June 2021 – Emerging…but into a heat dome?

July 2, 2021 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

It is June 2021 and I am emerging from pandemic life a little more each day, like the cicadas from their seventeen year hibernation, or the Munchkins of Oz after the tornado dropped the house of the Wicked Witch of the East on them. Well not exactly like that. But I am slowly meeting more friends in real life, blinking at the brightness of their unmasked smiles; hesitantly, then greedily leaning into their hugs; ramping up our conversations of all the not shared words of the past fifteen months. Then I go home and recover from the intensity of the interactions, but feel more relaxed, more appreciative of life before the pandemic, when meeting my knitting group and chatting for a few hours was a weekly occurrence; when the warmth of shared interactions was not impeded by a cold glassy screen.

I know the global pandemic is not over, that many places are still locked down and in crisis. People anxiously await their vaccinations, as I did three months ago. People with young children continue sheltering until their vaccines are approved. But it is time for us to go outside again…

Around town:

We are enjoying berry season! We went on several hikes (see the next post), and also to see the roses.

June 8 – Portland International Rose Test Garden – We visited during the week when Portland traditionally celebrates the Rose Festival, mostly cancelled this year due to Covid-19. On this showery day, we saw a full rainbow of glistening roses – appropriate for Pride month!

Knitting :

I have completed two projects – socks, and a donation hat. I have four works in progress: another donation hat, socks, a cardigan and a gnome:

Kroy socks

Donation Tam Topper

WIPs

I also met in person with my knitting group a few times, still outdoors and careful, but no masks as we are all vaccinated. We visited the Knitted Wit Warehouse on her open house day, and I acquired some new yarn. I also got a pile of potential from our knitter’s destash table at one of our meetups. It is so hard to leave beautiful yarn behind, knowing it was all going to donation if not taken home by one of us. So not sure what I am making with these, but I love the colorful potential!

New skeins

New to me destash table collection

Quilting :

I finished the baby quilt and sent it along to the new little one.

What the heck is a heat dome, and why is it lingering around my neighborhood!

At the end of the month, we were challenged again, by the heat dome! A rare meteorological event that produced record high temperatures across the usually mild Pacific Northwest, and once again confined us to our indoor spaces for a few days. Fortunately for me, we have an air conditioned house, but it is not common in Oregon. As the temperatures rose and the air stagnated, I was reminded of my time in Tucson, AZ, when the summer temperatures were commonly above 100 degrees, but not in the 110’s! We are out of it now, but it was uncomfortable, and catastrophic for many.

We resorted to making popsicles from our ancient Tupperware molds.

These neighborhood cactus plants were blooming and happy.

We are hoping for a mild July….

May 2021, part 2: Garden, Knitting, Sewing

June 4, 2021 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

My garden:

Native irises

First roses

Our tomato plants are doing well – next we will add a few basil plants.

Walking in Portland:

California poppies

Same poppies on a cloudy day.

Meadow rue and allium

Colorful landscaping

And in the “weird” Portland spirit:

Fairy garden

Sidewalk interactive music box display

Mannequin arms on Yogurt Shop bench

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First local Hood strawberries! (Not weird)

Knitting and sewing:

I am making progress on my bamboo Em Dash cardigan.

I’ve finished all of the parts of the albatross – assembly next.

I finished another hat for the guild charity project. Pattern is Jason’s Cashmere Hat, yarn is Knit Picks Hawthorne in the Compass color.

I am close to finished with the red/brown socks.

I started these green socks for travel knitting, made good progress on our DC trip. But I lost at yarn chicken.

The pinwheel quilt for a new baby in the family is basted and ready for quilting:

I used this opportunity to knit Egg to Turtle for the big sister. I have had my eye on this Susan B Anderson pattern for a while, and enjoyed the opportunity to make it for someone.

I refreshed my mask supply for our flight to DC and travels there:

I have some garment sewing patterns queued up for stitching. I’ve been using my Jane Austen pattern weights:

And in other crafty news, my knitting group is planning a Big Hug-Show and Tell Back Yard Party later this month, after we are all fully vaccinated. It will be great to share all our knitting projects that we have only seen over ZOOM.

