Graffiti Box

I missed last month's theme day, but here's a graffiti shot anyhow. It didn't look that bad originally, but I like the new, more unique, look.

Warm Welcome

A warm welcome to the Peninsula, via the Washington Avenue exit while heading south of I-295.

Lancaster Block

The Lancaster Block, at 474 Congress Street is a real beauty in my eyes.

From the Portland Landmarks website...

Curvilinear terra cotta panels and rondels, features of the sculptural
Queen Anne style, enliven the well-ordered facade of this commercial building.
The original four stories were designed by the firm of Fassett and Stevens for
J. B. Brown in 1881. Brown was born in Lancaster, New Hampshire in 1805; hence
the name of the building.

The upper two stories, distinguished by the slightly lighter colored
brick and the Colonial Revival detail, were added before 1924. Additional
stories are fairly common on Congress Street buildings, the two on the Lancaster
Block blend unusually well with the original structure.

I'm a big fan of this terra cotta look. It adds a little extra to a city dominated by brick.

Angela Adams

The Angela Adams storefront on Congress Street. A very neat looking building. I imagine the upper floors are very cool apartments.

The Cannery

Wage Peace

A positive message from a local church. Most church websites have limited information on the history of the building, but their site is well done.

Vespa

I believe this is one of those Vespa things I've been hearing about. Certainly a fun way to get around town. Spotted in the West End.

Postcards from Portland #1

Portland's largest public park is named so because of the abundance of Oak trees on the premises. It has a large pond (also used in the winter as skating rink), an amphitheater, baseball diamonds, playgrounds, tennis courts, and things of that sort.

Some Wikipedia info on Portland's Deering Oaks Park....

The area was the site of a September 1869 battle between the British, French, and Native Americans. The City of Portland largely acquired the land from the Deering, Preble, and Fessenden families in 1879 as part of the rebuilding following the devastating 1866 fire. The pond in Deering Oaks at one time filled and drained with the ocean tides; it was naturally connected to Back Cove until altered to suit roadways in the late 19th Century. Deering Oaks also hosts the city's monument to the Spanish-American War. .

Good to know!

Park Ave.

An impromptu shot of the Portland Exposition Building (The Expo) and a portion of Hadlock Field, home to the AA Boston Red Sox affiliate the Portland Sea Dogs. Also prominent in the picture are a lot of power lines which would look better underground.

The expo is 'the 2nd oldest arena in continuous operation in the United States,' and opened in 1915 according to their website. Pretty neat stuff. They have a lot of high school basketball games and things like that there now, as most bigger events need the space of the civic center.

17th of March

Happy St. Patricks Day

and now for something completely unrelated...

A Casco Bay Lines ferry passes behind Ft. Gorges on the way to Peak's Island. From PeaksIsland.com...

Peaks Island is one of over 211 islands in Casco Bay and is home to
1,000 or more year round residents. During the summer months, the population
grows several times as people flock to the island to enjoy the island charm and
beauty of Casco Bay.

One Headlight

A pretty standard side-mirror shot taken while driving on Congress Street, towards Munjoy Hill this evening. I wasn't going quite as fast as it may appear.
Most streets in the area are 25mph zones (4o kpm for the metric system folks).

Site News 3/16/2008

My blog was recently mentioned in a Press Herald blog by Justin Ellis. (which I happen to check out pretty often) I'm down near the bottom here. Very neat!

I have separated my links to the left side of the page into one section for local blogs and another for 'other local sites.' If you have something that fits into one of these categories, just let me know and I will probably add it. Thanks to the other local bloggers who have added my link also!

HodgePodge

A cluster of brick buildings on Congress Street. The spire of the State Street church is seen in the middle, dating back to some time in the in 1800's.

I've never been there but I like the looks of the little barber shop on the right. I wonder if they do flat-tops?