June 2026, in Portland …

July 10, 2026 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

In mid-June, we had an adventure to the Wallowa Mountains in eastern Oregon, and a visit to the Portland Art Museum, described in later posts. Otherwise I was mostly around Portland, knitting, reading, and gardening, and I went on one waterfall hike in the Columbia River Gorge.

6/4 – Hiking Day – Latourell Falls, OR

Latourell Falls is one of the easiest waterfall hikes on the Historic Columbia River Highway. I hadn’t been here for a while, but today it suited my purpose – not too steep, as I regain my stamina (2.5 miles, 560 feet). It was lovely in the shady forest. We saw lots of interesting plant life along the way, and the trail was relatively quiet once we hiked past the crowded viewpoint of the Lower Falls.

Typical trail view through the shady forest.

Manroot flowers, tendrils and leaves; and avens flowers and seedheads.

Eventually, we reached the Upper Falls, and found a shaded lunch spot near the bridge.

The return trail was mostly down hill, with a view point of the Columbia River Gorge near the bottom.

Walking under a canopy of cedar and maple.

Back at the Lower Falls, the sun angle was not great for photography, but the columnar basalts and lichen stand out nicely.

6/13 – World Wide Knit In Public Day and other knitting

My knitting group went to Laurelhurst Park and knit in a shady area for a while. (I forgot to take a photo.) Meanwhile, I finished a pair of socks and a market bag this month, and started new socks and a cardigan.

New socks using leftovers of Zauberball Crazy.

Slant on Nature cardigan, in progress, Juniper Moon Cumulus yarn.

6/25 – Rainbow neighborhood walk

This time of year, when my neighborhood is so colorful with blooming plants, I like to take a rainbow photo walk.

Reading –

I finished reading nine books in June, with only one in the Jane Austen adjacent category. I read two more D.E. Stevenson novels, and two by Molly Clavering – mid-20th century Scottish writers of ‘domestic’ fiction – about people in small villages, with lots of descriptions of the natural surroundings.

Garden –

As noted, June is a busy month for plants. Two notable events in our garden – the blooming cluster lilies and the first ripe tomato.

Etc –

This month I am featuring an old photograph, from my family archives. There are about 400 boxes of slides that one of my brothers has taken charge of, and is having digitized. I had not seen most of these photos since those family slideshows after they were first developed, over 50 years ago, when the world was a carousel of color, and Kodak ruled the photo world. I am very glad I get to see them again, as they show people, places and events long gone, and bring back many great memories.

Family hike, June 1963, Glacier National Park, MT, possibly Baring Falls.

May 2026

June 4, 2026 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

What happened in May…

In the Garden –

More roses blooming early in the month.

Last year we had so much exterior work on the house (roof, painting, window repair, tuck pointing) that we never put in any kind of garden. But by the end of May, I had planted seven tomato plants, some basil, and some colorful marigolds, zinnias, scabiosa, and sea thrift. There are still many weeds to pull, but there will always be many weeds to pull…

Knitting –

I sewed the buttons on my Zephyr Cardigan.

Zephyr Cardigan, pattern by Celia McAdam Cahill, Knit Picks Wool of the Andes yarn

I started the knitting of Frog and Toad, but then had to take a break, as the tiny needles hurt my thumb joint.

Frog and Toad, in progress, Knit Picks Swish DK yarn

I made progress on socks and a market bag.

Ilene Bag by Hannah Mason, Lang Linello yarn

New yarn – I indulged in a colorful rainbow of mini skeins on a day I needed some cheering up. I also won a skein of sock yarn in the guild raffle. Not sure what either of these will be, but right now, I enjoy just looking at my yarn rainbow.

Reading –

I finished ten books in May. Three were in the Jane Austen adjacent category. In particular, Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney, is a look at other women authors Jane Austen would have been reading in her lifetime, writers who inspired her, and who she refers to in her own writings and letters. These authors have mostly ‘disappeared’ from the literature canon, mainly because they were women. My ‘to be read’ list is now much longer, and I look forward to reading many of the authors described in this book! That may be my project for next year. I love having very long list of books waiting for me!

A Visit to Eugene, May 3rd –

A day with family while our son Brian was on the west coast, visiting from Philadelphia.

