New Zealand 2023 (or there and back, again)

April 20, 2023 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

When we left New Zealand in February of 2020, we had a list of places to visit next time, but then the Covid pandemic shut the world down. Three years later we finally made our return trip. It took us two days to leave Portland – we were on the runway waiting to take off when an unusual 10 inches of snow caused the airport to be shut down. We made it out the next day, and thus began our New Zealand, part two, expedition. Last time we had a guided trip for two of the weeks, but this time we were comfortable with independent travel. This post is an abbreviated summary of our trip (February 23 to March 18, 2023) – more detailed accounts will follow.

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View from seat 17A, Portland International Airport, February 23, 2023

Remarkable Mountains from the Queenstown Airport, February 25, 2023

Locations visited and hikes (stars) on the South Island, New Zealand, February and March, 2023

We stayed one night in Queenstown, stocked up on groceries, then headed to Glenorchy, at the head of Lake Wakatipu.

Glenorchy: As we drove along Lake Wakatipu, the low clouds lifted, and the peaks of the surrounding mountains came into view.

Lake Wakatipu and Southern Alps from Bennet’s Bluff viewpoint, 3/26/2023

After checking into our lodgings, we spent the afternoon walking the Glenorchy Walkway, where the Dart River flows in to Lake Wakatipu.

Mt Earnslaw from the Glenorchy Walkway

Black swan, Glenorchy Walkway

The next day was one of our more challenging hikes, on the Routeburn Track to the valley above Routeburn Falls (13 miles, 2000 feet).

Quiet lunch spot in the Routeburn Flats along the river. Our destination waterfalls are in the cliffs beyond.

Routeburn Falls

Higher waterfalls on the Routeburn River

Our high point, looking west, on the Routeburn Track

Routeburn Flats, on our return hike.

The road to this trail crosses the Dart River, tagged on Google Maps as the location for Isengard, a Lord of the Rings movie location.

Isengard? on the Dart River

Lake Alta: The next day, we drove back through Queenstown to Te Anau. We made a side trip to the Ski Hill at the top of The Remarkables for a short hike to Lake Alta, which sits just behind Double Cone.

Lake Alta, a cirque lake nestled behind Double Cone at the top of the Remarkables.

Up close, the water is a beautiful green blue!

In Te Anau, we hiked a part of the Kepler Track to Lake Manapouri. By incredible coincidence, we bumped into our guide from three years ago at the trailhead.

Waiau River (Anduin River) from the Kepler Track.

Spirit Lake. The surrounding marshes were dry this late in the summer.

Lake Manapouri, with sandflies.

We also made a quick stop in the Te Anau Birdpark to see the Takahe.

Takahe, Te Anau Birdpark, 3/1/2023

Milford Sound: The Key Summit Track, which is also the other end of the Routeburn Track, is along the road to Milford Sound. We missed this entire segment of our trip three years ago, due to flooding, so this was one of our main destinations this trip. We had the good luck of seeing the clouds lift as we reached the top, revealing views of the surrounding peaks, with Lake Marian nestled between them.

Mts Christina and Lyttle, and Lake Marian, from Key Summit

Key Summit tarn and reflections

After the hike, we drove on through the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound, where we spent two lovely nights at a lodge on the Cleddau River, surrounded by incredible views of the mountains.

Homer Tunnel entrance, westbound

Milford Sound Lodge, Cleddau River

The next day we took our long awaited cruise through Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea and visited the underwater observatory. It was a cloudy day, but didn’t rain. We saw many waterfalls, dolphins, seals, and birds.

Morning view of Mitre Peak, Milford Sound, 3/3/2023

Bird flocks near the Tasman Sea

Black coral in the underwater observatory

One of the many waterfalls.

Afternoon reflections

The next day, we drove back through the Homer Tunnel, and this time stopped in the Hollyford Valley to walk up to Lake Marian, which we had seen from Key Summit. The trail is not long, but it is very rough (5 miles, 1500 feet). There is much climbing over rocks and roots, and lots of stairs. The lake was very peaceful, and once again, that beautiful aqua blue color.

Rainforest in the Milford Sound area

Homer Tunnel entrance, eastbound

Lake Marian

Climbing down one of the steeper trail segments

To Wanaka: We stayed one more night in Te Anau, then had a long day’s drive to Wanaka. On our way back through Queenstown, we took a break at Kewarau River Gorge, with its famous bungy jumping platform. It is a beautiful setting, with an antique suspension bridge over aqua blue waters. We saw rafters and kayakers in the gorge below, and also saw several people take the bungy leap.

Kawarau Gorge

Wanaka: We had been hoping to go to Rob Roy Glacier, but couldn’t find a 4wd vehicle to get to the trail. Instead, we repeated our Rocky Mountain hike of three years ago, this time on a windless day. We were able to admire the 360 degree view from the top for a good long time.

View from the top of Rocky Mountain

Back in town, we visited ‘That Wanaka Tree’ on the lakeshore, and I also found some souvenir knitting wool.

That Wanaka Tree, Lake Wanaka, 3/6/2023

Souvenir sock yarn

Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park: This was one of our favorite spots three years ago, so we planned to stay three nights. We were bargaining with the weather spirits, as there was a lot of rain in the forecast. Given the state of my knees, we were not planning to rehike the 2000 steps up to the Sealy Tarns, but we were able to find decent weather windows to take four easier hikes in the area. While waiting out rainstorms, we monitored the view of the beautiful Aoraki/Mt Cook through our hotel room window.

We walked the longest hike (7.3 miles, 650 feet), up the Hooker Valley to Lake Hooker, on out first afternoon, while the mountain was still out, and before the rain set in. We could see the toe of the glacier across the lake, and get quite close to the icebergs that were floating near shore.

Hooker Valley Track. The first of three swing bridges, near Lake Mueller.

Aoraki/Mt Cook from the trail

Closer view of the summit

Aoraki Mt Cook, Hooker Lake, Hooker Glacier at the far end of the lake.

