Morning Meander and Mini-Blipmeet

We had some sunshine this morning, so a meander beyond our immediate neighborhood sounded like a good idea.

There's a huge range of architectural styles in Portland, and near us were two fascinating apartment complexes that looked as though they belonged much further south. Granada Court, built in 1926, comprises "eleven 4-plex single level apartments" with "brightly colored stucco exterior complete with arches and faux tiled roofs... reminiscent of a Mediterranean Villa," according to the property management website. We agreed that this style would definitely help residents get through the long, dark Northwest winters!

The nearby San Da Roda apartment complex, built in 1925 and "a charming example of Portuguese-influenced architecture," is managed by the same company as Grenada Court. It would be interesting to know why Portland architects in the mid-920s were so enamoured of these styles from sunnier lands.

Back in our neighborhood, "pink snow" was much in evidence, as there are many ornamental cherry trees there. Pink snow is much more appealing than the winter white variety!

Having experienced sun, misty rain, hard rain, wind, and hail by 2:15pm, we were relieved to have a return to sun in which to catch the bus to meet kendallishere and grazingllama at Deschutes Brew Pub for our mini-Blipmeet. We had hoped that TerriG and musings could have been there too, but both were under the weather.

It was wonderful to spend more time with Kendall and to get to know Ellen (grazingllama), and in the small world that Blipfoto is, to talk about some mutual friends in the world of recorder performance and teaching, one of whom was my classmate in college and got me started in photography, as well as playing recorders. (The former became a passion and the latter was put aside for other interests, but after talking with Ellen today, my recorders may see the light of day again.)

Travel, books, films, work/not working, politics -- including a firsthand update from Kendall on Occupy Portland -- and of course Blipfoto were all topics well-covered by today's quartet. We all come from different places, upbringings, and experiences, but the common bond of Blipfoto gives us a start on friendships, which will blossom with time and getting together again.

P.S. See another interesting architectural detail from our morning meander on Phil's journal entry for today.