Jerusalem, winter morning’s light

This is one of my favorite places in the world. Despite the divisions that crash together among the believers of monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), I felt something special here. Somehow the prejudices I saw and felt in and around Jersusalem were overcome by the feeling of the place. It’s Holy week for Christians, so I decided to did this one out of my old archive. This dates from 2004. You can see more pictures of Israel and the Occupied West Bank on my web site. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Rueda flash mob hits downtown Portland, dancing ensues

Rueda de casino is a hypnotically cool dance from Cuba that uses Cuban partner dance patterns called casino to traditional Cuban rhythms that today we know mostly as “salsa,” with dancers moving around a circle and changing partners. You can dance to salsa, traditional older Cuban dance music, and even reggaetone. Fun beyond description, really. Today this is literally a global dance phenomenon, like so many dances that have originated in Latin America.

A great group of Portland-based rueda enthusiasts and instructors, who band under the name Portland Casino Fridays, organized a series of rueda flash mobs at Director Park and then a bit later (after we got kicked out) at the park strip near the Portland Art Museum on Saturday, March 28. Bet you did not know there is such as thing as Rueda de Casino Internationl Multi-Flashmob Day. Well I did not until I joined the fun.

If you have not tried rueda, look it up in your city and give yourself some time to pick up the moves. There are hundreds if not thousands of instructional videos on YouTube now. Oye, baila!

The ducks were made for walking

Seeing happy ducks in the muddy wetlands not far from my home on a rainy night this week made me think of other happy ducks. Here is some footage I shot in the rice paddies outside Ubud, Bali, way back in 2009. (Ouch, that is so long ago already.) Now tell me, do these ducks have moxie or do these ducks have moxie. You can see a larger version of these critters on YouTube too.

On a Sunday morning sidewalk

While strolling through downtown Portland this Sunday, March 22, I pulled out my GoPro and snapped a few photos of some of the lovely old stone churches. There are quite a few, and they give downtown a stately charm. Seen here are the exterior and front of the First Baptist Church, which dates from 1894, and the First Unitarian Church of Portland, which celebrates its 150th year this June.

The First Baptist Church rents its sanctuary space to rock ‘n’ roll Christians in the afternoon under the banner of Bridgetown, “A Jesus Church,” which has an electric rock band that was warming up when I dropped by. I stepped inside to see the First Baptist sanctuary, and I liked its circular layout and stained glass, similar to the Baptist church in Seattle, also of the same era. These are Northwest Baptists, so I assume a bit more laid back than their Southern brethren. I have always loved stained glass. It is a great art form, as is stone masonry.

(For the record, I did not have beer for breakfast, smell fried chicken, or have a religious experience like Kris Kristopherson and Johnny Cash.)

Click on each photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.

Thanks to the more than 5,900 visitors to my photo blog

It has been more than a year since I launched this blog in March 2014, with a post on how the Inuit of Barrow and Greenland share a common cultural identity. Wow, time went fast. It was an experiment, to see if I could impose more discipline in taking pictures. It also was a place I could showcase work I have taken over the years that never found a home on my main web page (www.rudyowens.com).

As of today, I have published 266 posts. My WordPress stats page indicates that I have received 10,487 page views and 5,909 visitors. I will claim some of those numbers checking the page from different locations, but everyone else is from the web the world over, who have landed on my page due to the magic of search engine optimization and, hopefully, worthwhile content. Thanks again to everyone, and I hope you will return.

visits to my photo blog

Luarelhurst Park’s tree spirits

Laurelhurst Park in east Portland is about as English of a Portland park as they come. It is a perfect example of urban planning dating to the City Beautiful movement. Everything is so, well, proper and in its place. It felt like someone have used a vacuum cleaner before I came, even on a wet and muddy day. I loved the gnarly old arboreal denizens. They just begged for attention. So I returned after an accidental visit and grabbed a few photos.