Art, but on Ice, May 24th –

Once again, no art museum visit this month. But we attended the Stars on Ice show in Portland, a showcase of Olympic figure skaters. It’s been a while since I have attended a live event, though I do like to watch competitions. This year, I was enchanted by the skill and performances at the Olympics, especially seeing the mutual support of the athletes for each other. With just the right amount of sequins, music, spins, and backflips. What must it be like to have their gravity- and friction-defying motion in their muscle memory! (I took just a few photos – which are blurry because they move so fast!)

In the Neighborhood –

Walking along… I saw

Etc

And more neighborhood signs of resistance…

April 2026

May 15, 2026 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

April was a roller coaster, with another great loss. Nevertheless, I made progress on some usual activities.

Neighborhood walks…

Sidewalk of the month:

Knitting…

I finally finished knitting my Zephyr Cardigan. It fits well, and now just needs buttons.

Books…

I finished twelve books in April. In the Jane Austen category, I listened to the BBC radio adaptations of all six novels – a completely satisfying refresher. I also listened to two Nancy Mitford novels, and read two by D.E. Stevenson. All escapism. I suppose my re-listen of The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion was the most pertinent, and sadly, very relatable, and I appreciate having her writing to listen to in a sad time such as this.

Art…

Once again, I did not make it to the Art Museum this month, but I did see a huge new wall mural at one of the remodeled arrival concourses at the Portland Airport. Colorful ceramic tiles suggest a volcanic landscape, or the view from 30,000 feet… with details that look like topography, plants, lakes, lava…it is beautiful!

We also went to the Oregon Potters Association Showcase, and bought some new bowls and trinket dishes.

Patagonia by proxy…

My husband went to Patagonia for a Photography Workshop, and shared photos while visiting the National Park and Fitzroy areas.

Sisters quilting retreat…

While he was gone, two of my sisters came to visit and to work on some quilting projects. We finished four potholders to give to family members in Eugene. I practiced using my Juki machine, and we had more quilting planned after the Eugene weekend.

Eugene weekend…

We were enjoying visiting with siblings and sorting some of our parents photos and other archival material.

We watched the splashdown of Artemis II together. Our father was a rocket engineer, heavily involved in the Saturn V engine development in the early 60’s, so we all have great appreciation for successful space missions.

An afternoon in a family garden…

Only one younger sister wasn’t there, not feeling well – and then we received the sudden news that she had an unexpected fatal cardiac arrest and our world turned upside down. What started as a fun reunion turned to grief. At least we were all together and could console each other; at least we are good people to go through tragedy with; ‘at least‘ is one of the worst phrases in the language…All plans were upended and now I am writing this in May trying to remember what else happened in April.

Toward the end of the month…

My husband returned safely from South America. Our younger son visited from Philadelphia. Our daughter passed all her preliminary PhD exams at Duke, and now “just” has to complete her dissertation over the next few years. Our older son traveled to Trail Blazer post season games, thus the many airport trips. There will be two hikes to report on in a later post.

Etc…

Life continues under the toxic umbrella of war and global disarray that I do not look away from.

February 2026 Hiking

March 18, 2026 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

I went on only three hikes in February. We had some down time while my husband recovered from a sudden illness. He is well now. The later walks were in easy, recovery mode.

2/5 – White River snow hike, Mt Hood, Oregon

With snow levels still very low, we were able to hike this out-and-back trail, a long time favorite, with just micro spikes on our boots. There was a small amount of post-holing, but it was mostly fine.

Hiking uphill along the White River moraine – lots of exposed earth.

Our usual lunch spot, about a mile and a half up river, near the Timberline Trail crossing.

Boy Scout Ridge, which we sometimes avoid due to avalanche danger, has exposed plants on the surface today.

Luckily we had more snow by the middle of the month. There is more snow at this location now than there was in the beginning of February.

2/15 – Leach Botanical Garden, Portland

This public garden was gifted to the city of Portland by the estate of John and Lilla Leach. We hadn’t been in many years, but I remember taking my children here when they were young, and walking the stony paths between the plants. There was a bit of a Secret Garden feel to the park. I was aware that there had been a huge remodel and accessibility initiative. There is now a lovely Aerial Walkway that floats through the woodland. Today was our first time to try it. We walked less than a mile in total, as we had a time constraint, and also, my husband was still in recovery mode. Spring flowers were popping in a few beds, with more to come. I hope to return later in the spring to see more flowers.