The month of May, 2021, part 1

June 4, 2021 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Life is opening up again. We and most people we know are fully vaccinated, and thus we are beginning to live life out in the world again. In May I went to two museums; rode with non-“pod” members in the same car; dined at the homes of others, both inside and outside; shopped in a store for clothing; got my haircut in my stylist’s salon instead of on her back patio; and best of all, flew across country in an airplane to Washington DC, where I got to spend a few days with my daughter, and see her and other family members that I had not seen in 18 months. It has taken a bit of time to get reaccustomed to worldly life, in a cautious, Covid-safe manner. Yet I haven’t felt anxious about it – just taking the steps that seem safe at the time, and trusting all the good news about how great the vaccines are, THANK YOU, SCIENTISTS! But it means I have neglected the blog – too busy living life. So this is catch up time. This post will be about local activities, there will be other posts about hiking, crafting, and our DC trip. Onward!

Local Adventures:

May 3: South Waterfront Park – We took a walk along the river trail after I went to a health care appointment nearby. The former industrial area is slowly turning into a live-work-healthcare complex. The greenbelt along the river is being added to our urban trail system – though it is surrounded by construction in progress.

Tram tower; clouds reflected in the OHSU buildings.

We encountered a dead end at the south side of the trail.

We walked north, and looked at Portland from a new perspective.

Down the ramp to views along the Willamette River and under the Ross Island Bridge.

Tilikum Crossing Bridge beyond the Ross Island Bridge

The historic Queen Anne Poulson House at the end of the bridge.

It’s getting a new roof.

Up river view – Ross Island.

An art installation called ‘Cradle’ honors the indigenous people and natural world.

Cedar trees, oyster shells, cement, rebar.

Walking back upriver, we tried all the chairs in the greenbelt park.

The cement loungers were the most comfortable.

More flowers and reflections on this sunny/cloudy day. The residents of these apartments and condos have a lovely outdoor space. Someday I hope the path will connect farther north and south along the river.

May 7: Canemah Bluff Nature Park – This park is on a bluff above the Willamette River in Oregon City. I had heard that it is a great location to see native camas flowers in bloom, so we stopped by for a short walk when we were visiting Bosky Dell Native Plant nursery. We did see the last of the camas blooms.

From the bluff there are views downriver, toward Willamette Falls,

and upriver, across to West Linn.

Camas blooming on the rocky outcrops.

Camas, rosy plectritis and the nefarious poison oak!

May 9: Mother’s Day at home – My two sons joined us for an outdoor meal – our last “Covid” style meal before son #2 had completed his full two week vaccination window. My daughter joined us in spirit by having a decadent eclair delivered as I was speaking to her! It was delicious, shared four ways!

Eclaire from St Honore Bakery

May 13: Portland Art Museum – Friends had reserved tickets to the ‘newly reopened with limited entry’ Portland Art Museum. When their son couldn’t join them, we eagerly accepted a last minute invitation to see the new Ansel Adams Photography Exhibit. I have seen many Ansel Adams exhibits over the years. His name is almost synonymous with Yosemite National Park. As a child, my family camped in Yosemite every year, in the high alpine Tuolumne Meadows area. We hiked, fished and photographed the park. It is part of the lifeblood of my family. My father pursued photography with great passion, and followed Ansel Adams’ work. My husband and I used Ansel Adams Yosemite note cards as invitations to our very small home wedding in January of 1985, and spent our honeymoon at Yosemite Lodge. We purchased a print of an Ansel Adams Cathedral Lakes image with wedding gift money from my mother. I haven’t been back to Yosemite since 2006, but there is nothing like an Ansel Adams exhibit to fill me with that Yosemite feeling. How wonderful to walk among the large, beautiful images of his work, transported out of pandemic claustrophobia. Of course there were images of other places, and images by other artists, as part of the exhibit. This was one of those times when I marvel at the beauty and creativity of the human spirit.

Exhibit entrance

Lightening/shadow projected on the wall.

Sand dunes in the stair well.

May 30: Eugene, Oregon – Only two hours away, yet I had not seen my brother and his family since before the pandemic. We drove down, just for the day, had a lovely lunch in their garden, and took a walk through Hendricks Park, at the tail end of rhododendron season.