Closer view of the ice bergs

Late afternoon view of Aoraki/Mt Cook from our hotel room

The next day we slept in while the rain poured down. We took a short hike to Kea Point, on Lake Mueller, during a dry spell.

Lake Mueller, and glaciers on Mt Sefton, from Kea Point

The next day was also quite rainy until late afternoon, when we hiked up to a view point at the Red Tarns. This was another of those “mostly stairs” hikes that my knees regretted later.

Some of the 1000 stairs up to the Red Tarns

Red Tarns, with cloudy view of the mountains

Our last day was fairly clear, except for a bit of cloud sitting just on the summit of Aoraki/Mt Cook. On our way out of the park, we took a short hike up to Tasman Lake, for another view of a milky blue glacier lake with ice bergs and a giant glacier at the far end.

Tasman Lake and Glacier (3/10/2023)

Icebergs in Tasman Lake

Then we drove back along Lake Pukaki, and eventually to Christchurch, before our flight to the North Island the next day.

Lake Pukaki

North Island…

We did not do any North Island sight seeing on our previous trip, so these were all new locations for us.

North Island locations and hikes (stars), March, 2023

Hobbiton: Our first stop was Matamata, where we took the Hobbiton Movie Set tour. Having reread Tolkien’s books many times since I was about 12 years old, I had a little trepidation about this, but was completely charmed by the tour. Fog was just lifting off the green, sheep speckled hills when we arrived in the Shire. We walked paths past colorful hobbit holes and gardens, then around the lake and the Party Tree to The Green Dragon Pub. It was like being in the fictional Shire for a little while, with a clever and funny tour guide. I found it a little magical and very satisfying.

Hobbiton

Bilbo’s home

View across the lake

Turangi: We drove on to our lodging in Turangi, stopping at a couple of spots along the way.

Mudpots and fumaroles at the Craters of the Moon Geothermal Area

Huka Falls on the Tongariro River

Our main goal on the North Island was the Tongariro Crossing, a challenging 13 mile hike across the shoulders of two volcanoes in Tongariro National Park, and also the location for Mt Doom/Mordor in the Tolkien movies. This very popular trail has a shuttle bus system that takes hikers to the trailhead. The track ascends 3000 feet, and then descends 4000 feet, back to the car park. We had budgeted a few days in the area, hoping for a good weather day. On our first day in the area, we could not even see the volcanoes due to clouds and rain. We took a short, slightly rainy walk along the Tongariro River, near our lodging.

Tongariro River Trail near Turangi; this area is famous for fly fishing. 3/13/2023

Tongariro Crossing: The next day, March 14, was perfect! Sunny and clear, but not hot. Hundreds of people, including several classes of 12 year old students, were also making the Tongariro Crossing this day. I think they all passed me, but that’s okay – I wasn’t in a hurry, I was just glad to be able to complete the crossing, though it took over nine hours. Of course everyone joked about walking into and out of Mordor. The trail leads through a variety of volcanic landscapes – lava fields, craters, ashy slopes, fumaroles, crater lakes of various sizes, and then back into the forest.

Lower trail, approaching the lava flows up ‘Devil’s Staircase’ toward Mt Ngauruhoe (2290 m)

Looking back at South Crater and Mt Ngauruhoe, from the shoulder of Red Crater

Looking into Red Crater on Mt Tongariro

Summit of Red Crater

View from the summit back to Mt Ngauruhoe

Heading down the other side, on a very steep scree trail, toward the Emerald Lakes; Blue Lake is a little further on the left.

Emerald Lakes

Lunch stop at Emerald Lakes

Looking back from the rim of Blue Lake toward Red Crater and a giant lava flow in Central Crater. The highest volcano in the park, Mt Raupehu (2797 m) can be seen just to the left of Mt Ngauruhoe.

Blue Lake and Central Crater

Heading down from Blue Lake, now just 3000 more feet of descent between us and the trail’s end (pink circle). Lake Rotoaira, and the enormous Lake Taupo beyond.

Looking back up at fumaroles and a waterfall

Eventually, we descended into the forest

By this time, so many people had passed me that I enjoyed walking alone for a while through the lush green forest, listening to the birds and the nearby river.

Mt Raupehu: The next day, March 15, we returned to Tongariro National Park and met up with some friends who also happened to be in the area and had made the crossing the previous day. We took the Sky Waka Gondola up the Whakapapa Ski Field on the shoulder of Mt Raupehu, admiring the views, and mostly taking it easy. I needed a rest day!

Sky Waka Gondola on Mt Raupehu

Tawhai Falls/Gollum’s Pool in Tongariro National Park

Black swans on Lake Rotoaira, Mt Tongariro in the distance

To Auckland: On Thursday, March 16th, we drove north to Auckland. We stopped for views of Lake Taupo, and visited the Waimangu Volcano Valley.

Lake Taupo, an enormous crater lake, is 21 miles wide and 29 miles long

Inferno Crater in Waimangu Valley

Birds Nest Geyser in Waimangu Valley

Auckland: We stayed in Auckland for two days before flying home. The first day, we walked all around the city center, and took the elevator up the Sky Tower.

Auckland Harbor and Sky Tower

View toward Mt Eden from the Sky Tower

Auckland Harbor Bridge to the North Shore communities, including Takapuna

While we were viewing the city from the Sky Tower windows, adventurous people were jumping off the ledge above, attached to a vertical zip line. The first time one fell past us was quite jarring!

Sky Tower jumper…

going down to a fixed landing pad at the bottom.

We continued our walk around the city, and walked through the Albert Park to the Art Museum.

Albert Park

Maori portrait in the Auckland Art Gallery

The next day, we drove over the Auckland Harbor Bridge to Takapuna Beach, and took a lovely beach walk. We also visited an art exhibit in the local library.

Takapuna Beach

Rangitoto Island beyond the beach

Coquina beach sand

Paintings of Iceland and New Zealand in the Takapuna Library by artist Hafdis Bennet

We hiked up Mt Eden on our way to the airport, for a last look around.

