Re-entry/Tom McCall Point (18-17)

May 16, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

After two and a half weeks in London, Cornwall, Devon, and a visit to Jane Austen’s house and quilt in Chawton, we are back home in Portland, Oregon. I barely had time to jot notes of our adventures, let alone write blog posts. Historical sites, museums, hiking, and travel days; navigating narrow hedgerows via Lady Google. Wildflowers were in bloom, and the weather mostly cooperated when it really mattered. I am writing this at 4 am because I am still adjusting to the 8 hour time shift. I plan to add blog posts about our adventures as I go through my photos.

Tom McCall Point, OR 5/13/2018 Hike #30

Meanwhile, we took advantage of our jet lag by going on a hike at sunrise on our first day back. Tom McCall Point is a favorite seasonal wildflower hike in the eastern gorge (3.6 miles/1100 feet).

The early morning low light gave a luminous glow to the landscape.

Tom McCall Point – our goal

Looking back toward the Rowena Plateau trailhead and the Columbia River

Deer in the meadow below

The views opened up as we climbed higher.

Mt Hood

Early spring flowers were mostly past, but the balsam root at the top was splendid, along with lupine, penstemon, and bicolored cluster lilies.

BiColored Cluster Lily

Balsam Root

Balsamroot

flax

rose

lupine

penstemon

fiddle neck

pea

fringe pod

lupine

parsley

There were only a few other people hiking that early.

Dan approaching the summit, Mt Hood beyond

Mt Adams

We had the summit to ourselves for twenty minutes before heading down.

We also took a short hike at the nearby Memaloose Overlook – I had read that bitterroot (Lewisia) can sometimes be seen blooming on the rocky cliffs nearby. We didn’t find any, but did spot some pink Clarkia blooms for the first time this season, so it seemed a worthwhile side trip.

Clarkia near Memaloose Overlook

Knitting

I knit a couple of inches on my Cornwall socks while on the plane. It turns out I chose a color that reflects well the fields and seas of Cornwall.

Garden

And while we were gone, the spring turned to summer. The yard is a bit overgrown, and new flowers are blooming.

native iris

columbine

Chinese fringe flower

phlox

rhodies

Spring Flowers, Mitchell Point, Oregon (18-13)

April 3, 2018April 3, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Mitchell Point trail 3/31/2018 (#13)

Mitchell Point is a steep promontory east of the burn area and west of Hood River on the Oregon side of the Columbia RIver Gorge. It has been closed since the fire last fall, but has recently reopened. We took this short, steep hike (3 miles/1300 feet) to both upper and lower points. Oaks toothwort, Oregon grape and red currant were blooming along the lower trail.

View of Mitchell Point from the trailhead

red currant

Oregon grape

After crossing the rocky scree slope I found one trillium, my first of the season, in the upper wooded trail on the way up.

Hounds tongue and glacier lilies were blooming in the upper saddle and power line corridor.

hounds tongue

glacier lilies

At the top we enjoyed the steep hillside meadows full of gold stars, grass widows, prairie stars, yellow and white parsleys, slender phlox, blue eyed Mary, popcorn flower, filaree, and saxifrages.

yellow parsley, prairie stars,

grass widows, yellow bells, salt and pepper

lots of gold stars

phlox, blue eyed Mary, grass widows

The upper trail traverses the spine of the ridge, with great views in every direction along the Columbia River. We stopped for lunch on the rocky crest.

Yellow meadows near the top

West view from the top

North view

East view, with saxifrage

On the way down, I found two fairy slipper orchids in the upper wooded trail area where I remembered them being abundant the last time we were here in April of 2015.

fairy slipper

douglas fir

saxifrages

We crossed the rocky scree field again.

Trail across the scree slope

Looking directly up at Mitchell Point, where we ate lunch

NW view

We then took the spur trail to the lower point, and found another grassy and flowered meadow, and also some blooming larkspur and a good view of where we had been. We missed this trail the last time we were here.

