We only went on two hikes in December, one in town, and one out in the eastern gorge.
12/1/2025 – Mt Tabor, Portland
On a sunny day, we drove to our nearest extinct volcano, and walked around its circumference and up to the top, taking in views, and getting a good leg stretch (2 miles, 200 feet). There are many trails that circle around and through the park, and many users, running, walking, and stair climbing. It is a great public space on the east side of Portland.
As we gained elevation, we got a western view toward downtown Portland across one of the reservoirs.We continued upward on one of the forested trail to the top.There is a view to Mt Hood through the trees near the summit.And another view toward downtown.We hiked down the northern slope, and got a peek at Mt St Helens.The amphitheater near the parking lot has an outcrop of the volcanic layers.We passed Joan of Arc, glittering defiantly in the sun, in her traffic circle, on the drive home.
12/23/2025 – Catherine Creek, WA
We went with our daughter to this favorite winter hiking spot. This is our second time here since the Burdoin Fire last July. This time, we walked the East Loop above the Arch, and also made a quick trip down to the waterfall viewpoint on the lower ADA trail. (3 miles, 450 feet).
At first we planned to walk the loop that returns by crossing the creek below the Arch, but we wanted to be sure the creek crossing was possible, so we went to look.
Catherine Creek crossing on the lower Arch trail. The waterfall-like step is actually the plank bridge, now broken and underwater. The road/trail was not accessible without serious wading. So we took the trail above the Arch, and then the eastern return loop.Walking across the burned slopes toward the lower bridge across Catherine Creek. This one survived the fire.Once we reached the slopes near the Arch, we could see across the Columbia River to the west,And to the east.Bitterroot foliage coming up through a rocky, mossy area that likely escaped burning. There were a few unburned areas within this mostly burned slope.View from the top of the Arch, new fence in place.We ate lunch on the rocky outcrop just north of the Arch, then continued our loop to the east, passing scorched pine trees.We returned back across the lower bridge.
Then we took a quick walk down the paved ADA trail south of the parking area, to see the waterfall.
Catherine Creek Waterfall. This side of the road has dead, dry grasses on the slopes because it didn’t burn along the paved trail. But it looks like it did burn across the river.
We enjoyed this hike on an overcast but not rainy day. It was nice to spend some outdoor time with our daughter. And it will be interesting to watch the land here as it recovers from the fire damage.
I managed to do many of the traditional December things this year, despite the lead up to the winter solstice being a little darker than usual, as I carried the grief of losing two family members in November, and the chaos of our national wrecking ball situation. In some ways, the traditions kept me going through the otherwise difficult days. The solstice arrived, bringing longer days and more light. And we thoroughly enjoyed a two week visit from our daughter.
Knitting:
I finished two pairs of gift socks, and then re-made a cowl into a felted bowl.
Gift socks – Malabrigo Sock, PocionGift socks, Patons Kroy scraps held double.Lancelot Cowl, as finished last year, in a bulky alpaca yarn called Hobbii Apricity.
When I tried the cowl on this winter, it was just a bit too itchy for me. Since I knew the yarn would shrink and felt, I decided to unravel the last six rows and reknit it with a closed bottom into a bowl shape. Then I machine washed and dried it, and the fiber shrank and felted into a small bowl, with the textured stitches still visible in the fabric. I count it as a success!
Remade into a felted bowl..
Books:
I finished 8 books in December. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans was probably my favorite of the bunch. I enjoyed seasonal rereads of The Tailor of Gloucester and The Dark is Rising. I learned a lot about the Gilded Age lifestyle in Consuelo Vanderbilt’s autobiography – The Glitter and the Gold.
December books
Museum Day:
The Portland Art Museum has just opened their newly expanded and remodeled gallery space. We bought a membership, and I hope to go monthly to see all the new exhibits and spaces. Today, we focused on the Rothko exhibit, where we saw examples of this Portland grown artist, from early career to the abstract art he is famous for. There was an adjacent exhibit presenting Abstraction Since Rothko.
Part of the Rothko GalleryMark Rothko placardNo. 16 (?)No. 10Abstraction Since RothkoMurasaki by Arlene SlavinCheran by Valerie Jaudon
I am always attracted to bright colors and patterns. And I love to see the close up view of the texture of the paint layers and brush strokes on the canvas. I am looking forward to looking at a lot of art next year.
Neighborhood walks:
The flowers of December sparkled amidst the holiday and protest decorations.
ViburnumRhododendronRose
Holiday decorations somewhat overlapped with the ongoing protest signs. New this year were some birds, and some frogs.