Downtown Auckland from Mt Eden

Mt Hood and Mt Adams from the airplane window, as we return home to Portland.

In all, I loved our return visit to New Zealand. We got to almost all of the hikes and sites on our list. It is an easy place to travel if you can adjust to left side drive. I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t been, and who loves beautiful scenery and outdoor adventures.

Early February 2023, hiking, quilting, knitting…

March 5, 2023February 19, 2023 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

This post updates my activities for the first part of February…

Knitting: I’ve made progress on two blankets – one for me, and one for the Puddletown Knitters Guild Service Project:

Malabrigo Slip Stitch Blanket

Sliding Is Fun Blanket

I had planned to crochet the guild blanket, and tried my hand at a sample, but I’m not quite ready to commit to such a big crochet project yet. Maybe the next one.

Practice crochet swatch

Quilting: I’ve worked through all the clues on the Modern Mystery Quilt, and pieced the blocks. We were asked not to share the finished look until March 3rd.

Modern Mystery Quilt 2023 tentative layout…

In bloom: Our first crocus emerged from the mostly dormant garden beds on February 9th. Just about the same time as the first grass widows were blooming in the eastern Gorge.

Our first crocus

Hiking: Both hikes were in the eastern Columbia River Gorge, Washington:

Eagles again! Bitterroot-Rowland Trail at Catherine Creek, WA – February 8th:

Lots of water here today – in vernal pools, and oozing out of the grassy slopes. No actual flowers, but plenty of emerging foliage – just waiting for a bit more warmth and sun.

Catherine Creek/Sunflower Hill

Fairy pools

Up the Bitterroot Trail,

The Arch

Mt Hood with fresh snow

Mt Hood close up

Meanwhile, as I was admiring these plants at the edge of Rowland Wall, a juvenile eagle swooped by at eye level.

View west from Rowland Wall

Bald eagle…

circling back,

and around again.

Then the entire eagle family circled its way up Rowland Wall, juveniles and mature adults – perhaps the same flock we saw a couple of weeks ago over Lyle.

Adult bald eagle

The whole family is here.

We continued down the wall, and back to the trailhead, imagining the flowers that will be blooming soon.

Looking back up Rowland Wall.

Another vernal pool. The frogs were really loud, but became instantly silent as we approached.

Crawford Oaks-Vista Trail, Columbia Hills, WA – February 14th

A cold, slightly windy day – fresh snow on the Cascade Peaks. We walked the five mile lower loop and were rewarded with seeing the first grass widows – next week there will be a purple bloom here.

View west from near the trailhead – Mt Hood and Horsethief Butte

Mt Hood

Eightmile Creek Falls was fairly full…

Eightmile Creek Falls

Rainbow and plunge pool

The view from the waterfall to the east across the Columbia River:

We continued up the road, across the creek, then south on the Vista Loop, to our usual stop near the power pylons, where we often see the first flowers blooming, and the first grass widows were just beginning to open in the cold breeze…

grass widow

A few purple buds opening in the grassy slopes

We continued around the loop, to the high point, then back around to the view of Dalles Mountain Ranch. A good walk on a brisk day.

West from the high point

East from the high point

Dalles Mountain Ranch

There will be more hikes in February – in the next post.

Hiking, January 2023

February 7, 2023 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

January 3rd – Eagle watch near Lyle, WA; Catherine Creek Arch Loop

We drove through the snow-frosted Columbia River Gorge, with a stop at Cascade Locks.

View down river from The Bridge of the Gods.

At the Balfour-Klickitat Natural Area near Lyle, WA, we spotted just a few bald eagles where we sometimes have seen many in early January.

One adult and two juvenile bald eagles

Bald eagle

We followed with a hike around the nearby Catherine Creek Arch, foliage mostly dormant.

View south toward Mosier, OR

Catherine Creek Arch

Eastward, up the Columbia River

January 17 – More eagles; Lyle Cherry Orchard, WA

After two weeks of inclement, unhikeable (for me) weather, we returned to the eastern Gorge. We began with another attempt to see the eagles at the Balfour-Klickitat Natural Area near Lyle. This time, we saw only one bald eagle near the lagoon, and also a great blue heron.

Lagoon near the Klickitat River; bald eagle and heron circled in blue

Bald eagle and heron again

Bald eagle

Great blue heron

Also seen near the mouth of this lagoon and the Klickitat River:

Salmon swimming in from the Klickitat River

Ducks and geese in the Klickitat River

From the southern bluff, we could see that most of the eagles were down on the delta/sand bar where the Klickitat River meets the Columbia River. I took a few fuzzy zoom photos – we counted about a dozen eagles fishing down there.

Bald eagles on the Klickitat River sand bar

Lyle Cherry Orchard Town Loop: Then we drove through Lyle and the railroad tunnels to the trailhead for Lyle Cherry Orchard. We climbed up the first tier, admiring the reflections in the river.

Eastward view from the Convict Road

As we hiked westward on the town loop, we spotted our eagles circling overhead – it was quite thrilling to watch them for a while as they made their way up the Klickitat River Canyon.

Bald eagles circling above Lyle, WA

We also got a glimpse of Mt Adams from the trail:

Mt Adams

And another look at the town of Lyle as we finished our loop. No eagles on the river bar, but one overhead.

January 26 – Tracy Hill, WA

Another gloomy day in Portland. Cold and dry in the Eastern Gorge. We started at Catherine Creek Trailhead, and opted for the eastern loop to the top of Tracy Hill.

Looking up the slope near the trailhead. Bitterroot and grass widow foliage emerging in the foreground.

Vernal pools along the way.

We stopped for lunch with a view up Major Creek.

Continuing upward after lunch, I noticed a ghost tree with an awestruck look on their face:

A face in the trees…

Ghost tree with an amazing view:

The view is of Mt Hood from this point on the trail.

