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Catherine Sanborn's avatar

The dilapidated grey house was not far from where we stayed last year and there were people going in and out then. Depressing. Sorry you caught the aggressive energy on the bus, even if not directed at you. Enjoying all the azaleas and rhodies.

Katharine English's avatar

Absolutely love these photos. ❤️💕

Sue Cauhape's avatar

Lots of variety in your photos today. The white house fascinates me with its two doors ... one probably leading to an apartment upstairs. The way the windows are set on that side suggests this, but the middle one is a tad too close to the back window on the first floor. That might be one of those funky little nooks in a kitchen or bedroom. And then there's that little protrusion near the back where a water heater or other infrastructure was added on later. That house has to be over a hundred years old and is still housing people. Bravo to its eternal bones!

Fran Gardner's avatar

The configuration of the front doors indicates that it is indeed a up and down duplex. My home in Portland is over 100 years old and in great shape, as are most of the houses in this neighborhood.

Amy Wang's avatar

Thanks for the shout out! And glad you enjoyed "Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting." I've been recommending that one quite a bit.

Fran Gardner's avatar

It’s a true Bus Therapy book! I enjoyed it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Helen Watson's avatar

I love your sonnets! In one of the previous posts, too. There's something refreshing and reassuring in the structure of a sonnet. The resolution of the last two lines.

Fran Gardner's avatar

Thanks, Helen. I actually added the couplet at the last minute. I love writing in iambic pentameter, not as happy finding rhymes. I don’t like to stretch the ideas to fit the words.

Diane Mattox's avatar

I’m mulling the word “phenomenological” ~ I love it!

David Sarasohn's avatar

A fine post, especially the poem about summer.

Kimberly Warner's avatar

Love seeing the urban decay amidst all of our springtime sunshine and bloom. What a beautiful month we’ve been having. And it was especially sweet to see you at Liz’s event at Powell’s. I wish we’d had more time to connect but I’m glad I got to give you a warm hello. ❤️

Steven Christiansen's avatar

Thanks for your writing this week, Fran. I really enjoyed the picture of the urban blight picture (the one with the auto glass that looked like ice). My wife always says that May is the best month in Portland (and Oregon).

Fran Gardner's avatar

I’m glad you liked that photo. I wasn’t going to use it because it was dark and hard to read. I had to lighten it up a lot in the photo editor, which I don’t like to do. My editor, my husband, Robert, encouraged me to use it. He says being hard to read is part of the message.