This past Sunday saw a true Portland Spring tradition. The Race for the Roses, an annual fundraiser marathon, started at 7 AM. I was there taking photos for Even Pilchik Photography. There were reported to be over 5000 participants, and I photographed about 3000 of them.
Events
Before the Burning Man Burned
I once spent a couple of days at the Burning Man Art Festival in Nevada. Taking place on a dry, desert lakebed, more than 50,0000 people congregate to set up a temporary city for about ten days at the end of summer. The largest “leave no trace” event in the world, the playa is returned to its natural state for the the rest of the year. I was there just in time to experience a major white-out. For about six hours huge clouds of dust enveloped Black Rock City. The air became so opaque that you could get lost walking across the street, visibility being reduced to about two yards. In the photograph is the man himself—the one who is burned at the climax of the event. As seen here, he is about to be swallowed by the powdered earth.
Oaks Park
We thought about going to the State Fair on Labor Day, but opted instead for Oaks Park, Portland’s small, local amusement park. Apparently, most of Portland had the same idea. Also, several unions were having their Labor Day picnics on the park grounds. This all made for a sea of people unlike I have ever seen before at this location. Who’d of thought that one could wait an hour on line to ride the little kid’s roller coaster—but we did, as well did a lot of other people. For a small ride, this coaster really throws you around. Anika, my daughter, hid her face the whole way. My camera almost flew off my neck a couple of times and my wife, Summer, waited for us at the gate.
Beer in Chicago
Earlier this month I spent a few days in Chicago to photograph the Craft Brewers Conference. It’s a conference of beer brewers from all over the world converging for seminars, a trade show, and this year, the World Beer Cup—The Olympics of beer!
I was lucky enough to stay at a hotel in The Loop right along the river. The conference site was just a few blocks away, so I was able to walk to my assignments. The first few days there, Chicago was cold, wet and foggy—just like spring in Portland. As I walked across the Michigan Ave bridge I could almost hear the theme song to the Bob Newhart show. That dates me to be sure, but I could recognize many of the buildings from the opening scenes.
I used to always think that Superman’s Gotham city was based on New York. Now that I’ve spent a few days in The Loop, I know that the writers were thinking of Chicago. The towering walls of concrete and steel were unmistakable. Even the huge gothic skyscraper that houses the Chicago Tribune looked to be ripped from the comic books.
St. Johns gets its first holiday tree in 15 years.
to see a slide show of this event, visit www.portlandsentinel.com where I am a contributing blogger.
There has always been a spot for a Holiday tree in the plaza, but vandalism has kept it empty for the past 15 years. This year, the St. Johns Boosters and the Main Street Project teamed up to restart the tradition.