Smoky week in Portland / Return to Vista Ridge (18-35)

August 21, 2018 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Northward view from the Timberline Trail on Mt Hood. Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier and Mt Adams float above the gray smoke layer.

August 16, 2018

I mailed the baby and Welcome Blanket quilts while breathing wildfire smoke. While feeling a papery dry sand feeling in my mouth. While watching the blood red sun set though the haze.

Today there is an orange sky at noon. It is too hot to go outside, and there is an ashy taste on my tongue.

It’s wildfire season.

Smoke is disseminated through the atmosphere blotting out the sun, the views, and the cool air we are supposed to get from the ocean.

If this keeps up, if global temperatures continue to rise, will we find out what it was like to be the dinosaurs when they died?

It was supposed to be a meteor, but there were also Deccan flood basalts, and/or a climate change with wild fires – all valid hypotheses and maybe all had a combined role…

Meanwhile, oppressive haze and heat keep me indoors instead of outside where I could be walking, hiking or gardening.

The air feels dusty and my lungs feel the burn –

It reminds me of the San Fernando Valley of my youth, before cars had smog devices, when we could hardly ever see the Santa Monica Mountains, or the San Gabriel Mountains, but on really bad days we couldn’t even see the Mission Hills.

Now we have fire season. Our beautiful forests burn and the smoke infiltrates our adjacent valleys, so even though we are not in the burn zone, we must breathe the smoke or alter our activities to avoid breathing outside. This is the second August in a row that has been the season of burning, of wildfires, of dreading the views of the torched landscape, not to mention the threat to lives and livelihood of those that live closer to or in the forest. Of knowing that the beautiful places that we hike into for recreation and healing are changed beyond recognition, and though they may return to green someday, they will not be a comforting place to go for years….

Return to Vista Ridge 8/17/18 (Hike # 44)

Speaking of burn zones – this is our sixth year hiking up Vista Ridge on Mt Hood. Today the regional smoke and heat have decreased enough to allow us to go for a hike.

Pearly everlasting and fireweed along the Vista Ridge trail.

Once again through the burn zone with fireweed and pearly everlasting, huckleberries, goldenrod and berries of Sitka mountain ash.

Stka Mountain Ash

Fireweed

Pearly everlasting

Goldenrod and fireweed

Once again through the meadows along the Timberline Trail, this time to the west, toward Ladd Creek.

Mt Hood from the Timberline Trail near Wyeast Basin

Close up of Coe and Ladd Glaciers

Meadows along the trail

Paintbrush

Partridgefoot

Pasque flower

Monkey flower

By the time we reached the Ladd crossing it was too late in the day, too deep to cross without wading.

We stopped there for lunch then retraced our steps, back to the Wyeast basin with far reaching views of snow capped peaks floating above the smoke shroud that covers the Washington landscape.

Clear Branch Creek in Wyeast Basin. Mts Rainier and Adams beyond.

Back down through fireweed in the burn zone, we say ‘Hi’ to a few ghost trees again, nibble the huckleberries, and make our way to the trailhead.

My legs were feeling it today – I am getting back into shape, but still have a ways to go to recover my fitness. Photo note – many of the photos in this post were taken by my husband – I only had my cell phone with me.

8 miles/1600 feet

Knitting

I finished the Cornwall socks!

Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland, OR (18-33)

August 15, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

August 6, 2018

One last garden visit with my sister: We spent a morning strolling through this peaceful setting, a haven of tranquility surrounded by bustling Old Town in the heart of Portland. The Lan Su Garden, modeled after 16th century Suzhou-style Chinese gardens, was assembled by Chinese artisans in China and reassembled in Portland in 2000.

The entrance garden sets the tone –

We walked through the portal to the lily ponds beyond.

Blooming water lilies and colorful koi are visually captivating.

Paths through the garden wend through outdoor rooms and intricately carved and ornamented buildings.

bonsai

Calligraphy studio

An art exhibit displayed exotic and ordinary biota fashioned from clay.

In another room, we drew fortune sticks, and then found our numbered fortunes in a drawer.

My hard working teacher sister had number 6. I am lucky to be her sister, and lucky about many other things, so I felt good about pulling number 38.

