View of Portland from the Top of a Parking Lot

To me, the city, Portland, Oregon, is beautiful, wonderful, horrific, tragic,etc. It is so many things to me all at once. It is not one simple answer to any and all questions. It is many things, many questions, answered and unanswered, questions changed and thrown away, answers changed and thrown away.

When I saw these perspectives, I was fascinated, fixated, obsessed briefly, with the strange and beautiful view of this town. Perspectives you don't see when shopping, or hiding in a restaurant, or fixated by your companion. Here, was a form of life not often paid attention to. I whipped out the camera and took a bunch of photographs, "Fiddler from the Roof" and "Peek-a-Boo" being four of them.

I have nurtured my ability to find beauty in the places where I'm at when I think of it. And I found beauty from the top of a parking lot in Downtown Portland. It didn't work so well when I, a few days later, found another parking lot and went to the top. I just didn't get the same views and attachments, fascination or obsession.

Here, in these photos, I also find tragedy. Allegations of civilization like this come at a price. Who suffered to steal the resources to create these buildings? What beauty and suffereing has been created within these walls, behind these windows? What stories can each piece tell? Where did it all come from, as it is all displaced natural resources? Who was slaughtered so this could be created? Who did the slaughtering? What Love was created enacted? What hatred and angers? And damn, we can live without all of this.

Life is interesting, but all in all, as beatuiful and tragic as these photos are too me, I could give it all up. Come to think of it, my sweetie, Rhonda, and I have been talking about just such a thing and making plans to move in such a direction.

Portland, I both Love you, and am sickened by you. Pretty much, I feel the same about alleged civilization in general.

Enjoy!