I lived in San Francisco in the early 80’s and had on occasion opportunity to visit Haight street and surrounding areas. I obviously missed it’s counter-culture heyday— the mid to late 1960’s. Recently, I had the pleasure to watch a young Harry Reasoner of 60 minutes stroll down Haight street in 1967 as he explained to his audience (one must assume, all squares) what a hippie was and about their lifestyle.
Below are some images of the graffiti on Haight street and some shop windows during a recent visit in November of this year. It was early morning so there was not much going on, the shops were all closed and few people were out and about.
An abandoned building, the Vernonia lumber mill (originally owned by Oregon-American Lumber Company) was built in the early 1920’s. It has been left to stand against the ongoing forces of nature and time. The building is located in a small park within the city limits of Vernonia, Oregon, better known more recently (if at all), as one of the film locations for the 2008 vampire movie, Twilight. Beyond that celebrity distinction, it’s a nice old town with a good coffee shop among other local businesses.
Rebecca and I went hiking in the park where we first discovered the old building. All we saw at first was a tall, bland wall facing our direction. From the path there was a dirt walkway to an open doorway. Stepping inside, it was quite a surprise! In a large area maybe 100 feet long by 50 feet wide (These are only approximate dimensions taken from memory), and the graffiti lined all the walls to the top where no ceiling existed. There too, a young man had set up his drum set in the middle and was practicing his craft.
Outside doorway leading into the remnants of the old sawmill building.
Graffiti -Vernonia Lake City Park
Young man playing drums inside old sawmill building.
Graffiti -Vernonia Lake City Park
I took quite a few photos of the graffiti strewn walls, a few I have included here. If you are in the area, check out the town of Vernonia. Here’s directions to the park I mentioned, the building is about a 5 minute walk along the lake to the entrance.
I did make a final print for sale from this location for those who may be interested:
Wild Horses Show Their Metal – Near Sisters, Oregon
Whenever I drive down toward Bend, Oregon through the small town of Sisters, on a narrow stretch of highway, these metal horse sculptures so beautifully dot the surrounding landscape, I want to stop and take a picture. I never do stop, but this time as a passenger, I shot this image through my open window, these horses seem so wild and alive!
Look On The Roof- It’s A Horse!
The city of Portland is on the edge of their collective seat, worried beyond measure their beloved little town has lost its adorable “weird” status. Well, to that I say (humbly), not to worry, this city is wonderfully weird to its core: just ask the horse on the roof that watches over the downtown area.
Wild Horse -Mural
City driving has its special challenges even in small town Portland. The horse on the wall looks like it’s about to dart into moving traffic and if it did would anyone even notice?
This picture is of me taking a picture of the beautiful Painted Hills, 3000+ acres that includes the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, a geologic wonder. Millions of years ago, this entire area was underwater and the different sediment layers offer scientists a clear view into the past. I used this image that Rebecca took also on our about us page.
Building was a former gas station. Mitchell, Oregon
Nearby is the tiny town of Mitchell, worth visiting (in my opinion) just for the local pub and surrounding buildings. When I was there, there were about a dozen fancy, new-looking corvettes lining both sides of the street eating at the pub.
When told: “I’m old and delicate” you gotta believe it! Taken from Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon, billed as the largest independent bookstore in the world. This great Portland landmark is an exception to the rule: small is beautiful; large, not so much.