Continuing on to the top of the hill:

To the top of Tracy Hill

A makeshift bench for a short rest

Just beyond the top, a peek at Mt Adams through the bare trees

And another view of Mt Hood on the return hike.

Underexposed, but I can see the glaciers shining in the low winter light on the slopes of Mt Hood.

January 31 – Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge, WA

Our last hike of the month was another visit to Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge in Washington. There was more water in the reconstructed lakes than during our most recent visit in December, and we saw a variety of wildlife.

Tree reflections in the slightly frozen lake, as seen in from the dike.

Geese gathered near the lakeshore.

Deer near the long bridge

Water under the bridge this visit, swan (and Mt Hood) in the distance.

Tundra swan

Two bald eagles out in the lake.

A great blue heron on our path on the return hike.

Great blue heron on the trail

And I zoomed in to this view of Mt Hood from the dike on our return.

Notice Vista House in the right foreground.

January 2023

February 6, 2023 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Quiet and cold in Portland this month. I went on four hikes (see next post), met a few times with my knitting group at the local coffee spot, and walked in the neighborhood when it was dry.

Alameda stairs

Moon, January 1, 2023

Knitting:

I thought I was done with knitting gnomes for a while, but then a request came in for a long time friend, so I made one more. I knit myself a new travel mug cosy, and finished my holiday socks. And made progress on my slip stitch blanket.

The last? gnome

Cup cosy

Holiday socks

Slip stitch blanket in progress

Quilting:

I am actually quilting again! I joined the Modern Quilt Studio – Mystery Quilt, as I have learned so much from Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr over the years. I’ve finished the first four clues. I have no idea what the final quilt will look like, but I had fun picking two contrasting palettes of fabric from my existing stash. There will be two more sets of instructions before the big reveal.

Blocks for the first four clues.

Family archeology:

While relearning crochet, I was looking through a collection of my mother’s knitting and sewing books for useful material. These are very outdated craft books that I keep for sentimental reasons. As I was leafing through one of them, a piece of thin note paper covered in my mother’s beautiful cursive handwriting fell out. It is just a notation of a crochet pattern, but my heart filled, and I felt her here with me, advising me in her future, playing the role of a ‘time being’. (Credit to Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being, which I read recently, and which gave me a whole new definition of the expression ‘time being’.)

Sad news: In January, more racist violence shocked us all…as a mother, daughter, sister, friend, member of the human race, my heart is pierced each time.

With reference to Tyre Nichols, Memphis, TN (photo from the internet)

Meanwhile, an anonymous someone in my neighborhood is trying to spread good wishes…

Looking back on 2022…

February 1, 2023 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Hiking, reading and crafting, goals and accomplishments, life in pandemia….

We begin 2023, adapted to the new ‘ordinary’ life. We are injected with as many booster shots as we can get, and masking whenever in crowds of people. We will probably go on this way for a while. With the best of intentions we move on in our world, acknowledging privileged survival and a relatively easy life here, now.

TRAVEL: We returned to international travel in 2022, hiking in Scotland and Iceland during long summer days. We also traveled to Joshua Tree and southern Utah for hiking, and went twice to Washington DC, to see our daughter, and other east coast relations.

Red Rocks, NV, April

Joshua Tree, CA, February

Zebra Canyon, UT, April

Pennsyvania, March

George Washington Bridge, on the way to CT, March

National Mall, DC, March

Supreme Court, DC, October

Old Rag, VA, October

Thingveller, Iceland, July

Applecross, Scotland, June

HIKING: My 76 hiking and walking adventures added up to 332 miles, and 52,272 feet in elevation, many of these while on our travels. New notable local hikes: finishing the last few miles of Portland’s 39 mile long Wildwood Trail, a pandemic project; the return to fire-scarred Bird Creek meadows on Mt Adams; and our first time to walk around Bayocean Spit on the Oregon coast.

View from Pittock Mansion over Portland after finishing the Wildwood Trail.

Bird Creek Meadows, Mt Adams

Sand pipers and plovers on Bayocean Spit

Our many repeat hikes were satisfying for monitoring seasonal changes, exemplified by these views of Mt Hood:

March, White River

August, East Eliot Moraine

October, Vista Ridge

READING: I finished 88 books last year. I learned the most from nonfiction and memoirs (red stars), written by diverse authors, mostly women: a thru hiker, a mountain climber, a senator, musicians, writers, and even an astrophysicist. My favorite fiction books were: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, and Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather. I also enjoyed rereads of classics and old favorites.

QUILTING: I made one baby quilt.

Baby quilt for a new great niece, March

KNITTING: I knit my way through 9933 yards of yarn, the largest quantity into 15 hats for our guild service project. I also knit at least one gnome every month, for the Year of Gnomes. I made hats and socks for family, and a couple of scarves and gift critters.

Ravelry 2022 project thumbnail pictures

Ravelry 2022 knitting stats

12 gnomes, for the Year of Gnomes

FAMILY: Both of our sons, who had been temporarily living at home, moved out: one nearby, the other to Philadelphia. So we are fully empty nest for now. We were able to visit our daughter in DC twice last year, and she came home twice. She is in a gap year, and may be relocating to a new city for grad school next year. We were able to see some extended family members for the first time since the pandemic, but they live far enough away that regular visits are not easy.

A favorite garden in Eugene, OR, August

More of my favorite photos from 2022:

Portland cherry trees:

March

November

Scotland, June:

New Zealand Tree Fern in the Glasgow Botanical Gardens

Climbing Stob Dubh

Solstice near Glencoe

On the slopes of Stac Pollaidh

Iceland, July:

Street Art in Reykjavik:

Waterfalls and puffins:

Gullfoss

Dynjandi

Kirkjufellsfoss

Latrajbarg cliffs

Plans for 2023: I am relearning crochet so that I can make a blanket for the Guild service project, and a coral for the Coral Reef project. I am midway through knitting a slip stitch blanket. I have started the Modern Quilt Studio Mystery Quilt, and am having fun using my stash again. I hope to see more of family, but that is not always up to me. I plan to continue monthly blog updates, with expected travel interruptions. I am working on about a dozen posts from our 2020 New Zealand trip, and from 2022 Scotland and Iceland trips, and quilt documentation posts. I have to resize pictures in older posts to fit storage limits, adding a layer of time consuming work.