Trails continue down to Johnson Creek, and to the original stone cottage across the creek.

Some flowers in bloom today…

2/26 – Memaloose Hills, Oregon

A windy day in the gorge. Most of this trail is protected from the strongest blasts, and it is a good conditioning hike (3 miles, 550 feet), as we work on our stamina…

Trailhead view across the Columbia River

Gold stars and grass widows on the upward slopes

View of the gorge and Mt Adams from the top of Chatfield Hill

We continued the loop that circles over the top of Marsh Hill…

View eastward from the top of Marsh Hill toward Tom McCall Point, with Columbia Desert parsley and grass widows among the rocks.

Swales of grass widows just beginning to bloom.

On the drive back toward Mosier, we stopped for a view to the north, to look at the greening slopes of the Coyote Wall and Catherine Creek areas, all burned last summer by the Burdoin Fire.

The good news is that, despite all the chaos in the political world, the flowers of spring are blooming again this year in the Columbia River Gorge!

September, 2025

October 17, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

In September we visited an art festival, and went on two hikes in the mountains, and one at the beach. I took my usual neighborhood walks, read a few books, and made very little notable progress on my ongoing knitting projects. At the end of the month, we flew to the east coast to visit family there (next post).

9/1 – Art in the Pearl

Some of my favorite artwork in this year’s show:

9/2 – Crescent and Cannon Beaches, OR

A hot day in Portland. We drove to the coast for a short hike to Crescent Beach in Ecola State Park, then went to Cannon Beach to walk near Haystack Rock at low tide.

View to Crescent Beach and Cannon Beach from Ecola Point.

Trail through the forest, about 3 miles round trip.

Descending to Crescent Beach, looking south.

We walked down the beach and found a spot to eat lunch.

Zooming in on Ecola Point, where we began our hike. We hiked back up after lunch.

After an ice cream break in Cannon Beach, we walked toward Haystack Rock. It wasn’t a particularly low low tide today. My husband took a much longer walk, while I found a good perch right in front of the Needles, and watched several pods of pelicans fly north along the breaker zone.

Zooming in on The Needles, with pelican.

9/10 – June Lake, Mt St Helens, WA

Another hot day. Another relatively easy hike, first to June Lake, then up onto some of the lava flows (Worm Flows) on the south side of the mountain (4 miles, 800 feet).

Some of the late wildflowers along the way:

June lake is calm, reflecting the waterfall coming out of the lava flow above.

Then we went up a fairly steep trail, and onto the Loowit Trail, and the lava flows:

A glimpse of the top of Mt St Helens beyond the clouds.

We went just high enough to get the full mountain view.

Zooming in on a glacier near the summit ridge.

The trail not taken ahead – our knees and balance had enough for the day.

We descended, with another stop at the beautifully reflective June Lake…

9/16 – Little Crater Lake, Mt Hood, OR

And yet another hot day! Another easy hike, first to Little Crater Lake, then to the eastern edge of Timothy Lake along the Pacific Crest Trail (3.5 miles, 50 feet).

This small artesian spring-fed lake is always a treat, with its deep turquoise color, reflections and transparency. An indulgent photo stop.

We walked to the eastern edge of Timothy Lake, then retraced our steps.

Pacific Crest Trail – nice and shady on a hot day.

We were told we could see Mt Hood from the Timothy Lake Dam, so we drove around the lake to see the view – it was just a glimpse over a ridge.

Neighborhood walks

Flowers and landscape elements I noticed in September:

I haven’t done much quilting lately, so I composed a concrete quilt from some of my favorite sidewalk cracks.

September books

I finished six books in September. The most inspiring was the biography of Robert Louis and Fanny Stevenson – A Wilder Shore, by Camille Peri. They were a very unusual couple for their time. He chose writing instead of the family business of lighthouse engineering. She grew up in rural Indiana, spent time with her first husband in the mining camps of Nevada, then in bohemian San Francisco, before going to France with her children to study art. They traveled all over the world, by horse carriage, train and ship, eventually settling in Samoa. It seems amazing to me that they were so widely travelled, and that she lived her own style, ignoring much of the expected behavior of a proper Victorian lady. I was inspired to reread my childhood copy of his poem, The Land of Counterpane, from A Child’s Garden of Verses, with illustration by Garth Williams – this is one of the definitive visual memories from my childhood – the quilt, and the imaginary play it inspired.