Another path leads by a waterfall grotto and views of a different kind of blooming lotus:

The paths are made of patterned stone – each stone carefully placed. Some remind me of quilting patterns.

Windows are also patterned beautifully.

We stopped in the tea room for some delicious iced tea and almond cookies.

Tea room

View from the tea room, city rooftops beyond the garden

Back in the entrance way for a parting view, including the dragon fish on the roof.

Afterward, we paid a short visit to nearby Powell’s City of Books – she found a title she was looking for, and I saw this beautifully covered collection of science and math books.

Crafting:

I have turned the heel on my second Cornwall sock and so am racing toward the toe and contemplating what to knit next…

My daughter returned to college in Ohio, leaving me one of her latest creations as a parting gift.

James, the sock monkey

Once again no hike this week – we were trying for Burnt Lake on Friday, but it was sooo hot, and the air still smoky, and many dominoes fell out of place so we abandoned that trip. It might be a good fall hike.

One of the new bowls I bought for my birthday.

Gardens of Eugene, Oregon (18-32)

August 10, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

August 4th and 5th, 2018

I spent lots of time in gardens while visiting family and celebrating my birthday in Eugene last weekend.

Owen Rose Garden

We took a slow lap around the still blooming rose beds.

View across the Willamette River

Dahlias galore!

Family members have been curating this backyard garden since the early 1980’s, and it is one of my favorite places in the world.

Side entry

So many flowers, especially dahlias right now:

fuchsia

butterfly bush

lily

gladiola

jasmine

amaranth

echinacea

cosmo

Late summer veggies and fruit:

grapes

squash

blueberries

tomato

corn

ground cherries

rhubarb

peppers

garden dog

Hendricks Park

We took an evening stroll along the roads and tree-lined paths.

Serenity Garden with Buddha

Another peaceful family garden has a new statue.

buddha

balloon flower

oregano

Around town

We visited several fine restaurants (Chapala, Ta Ra Rin Thai, McMenamins, and Prince Pucklers Ice Cream) and shopping areas (5th St Market, Saturday Market and both branches of Hiron’s).

Looking down on Saturday Market

We walked through Washburne Park where the One More Time Around Marching Band had just finished a show. We saw a trombone player wearing mardi gras beads and a rubber chicken on his head. The sun was setting blood red through the wild fire smoke haze.

Birthday Cake and More Flowers

Cascade Lakes Weekend & ‘Tour de Craft’/Week 2 (18-30)

July 28, 2018July 29, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We love hiking in the Three Sisters Wilderness area just west of Bend, Oregon, and so planned a weekend of hikes. Our daughter wanted to join Dan to hike to the top of South Sister, and one of our sons decided to join them at the last minute. Dan and I drove out Wednesday evening. The ‘kids’ joined us Thursday evening, then returned home after the Friday hike. It was hot everywhere, but we had some beautiful hikes through summer meadows.

A weekend of GPS tracks.

Green Lakes Thursday 7/19/2018 (Hike#42)

My choice for Thursday was to hike into the Green Lakes basin between South Sister and Broken Top. It is a lovely hike along Fall Creek. The first two miles are through partially shady forest, with numerous waterfalls and cataracts to look down upon.

Fall Creek, Green Lakes trail

Eventually South Sister comes into view above the trees.

South Sister; true summit behind Hodge Crest.

The upper trail is bound to the west by a wall-like volcanic flow studded with large chunks of shiny obsidian that glint in the sunlight.

After two switchbacks, the remainder of the trail is lined with blooming alpine riparian plants – so pleasant to walk along that I was able to ignore the sun and the gradual climb.

Once into the Green Lakes Basin, the looming Broken Top and a view of the Hodge Crest of South Sister, as well as a peek at the top of Middle Sister to the north, surround the stunning very cold Green Lakes.

Broken Top beyond the southernmost Green Lake

South Sister

Just the top of Middle Sister on the right skyline

We rested in the shade for a while, first with a view of Broken Top,

Lunch view of Broken Top

Zooming in…

then with a view of South Sister. From this viewpoint we can only see the Hodge Crest, which is about 300 feet lower than the true summit.

