The man with the empty wallet is a cast aluminum sculpture titled "Art" by Richard Beyer, installed in 1982 at the corner of Wall Street and Franklin in downtown Bend, Oregon.

Last weekend I was in Bend, Oregon. My first visit in year 2000 was for a family wedding. Now my mom, sister and extended family live there. But on every trip I say hi to Art. He still sits with his birds and empty wallet. This time, he was perfect symbolism for the recession and loss of jobs.

Bend has been hit hard by the recession, unemployment is about 17 percent. Housing crashed big time and foreclosures are high. But the economy has not stopped community spirit. For example, they love parades. There is the 4th of July Pet Parade, Veterans Day Parade, and last Saturday, the Christmas Parade.

It was 28 degrees, perfect sunny day for the Bend Christmas Parade. So I walked all over downtown Bend taking photos. Several thousand residents attended and there were over 80 entrants marching.

Sunday was ten degrees and a foot of snow. Monday was back to Los Angeles, but before I left, I walked over and photographed Art with his birds and this time, snow bank.

Flickr Bend Photo Set