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DC4029 briefly cut off it's train as it shunts at Portland.Seen just north of the 1987 built over bridge.
We happened to visit this Portland Head Lighthouse today and walked into a two-fold Memorial service. One for the sinking of a US Naval Sub-chaser off the coast during WWII, and two, the loss of US service personnel recently overseas. The Marines and Navy had a color guard on top of the lighthouse, while the Blue Angels did a fly-over. portlandheadlight.com/
Portland, Oregon
Olympus OM-D E-M10
Olympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2.8 (with OM to Micro Four Thirds adapter)
Portland. This is Maine’s largest city with a metro population of 500,000. The historic port area is of most interest. When Maine became a state in 1820 Portland was the capital until it was moved to Augusta in 1832. Maine never abolished slavery because it never allowed it. Massachusetts, which had included Maine until 1820, abolished slavery in 1781. Because Portland was a major port and involved in the slave trade, taking salted cod to the South and the Caribbean, returning with molasses and transporting slaves across the Atlantic from Africa, it was also a centre for slave stowaways who escaped on ships. Runaway slaves then alighted at Portland and made an overland journey up to Canada and freedom. The city was a major ‘station’ for the Underground Railroad and black businessmen in the city assisted runaways. The city has developed its own ‘freedom trail’ of sites linked to the Underground Railroad. Anti-slavery lectures were popular in Portland and the Quakers and other religious groups supported abolition of slavery. The city has the third oldest African church in America - the Abyssinian Meeting House (1828). The waterfront affords views across Casco Bay and the city centre is known for its charming 19th century buildings. Before arriving in Salem we cross New Hampshire bypassing the city of Portsmouth.
Koji Osakaya Restaurant, Sullivan's Gulch, Portland.
Kagami mochi (鏡餅, "mirror rice cake") is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration. It usually consists of two round mochi (rice cakes),[1][2][3][4] the smaller placed atop the larger, and a daidai (a Japanese bitter orange) with an attached leaf on top. In addition, it may have a sheet of konbu and a skewer of dried persimmons under the mochi. It sits on a stand called a sanpō (三宝) over a sheet called a shihōbeni (四方紅), which is supposed to ward off fires from the house for the following years. Sheets of paper called gohei (御幣) folded into lightning shapes similar to those seen on sumo wrestler's belts are also attached.
Kagami mochi first appeared in the Muromachi period (14th–16th century). The name kagami ("mirror") is said to have originated from its resemblance to an old-fashioned kind of round copper mirror, which also had a religious significance. The reason for it is not clear. Explanations include mochi being a food for special days,[2] the spirit of the rice plant being found in the mochi,[1][2] and the mochi being a food which gives strength.[2]
The two mochi discs are variously said to symbolize the going and coming years,[2] the human heart,[2] "yin" and "yang", or the Moon and the Sun.[3] The daidai, whose name means "generations",[4] is said to symbolize the continuation of a family from generation to generation.[1]
Traditionally, kagami mochi were placed in various locations throughout the house.[3] Nowadays, they are usually placed in a household Shinto altar, or kamidana. They are also placed in the tokonoma, a small decorated alcove in the main room of the home.
Contemporary kagami mochi are often pre-moulded into the shape of stacked discs and sold in plastic packages in the supermarket. A mikan or a plastic imitation daidai is often substituted for the original daidai.
Variations in the shape of kagami mochi are also seen.[3] In some regions, three layered kagami mochi are also used. The three layered kagami mochi are placed on the butsudan or on the kamidana. There is also a variant decoration called an okudokazari placed in the centre of the kitchen or by the window which has three layers of mochi.[3]
Kagami mochi are traditionally broken and eaten in a Shinto ritual called kagami biraki (mirror opening) on the second Saturday or Sunday of January. This is an important ritual in Japanese martial arts dojos. It was first adopted into Japanese martial arts when Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, adopted it in 1884, and since then the practice has spread to aikido, karate and jujutsu dojos.