South Sister

Zooming in

Zooming in more

Artsy view with tree roots

The meadow flowers that grow on the moraine-like surface of the Green Lakes basin showed me a couple of new flowers I hadn’t seen before.

Yellow paintbrush

White buckwheat

pink dwarf lupine

So many flowers in the meadows:

lupine, paintbrush, tansy

partridge foot

aster

paintbrush

buckwheat

lupine, paintbrush

false hellebore

penstemon

unusual tree top

And, for the first time, I spotted a floating rock (pumice) in the wild. We used to float pumice in Intro Geology labs many years ago. Of course it must be a common occurrence in this volcanic landscape where the surface is speckled with pumice stones, but this was a first sighting for me.

Floating pumice in Green Lake, Broken Top beyond.

Floating pumice rock

Critters: We saw a frog in one of the creeks, and Dan was photobombed by a butterfly he was trying to photograph:

frog

butterfly

We retraced our steps back to the trailhead. The total for the day, 9.2 miles/1200 feet was the longest I have hiked this spring. The elevation rise on this hike is very gradual, so I found I could manage. I am glad my body cooperated today after the fail last week. It was not quite as hot here, and there was a breeze that helped.

Spa Day/Dan and Brian climb South Sister 7/20/2018

Two of our children accompanied Dan up the grueling trail (5000 feet/12miles round trip) to the top of South Sister (elevation 10,358′). I hiked part of this trail in 2015 – about 4000 feet and ten miles of it. I got to the point where I was looking over at the top of Lewis Glacier, about 1000 feet below the summit.

2015 – My view from my turnaround point, 1000 feet below the summit of South Sister

2015 – Lewis Glacier on South Sister and view to Green Lakes basin below Broken Top

2015- Zoomed in view to Green Lakes, where we hiked yesterday.

Emily went about half way up today, but her running injury to her calf caused her to turn back, and so I got to spend part of my down time at the hotel with her. The guys made at the top:

Brian and Dan on the top of South Sister, 7/20/2018. Middle and North Sisters to the immediate north. Beyond are several Cascade Peaks: Mts Washington, Jefferson, Hood and Adams

Todd and Sparks Lakes 7/21/2018 (Hike#43)

Today we took two leisurely flat hikes, for a total of 3.5 miles.

Todd Lake

We had never been to Todd Lake before – the challenge here on a summer Saturday is to nab a parking space, but we got one, so we wandered slowly around this sparkling gem, views alternating to the east side of Broken Top and the northwest side of Mt Bachelor above the forests and wildflower meadows. It really was a perfect little stroll along the lakeshore with a nice breeze to cut the heat.

Broken Top across Todd Lake

Polliwogs were swimming along the lake shore.

Wildflowers in abundance along the southern shore

paintbrush and lomatium

bog orchid

monkey flower

twin berry honeysuckle

This inlet had both magenta and red-orange paintbrush –

Wide meadows on the west side of Todd Lake had swaths of elephant head that were mostly past bloom, lots of paintbrush, trickling streams lined with flowers, and views to Mt Bachelor.

small elephant head

elephant head

saxifrage

paintbrush

bog orchids

We ate lunch near a trickling inlet with views of Mt Bachelor

As we walked into the forested north shore trail, the wildflower suite changed a bit.

larkspur

false hellebore

aster

shooting star

Mt Bachelor

Zoom in to Mt Bachelor crater

Back to the starting point of the loop, Broken Top is in view again.

SPARKS LAKE

Then we drove down the dusty road to the Roy Atkeson Trail at Sparks Lake. We walked a short way down the trail to the stunning viewpoints across lava rock and the shallow lake to South Sister and Broken Top from a slightly different, southern vantage point. Hotter here, and fewer flowers, but still a worthwhile visit.

South Sister and Broken Top from Sparks Lake

Dan, South Sister

Broken Top

The flowers:

Wild currant

Golden rod and columbine

Golden rod

An arm of the Sparks Lake

Twin berry

Dee Wright Observatory 7/22/2018

On our drive home on Sunday, we took a side trip to McKenzie Pass to this famous lookout in the lava fields between the Three Sisters and Mt Washington. I love the expansive views and sere landscape.