Also in Portland…

Things started to heat up. Deliberate misinformation reported a ‘war zone’ throughout the city. The only actual activity is near the Federal ICE facility in southwest Portland, where the true spirit of Portland is on display in peaceful protests that defend free speech and due process. I am writing this in October, when things have gotten crazier but in September, we were just getting ready for threatened invasion! I’m sure I will be adding something about the frogs next month.

July 2025 In Portland

August 12, 2025August 12, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

July was a busy month, when I look back. Our daughter visited for two weeks at the end of the month, and of course, that was my highlight! Before that, I visited a Textile Exhibit at the Columbia River Gorge Museum, and we went to the Peninsula Park Rose Garden on the fourth of July. There were five hikes (next post), lots of neighborhood walks, and the World Naked Bike Ride rode right past our house.

July 1st – Museum Day

I went with my friend Peggy to the Columbia River Gorge Museum in Skamania, WA, to see an exhibit of tapestry weavings by indigenous artist Kristie Strasen, that were inspired by the Columbia River, and its dams.

Individual panel and river segment descriptions

Close up of panel II, our local strand of the river.

Antique airplane in the museum, and the outside view

Museum patio and view to the Columbia River

July 4th at the Peninsula Park Rose Garden

Not much going on for us today. We went over to the local rose garden to see the roses.

Knitting and other crafts

I have made progress on my three projects – socks, a scarf, a cardigan.

Our daughter is an expert sock monkey creator and teacher. We started making our own sock monkeys on her previous visit. We are further along now; one more visit from her and we should finish. Meanwhile, she made one for a gift to a friend.

Home Improvement/Upkeep – It took half the summer to finish the house painting, and that included having all the storm windows freshened up.

Monthly Book Report

I finished 11 books in July. Several (Cranford by Elizebeth Gaskell, The Dante Game by Jane Langton, Wintering by Katherine May, and Civil to Strangers by Barbara Pym were comfortable re-reads. The type of book that is worth a second listen a few years later. My book group had a lively discussion about Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.

Neighborhood walking – flowers, shadows, architecture, whimsy

New Neighborhood Library

My Hollywood Branch of the Multnomah County Library is closed for six months of remodeling. I went to the newly opened Albina Library, just a little farther away, to pick up my books. It is a beautiful space, open and light-filled. The old part of the building is now a colorful children’s library. The new section is a beautiful, airy space, including classrooms, an outdoor patio planted with native plants, and lots of study spaces.

Knott Street entrance. This older part of the building is a refurbished 1911 Carnegie Library, remodeled as the children’s library.

Signs in the neighborhood of resistance and solidarity…

Appreciating our shared acknowledgement that we are not looking away.

And last but not least, The World Naked Bike Ride rode past our house on July 26th. It took 45 minutes for the full peloton of thousands of people to roll by. Neighbors came out and cheered them on. The atmosphere was festive, as the riders expressed their freedom of speech and body acceptance. No photos.

June 2025, walking and hiking

July 14, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

June 19, 2025 – Juneteenth walk up Alameda Ridge

Having been out of town for two weeks in southern Utah where it was too hot to walk outside or exercise, and I was otherwise engaged in helping a family member with a health care situation; Having returned, exhausted, and happy to be in my own home quietly for a couple of days; Having successfully taken a couple of slow neighborhood walks in the flatlands…

Today I felt I had the energy to walk up to Alameda Ridge and do a few stair repeats. Success! And once again, I am charmed by my neighborhood where I am so lucky to live. Front yards are in bloom and colorful; and today it is only in the mid60s; how lovely to be able to walk outside without being dried and desiccated by the sun. I lived seven years in Tucson, I know dry heat; I knew my survival strategies then. The two weeks of abrupt immersion in the heat and aridity in Utah were exhausting; but now I am recovering. Soon I will be walking in mountains again.