Sandy’s buddha

Astrantia

Primroses and rhodies

Stone wall

Of course we talked about old times, and my brother showed me our father’s slide rule, and some of his old campaign buttons.

May was a good month. Of course I know that not everyone is fortunate to be vaccinated yet. The pandemic and many other problems still/will always plague the world. We help where we can, but try to live as fully as possible, because that may not always be possible. The next post will include crafting in May 2021.

Late April 2021

May 8, 2021 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Continuing my neighborhood walks: After the cherry blossoms, the pink snow,

We go from pink trees

to pink sidewalks in a week’s time.

And find them all through the neighborhood.

Dogwood trees and other flowers bloom,

Dogwood

rhododendron

fothergilla

lewisia

Interestingly cracked concrete catches my eye…

We went on two more hikes with amazing wildflowers:

Tom McCall Trail, OR, April 23

When we hiked here on March 11th, the slopes were covered with purple grass widows. Today, the balsamroot is the star!

Starting up the trail with friends.

Lower cliffs, balsamroot and lupine in full bloom!

Eastward view.

Every blade abloom under the oak trees.

Open slopes of balsamroot and Mt Adams.

Continuing up.

Paintbrush in bloom on the upper slopes.

Views from the top:

West to Mt Hood.

North to Mt Adams.

Northeast, to the Cherry Orchard.

More views on the hike down:

Rowena Plateau.

Paintbrush! and the Memaloose Hills, with their yellow backs.

Parsley Alley….

And a few more flowers, for the day.

Chocolate lily and some of that sneaky poison oak creeping in.

Oaks toothwort

Miner’s lettuce

Waterleaf

Orobanche

Baby stars

Bitterroot Trail, Catherine Creek, WA April 26

Aptly lived up to its name – the earlier blooming flowers have faded, but the bitterroot is just getting started today!

We began near the fairy ponds – now filled with camas lilies; the adjacent rock outcrops hosting glorious bitterroot flowers.

Lewisia rediviva

Sprinkled across the basalt; bicolored cluster lilies speckle the meadow beyond.

We wind our way up the slope:

Eastward.

Camas lilies and shooting stars.

Death camas and purple camas lilies

Turn left at the balsamroot, while admiring the windswept views east,

and west…

We drop down the Rowland Wall trail,

One of the largest clusters of bitterroot buds I have seen…

buckwheat

A giant clump of cliff penstomen surprised us!

More bitterroot scattered across the rocky surface along our return trail.

This is their time to rise up!

Meanwhile…

We finally had a chance to see the heritage American Chestnut Tree in the Sellwood neighborhood. It dwarves the house, and there is an enormous stump of another chestnut tree behind it.

Rare American Chestnut, Sellwood, Oregon

Leaves just budding out.

Knitting

I finished a Scrappy Marl Hat for the guild project,

started another hat, and restarted my bamboo cardigan.

Quilting

I’m making progress on the baby quilt.

Repotted plant report from Washington DC:

Commentary on the verdict, and the path forward:

Blooms of early April 2021

April 24, 2021 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

The crabapple tree in our front yard finally bloomed during the second week of April. This tree was in full bloom the day we moved into our house in mid March almost 30 years ago.

April 9th

April 11th

April 15th

Other garden blooms:

tulips fully open

phlox

checker lily

And some cupcakes for a friend’s birthday:

Hikes:

April 2nd, Memaloose Hills, OR –

Begin at the Memaloose Overlook…

Today’s star is balsamroot!

Buttercup carpet in the woods.

Balsamroot all the way up Chatfield Hill.

Looking back.

North view from the top – Mt Adams, paintbrush, yellow parsley.

Columbia River, Columbia Desert parsley, balsamroot

Mt Hood to the west.

Willows and bees near the spring on the return hike.

Popcorn flowers on Marsh Hill.

View from Marsh Hill back to the Memaloose Hills.

More wildflowers:

Blue eyed Mary and slender phlox

Glacier lilies and buttercups

Larkspur and balsamroot

Shooting stars.

April 8, Coyote Wall, WA – Our first hike with friends in more than a year! We are all fully vaccinated!

Starting up The Old Ranch Road.

Service berry in bloom on the Little Moab Cliffs.