We will continue weekly local hikes, and expect to hike almost daily on our upcoming trips to New Zealand and Italy.

My general wish for the New Year is for good health, and for living in a way that honors diversity and contributes to ecological repair, with kindness, honesty, and generosity.

December 2022 Recap

January 14, 2023January 14, 2023 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

What do I want to remember about December? A freak snowstorm the first week. A lot of grey, rainy cold days which I spent counting down to the winter Solstice. I only went on two hikes this month:

12/6/2022 – Catherine Creek, WA –

We drove through the snowy Columbia River Gorge, and found the early snow at Catherine Creek.

Ice on Rowland Lake

Snow covered slopes on the Lower Trail

We saw a fox run up the slope.

Looking across the Columbia River to Oregon.

Catherine Creek Waterfall

Then we walked up to the snow-covered fairy pools,

and looked across to the Arch.

While eating lunch and warming up in the car, the sun came out, so we decided to walk the trail above the Arch.

Bridge over the creek

I saw a few predator birds in the tree tops – a hawk

American kestrel

Looking up toward Sunflower Hill

We turned around at the top of the Arch, not having adequate footwear for deeper snow and ice.

Eastward view

12/13/2022 – Portland Arboretum –

Another day, we found a slightly dry weather window, and took a 2.5 mile walk through part of the Portland Arboretum.

We found the most color in the Holly Garden.

Bare deciduous trees and grey skies.

Mahonia in the Winter Garden

Cedar

Meanwhile…

I took plenty of walks through the neighborhood looking for cheerful holiday decor.

I remember willing the Solstice and longer days to arrive. For a few days each year, the sun is so low, it shines through our front door windows onto the stairwell wall.

Later in the month, the east winds swept through and pounded our neighborhood, blowing down several very tall fir trees, including one across the street that we had been worried about for years. It fell on the neighbor’s house. Fortunately no one was in the room that was crushed at that moment. Then we watched the street drama of tree removal for several days, front row seat from our living room.

December 22nd, tree down

December 23rd – a thin layer of icy snow over everything…

December 26th – first they removed the other standing tree,

Then used a very tall crane to remove the fallen tree.

Rainproofing the roof; reconstruction and repair will take a while….

Elsewhere in the neighborhood:

Over in the park, Henry Huggins lost his shade tree,

and the tall fir to the left of this nutcracker…

blocked this street for a few weeks until it could be removed.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt an any of these local incidents.

What else…one son moved to Philadelphia at the beginning of the month and was not here for the holidays. We began to settle into our next phase of empty nesting, with no sign of any of the kids living here in the near future. We were glad to have our daughter home for the holidays. Luckily, she moved her flight up one day, and missed the travel craziness that happened this year. We were amazed that our other son arrived home from a business trip on a delayed flight from Denver, at 3 am on Christmas morning…for some reason not cancelled. We enjoyed setting up our tree, admiring the ornaments and the memories they bring; lighting Hanukkah candles, baking cookies, having a lovely Christmas dinner with some of our oldest friends.

New ornament from Scotland

Portland Art Museum – 12/28

My daughter and I went with friends to see a few of the current exhibits.

The golden brush strokes on this special exhibit Botticelli painting drew me in.

Very different from the rectangular smudges on this Impressionism work, which I also loved.

The Japanese woodblock prints of Mt Fuji were much more intricate and detailed, also beautiful!

A large retrospective exhibit of the Native American artist, Oscar Howe, was so interesting. His style evolved from representational to fractured, and was very colorful. These paintings are both dancers, with one arm raised, and feathers hanging down. I loved them!

Other December news:

An artist friend gave me a small painting of Mt Hood that we hung in our kitchen adjacent to one of my husbands’ photos of Mt Hood. We love the mountains!

I knit my way through the month, completing a few gifts, and finishing the year of gnomes.

I made three of these Warm One Hats in Knit Picks Mighty Stitch yarn held double, as gifts for each of my kids.

I made the 12th gnome, Gnova, by Sara Schira, for the December Year of Gnomes.

I made three Little Tigers that have new homes.

I continued knitting the Malabrigo Slip Stitch Blanket after all the gift knitting was done. This one is for me.

I plan to write one more post for 2022 – hopefully soon.

November 2022 hiking, and a visit to the Maryhill Museum of Art

January 9, 2023 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We went on three familiar hikes, and to the Maryhill Museum of Art.

11/3 Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge, WA

This used to be our reliable close-in flat walk, for partly rainy days, where we could go to see upside down trees reflected in the lake, and often, many waterfowl. For the past couple of years, the site has undergone major reconstruction. The berm that separates these lowlands from flooding by the Columbia River has been breached in order to reconnect salmon to the Gibson Creek drainage. On our first visit back on the rerouted trails we saw a few birds and drained lakes. I will be interested to walk the rest of the trails when the project is complete.

Looking across the new Steigerwald Lake to the east.

Egret and heron

The bridge that used to have a lake under it.

Killdeer

Crossing the bridge

Trail now closed

Art trail – should be open next spring

View across the Columbia River from the berm

Geese

11/10 Angel’s Rest, OR

We save this popular close-in trail for midweek hikes. The trail zigs and zags up, through the forest, then the cliffs, to stunning panoramic views up and down the gorge, and across to the snowy Washington peaks (4.5 miles, 1500 feet).

Angel’s Rest

View to the west from the upper cliffs

Looking north across the Columbia River

Closer view of Silver Star Mountain

View to the east, northern shoreline highlighted by sunbeams

Blue jay lunch companion

Colorful twice-burned forest in the foreground.

