December | 2025 | Margaret Quilts

I took many neighborhood walks this month, watching the season change, and contemplating sad partings.

Fall colors in Northeast Portland

The leaves…

Berries and late blooming or winter flowers…

Sidewalk square of the month…

This one has a human profile etched in the weathered cement.

And of course, the early holiday decorations…

Santa penguins, wondering where the snow is.

Knitting

I finished one cowl, which I am wearing almost every day. The pattern is Ella Improv by Cecelia Campochiaro. The yarn in Malabrigo Lace.

Reading

I finished six books in November. The most compelling was The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai, a saga of family life in Viet Nam in the twentieth century.

Signs of Resistance

My neighborhood is always heartening in the display of signs of resistance. There seem to be more and more all the time.

Window signs, telling the world how they really feel!

These signs were displayed in front of almost every house on this block.

Including this one, with an Anne Frank tribute as well.

The wall mural I see on the way home from the library, in the low autumn light.

Sadness

This month I lost two close family members; one older, one younger, one with a long illness, both quite sudden. This was unexpected and sad and I have been feeling shaken and unanchored in time. As a family we are scattered geographically, but with the miracles of technology, we have been able to grieve together. It is hard. And it is human. We are all on that train. We are stopped in our tracks by the loss. We are determined to live well in response. Both paths seem wrong. But we go on.

Thanksgiving was celebrated with close friends who invited us for the day, and for whom I am grateful, especially this year.

Three hikes this month. Our fall hiking areas on the Washington side of the eastern Columbia River Gorge are still impacted by Burdoin Fire damage. We hiked twice on the Oregon side, and once in the Cascade foothills east of Salem.

10/14 – Deschutes River Trail, Oregon

Our usual loop, up to Ferry Springs, and then return along the Deschutes River (4.5 miles, 600 feet).

Blue sky today, a light breeze.

Walking along the Deschutes River. Reflections, a few water birds.

Rising up above the river, view to the confluence with the Columbia River.

Still losing my breath on the uphill. There are clumps of white and pink blooming buckwheat, yellow rabbit brush, and a few scrabbling lupines. Dried out balsamroots and thistles punctuate the slopes of golden grass where it was blackened and burned a few years ago. Very little sign of the fires now, so much has regrown. Once again, it is peaceful out here – down by the river there are many people fishing for steelhead; we saw one train on the western bank; otherwise a rock wren, a raven call, and us.

We crossed over Ferry Springs, then looked down toward the river.

Looking down on Ferry Springs as it joins the Deschutes River.

And the view to the Columbia River and Columbia Hills.

Almost back to river level, looking through the arch.

Back along the river, walking north –

Milkweed seeds getting ready to disperse.

We appreciated the golden slopes we just walked down, especially after seeing the blackened slopes at Catherine Creek. As we drove back west along south side of the Columbia River, I took a few shots of the Burdoin Fire area in Washington that was burned last summer. There are some very black slopes, but also some unburned areas. I can’t quite see my favorite trees from this view.

Catherine Creek hiking area, from I-84, westbound.

Catherine Creek area. The Arch and Tracy Hill.

10/20 – Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Another place we have hiked many times. Today we saw six of the ten famous falls (5.8miles, 600 feet).

South Falls

Looking downstream from behind the falls. This time of year the spray doesn’t soak us.

Lower South Falls – We continued downstream along the South Fork of Silver Creek, eventually descending switchbacks and staircases to walk behind Lower South Falls.

Lower North Falls – Next, we passed the confluence of the North and South Forks of Silver Creek, and began walking upstream along the North Fork.

Drake Falls – Continuing upstream along the North Fork…

Autumnal trail – lots of big leaf maple leaves drifting down.

We only get a sideways view of Drake Falls from the viewing platform.

Middle North Falls – A side trail goes under the falls, but we didn’t take it today.

Winter Falls – From here, we crossed the river again, and passed the nearly dry Winter Falls while ascending to the rim and walking back to our starting point.