The edge of the Coyote Wall, yellow parsley.

And balsamroot, eastward view.

Southward view.

And we are going higher!

Upper cliff edge view.

A nice meadow near Atwood Road, as we loop eastward before hiking down.

A day when every blade of grass seems to have a bloom!

So many flowers!

Desert parsley along Old Hwy 14 cliff, return hike.

And more flowers:

Parsley and cluster lilies

Tomcat clover

Pucoon

Great hounds tongue

Wooly vetch

Knitting

Some progress on two projects:

I finished the yoke on this bamboo cardigan, and it is way too big, despite careful swatching, so this one is in time out for a while.

A mystery project for a gift…

Quilting

I am starting a baby quilt for a new family member!

March 2021, so far….

March 25, 2021 / margaretquilts / 2 Comments

We are sliding into spring around here. Flowers are blooming, with a few warm days between the rainy stretches. We were vaccinated at just about the one year anniversary of the pandemic, and I am grateful! I feel the hope of spring, yet I know we still have so far to go until everyone can say that. And then my daughter reminds me of our privilege in the world. I know. I can only live where I am, but I do know.

Knitting, reading, hiking, on we go, fuzzy days mushing into each other. Planning the weekly grocery list. Creating with my hands, my brain, I take notes. I try to find the distinguishing features of each day, and celebrate the positivity and the beauty. That is most of what I do, and will do, and am lucky to do. So….

Hiking

1) We snowshoed up White River on Mt Hood on March 2nd – clouds swathing the peak much of the day, but in a most artistic way.

Mt Hood in clouds, near the Sno-Park.

Lunch view, near the Timberline Trail crossing.

The snow on nearby Boy Scout Ridge looked unstable, so we kept our distance!

Return trip…

Last views – we can almost see the entire peak.

2) On March 11th we hiked Tom McCall Point and around Rowena Crest, east of Hood River in Oregon, to see the fields of grass widows.

Thousands of grass widows on the plateau below Tom McCall Point.

Grass widows

More grass widows…

Columbia River reflecting the Cherry Orchard cliffs in Washington.

Parsley alley

Mt Adams and Rowena Plateau, from near the top of Tom McCall Point.

Tiny flowers of spring whitlow grass.

Then we walked around Rowena Crest, closer to the river:

East view from Rowena Crest cliffs – kettle lakes in the foreground.

Westerly view.

One of the lakes on Rowena Crest.

Abstractions in the lake reflections…

And more grass widows!

3) The next week, on March 16th, we went out across the river to Lyle Cherry Orchard again. No squalls this time – a perfect hiking day, and the first of the bright yellow balsam root blooms were opening as we hiked.

Hiking up above the Convict Road.

Columbia Desert Parsley in full bloom.

Balsam root opening on the upper slopes.

Lots of flowers showing for the first time this spring:

shooting stars

balsam root

death camas

ballhead waterleaf

popcorn flower

fiddle neck

blue-eyed Mary

gold bells and buttercups

Stunning views from the cherry orchard:

Eastward, one of the remaining cherry trees.

Westward, balsamroot

4) We also walked a fast loop through Tryon Creek Park, on March 17th, where the very first of the trillium were opening, a little later than last year.

Tryon Creek

First trillium of spring

Around Portland

My neighborhood is also blooming.

cherry trees

star magnolia

The mountain is out, from the Markham Bridge.

goodbye to the Subaru

“Emily’s house”

windows

hyacinth

dove

windflowers

star magnolia

Knitting

I finished knitting a pair of socks for me and another hat and a cowl for the guild charity project, and cast on new socks and a cardigan.

New yarn, Rose City Virtual Yarn Crawl!

Marled Alaska Cowl

Bankhead hat

New socks for me

Patons Kroy socks

Em Dash cardigan

And…

I hold the more difficult challenges to the outside world in my heart. This week it is yet another uniquely American gun violence episode in Georgia, another hate crime, anti-woman, anti-Asian. I know in my heart it is all true, and part of the work we all have to do – bring out all the biases into the light of day and see how they harm so many. I am listening and learning more each day, and it all rings true, and saddens me. I pledge to myself to be as much of an ally as I can recognize. Listen and learn. Validate. Search for the commonalities and not the otherness. From my place on the privilege spectrum. That is most of what I do, and will do, and am lucky to do. And before I can publish this – yet another mass shooting at a grocery store in Colorado.