11/14 The Labyrinth, WA

Our reliable eastern gorge hike, especially on windier days when the basalt columns give some protection. I love to visit all my favorite trees along the trail, and check the water levels in Hidden Creek (4 miles, 800′).

Approach trail – Old Hwy 8

Looking south across the Columbia River

Pools in Hidden Creek

Hidden Creek

Dry grass

Basalt cliffs

Up the labyrinth

More basalt cliffs

Favorite oak grove

Lunch view to the east

Farther up, the cliff-edge oak tree

Poderosa at the upper viewpoint

And down, past the haunted tree

Driving home toward rainy Portland through sunbeams

11/8 Maryhill Museum of Art, WA

I was still nursing a knee injury, so instead of hiking, we drove east of our usual winter hiking ground and visited the Maryhill Museum of Art. It is perched on a cliff edge on the northern side of the Columbia River Gorge, in a mansion built by Sam Hill. He was the remarkable American businessman who built railroads and roads, including some of the first roads through the Columbia River Gorge. He travelled through Europe in the early 20th century, and made many artist friends who convinced him to turn his mansion into a museum. The building was started in 1914, but not opened until 1940. It contains an eclectic selection of art, some donated by Sam Hill’s friends, some acquired later. So out in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of the Columbia River Gorge, is a museum with galleries of Rodin sculptures, gilt furniture that once belonged to the Queen of Romania, historical exhibits about Sam Hill and friends, and a large and well curated display of Native American art and artifacts. And hundreds of chess sets from all over the world. It is a beautiful collection.

Driving east out of the rain, through the Columbia River Gorge along WA 14

We accidentally parked near the service entrance, so walked to the museum from the western side.

Throne chairs, inspired by those donated to the museum by the Queen of Romania, with excellent views.

View west, to the vineyards and Columbia River

We walked around to the eastern entrance plaza.

Main entrance

Yarn-bombing installation

Dedication by the Queen of Romania

One of the historical exhibits was about pioneering modern dancer Loie Fuller, who encouraged Sam Hill to dedicate his house to art.

There is an entire gallery dedicated to the works of Auguste Rodin, the French sculptor, including a fascinating exhibit with miniatures showing each step in the process of Lost Wax Bronze Casting. We had just seen one of Rodin’s more famous pieces, the Burghers of Calais, in the Washington DC Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, and here was a whole roomful of bronze statues, and plaster casts, working models, sketches and completed pieces.

Rodin gallery

Plaster model of The Thinker

More Rodin artwork

Another Gallery, Theater de la Mode, displays miniature mannequin collections from Paris fashion houses.

Native American Art and artifacts are on display in several galleries:

Modern jewelry

Displayed in a glass walled gallery with extensive views.

Modern paintings in another gallery,

these change seasonally.

And extensive displays of beading, basketry, stone, leather, weaving, pottery and other antiquities, organized by regions of the west. This exhibit is scheduled to be overhauled during the winter closure. (The museum is closed from midNovember to midMarch).

The last gallery we visited was the hall of chess sets – over 400, from all over the world, carved or sculpted from many different media, a dazzling display.

A life size cutout of Sam Hill stands overlooking this gallery.

As we exited the museum, we walked again along the outdoor plaza, admiring the views and outdoor art installations.

Looking down on the outdoor plaza

Aptly named “Roll and Play”, by Alisa Looney, 2007

Eastward view

View to the south, with three birds

Three birds

Walking into the wind back to our car. “Brushing” by Mike Sur, 2009.

I can’t believe I had never been here before, but I hope to return next year when they host their annual plain air exhibit.

November 2022

December 31, 2022 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Catching up on November at home and in the neighborhood…

We had lots of rainy, cold weather, brightened by leaves beginning their color changing and falling,

tupelo and katsura

sumac

gingko

Leaves staining the cement, and other sidewalk art…

A rainy day with magical sun breaks…

Looking across the Willamettte River to SE Portland from the Marquam Bridge

Meanwhile, the neighborhood is lit up with the western sunbeams pouring in beneath the clouds…

And more leaves glow along the streets…

We had some delicious meals shared with friends:

A beautiful eggplant curry with pomegranate

Thanksgiving pies

Meanwhile, I continued my knitting…

I finished one pair of socks,

and started a Malabrigo slip stitch blanket,

and another pair of socks.

November gnome (Nice to Gnome You by Sarah Schira)

And a Tiny Gnome for gifting (Anna Hrachovec)

We voted at the beginning of the month, with mostly satisfactory results, though there have been some setbacks.

We went on three hikes in November, and to the Maryhill Museum, all to be described in the next post…

Shenandoah National Park, October 2022

December 27, 2022 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

During our Washington DC trip, we spent three days in the middle of the week exploring the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia.

Location Map for our Shenandoah National Park trip.

10/25 – First Looks

We drove west, toward the Shenandoah Mountains, admiring the fall colors along the way.

Westbound on Hwy 211

We entered the park at Thornton Gap. We stopped at a few overlooks on Skyline Drive before checking into our room at the Skyland Resort.

Tunnel Parking Overlook

Buck Hollow Overlook

Jewell Hollow Overlook

10/26 – Hawksbill Summit, Deer Hollow Falls, a gorgeous sunset

The misty morning gave way to a few sun breaks.

Crescent Rock Overlook

We decided to hike the Hawksbill-Salamander-Appalachian Trail Loop and hope for the best.

Hawksbill Summit Trailhead, nest in the tree hollow

Upward into the mist…

Hawksbill Summit was fogged in, but while we ate our lunch, the clouds cleared, and we had a lovely westward view to the Shenandoah River Valley.

Shelter near the summit

The last section of trail

Disappointing summit views…

The mist began to rise…

More sun breaks and color…

Shenandoah River Valley

Beautiful foliage

and more clearing…

Foliage color wash

We descended via the Salamander Trail, to an intersection with the Appalachian Trail, which we walked along for about a mile.

Appalachian Trail Junction

Walking along the west side of Hawksbill

We could see the summit crags through the bare trees.