Mitchell Point from the Spur Trail

The grassy slope of lower Mitchell Point

View across the river and meadow flowers

Looking east

Looking back up at Mitchell Point

Closer view of the top

Balsamroot

Tomcat clover

Larkspur, gold stars

Lookback:

In midApril of 2015, the tiny meadow flowers were past bloom, but the balsam root was in full flower. Since one can’t be everywhere at once, it is a joy to see each location in a different season of bloom.

March 2018

April 2015

Easter eggs

Garden

Tulips

Rooster Rock and Memaloose Hills (18-11)

March 20, 2018April 9, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Rooster Rock 3/15/2018 (#10)

We took a short afternoon to explore the trails at Rooster Rock State Park. To the east, the beach trail gives views of Sand Island and the burned skylines in the gorge.

Looking east toward Sand Island and the beach trail

Sand Island

Burned Angel’s Rest and trees along the skyline

To the west we hiked to a close view of Rooster Rock. This park is very popular in the summer, but quiet today in the off season. (3 miles).

To the west

To the east

The waterfall above Hidden Lake

A robin

Looking east, Rooster Rock

Reflections

Rooster rock

Memaloose Hills 3/18/2017 (#11)

This is the earliest we have hiked this April-May wildflower eden between Mosier and Rowena in the eastern gorge.

Pinnacles along the lower trail between I-84 and Rt 30

Grass widows, gold stars, and a view across the Columbia River toward the labyrinth.

From the ledge above the lower trail one can look over to a cliff that hosts a great blue heron rookery. We only saw a few birds here today (grey spots), but in a previous year there were countless herons on this cliff.

Look for the grey blobs on the green slope near the top of the cliff

From the Hwy 30 Memaloose viewpoint one can look directly across the river at Catherine Creek in Washington.

It was interesting to see the early season flowers – gold stars, yellow bells, glacier lilies, early buttercups, Columbia desert parsley, and a few others.

Columbia Desert Parsley

Grass widows

Yellow bells and blue eyed Mary

Buttercup

Oaks toothwort

Yellow parsley

Glacier lilies

Fern

We hiked up a nearly barren Chatfield Hill, with extensive views at the top.

Hiking up

View to the west from the top

To the north and east

To the east, Tom McCall Point and Columbia desert parsley

Since the full flower bloom was not out, we returned by the loop through the oak woodlands on the north side of Chatfield Hill.

I hope the next time we take this hike it will be in full wildflower glory: a view from today compared with April 2015.

March 2018

April 2015

4 miles/800 feet.

Quilting

I spent a day photographing 13 of my quilts, and adding labels where omitted. I am getting closer to writing the stories of these quilts, which is why I actually started this blog!

Knitting

I finished the Strong Heel Socks, though I plan to reknit the toe where the knot in the yarn interupted the stripe sequence.

And in the garden:

Star magnolia

Spring creeping in…. (18-10)

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Powell Butte Nature Park March 10, 2018 (#9)

Rainy week, sun on the weekend, warming trend. On Friday we hiked up this volcanic butte from the 148th Avenue trailhead. Excellent signage at the top explains the history and function of the butte as the main storage reservoirs of the entire Portland water system.

Water distribution schematic

Display of pipes that deliver our water, framing Silver Star Mountain

Cloudy skies so the Cascade peaks were not in view, but the sun was shining to the north on Silver Star Mountain and friends in Washington.

Silver Star Mountain

Old orchard on the top of Powell Butte

Crows in the orchard

We circled back through Douglas fir and cedar forests. A few early wildflowers were spotted.

Cedar forest

Toothwort

Indian plum

The Elderberry Trail stairs allow a quick descent.

A good close in walk, about 4.2 miles/500 feet.

Quilting:

The Jane Austen quilt is all done except the label and some good photos – hopefully by next week.

In my garden:

hyacinths

Beacon Rock, Cooper Mountain, Hats, Flowers (18-6)

February 12, 2018February 12, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

River to Rock Trail, Beacon Rock State Park, WA 2/10/2018 (#5)

From the switchback staircases on Beacon Rock we have looked down to see a dock on the Columbia River.

