Giant Solar Panels at Tri-Met Green Line Max Station.

                                                                                   Here is a portion of the 370,000+ dollar solar array that will save about 3000.00 a year in electricity that  Tri-Met will sell to PGE.  This savings will return the investment after 60 years of course if the Solar panels will actually last that long minus cleaning and maintenance costs. It's not really about the money though but about maintaining an image that Portland is a shining city on a hill demonstrating to the world how we can have it all.  A modern city that is efficient, green and sustainable. Nothing could be further from the truth but it looks good.  I wonder how many people might think this powers the Max Train and not the Coal Burning Power Plant in Boardman, Oregon.

I have enjoyed photographing the way the city is changing around this one Victorian stalwart.  Owned by a lawyer who runs his law firm out of this house he has had to deal with the expansion of Tri-Met and PSU trying to take over his little piece of property containing one of the last few slivers of the community that was once here.  He will not be moved.

Some images of Witch Hazel taken today on a walk in our neighborhood.  Used the Canon Pro-1 digital on "Super Macro" which doesn't allow me to shoot in RAW but still it's pretty good for extreme close-ups.  A very flexible camera.  The quality is not as good as the 55mm Micro-Nikkor but it's not like I am shooting for National Geographic. The top picture is upside down because I think it improves the composition though not botanically accurate since the anthers hang downwards not up.

Castor Bean taken with Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5.  Printed out on Ilford fiber warmtone paper.

Castor bean taken with Canon Powershot Pro-1.  This plant is in a park near where I walk on my lunch hour.  I find it most interesting in the Winter.