Red foliage and scree slopes.

The Hawksbill hike was about 2.7 miles, 600 feet. After our hike, we stopped at the Big Hollow Visitor Center and learned a bit about the history of the park. Then we hiked about 3 miles to Dark Hollow Falls from the Rose River Trailhead, once again, admiring the foliage colors, and then the tiers of the waterfall.

Rose River Trail

Dark Hollow Falls, lower tier

pool between tiers

Dark Hollow Falls, upper tiers

Later in the afternoon, we stopped at Tanners Ridge Overlook, just south of Big Meadow.

Tanners Ridge Overlook

Shenandoah Valley from Tanners Ridge

We noticed the clouds and sunbeams were looking promising for a great sunset. We hurried to The Point Overlook, known for excellent vistas. For the next hour, the rolling waves of mountain silhouettes, clouds and sunbeams put on a stunning display, nearly impossible to capture (but we tried!)

10/27- Old Rag hike from Berry Hollow

Old Rag (3274′) is a craggy mountain to the east of the main ridge of Shenandoah National Park, and a popular hiking destination. This was our longest hike for the week (6 miles, 1750 feet). The trailhead was about an hour’s drive from our lodging. We had purchased limited access permits online ahead of time, and passed three ranger check points along the trail. Many hikers choose the challenging Ridge scramble trail up the eastern rocky slopes. We opted for the slightly shorter, nonscrambly route from the Berry Hollow Trailhead.

Old Rag, as seen from the road to the trail head

Berry Hollow Trailhead

We hiked upward through beautiful fall foliage.

The lower trail follows roads

Old Rag Shelter, the rockier trails begin here

yellow foliage

A glimpse of the top

Through the slabs

Another view toward the summit, and an overhanging boulder

Large slab just below the summit, where we stopped for a lunch break.

The summit is covered with rocky boulders and slabs that more intrepid hikers scrambled up. We settled for circling the perimeter, and viewing the landscape to the west, north and east.

Panorama of the Shenandoah Mountains from Old Rag Summit

The scar of Skyline Drive is visible along the ridgeline

Colorwash of foliage…

Green, yellow, orange, red

Rocky outcrops on the summit

Panning to the east

The flat eastern seaboard comes into view

Farther east

Balancing boulder

Berries along the downward trail

We returned the way we came, the steep downward trail challenging to my recently injured knee, but we made it, thank you hiking poles!

Shelter below the summit

Last view toward the top

And back through the colorful forest

We drove back up to Skyline Road and stopped at the Old Rag Overlook, to look back at where we had been:

Old Rag from the Old Rag Overlook on Skyline Drive

Zooming closer

and closer

This was a successful trip. We wanted to see the fall foliage. The peak foliage was a little past at the top of the mountains, especially in Big Meadow, but was still sweeping in waves down the slopes, and is much more colorful than what we see in our home evergreen forests in Oregon.

The next morning we stopped for a last look from the Buck Hollow Overlook before driving back to Washington DC…

View from Buck Hollow Overlook

Washington DC, October 2022

December 21, 2022 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We flew to Washington DC for the last week of October, to visit our daughter. We took a midweek trip to the Shenandoah Mountains to see fall colors and hike while she was working. There is always so much to see in our nations’ capital. We visited all three branches of government, several museums, had some delightful meals with our daughter and her friends, and also visited some cousins in Maryland. Plenty of scope for thought, and art to appreciate, on this trip.

10/21 – Flying east –

We had cloud cover until after the Rockies. From my window seat, I watched the land beneath me change from the flat patchwork of the agricultural midcontinent to the wrinkles of Appalachia.

Possibly Iowa?

Wisconsin?

Lake Michigan

Ohio? large power plant on a river

Pennsylvania? wind mills on the ridges

Swooping into National Airport over the Mall – Lincoln Memorial

Potomac River, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, and the Capitol

10/22 – National Portrait Gallery, and Alexandria, VA

On Friday we had some business downtown, then had time for a brief visit to the National Portrait Gallery.

Chinatown Gate

My daughter wanted to show us the new portraits of the Obamas. Unfortunately, they were on loan to another museum, but we did visit some favorite presidents:

This Shepard Fairey portrait of Barack Obama was in the place of the official portraits.

John F. Kennedy by Elaine de Kooning

Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

I also found a few women to admire:

Eleanor Roosevelt

The Four Justices, by Nelson Shanks. Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagen, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg

After driving through a slow traffic jam that provided a great view of the Washington Monument from every angle, we followed the traffic out of town, and ended up at the Alexandria Waterfront, where we found a delicious Thai dinner on an outdoor patio overlooking the Potomac River.

Washington Monument

Alexandria River Walk

“Virginia is for Lovers” – we saw a formally dressed wedding party pose for pictures here, among the many people taking selfies by this sign.

10/24 – Old Ellicott City, MD

During our stay with cousins in Baltimore we visited Old Ellicott City on the Patapsco River. This city dates back to the 1600s, and is famous for its historic mill, railroads, and frequent flooding. The architecture reminds me of towns I’ve seen in England. Recent flooding repairs are ongoing. The town is known for public art, though being a Monday, most shops and museums were closed.

Mural and sculpture

Old brick work

Public mosaic, made from objects collected from the riverbed.

Steep streets above the river

Patapsco River

Fall color

B&O Railroad Museum

Bricks and siding

Ellicott’s Mills

Shop windows showed Halloween decorations. Pumpkins made of many media caught my eye: ceramic, glass, wire, beaded, painted, fabric, even knitted!

We spent the next three days in Shenandoah National Park, to be described in the next post.

10/28 – The Supreme Court, The Library of Congress, the US Capitol, the National Museum of the American Indian

On Friday afternoon, we returned to DC and set out to see more sites. Our first stop was the Supreme Court Building, which I had never been to before.

The Supreme Court Building from across the street.

The plaza has two large fountains.

We walked up the steps to the portico.