FlamingosPelicanFrog added into to this traditionally elaborate displayAnother frogA mixture of holiday and protestStraight protest.
Celebrations:
The first December celebration was Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, on December 16th.
Long my favorite author! (Internet meme)I have her ornament, which I bought at her house in Chawton, UK, hanging on my tree.I slowly put all the decorations on the tree,And hung a wreath on the door.We lit Hanukkah candles.The shortest day went by.We baked a very few cookies,and had a lovely traditional Christmas dinner with long time friends.
We also went on a few outdoor walks and a hike, to be detailed in the next post.
On New Years Eve, we stopped on our way home from doing errands to look at our volcanoes from the top of Rocky Butte.
Clear and cold view to Mt Hood from Rocky Butte on New Year’s Eve.Mt St Helens and our long shadows.
We had a delightful Thai takeout dinner with our daughter and several of her childhood friends, who also happened to be in town for the holidays. Then they went out on the town for the night, and we were early to bed, ready to say goodbye to this difficult year, with hope for better things in 2026.
We hiked the upper loop from the ranch ( 4 miles, 450 feet). We began the day with fog and mist, which evaporated by lunch time, and we finished our hike under clear blue skies. We visited the ‘one tree’, and had a quiet day on the trail.
Looking up into the Columbia Hills at the start of the hike. Lots of dried balsam root foliage in the foreground.The hills were still misty when we sat down for our lunch break,right near my favorite oak tree.I watched a flock of towhees in the nearby bushes,By the time we finished our lunch, the mists had evaporated, and the oak tree was illuminated under a blue sky,its leaves glowing in the sun.After lunch, we continued our hiking loop, which circles down to a view of the Columbia River and The Dalles. The sun angle was wrong for photography, but we could see Mt Hood under its cloud cap on the far horizon.We hiked back up to the Ranch along Eight Mile Creek.A satisfying hike on an autumn day, with very few other trail users today.
11/25 Portland Arboretum
We hiked a short loop (2.5 miles, 200 feet), past the view of Mt St Helens and our favorite Japanese maple tree, through the Winter Garden, and then back up the Beech Trail.
The snowy top of Mt St Helens was floating like a cream puff on the horizon.The maple tree was past its prime, color faded, but not yet leafless.Red hawthorne berries were glowing, as were the camellias and some of the foliage in the Winter Garden.Beech leaves lined our trail back to the start.
11/28 Catherine Creek/Rowland Wall
This was our first return to this favorite hike since the Burdoin Fire in July (2.7 miles, 720 feet). The blackened slopes have become green with newly sprouting grass. We passed many charred trees, and many that survived the conflagration.
The area of Lower Trail, south of Old Highway 8, did not burn, so looks same as it ever does in winter, with dried grasses fringing the landscape.
Unburned landscape south of the highway.
North of the highway, where the fires swept through, most of the golden grasses and shrubs were completely removed, and the landscape is covered with blackened earth and newly sprouted grasses.
Looking north from the parking area across the burned slope.We began by walking up to the Fairy Ponds.Trees near the Fairy Ponds show fire damage.
We continued walking up the Bitterroot Trail, to the ridge just west of Catherine Creek.Looking upriver from the ridge, all the way to the town of Lyle, where the fire stopped at the Klickitat River.Blackened soil and trees.Juncos were pecking around in the dirt here.Looking across to the Arch, which already has new fencing in place.Wider view of the Arch, and the lower trail in front of the Arch.
We walked up slope, and past the power pylons to the edge of Rowland Wall.
Looking eastward across the landscape, up the Columbia River. Oddly, green areas are burned, golden areas are unburned. Orange pine trees are fire damaged.Continuing uphill toward the power pylons.Near our turning place – the golden, unburned area at the top was burned in last year’s controlled burn of the area, and I guess they held a fire line there in July.Eastward from our high point. It was a gorgeous day!
From the edge of Rowland Wall, we looked at our familiar landmarks to the west to see how they fared.
The tall tree here can be seen from many of the trails in the area – I think of it as the ‘guide’ tree.Zooming in – it is still standing, but appears to have some fire damage.Next, we hiked down the Rowland Wall cliffs…I found bitterroot foliage in the usual places – a good omen!Chartreuse lichen on the cliffs – not burned.Wider view: guide tree on the skyline. Lots of burned trees in the volcanic landscape below the wall.
Next, the trail takes us back east toward our parking area. Some of the lower tree stands in this area were very badly burned.
