some band changes and we were a little concerned about the quality of the new unit, our fears were for naught as BOH put on another stellar show. Portland, Oregon; August, 2012.

It was one of the hottest days of the year, so I thought I'd get up into the mountains where it tends to be cooler. Water is always good. This is the result: Sahalie Falls. I've done other pics of the falls but this is the most recent. Along the McKenzie Highway; August, 2012.

Place du Concorde, where Marie Antoinette lost her head. Paris, France; September, 2011.

Still life in a Victorian house. Portland, Oregon; June, 2012.

A steampunk stilt walker at the Oregon Country Fair.(Click on the photo for more detail) Veneta, Oregon; July, 2012.

An early model Corvette roadster at a recent classic car competition. Madras, Oregon; August, 2012.

A macro image from a lily. .Madras, Oregon; July, 2012

And speaking of painting, body painting of all sorts is prominently on display at the Oregon Country Fair. This concludes our week at the OCF. Veneta, Oregon; July, 2012.

Masks of all sorts and face painting are a standard at the Oregon Country Fair. Veneta, Oregon; July, 2012.

Have you seen the little piggies? Piggies on parade at the Oregon Country Fair. (Click the photo to check out those nipples) Veneta, Oregon; July, 2012.

Gotta love the Godzilla truck at the Oregon Country Fair. (Click on the photo to check out those claws.) Veneta, Oregon; July, 2012.

We mentioned a few weeks back that we'd dedicate a week to the always interesting Oregon Country Fair and that week has arrived. We ambled across this woman who was quite stressed about keeping her 2 daughters together and at the same time was gonzo over being in too large a crowd. We were lucky to get a smile out of her. In any case, her headwear is about the antithesis of the two guys in Paris we posted here last week. (Click the photo for a better view) Veneta, Oregon; July, 2012.

As a rule, something you don't see in the travel photos are the security measures, such as these two guys standing under the base of the Eiffel Tower. But they are all over the metro area at all of the most visited tourist attractions. The locals tell us they're just for show because they never really do anything. Who knows? Perhaps they don't because their mere presence is enough. But the berets are a nice touch, dontcha think? (Click on the photo to better see the gun, or to check out what the younger dude is looking at) Paris, France; September, 2011.

Here in the Pacific Northwest of the US we've experienced some stifling heat the past week. Usually, we here at the Grind can leave our windows open all night and cool down the house, but the overnight cooling hasn't occurred this time around. I guess it's time to hearken back to this past winter to assist in a small respite. High in the Oregon Cascades; February, 2012.

Downtown. Shaniko, Oregon; July, 2012.

Sunflower micro. Redmond, Oregon; July, 2012.

Betty Grable and the Sentimental Journey. (Click the photo to gander at those gams) Madras, Oregon; August, 2011.

A prairie freight wagon out in the sage brush at the Fort Rock Historical Museum. Fort Rock, Oregon; July 2012.

Accomodations for her & them. (Click on the photo for more detail) Fort Rock, Oregon; July, 2012.

Supper's almost ready: Inside one of the homesteads in the town's museum. There are several of them and the great thing is you can go into each house, pick things up, move them around--as long as you always put them back in their original spot. One can almost sense the residents of these houses will return at any minute. Fort Rock, Oregon; July, 2012.