Today I walked my way up the hill, and noticed all the whimsy throughout my neighborhood. It is part of the keep Portland weird vibe. Little doors on trees, little houses under bushes, interesting little signs painted on the sidewalk stair cases of Alameda. Little free libraries throughout my neighborhood.

I also looked at each poetry post – today there was Emily Dickinson‘s, ‘Hope is a thing with feathers’, on one signpost. My favorite poetry post, the one I never miss if I am up in that neighborhood, had a very hopeful, expressive poem today for these terrible times we are living in, with the authoritarian effort to crush anything progressive, kind, diverse, multicultural, and human in our country.

Also up on the ridge today, there is that one house with a flagpole – today they were flying three flags, the Pride flag, the Juneteenth flag, which I had never seen before, and the Ukrainian flag.

How positive those signs are to me just wandering my way through the neighborhood on a beautiful early summer day with flowers blooming everywhere. Birdfeeders and gnome doors and buckets of water on offer for the dogs; signs and flags and symbols of inclusion and acceptance and community. Our quiet mostly white, mostly financially stable neighborhood is not in the firing line of ICE raids, but I have seen my neighbors going to the demonstrations and standing in the space to support the resistance.

I did a few stairway repeats on the ridge today – and now I am ready for our next hike of the week in the mountains.

June 24, 2025 – Anthill, Herman Creek and Pacific Crest Trails near Wahtum Lake, Oregon

We usually hike to Chinidere Mountain from this trailhead near Wahtum Lake, but I was curious to try the Anthill Trail toward Tomlike Mountain, which is another rocky peak in the area.

Trail map – about 6 miles and 800 feet elevation gain.

The Anthill Trail begins above the parking area, and continues upward at a gentle gradient along the ridge above the lake. It is beautifully shaded, and on this June day, all the white flowers of the forest floor were sparkling up at us. This is a new addition to my list of favorite trails.

Beargrass along the trail as we start uphill.

Green forest floor with so many flowers the entire way. Lots of vanilla leaf in this section.

Continuing shaded trail with prolific Sitka valerian

Near the ridge crest, a rocky view opened up, back to Mt Hood and Wahtum Lake.

View to Mt Hood and Wahtum Lake, with beargrass

Yellow flowers on the sunny open slope – arnica, groundsel, Oregon sunshine and wallflowers

We continued along the Anthill Trail, to the spur that ascends Tomlike Mountain. This is a less well maintained trail, a little rockier. After eating lunch at a rocky viewpoint and admiring the view, we decided begin our return hike. It was another rocky mile to the top – I wasn’t quite ready for that today.

Rocky outcrop, and view to the top of Tomlike Mountain.

We decided to walk along the Herman Creek Trail toward Chinidere Mountain before returning to the trailhead. We walked through shady forest for least a half mile of blooming avalanche lilies, as far as one could see, across the forest floor. And a few beargrass as well.

My husband took the side trail to the top of Chinidere Mountain, while I continued a very short distance along the Pacific Crest Trail to the rocky open slope below Chinidere’s cliff side. From here I could see many of the sunny blooming cliff flowers above me, and a view back to Mt Hood the other way. Then I rested in the shade near the trail junction – it was beautiful and quiet in the forest!

Looking up at the cliff side of Chinidere Mountain

We completed our circuit by descending along the Pacific Crest Trail above the lake.

Bunchberry and coral root were prolific along our return trail.

This had been a thoroughly enjoyable hike. We had seen some of the wildflowers blooms at their best, though there are more to come. It was lovely to be back in the woods!

May 2025 PDX

June 1, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

In May we enjoyed a visit from our son and his fiancee, went on five hikes (next post), and attended a live concert, while the spring flower season rolled on…

Walking the neighborhood

Blooming this month in Portland:

Knitting

I finished a dishcloth for donation, and I have three active works in progress.

Books

I finished eight books in May. The one I enjoyed the most was Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner, set in Post-Civil War Boston, and Portsmouth, England. It is an imagining of Americans who appreciate Jane Austen’s novels, and interact with her last surviving sibling. Ms Austen’s themes of women’s restricted access to their own money and life choices are compared between the two countries. Spoiler – neither was great, and we still have a ways to go. The judicial aspect was interesting. I love the opportunity to think deeper about Ms Austen’s work.