View back toward the parking area.Many burned pine trees.I hope the frogs will be back in this pond, where we often hear them.This is the first time I have seen the rock cliffs behind these trees – all the undergrowth is gone.The ponds are still reflective on this beautiful day.
The experience was a little heartbreaking, but also hopeful – there were still birds, and some of the wildflowers were beginning to sprout up in the blackened dirt. We will return in spring to monitor the changes. I’m glad we can continue to hike here on rainy days in Portland!
I took many neighborhood walks this month, watching the season change, and contemplating sad partings.
Fall colors in Northeast Portland
The leaves…
Berries and late blooming or winter flowers…
Sidewalk square of the month…
This one has a human profile etched in the weathered cement.
And of course, the early holiday decorations…
Santa penguins, wondering where the snow is.
Knitting
I finished one cowl, which I am wearing almost every day. The pattern is Ella Improv by Cecelia Campochiaro. The yarn in Malabrigo Lace.
Ella Improv cowl
Reading
I finished six books in November. The most compelling was The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai, a saga of family life in Viet Nam in the twentieth century.
Books of November
Signs of Resistance
My neighborhood is always heartening in the display of signs of resistance. There seem to be more and more all the time.
Window signs, telling the world how they really feel!These signs were displayed in front of almost every house on this block.Including this one, with an Anne Frank tribute as well.Lady LibertyKeeping it brief.The wall mural I see on the way home from the library, in the low autumn light.
Sadness
This month I lost two close family members; one older, one younger, one with a long illness, both quite sudden. This was unexpected and sad and I have been feeling shaken and unanchored in time. As a family we are scattered geographically, but with the miracles of technology, we have been able to grieve together. It is hard. And it is human. We are all on that train. We are stopped in our tracks by the loss. We are determined to live well in response. Both paths seem wrong. But we go on.
Thanksgiving was celebrated with close friends who invited us for the day, and for whom I am grateful, especially this year.
August began with a birthday week stay in Bandon on the southern Oregon coast. The rest of the month went by with the usual home activities, in Portland, Oregon, which, contrary to some news reports, is a very pleasant place to live.
Around the neighborhood –
Lots to look at this month while walking – gardens…
Sidewalk art, architecture, and more Portland quirkiness…
Yard creatures…
Homegrown treats…
Asters that survived the roofing, painting and tuck pointing.Our neighbors shared their abundant tomatoes.
Knitting –
I made progress on my cardigan and a pair of socks. Our local coffee shop, KISS Coffee, has taken to reserving our Friday morning knitting table.
Reading –
Of the eight books I finished in August, my favorite was There Are Rivers In The Sky, by Elif Shafak. It is set in Victorian and modern London, and ancient and modern Mesopotamia, and links several character’s lives through water and literature. There is a hopeful conclusion, despite the hardships endured. I also enjoyed rereading the Elizabeth Von Amin books set in her German garden.
Eight books read in August 2025
8/19 – A walk in the Wildwood Recreation Area –
This was the only hike for me in August, after our trip to Bandon. Usually August is a prime hiking month for us, but I had to address some health issues. There were many appointments, including PT for my wonky hip. Everything seems to be getting better, so I hope to have many more challenging hikes in the future. But one hot day, we drove up Mt Hood to the Wildwood Recreation Area, which we had not visited before. This is a BLM site, at about 1200 feet elevation, on the Salmon River. There are several miles of mostly flat trails through shady forest, and along the Salmon River. I imagine many school field trips come here because of the easy access, and abundance of educational signage and picnic tables.
Trailhead sign… we walked trails on both sides of the Salmon River.In the parking lot, I watched a Big Leaf Maple leaf slowly float to the ground.The first leaf of fall?Salmon River from the bridgeView to the nearby ridge across a marsh on one of the nature trails.Shady reflections in the waterForest bathing here…More reflectionsSalmon sculptureRiver access for picnickersUnderwater viewing chamberWe saw a few very small fish in the viewing window. Salmon pass through here in spawning season.
The Wildwood Recreation Area was a great spot for some easy forest bathing on a hot summer day.
And lastly –
A few birthday gifts and cards…
An aspirational window sticker seen in the neighborhood…
There is so much going on that I am constantly whiplashing between system overload and full ostrich. It is a challenging time, and yet we will continue to do what we can to be hopeful and helpful.
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.
Tapestries of the Columbia RiverIndividual panel and river segment descriptionsClose up of panel II, our local strand of the river.Chinook salmon tapestryAntique airplane in the museum, and the outside viewMuseum 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.