Dee Wright Observatory (2016 photo)

History

There is also a short trail through the lava field here, with signage about the geologic history of the McKenzie Pass area.

A lava stairway winds to the top of the observatory with panoramic views the whole way.

2016 photo

North and Middle Sisters

Northward view

The shelter at the top is also a peak finder with windows framing the significant mountains.

Window framing North Sister (September 2016)

Historical plaque inside the shelter

The stairs continue to the upper viewing platform above the shelter to 360 degree views.

2016 photo

The brass peak finder at the top provides reference points in every direction:

North and Middle Sisters

Closer view

Belknap Craters, Mts Washington and Jefferson and points north:

We could actually see all the way to Mt Hood today – a little white point over the shoulder of Mt Jefferson.

In 2015 we hiked to the Belknap Craters on a windy day.

Belknap Craters

Closer view of the where the trail goes through the lava field.

Black Crater, to the east:

We have experienced sunsets, moonrises, wind and thunderstorms here, and spotted wildfires in the distance. Today, as we drove the 15 miles from Sisters, we passed through the blackened landscape from the Milli fire here last year.

Black Crater 2018, with blackened forest on the flanks.

Black Crater, September 2016, at sunset – note the shadow of the observatory in the foreground, and the green trees on the slopes in the background.

Tour de Craft

Tour de France is getting exciting this week – the cobblestones, Alpine stages, and change of hands of the yellow jersey. I look forward to finishing this Welcome Blanket– just the binding to go – though our central Oregon trip has cut into my craft time.

I knit about an inch on my Cornwall sock, and added few stitches into the roof of Jane Austen’s cross stitch house.

Garden

We ate our first ripe tomatoes this week, and we have plenty of basil.

Ripe tomatoes

Cucumber flowers but no fruit

First Rudbeckia bloom!

Elk and Summit Meadows, Mt Hood, Oregon, and ‘Tour de Craft’ (18-29)

July 17, 2018July 17, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Elk Meadows trail 7/13/18 (Hike #41)

We started this hike on a hot day. The shade of the forest didn’t really take the edge off and my “condition” has been affecting me this week.

By the time we started up the eight long switchbacks, about a mile and a half into the hike, I realized I was never going to make it to the top of the hill. We decided to turn back. I had been hoping to see bog orchids and gentians, but I did see the mountain blue bells for the first time this year.

Lots of other flowers along the way:

Mariposa lily

Columbine, penstemon

Penstemon

Hemlock

Paintbrush

Meanwhile, we braved the log crossing on the Newton Creek twice.

Here is a “real” cairn doing a cairn’s job – marking the trail to the log crossing.

Zooming in on Mt Hood’s Newton/Clark Glacier:

Today we only went 3.2 miles, 500 feet. Last year we made it all the way to Elk Meadows and saw all the flowers.

Summit Meadows

We stopped and poked around in this meadow off the Trillium Lake road on our way home. We have skied or snowshoed this road a few times,

November 2017

and always wondered what the meadows would look like in summer.

I think we are late for the bigger bloom, as the paintbrush were faded, but the pink spirea along the road were lovely.

Paintbrush

Aster

Spirea

I zoomed in on Mt Hood for a closeup view of the ski area above Timberline Lodge.

Tour de Craft

I have only dabbled in spinning, so can’t really participate in the Tour de Fleece, but I do love to watch the Tour de France – for the views of France, and the drama and the stunning athletic effort that goes into these races. We DVR the coverage, then watch/fast forward through in the evening while I knit or quilt.

I have made a lot of progress on my Welcome quilt – I was planning to whip it together quickly, but I keep getting new design ideas….but that is the point for me – to play with the fabrics till I am satisfied and have learned something new by trying something new. Fun.

And I finished the first Cornwall sock and cast on the second.

Garden

Red, White and Purple at Three Corner Rock, WA (18-28)

July 8, 2018 / margaretquilts / 2 Comments

Three Corner Rock 4th of July, 2018 (Hike#40)

This easy hike follows the Pacific Crest Trail south from the 2090 road in Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The beautifully maintained and graded trail switchbacks up a ridge lined with a variety of summer wildflowers. The last 3/4 mile is on a rutted red access road which goes to the saddle – and to the volcanic pile of Three Corner Rock that is holding down the ridge from blowing away on this windy July 4th.