View from the top tier back to the Capitol

Looking up between the pillars – light fixture

Ceiling carvings

Window grill

Library of Congress, right next door.

We had time for a quick look around the Library of Congress before our US Capitol tour.

Library of Congress building

Entryway

The main chamber has beautiful marble carvings and murals representing classical literature and scholarship.

There is an upper balcony,

and a beautiful glass ceiling.

There were many exhibits I would have liked to examine in detail, but will have to hope to return another day.

Our daughter’s friend offered us a Capitol tour. I had been once before, more than ten years ago. There is so much to see in this building – I was glad to go again. We began in one of the Congressional office buildings, then were escorted through underground tunnels and security checkpoints to the Visitor Center.

Side dome, where media interviews are given

Dome ceiling

Skylight with view to the Capitol Dome, and the Statue of Freedom on top.

The main hall of the Visitor Center has lots of space for tour groups, and a selection of statues of famous Americans.

U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

Helen Keller

Sarah Winnemucca

Sojourner Truth

Replica of the Statue of Freedom on the top of the building

Statue of Freedom

Next we passed the original Supreme Court Chambers.

Original Supreme Court Chambers

with Original Clock. Much of what is in this room has been replicated.

We also passed a giant bust of President Lincoln on our way to the main Rotunda.

The main Rotunda is massive, and nearly impossible to photograph. Our guide said the Statue of Liberty would fit in this space.

Paintings, carvings, friezes…

Ceiling carvings, windows, painting

Close up of the center of the dome.

The Frieze of American History circles the upper level

Upper gallery, special tours only.

Paintings all around the lower level,

and more statues – Lincoln again.

Pioneers for Women’s Suffrage

Our next stop was The Old Senate Chamber.

The Old Senate Chamber

Replica of the original desk

Intricate floor tiles

Speaker’s Office

We didn’t go into the active chambers – but it was pointed out to us where the building had been repaired after the January 6th insurrection. Next we walked through Statuary Hall. Here are a few of the women represented there:

Our time was up. We returned to the Office Building where we began, with a stop to see artwork celebrating the western states.

Maps of the western territories

A one hour tour is hardly enough time to begin to see all that the U.S. Capitol building holds. Each wall, floor and ceiling is embedded with meaning, signifying historical events. As we walked through, our guide told us interesting facts about the architecture, the statuary, the building’s history. We could hear other guides emphasizing different aspects of the building. It was a privilege to get to view a slice of it, and I would be willing to go back again, for another view.

And we were not done yet! On our way back to our hotel, we walked through the National Museum of the American Indian, with just enough time to view one exhibit hall:

Entrance to the National Museum of the American Indian

Inner dome – a more modern architecture than the Capitol.

There were many styles of indigenous art on show. We passed these hallway pieces on our way to the gallery with the Preston Singletary exhibit:

Preston Singletary is a Tlingit American artist, who represents traditional stories and subjects using various forms of glass. Part of the gallery was a walk through the story of the raven, and there were many other beautiful pieces on display. :

It was nearly closing time for the museum, so we left without seeing the other galleries – another place I would like to return to. We exited the mall side of the museum.

As we crossed the mall, we got another view of the Capitol, with the current construction scaffolding, and the Washington Monument.

Capitol

Washington Monument. This was Friday afternoon – I think they were setting up for a festival on the weekend.

10/29 – Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden, National Mall, the White House, Potomac River Walk, Flying Home

Our last day in DC was a beautiful sunny fall day so we opted to do outdoor things. We started with a picnic lunch in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, a sunken green space filled with a variety of outdoor art pieces.

View across the garden

The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin

King and Queen by Henry Moore

Double Candle by Stirling Ruby.

This modern glass and steel grid had interesting reflections and transparencies:

Next, we walked across the mall, past the Washington Monument, and then the White House.

Washington Monument

Looking up

Stonework

Looking west to the Lincoln Memorial

North side of the White House

Later, we took a walk along the Potomac River near Mt Vernon before heading to the airport for our flight home.

After we boarded the plane, I could see the quarter moon rising. We flew west, chasing the sunset, with the moon visible over the wing the entire way, until we dipped below the clouds in Oregon.

Quarter moon over the airport…

Rivers of light below,

Quarter moon and sunset still on our horizon.

I was ready to be home, in time for Halloween in Portland.

Margaret Quilts

Quilting, Knitting, Hiking

Author: margaretquilts

New Zealand 2023 (or there and back, again)

North Island…

Early February 2023, hiking, quilting, knitting…

Eagles again! Bitterroot-Rowland Trail at Catherine Creek, WA – February 8th:

Crawford Oaks-Vista Trail, Columbia Hills, WA – February 14th

Hiking, January 2023

January 3rd – Eagle watch near Lyle, WA; Catherine Creek Arch Loop

January 17 – More eagles; Lyle Cherry Orchard, WA

January 26 – Tracy Hill, WA

January 31 – Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge, WA

January 2023

Knitting:

Quilting:

Family archeology:

Looking back on 2022…

December 2022 Recap

12/6/2022 – Catherine Creek, WA –

12/13/2022 – Portland Arboretum –

Meanwhile…

Portland Art Museum – 12/28

Other December news:

November 2022 hiking, and a visit to the Maryhill Museum of Art

11/3 Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge, WA

11/10 Angel’s Rest, OR

11/14 The Labyrinth, WA

11/8 Maryhill Museum of Art, WA

November 2022

Shenandoah National Park, October 2022

10/25 – First Looks

10/26 – Hawksbill Summit, Deer Hollow Falls, a gorgeous sunset

10/27- Old Rag hike from Berry Hollow

Washington DC, October 2022

10/21 – Flying east –

10/22 – National Portrait Gallery, and Alexandria, VA

10/24 – Old Ellicott City, MD

10/28 – The Supreme Court, The Library of Congress, the US Capitol, the National Museum of the American Indian

10/29 – Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden, National Mall, the White House, Potomac River Walk, Flying Home