Peninsula Park Rose GardenBlue eryngo near the entryYellow rosesOrange rosesRed rosesAmerican flag beyond the fountain
Knitting and other crafts
I have made progress on my three projects – socks, a scarf, a cardigan.
Cardigan, sock and scarf, in progress
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.
Sock monkeys, in progressHer completed sock catEnjoying Ken’s Artisan Pizza.
Home Improvement/Upkeep – It took half the summer to finish the house painting, and that included having all the storm windows freshened up.
Storm windows ready for re-hanging.Fresh paint
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.
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.
Russell Street EntryNew foyerOutdoor reading patioSome of the stacksKnott Street entrance. This older part of the building is a refurbished 1911 Carnegie Library, remodeled as the children’s library.Children’s libraryChildren’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.
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.BunchberryStarry solomon sealBleeding heartAvalanche liliesBeargrassRosy twisted stalkContinuing shaded trail with prolific Sitka valerianQueen cup lilies just beginning to openSitka ValerianWindflowers
Near the ridge crest, a rocky view opened up, back to Mt Hood and Wahtum Lake.
View to Mt Hood and Wahtum Lake, with beargrassYellow flowers on the sunny open slope – arnica, groundsel, Oregon sunshine and wallflowersSwallowtail butterfly on a wallflower
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.Glimpse of Mt Adams to the northPenstemon on Tomlike Ridge
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.
Avalanche liliesAs far as the eye can seeShady forest with liliesAnd beargrass
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 MountainMariposa lilyPaintbrushBuckwheat and columbineChickweed and phloxMt Hood
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!
I spent the first half of June in St George, Utah, helping a family member with a health care situation. I was extremely grateful to return to the lovely pacific Northwest for the rest of the month, enjoying our more temperate climate and the lovely flowers blooming in the neighborhood. I finished knitting a pair of socks, and cheered on the No Kings Day Protests from afar.
Southern Utah, June 4 to 15th.
It was too hot in Utah to do much more than scurry from one air conditioned space to the next. We drove through nearby Snow Canyon State Park one evening, to admire the Navajo Sandstone landscape from the car window. I paid homage to the air conditioning gods and the electric grid, praying that it didn’t go down while I was there.
The weather…
Snow Canyon State Park –
Willow trees in bloom
Birds of St George…
Roadrunner in the hospital gardenDove in the back yard
Flying home through Salt Lake City:
Great Salt Lake from the airplane windowTerminal Tunnel in Salt Lake City, inspired by the salt flatsTerminal tunnel art panelThe Columbia River, Cape Horn, and Mt St Helens; welcome views on the return flight to Portland…
Flowers in the neighborhood –
Knitting
I knit not a single stitch while in Utah, but I finished one pair of socks after I returned. I cast on a new pair of socks, and made some progress on a scarf and a cardigan.
Finished socksThree works in progress – cardigan, scarf, socks
Books
Nine books read in June
Of the nine books I completed in June, by far the most compelling was Figuring, by Maria Popova. It is a long and interwoven biographical tale of several women artists and scientists who made major contributions within their fields, yet have gone somewhat unrecognized. The women include astronomer Maria Mitchell, poet Emily Dickinson, sculptor Harriet Hosmer, writer Margaret Fuller, and biologist Rachel Carson. She includes many intersecting peripheral people, who interacted with her selected historical figures. I found it fascinating to listen to.
I also enjoyed a trip down memory lane as I read Sandstone Spine by David Roberts, a description of hiking across Comb Ridge in southern Utah, a place I did field work 40 years ago.
The rest of the world:
June 14th – While I was roasting away in St George in a care-giver role, millions of people all over the world were marching in No Kings Day protests. I am grateful that so many were able to show up!
(Instagram screenshot)
Back in Portland, I took a long neighborhood walk on Juneteenth, and a real hike near Mt Hood on June 24th – to be described in the next post…
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:
RhododendronsIrisPoppiesRosesDogwoodColorful tile stepsSidewalk of the monthNeighborly advice
Knitting
I finished a dishcloth for donation, and I have three active works in progress.
DishclothSocks, a scarf, a cardigan, 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.
May books
Events
We spent a lovely afternoon in a garden in Eugene, Oregon. Pegasus pizza, toy airplanes, and lots of conversation.
Eugene garden
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.
The red dress, made in 1982
We attended the James Taylor concert at the Ridgefield Amphitheater with one of our sons. The music was lovely!
James Taylor concert
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!
Margaret Quilts 