Events

We spent a lovely afternoon in a garden in Eugene, Oregon. Pegasus pizza, toy airplanes, and lots of conversation.

I passed on this beautiful dress, handmade in about 1982 by my sister for her daughters. My daughter wore it in about 1998; and my little grandniece is the next eligible little girl in the family.

We attended the James Taylor concert at the Ridgefield Amphitheater with one of our sons. The music was lovely!

An upcoming event I will not attend because I will be in Utah, helping a family member with some health issues. But you should go if you have an event near you!

April 2025 at home

May 12, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

The first part of April was slower paced and focused on healing. We had to cancel plans to visit family on the east coast, and instead my husband had a surgical procedure to his neck to relieve stenosis. All went well, he is nearly back to normal, and his neurological symptoms are receding. I took on most of his chores, all the lifting and even cooking (he has done most of the cooking and shopping since he retired five years ago). I am glad to have him back to most of his regular activities, although our son is still mowing the lawn, and the weeds have gone crazy. We went on several slower paced hikes to see the wildflowers (see next post). And I saw many beautiful flowers in neighborhood gardens on my near-daily walks.

Neighborhood Gardens

Apple, crabapple, and Chinese fringe flowers in the front yard.

Forget-me-nots and a fading tulip out front.

Dogwoods in bloom all through the neighborhood…

Dogwood trees in many colors: salmon pink,

White – these are newly planted, just across the street.

April 15th, Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in southeast Portland –

It was early for the rhododendrons to be in full bloom, but we saw a few…

April 20th, Easter

A feral bunny stopped by, but didn’t leave any eggs.

I dyed a few brown eggs with muted results.

Arts and Crafts

We saw a lot of beautiful pottery at the Oregon Ceramics Showcase, and bought three small trinket dishes *(made by Truly Sarah)*.

I finished knitting a shawl *(“May I Borrow This Please” by Larraine Waitman, Juniper Moon Cumulus yarn)*, and a pair of socks *(Laines du Nord Summer Sock yarn)*.

Books and Reading in Portland

Signs of Literature in the neighborhood:

The selection of books in this little Free Library has a dark theme.

This telephone pole art has a more positive message,

And I always enjoy a visit with Ramona, Henry and Ribsy in Grant Park.

I read six books in April. I especially enjoyed the biography of Barbara Pym, an author I have been rereading since the eighties; and the memoir of Liese Greensfelder, a young woman from California who worked on a primitive sheep farm in Norway in the 1970’s.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, our daughter, our son, and his fiancee met up anyway, even though we had to cancel our trip. Looks like they had a good time. I look forward to seeing them all during the summer!

September 2024 at home

October 4, 2024September 29, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We spent a lot of time working on home projects this month while following doctor’s orders to stay off trails while my husband’s Dupuytren hand surgery healed. The good news is that his hand is much more functional, and we are back on the trail – see the next post. Meanwhile, at home in Portland, it has mostly been a beautiful month – not too hot or smoky, and we’ve had a few local adventures…

September skies-

Art in the Pearl, September 2nd – I like to walk through the exhibits, and be thoroughly inspired by the many thousands of hours of artistic creativity on view – a few of my favorites:

YanFang Inlow

Michael Mckee

Lindsay Fox

Lyn Sedlak-Ford

HONG RUBINSTEIN

Backdrop of new and old buildings…

And a comparison – last year I took a photo of the graffiti on the side of an old building near a vacant lot – this year there is a whole new building in the space…

2023

2024

Bookgroup views from Suavie Island on a beautiful evening-

North Portland

Mt St Helens

Neighborhood gardens-

Picnic lunch at Laurelhurst Park- on a day when we were running errands around town. We haven’t been here for years, though we visited often when our children were young.

Laurelhurst Park Lake

The dance studio

Charlie Brown van we passed near the park

Neighborhood whimsey- I noticed several new fairy gardens, and a new resident bear while on walks this month.

Lael Wilcox finished her Ride Around the World! – I followed this endurance athlete all summer as she circled the globe on her bicycle. I listened to her brief daily podcasts, and cheered her on from afar! (photos from Instagram)