We scramble part way up the rock to a windbreak and have lunch – only one of our hiking party braves the blast to scramble all the way to the top.

Meanwhile, we admire our five volcano view: Jefferson, Hood, Adams, St Helens, Rainier, along with views of the Columbia River all the way to Portland to the west. This was a good place for a lookout back in the day!

Mts Hood and Jefferson beyond the cell tower.

Mts St Helens, Rainier and Adams.

Silver Star Mountain

Among the flower palette are tons of red paintbrush, white bunch berry, and purple penstemon – nothing blue blooming up here today.

paintbrush

bunchberry

penstemon

Other wildflowers – some are first sightings this year:

columbine sparkler

twin flower

Prince’s pine

lousewort

Oregon grapes and foam flower

tiger lily opening

anemone? seedpods

The map and June flower comparison is on my blog post from last year. 4.4 miles/1200 feet.

We stopped in Cascade Locks on the way home to buy fresh salmon for our 4th of July barbecue dinner.

Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River.

Native fish market at Bridge of the Gods. The burned skyline shows how close the Eagle Creek fire was to Cascade Locks.

CRAFTING

Pinwheel Quilt completed and just waiting for baby:

Fabric baskets for a sister’s birthday:

I started a quilt for the Welcome Blanket project:

Lookout Mountain hike (18-27)

July 5, 2018 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Lookout Mountain, east of Mt Hood June 30, 2018 (Hike#39)

Walking through High Prairie,

Lots of purple shooting stars and yellow cinquefoil

Heather

up a gentle grade through the forest to the ridge punctuated by red volcanic soil and a pinnacle.

Views of Mt Hood all along the ridge:

The top of Lookout Mountain comes into view:

From the top, views as far south as Broken Top,

Broken Top, North and Middle Sisters, Mt Washington, Mt Jefferson, Badger Lake, and a resident chipmunk.

and north to Mt Adams with lenticular clouds.

Mt Adams

The eastern high desert:

Plenty of flowers, but there will be more! based on our past visits. 3.9 miles/800 feet.

cinquefoil and shooting star

bistort

fleabane

penstemon

mariposa lily

buckwheat

scarlet gillia

An interesting stump

sandwort

Oregon sunshine

heather

Jacob’s ladder

lupine and twin berry honeysuckle

white cress

Crafting:

Pinwheel quilt basted and ready for quilting.

Jane Austen’s House emerging in cross stitch.

In the Garden:

Lewisia

Tiger Lily

Penstemon

Jacob’s Ladder

Tomatoes

Acantha

Blanket flower

Sumac

Some quilting! and Chinidere Mtn hike (18-26)

June 28, 2018 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Quilting!

I started the Pinwheel Baby Quilt I am making for an expected family member.

Chinidere Mountain 6/22/2018 (Hike#38)

This trail starts at Wahtum Lake, on the upper end of the Eagle Creek fire zone. The area has been off limits since last September, but this particular trail recently reopened to public use. Connecting trails down Eagle Creek are still closed.

6 miles/1200 feet

The trail immediately descends down 250 steps to Wahtum Lake.

From the shore we can just see the rocky promontory that we are hiking to – Chinidere Mountain.

(Photo taken on the return trip after the fog had lifted)

We continued on the Pacific Crest Trail around the east side of the lake, through an area with several hanging gardens and lots of flowers. The Chinidere cutoff at about 2.5 miles switchbacks up the side of this rocky promontory that stands above the forest. When we arrived, the top was still covered in fog and a cold wind swept the spine of the mountain.

Approaching the top

Cliff penstemon

Summit

Flowers, fog, wind

Mt Hood beyond the clouds

Just 10 feet away we could sit comfortably in the windless sunshine and enjoy our lunch, hoping for the clouds on Mt Hood to lift.

Wahtum Lake from the summit

Wahtum Lake after the clouds lifted

Below us to the north, we could see the mosaic burn of the upper part of the Eagle Creek fire.

Brown areas burned by the Eagle Creek Fire

As we headed down the trail we walked out onto the ridge viewpoints to admire the wildflowers growing in the sunny rocky meadows and watched the clouds blow across Mt Hood.

