Risking life and limb

Oh, the lengths we go to for a Blip! Actually, this shouldn't have been a big deal, but as I scooted into place to take this photo, something stuck on my scooter's forward motion control (I had it covered with plastic to keep the rain out) and I went over the curb and into a lane of traffic on busy Hawthorne Blvd. My guardian angel was with me, as there was no traffic coming in that moment; if there had been, I probably wouldn't be writing this blip today!

So. This is one of many medallions embedded in the sidewalk along Hawthorne (my One Street project). That's the Hawthorne Bridge depicted on the medallion. These are fairly recent additions - they were added after a major upgrade to the boulevard, with the addition of curb extensions for mass transit, more crosswalks, and shelters for bikes, making it an even more pedestrian and cyclist friendly neighborhood. Here's an article about it. If you watch Portlandia, you might recognize former Mayor Sam Adams in the article, who makes occasional cameo appearances.

Have a look at this LARGE to see the remarkable detail on the medallion.

I'll be looking for some of the other plaques mentioned in the articles for future blips. And being a bit more attentive to my scooter controls.

Edit: wooo hoooo! 400th blipday! Party! Or not.

Edit again: The mystery of the ghost cat is solved! I found a picture of the cat on the back side of a stop sign and apparently just caught the edge of the sign in my shot. So, no otherworldly feline messages after all. Darn.