August 2015

Today we looked up at the ant-sized people climbing the Beacon Rock stairs from the dock. We walked to the dock from the Doetsch Ranch Trailhead. There are great views of Beacon Rock,

Beacon Rock boat dock

Beacon Rock from the boat dock

Beacon Rock, Table Mountain, Aldrich Butte

Stairs and switchbacks

History

and of the burnt trees along the ridge line on the Oregon side of the Gorge.

We had planned to continue up the River to Rock trail toward Beacon Rock, but they remove an all important bridge during the winter.

No bridge.

It is parked across the road.

After completing the loop around the former Doetsch Ranch area, we parked at the upper River to Rock trailhead and walked down to the viewpoints around Riddell Lake.

Riddell Lake

Closest view of the stairs and switchbacks.

Spring plants and natural history – the Missoula Floodwaters were 200 feet above the top of Beacon Rock!

violets

Oregon Grape foliage

Missoula Floods

Although I have been feeling well, like I turned a corner in stamina this week, I was glad to reach the top of the small hill back to the trailhead. Today was not the day to climb Beacon Rock, but it was great get a close view of its columnar structure from a new vantage.

3 miles/200 feet

Lookback: Switchbacks and stairs on the Beacon Rock trail.

November 2013

August 2015

Cooper Mountain Nature Park, OR 2/11/2018 (#6)

We walked the 2.8 mile loop with friends on a clear cold Sunday. Nice to continue stretching my legs, and the 300 feet elevation change was plenty. We enjoyed the view of the Tualatin Hills as we ate our lunch from a well placed bench on the overlook trail. There should be a good wildflower display here come spring.

Cooper Mountain GPS track

Knitting

I finished the second Sonic Six hat, easily winning at yarn chicken, and in good time for Valentines Day.

I cast on and finished a bulky weight Brassica hat, out of Collinette Prism yarn in the Fresco colorway. This is the last of the yarn I bought in Scotland last year.

Flowers in the neighborhood:

My yard:

crocus

primroses return from last year

rosemary

witch hazel

lily seedhead

Down the street:

First cherry trees blooming!

heather

Chinese paper bush

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge (18-5)

February 5, 2018 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge Loop Trail 2/3/2018 (#4)

Continuing to take things slowly this week, we went for a 3 mile walk around Oaks Bottom in southeast Portland. This is an easy trail between the river and the bluff that sees plenty of neighborhood walkers and runners. From the bluff side we could look across the lake and see the west hills and Oaks Amusement Park, with cyclists flying by on the Springwater Corridor.

Details along the Bluff Trail:

Seed fluff

Beaver sign

Tree eye

Ducks

Egret

Berries

Fungi

Reflections

We later walked north on the Springwater Corridor path and looked back across the lake to the famous mausoleum with enormous wildlife mural painted on the side. We saw a few real birds in the water as well as some decoy/art installation blue herons.

Springwater corridor

Heron decoy in foreground

My longest walk so far – getting better all the time.

Meanwhile, I have been knitting

away on the Girl in the Neurosurgery Ward shawl – I have about half of the purple border to go.

I cast on a second Sonic Six hat using the remainder of the Total Eclipse yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts striped with some leftover grey sock yarn to extend the skein for the full hat. Playing yarn chicken with this one.

And I finished the second of a continuing collection of cotton tortilla dishcloths. I gave away most of those I made last year, but still have scraps to use up.

The front yard crocuses were in full bloom today.

A Healing Week (18-3)

January 22, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

1/22/2018

Home for a week now, each day I am more awake, more alert, more me.

Each day I walk a bit more, usually with Sean, at a glacial pace. First to the end of the block, then around the block. On Saturday Dan escorted me a full slow mile around the neighborhood, and on Sunday we visited Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins and Ribsy at Grant Park. I am disappointed not to participate in the Women’s March this year, but have given myself permission to temporarily ignore the outer world as I heal from this event.

Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden, Grant Park

I have been thinking about trust. What is it that allowed me to trust people I’ve met only briefly, including some on the team I never will meet while conscious, to thread some sort of mechanism into my brain and perform this surgery. That is the foundation of civilization, I suppose, that the standards put in place by experts will be upheld, that we all expect to do our best by each other, that we trust.

Knitting

Some time is passed in the evenings with Dan and Sean, watching ‘The Good Place’ and adding several repeats to my Girl in the Neurosurgery Ward shawl. The yarn is Tosh Merino Light in the Mandala and Flashdance colorways.

A mantra for the week from one of my favorite podcasts:

Marquam Hill, Portland, OR (18-2)

January 16, 2018January 22, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

1/10/18 A different kind of Adventure of the Week: Marqham Hill

Begins with a pre-dawn drive up Sam Jackson Road, four flights of stairs in the parking garage, into the entrance hall where I get my wristband; down to the preop suite where I wipe myself with antiseptic wipes and change into a snap on gown, booties and shower cap. That’s when it all gets real. Someone comes to start the IV; I sign all the forms that admit knowledge of possible bad outcomes including death, and then they whisk me away into the OR ante room. I start shaking uncontrollably as they transfer me to the operating table, but they give me oxygen and then the mask, say “Count down five breaths”. I only remember three.

Someone is tugging at a mask on my face. There are bright lights in my eyes. They are holding me in place, putting oxygen tubes in my nose, needles in my arms. I am coming awake and it is over and they say I am doing fine.

Then there are a number of hours I am in and out of awake. Dan is there holding my hand. Emily is sitting next to me giving me droplets of water and encouraging me to eat one saltine cracker that takes 2 1/2 hours. There is a light above that is too bright and one doctor says the hospital is full and I may have to stay in this space all night. It is very noisy and bright and I feel discouraged. Eventually they do find a room for me and wheel me in most carefully. Now here I have been for three days with the kindest of nurses caring for me, doctors coming and going in teams all hours of the night, needles poking, measuring ins and outs. Brian and Sean keep me company and take me on walks around the halls and I appreciate their presence. Dan is ever-present and stays the first night. Emily stays the next two nights and I slowly shed tubes and wires and medications until I feel almost ready to go home.

By day three I am feeling very accomplished to make several laps around the 10th floor neurosurgery ward, and a walk to the view plaza above the Portland Tram, resting and looking at all three snow covered peaks on the skyline on a beautiful blue sky day.

Mt Hood and lower waterfront from Portland Tram plaza

Mt St Helens and Mt Adams

Mt St Helens and a peek at Mt Rainier over its left shoulder (photos by Dan)

Friends and family have texted emailed visited called, sent flowers balloons meals good wishes. Now I just look forward to slowly getting better and less dizzy as I adjust to the new me. No more excess human growth hormone seeping from an adenoma on my pituitary. No more hidden acromegaly.

After 4 days on the hill we drive home, me shielding my eyes from the too bright sun and the overwhelming motion around me. I walk as if balancing a marble on my brittle bubble of a head, each day my equilibrium slowly increasing. In a few weeks I hope to be able to move better, drive, smell, hike…continue the adventures.

Meanwhile, the knitting:

I’ve added a few rows to the Girl From the Grocery Store Shawl, though I may rename it Girl in the Neurosurgery Ward.

2018 Begins (18-1)

January 9, 2018January 22, 2018 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

1/1/2018 Oaks to Wetlands Wildlife Trail, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, WA (Hike #1 for 2018)

2018 begins with a 2 mile walk at Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. Cold, quiet, it felt good to stretch our legs in the sun, see swans and geese in the distant ponds, and an egret flying down the swale.