As a youngster with all the idealism of youth, I envisioned a giant magnet circling the world sucking away all the implements of violence, all the guns and weapons of war. On days like today with a heavy heart and a less idealistic world view, still I sigh and wish it could be true.

An image from Instagram.

And a volcano is erupting in Iceland!

Posting from my peaceful Portland neighborhood –

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

A trifecta of crises descends on my town –

I have been distracted from posting by current events. All I have been able to think about is how my community has been attacked by our own government. Federal gestapo-like forces have invaded Portland’s mostly peaceful Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations, and created a war zone in the four downtown blocks around the federal building. Click-bait and spot news entertainment have focused on the four square blocks of federally-incited violence that occurs after most demonstrators have gone home. The leadership void in DC is trying to distract from inept pandemic management and interrupt local progress toward ending white supremacy. The ‘stormtroopers’ sent by a failed president are causing the violence. Today there is an announcement of an agreement to withdraw the troops. Our state and city have serious antiracist/police reform legislation proposals underway. I am cautiously optimistic.

I am speaking from a condition of white, middle class privilege. I myself have not been downtown, although I know people who have. I am of an age and health situation that I think the best thing I can do to help is to stay home, not contribute to spreading Covid-19. I stay aware of what is going on, donate money, and hope that the trifecta of political, economic, and public health crises our country is experiencing will begin to resolve after November elections.

I honor the Black Lives Matter protesters. I appreciate the wall of moms, the dads with leaf (teargas) blowers, the wall of vets, the volunteer medics, street cleaners, and cooks, all the folks who have put themselves on the line to keep the conversation about systemic racism and police reform going.

Meanwhile, in my neighborhood…

The quiet and calm in my neighborhood are uninterrupted. I see signs of support and blooming flowers on my walks.

masked statue

We have been eating sungold tomatoes and basil from our garden, and we’ve celebrated another family birthday.

Berries from the Farmer’s Market

Blueberry muffins

Another birthday cake

Black cherry tomatoes

I seem to be obsessed with knitting dishcloths and have also cast on a new sweater.

We have been out hiking in the past two weeks to places we have been before.

Lookout Mountain, July 22, 2020

Wildflower meadows and views of nine Cascade volcanoes, from Mt Rainier to Broken Top. Hike #53, 3.5 miles, 650 feet.

Mt Adams beyond the wildflower meadows of High Prairie.

Mt Hood from the volcanic spire overlook.

Glacier close up.

Mt Adams from the summit approach trail.

Mt Hood from the summit approach trail.

Washington Cascades from the summit.

Oregon Cascades from the summit.

Notable wildflowers:

heather

Douglas dustymaiden and penstemon

penstemon and scarlet gillia

orange agerosis

shooting stars

penstemon and aster

lousewort

Salmon River, July 28, 2020

A mostly shaded trail on a hot day along the Wild and Scenic Salmon River through old growth forest on the slopes of Mt Hood. Hike #54, 4.5 miles, 300 feet.

Peaceful lunch spot along the river…

arnica

monkey flower

Notable flowers…

Ghost pipe

Clarkia and blue gillia on a sunny cliff

Finding some peace in the old growth forest…

Wildflower Rainbows along the trails during Pride month; some knitting, and neighborhood views –

June 27, 2020 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Friday, June 19, 2020, Grassy Knoll, Washington

Wildflower meadows filled the open slopes near the trailhead.

lupine and paintbrush

blue gillia and buckwheat

paintbrush

mariposa lilies and blue gillia

White dogwood, lilies and anemones led us through the shady forest up the steep trail to the ridge crest.

bunchberry

bead lily, starflower

anemones

More flowers all the way to the top of Grassy Knoll, and beyond.

Pink cliff penstemons along the rocky ridge, Mt Adams beyond.

Grassy Knoll looks green from here,

but the green slopes are full of flowers!

Summit view toward Mt Hood.

Summit view toward Mt Adams.

Continuing up the ridge, Mt Hood, the Columbia River, and more wildflower meadows.

And more blooming meadows near our turnaround point.