Lots of wildflowers today – lovely.

rosy twisted stalk

salmonberry flowers and berries

bunchberry

fairy bells

avalanche lilies

bead lilies

starry Solomon Seal

windflowers

arnica and columbine

coral root

penstemon and buckwheat

bear grass

wallflower

beargrass

paintbrush

spring beauty

By the time we drove down the road the mountain was free and clear!

Lookback:

On a clear day we could see all the volcanoes, north and south, from the top of Chinidere Mt.

June 2016 – Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson

June 2015 – Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier and Mt Adams

Starvation Creek again (18-22)

June 13, 2018 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Lower Starvation Loop Hike, June 10, 2018 (hike #36)

We did this hike in early May last year, in the rain, with rainbows, and with early spring flowers. This year it was still a bit rainy, but we managed to hike on a wet weekend when Mt Hood actually received more snow! We saw the late spring flowers – always interesting to see what blooms next. And our daughter, temporarily home from college before heading off for her summer adventures, joined us. I got to practice my uphill in a steep section, but the hike was much shorter than last week. And I don’t think my new treatment regimen gave me any setback at all, so Yay! (3.2 miles, 800 feet)

Views from the high point:

East – Columbia River and trailhead parking below

North to Dog Mtn

West, Wind Mtn, no rainbows this year

Cabin Creek crossing, a fairy glen:

Photo shoot with Dad:

Wildflower suite:

tritip onion

paintbrush

lupine

strawberry leaf

tiger lilies

dogbane

mock orange

ookow

tritely and clarkia

primrose

Wet foliage:

lupine

ferns

Waterfalls:

Lancaster Falls

Hole In The Wall Falls

Cabin Creek Falls

Wildflower Lookback:

May 2017 – monkey flower, rosy plectritis, blue eyed Mary and shooting stars in the meadow

June 2018 – dry meadow

CRAFTING

I finished cross stitching the Elgol scene, and removed the guidelines.

Next I will decide how to frame it. And get started on one of two new cross stitch projects waiting in the wings.

I find the focused attention of counted cross stitching soothing these days. I also ordered fabric to make a baby quilt for our niece.

Astoria, Oregon; London Museums (18-19)

May 31, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Memorial Day weekend visit to Astoria, Oregon

May 26-28, 2018 A family member was camping at Fort Stevens State Park, so we made plans to stay in Astoria for a couple of nights and visit them. On Saturday we took a short walk to Coffenbury Lake from the campground.

Coffenbury Lake, Fort Stevens State Park

It was a beautiful evening, so we headed north to Clatsop Spit for a picnic on the beach, then visited several viewpoints to admire the clear views in every direction. We looked back toward Astoria, north toward Washington and Cape Disappointment, and west to the jetties that bound the shipping channel over the Columbia Bar.

View back to Astoria

Sadle Mountain

Bridge and column

Bird in Scotch broom

Trestle Lake

South toward Tillamook head

Clatsop Spit

Trestle Lake and Astoria

By sunset we made our way to the beach where the Wreck of the Peter Iredale slowly rusts away in the surf. This is an iconic Oregon landmark we had never visited, so I was glad to finally see it profiled against a colorful sky.

Sunday morning we drove across the Columbia River on the Astoria-Meglar Bridge to Washington.

We had once visited Cape Disappointment on a disappointingly foggy day. Today was sunny and clear. We took the short hike to the lighthouse and the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center.

Rhododendron

Cow parsley

Dead Man’s Cove

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Lewis & Clark Visitor Center

North Jetty

Lewis and Clark made it to this point, but did not recognize the mouth of the river because of the wide expanse of the estuary. We had beautiful views today, and interesting exhibits, including a decommissioned fresnel lighthouse lens – always so fascinating to look at.

Wallflowers and north jetty

Looking back toward the lighthouse

Map view of the mouth of the Columbia River

Later in the day we returned to Astoria and bought some fresh spring Chinook salmon to BBQ at the campground with our family members.

Monday we took a stroll along the waterfront in Astoria.