Shadows on the approach bridge

Swans in the distant pond

An egret flying along the trail

local ponding

oak leaf

moss

fern

insect carving

berries

Oak tree

Reflections

1/6/2018 Deschutes River Trail (Hike #2)

Blue sky, crisp air, deep blue water, golden grasslands, great escape from the clouds in Portland. Solid boots on the trail, maybe the last time for a while…

We begin by walking along the river:

farther up river

sumac

looking back down river

the arch

The trail heads up hill across Ferry Springs Canyon:

snow in the shade

View back to the Columbia River, and the Columbia Hills in Washington

Closer view of the confluence

Columnar basalt above

Geese at the trailhead

GPS track

Lookback:

We have been here twice before – we saw spring wildflowers in April of 2013

and fall colors in November of 2016.

sumac

train across the river

Meanwhile

I knit away on Emily’s green shawl try to think of all the things to do before the surgery. I am organized and scattered at the same time. I try to anticipate all the needs and soon the time will be used up and I will see what happens on the other side. Hard to set goals for the New Year as I don’t know what to expect for the recovery so I just knit on…

Emily’s Flyaway Twist shawl, completed

38. New Years Eve / Farewell 2017

January 2, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Wind Mountain, WA Last Hike of the Week for 2017 (#59) 12/31/2017

Wind Mountain is a 1907 foot tall cone shaped mountain that juts out into the Columbia River on the Washington shore just west of Dog Mountain. These photos show Wind Mountain as seen on previous adventures:

From the Starvation Ridge area (southeast), May 2017

From Starvation Ridge, with rainbow, May 2017

From Dog Mountain (east), May 2013

From Grassy Knoll (north). Wind Mountain is the lower cone on the right side of the photo, June 2017. Mt Defiance and Mt Hood are beyond, across the Columbia River. Wind Mountain is rather small by comparison, from this perspective.

The trail is short and steep – about 1.25 miles/1100 feet up from the trailhead on the north slope. Our hike on New Year’s Eve was bitter cold at the beginning and eponymously windy. We enjoyed beautiful views from the top, and felt this was a great way to end 2017.

Historical significance explained near the top

Views from the top:

To the west – Beacon Rock in the distance

To the east, Dog Mountain and beyond toward Starvation Ridge across the Columbia RIver

Looking north to where Grassy Knoll and Mt Adams would be if there were no clouds.

The trail seemed steeper on the way down.

Some details:

Red Oregon grape leaves

A peaceful forest path

Fungus?

GPS track

Lookback: We hiked here in February of 2013 on a less windy and cloudy day, and could see all the way to Mt Adams and Mt St Helens

East to Dog Mountain

North to Mt Adams

Northwest, with Silver Star Mountain and Mt St Helens

West to Beacon Rock

Happy New Year!

In the evening we went downtown for a lovely dinner out with friends, and a New Year’s Eve concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, featuring Pink Martini and the Oregon Symphony ringing in 2018 at midnight.

And finally, some totals for 2017:

603 Total Miles walked, of which 294 were on hiking trails during 59 hikes, with a total of 50,500′ elevation gained.

76 Books read according to my Goodreads page. My two favorites were: Jane Austen, The Secret Radical by Helena Kelly, and Martin Marten by Brian Doyle.

6707 yards of yarn knitted in 10 finished projects according to my Ravelry page:

38 Blog Posts I am happy to say I have posted weekly since beginning the blog last April. I am still exploring what I want it to be, but I have enjoyed the motivation to write a bit each week, and I love documenting life events. I hope to keep up the pace in 2018, with more detailed quilt stories added in, once the big adventure with the surgeon is gotten through on January 10th. I keep thinking of the chorus to an old camp story about a hike through the woods with various obstacles:

“Can’t go under it, can’t go over it, can’t go around it, gotta go through it.”

And I suppose the same can be said about the challenges that face our nation in the next year. Our family holiday letter included this statement:

“It would be incomplete not to mention that 2017 has been a difficult year on the political front. We marched with women and men in January, and although some days it feels like we are barely hanging on by our fingernails, we cling to the belief that the checks and balances built into our Constitution will hold, and that the rule of law and equal protection under the law will win the day.”

Welcome 2018!