Every color of wildflower was in bloom today!

columbine

honeysuckle

wallflower and parsley

blue gillia

phacelia and penstemon

pea

coral root

meadow rue

cliff penstemon

olympic onion

phlox, sorel and parsley

parsley and onion

paintbrush

It was a great day in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. (Hike #46, 6.2 miles, 1350 feet.)

Tuesday, June 23, 2020, Chinidere Mountain, Oregon

We saw many of the same flowers that we saw at Grassy Knoll, though we were a thousand feet higher in altitude, so earlier in the bloom season. (Hike #47, 7.5 miles, 1450 feet.)

Wahtum Lake, near the trailhead.

A few early season flowers still in bloom here:

avalanche lily

clasping twisted stalk

bugbane

Ascending into the rainbow meadows on Chinidere Mountain.

Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, and Mt Adams from the summit.

Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson from the summit.

Wahtum Lake and Mt Hood.

A highlight was walking north of Chinidere Mountain on the Pacific Crest Trail, into the upper margin of the 2017 burn zone. Beargrass blooms sparkled in the recovering forest.

Tree guardian…

Wahtum ‘Express’ back to the parking area.

Knitting

Finished mitts.

A nearly finished Meris cardigan – still have to sew on the buttons.

Sock progress.

Around the neighborhood:

Black Lives Matter signs blooming everywhere, along with summer flowers.

lily

One of many posted throughout the neighborhood.

Pandemic masks ubiquitous, thank you!

Skyline sign on the Fairhaired Dumbbell Building

Hydrangea

George Floyd memorial

And more action nationally…

Knitting finish! and another Forest Park hike –

May 29, 2020May 30, 2020 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

May 22, 2020

For the third week in a row we went to Forest Park on Portland’s west side to hike. We chose the segment of the Wildwood Trail from Germantown Road to Springville Road, looping back to where we started via Leif Erickson Drive and the Cannon Trail (5.6 miles, 500 feet, hike #41 for 2020.) There was a 20% chance of rain for the day – I think we got all of it during our hike. The last time I hiked in this much rain I was in a rainforest in New Zealand!

We began our hike in the rain.

A cedar dripping with rain and moss.

There were some sun breaks.

Returning down the wide, social distance friendly, Leif Erickson Drive.

Robins were hopping along the trail.

Honeysuckle blooming along the Cannon Trail.

Thoughts of New Zealand!

Knitting Finish!

The Which Came First? shawl by designer Cheri Clark used three full skeins (1260 yards) of Malabrigo Mechita in the Piedras color way! I will be mailing this to my daughter, who chose the yarn when I saw her in January.

From bottom to top, eggs (eyelets), chicken feet, chicken wire.

Remains of the three skeins of yarn.

Garden and neighborhood:

Penstemon blooming in our front yard.

Two kinds of poppies in the neighborhood:

California poppies

Oriental poppies

More words of encouragement on a local Poetry Post:

Forest Park

May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Friday May 8, 2020 Wildwood Trail

We hiked out and back, from the Germantown Road trailhead to a little ways up the BPA Road. It was wonderful to be able to hike a good distance on an actual trail. The forest was beautiful, wildflowers were blooming, and we got an unexpected view of two mountains at our turnaround point.

fading trillium

solomon seal

deer fern

salmon berry

vine maple

youth on age

candy flower

rosy plectritis

Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens on view from the power line road

We decided to hike with masks and careful distance mode, in Forest Park, a huge city park in the hills west of Portland. We don’t often hike here because it is across town, and we usually drive a little farther to go to the Columbia River Gorge. It is one of the few trails close to us that is open, and friends reported that they felt safe on their hike there. The Wildwood Trail is 30 miles long. I hope to complete all the segments over time. Hike #39, 6.4 miles, 1060 feet.

Flowers in the neighborhood

native iris

red clover

rhododendron

Knitting

One of the sleeves cooperated and the other did not. Maybe next week…

A sad week. We lost a family member to a long standing illness (not Covid). He lives far enough away, that given the pandemic circumstances, we can’t go and be with his family. The key people that need to be together are together, but it is difficult to participate from afar. I will be thinking of him when we go for our next forest walk, because he was a man of the forest.