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I should never curse the sun for shining in Portland, but these pictures would have been so much better if the sun had just been a little less vibrant on the afternoon I turned this corner. The harsh shadows and sun-flare made capturing this vignette nearly impossible. Still I think you can hopefully make out most of the details of this very unique corner garden in SE Portland.
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Believe it or not the first thing to grab my eye was not the tall Yucca rostrata, although once I noticed it I did see this whole arrangement in a different way. I think it’s playing the part of a tall floor lamp, between the sofa and chair. Here’s a close up so you can see the construction. I wonder if it was more grown-in over the summer, and fall/early winter has played a little rough with the “upholstery?”
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The “fence” around this installation is made of bits of bike frames, with bike chain running through the hollows…
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Bike chain also makes up the “do not sit” ropes across the chair and sofa, something straight out of a high-end antique store…only of course they would be silk ropes not bike chain.
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Can you make out the face, peeking over the right hand corner of the sofa? He has a yucca or agave for hair; I couldn’t get close enough to see which in the bad light.
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And I have no idea what the structure on the corner is all about. On the bottom left is a memorial plaque with a name and dates, but it somehow seemed disrespectful to photograph it for a blog post.
How fun, love the creativity! Great that you could capture it even in the glare of the sun.
ReplyDeleteThis house has always been interesting. I lived on the next block for years and during those years a bicyclist was killed by a car who didn't stop at the stop sign. A memorial was built for the cyclist and I can see they are still doing some interesting work there!
ReplyDeletePeople's creativity still never ceases to amaze me! The 'furniture' can be adapted to become a form of vertical gardening :)
ReplyDeleteYep, I bet it looks stunning in the summer!
ReplyDeleteThis may well be the most unique garden I've ever seen. The Yucca rostrata makes a fantastic floor lamp (it's one of my favorite plants anyway). Can you post the exact location or is that too much of a breach of privacy?
ReplyDeleteDelightful use of a front yard. I wonder what it looks like in summer.
ReplyDeleteI love the bizarre creativity of it all. It seems like a place that no one would forget:) and the person to whom the memorial was built.
ReplyDeleteI lived in SE Portland during 1971-72, Ramona St.near Reed College, in a house that looked just like that one. Takes me back....
ReplyDeleteShirley, I've discovered that if you take enough photos there are bound to be a couple of decent ones in the mix!
ReplyDeleteLauren, thank you for the back-story...sad as it is.
Mark and Gaz, exactly! I wonder if they will ever actually sit on it, or if the chains will remain in place?
Deb, I'll try to check back.
Gerhard, I would be happy too...if I knew where exactly I was! This was another case of my cutting through a neighborhood and discovering something wonderful...I know I was somewhere in the neighborhood bordered by SE 39th, Hawthorne, and Belmont Aves...no more than a few blocks west of 39th. Are you planning a trip to Portland?
Hoover, I will attempt to find it again and report.
Rohrerbot, exactly.
Jean, glad I could provoke the memories!
Loree, thanks for the location. I have friends in Portland and will probably come up in the spring. Maybe we can meet for coffee?
ReplyDeleteGerhard
:: Bamboo and More ::
I suspect the chain will mostly remain in place, but the sofa occasionally sat on for photographic purposes :)
ReplyDeleteCup of tea or not, one must salute the effort and imaginativeness.
ReplyDelete