View to Washington

Cormorant on old pilings

Old pilot car

Pacific nine bark

Waiting for salmon to bite

Looking back up hill to the Astoria Column

We stopped to eat our lunch at Youngs River Falls before returning home. A pleasant weekend getaway.

England Trip Report Part 2

Day 2: London, Museums in the rain April 27, 2018

A rainy day. It was only two tube stops to the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington. We didn’t even have to leave the underground – a long tunnel leads to the museum entrance. When we visited in 2011, the textile exhibit had been undergoing renovation, and I was hoping to see it this visit. But it turns out that there is no longer a textile wing. Textiles are scattered throughout the museum in various exhibits. Some highlights of our viewing:

From the Europe 1600-1815 Gallery:

And two drawing room spinning wheels:

The museum entrance has a domed ceiling with a fabulous Chihuly Glass Sculpture:

Medieval/Renaissance Sculpture Gallery

There is a Fashion Through Time exhibit:

Upstairs galleries are devoted to Ironwork, Glass, Ceramics and other decorative arts:

And Queen Victoria oversees all:

We grabbed a sandwich in the museum cafe. It was still rainy outside, so we went next door to the Natural History Museum.

This is a huge complex – one could never see it all, but we took in some dinosaurs:

We would see more of Mary Anning’s work later when we visited Lyme Regis.

Architectural details throughout the museum inspired by Natural History:

The enormous Hintze Hall:

and the Dodos.

There were tons of people and it was a bit overwhelming, but I enjoyed seeing the exhibits.

The rain had let up, so we continued walking north, past the Royal Albert Hall, the Albert Memorial,

Royal Albert Hall

Albert Memorial

and on to the gardens outside Kensington Palace.

Kensington Palace

Victoria again

This happened to be the day the name of new baby Prince Louis Arthur Charles was announced, so there was a small press pool camped out in their compound. We continued walking until we found ourselves at the Queensway station. We took the tube back to our lodging, refreshed, then found a nearby Indian restaurant for our dinner.

London, Day 3: Jane Austen’s portrait and more walking April 28, 2018

One of my goals for this trip was to see the Jane Austen portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Off we went on the tube to Leicester Square, followed by a short walk to the museum. We found the portrait exhibited in a specially lighted cabinet. It is the only existing picture of Jane Austen made during her lifetime – hard to imagine in these selfie days. The portrait is small and the pencil lines are faded. It was drawn by her sister Cassandra in 1810 when Jane was 35 and Cassandra was 37. I appreciated getting to spend several minutes looking at her as she was seen by the person who knew her best in the world.

Jane Austen Portrait in special case

We then took some time to explore the rest of the museum – an excellent walk through the faces of British history. As with any museum, one can’t see everything, but these portraits caught my eye:

Three views of Queen Elizabeth I:

Queen Elizabeth I

The only American in the museum:

George Washington

Some of my favorite authors:

the Bronte Sisters

Emily Bronte

George Eliot

Virginia Woolf

Charles Dickens

Robert Louis Stevenson

Rupert Brooke

Recent royalty:

Queen Elizabeth II

Princess Diana

After stopping for lunch in the National Gallery Cafe,

National Gallery

Trafalgar Square

we decided to walk across the Thames again on the Hungerford Bridge,

then walk east along the south bank as far as the Millenium Bridge. It was a busy Saturday – a bit overwhelming how many people there are in London at any one moment. Every language and ethnicity, especially in the tourist areas.

Mural hiding a construction site on the river

We crossed back to the north on the Millenium Bridge,

Tower Bridge

Non-orthagonal buildings on the skyline

the Shard

St Pauls ahead

but then felt too tired to attempt St Paul’s,

St Paul’s Cathedral

which we had visited in 2011, so we wandered back toward Blackfriars, and took the tube back to Victoria from there.

Looking back under the Millenium Bridge: Shakespeare’s Globe and the Tate Modern Museum

We found an Italian restaurant nearby – most of the patrons were getting ready to see Wicked or Hamilton playing at the two nearby theaters.

Victoria Palace Theater – we saw Billy Elliot here in 2011.

Typical tube scene

We had accomplished our sightseeing goals for London, had somewhat adjusted to the time shift, and were ready for the next phase of our journey – on to Brighton by train, then further exploration of southern England by car and trail.

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