just poring over photographs from our latest trip to portland...

i took this batch of a telephone pole in nob hill. the city's filled with these archival relics. they're caked with layers of staples and torn posters, revealing stories and imagery that mark the passage of time. i don't know whether to photograph them or strip them bare to hoard the graphics for future collages. i spent a good portion of time peeling off expired fliers from SE poles two nights ago, but, i only scratched the surface. i'm afraid portland would be TOO clean if i got my grubby little mits on it, though. there's a certain charm to urban decay, but too much grit can look unkempt, unsafe and downright disturbing. while too little can look disneyland-ish, void of character, antiseptic and just as unsettling. but, portland?...weeeeeell, she just keeps her recipe for success to herself. like all women of mystery..it just keeps 'em wanting more.