November 2024 in Portland…

December 5, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Everything so tense before the election, then a blurred time of surreal disbelief afterward…meanwhile, we had a late, very colorful fall, with Mother Nature screaming, “Look at me!”, which I did on neighborhood walks and one hike. At the end of the month we took a road trip to California for Thanksgiving – see next post.

Knitting and Home Improvement

I attended the Sacred Sheep Fiber Festival on November 2nd, with my knitting friends. We saw the sheep, and I bought some vintage buttons for my Icelandic vest, and a mini skein for a future project. I have several gift knitting projects on the go – more about that next month.

One of the sheep

New buttons and mini skein

Finished Iceland vest – Calidez by Jenjoyce, made with Allafosslopi yarn

We are still in home repair/declutter mode. I reorganized some of my bookshelves, and I am particularly happy with this shelf dedicated to Jane Austen.

Jane Austen shelf

November 7, Catherine Creek Arch Loop, WA

Once again walking this oft repeated hike, visiting familiar views.

Mt Hood to the west

Eastern view along the Columbia River to Oregon

Passing our ent friend

Ent

Rock spires, fall colors

The arch

The road

Big leaf maple

From the trailhead, we could see the controlled burn swath on Sunflower Hill – and that it is already greening up. Hopefully, native species recovery is occurring there!

View from the trailhead up Sunflower Hill

Closer view

Zooming closer to see the green

Neighborhood color

Our transplanted blueberry bush

The day after the election, this invasive, poisonous pokeweed bush, and lingering demonwraith caught my eye.

But fall colors were late and glorious this year, all through the neighborhood, saying, “Look now! We will be gone tomorrow!”

I felt punched in the gut by the election outcome, that we did not finally elect our first woman president, and now have to face a term of inanity. However, I have my own survival/resistance plan, which includes inspiring my children, who were also gutted by the outcome. I saw the the “Ozymandias” poem shared around on the internet, one of many examples of past overtopping failures, and eventual recoveries and progress. History repeats, but it is painful to be living through the regression, when we could be doing so much better for the people and the planet. I appreciate the lingering yard signs in my neighborhood even more. We are in this together.

Not really, but sort of.

Same.

October 2024 chronology…

November 14, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

In the interest of keeping up, I’m posting a brief chronology of what I did in October after our visit to Mt Rainier during the first week.

Hikes and other adventures:

Portland Art Museum – Our son visited from Philadelphia, and we visited the Beatles photography exhibit during his stay…

I got my first glimpse of the extensive remodel of the Portland Airport.

Portland Art Museum – we all like the Beatles, and my husband and I are just old enough to remember the early 60’s.

Most of the photographs were taken by the Beatles during their early 60’s American tours.

Beatlemania from the inside of the car…

October 10 – Our son joined us on a hike from the East Crater Trailhead, Indian Heaven Wilderness, WA.

East Crater

Junction Lake

Small lake along the Old Cascade Crest trail

Frozen bog

October 16 – We went up to the Hoyt Arboretum in Forest Park to see the Japanese Maple, but it was still mostly green.

Vine maples changing

Japanese maple still green

October 18 – We hiked with friends in the eastern gorge, Lyle Cherry Orchard Trail, and could see over to the Catherine Creek area, where a controlled burn had spread to nearby forest.

Convict Road viewpoint

Lyle overlook, smoke from the Top of the World fire

Closer view of the fire

Wide view looking west

October 24 – Back in the eastern Washington gorge the next week, for one of those perfect fall hikes at the Labyrinth trail – colors blazing, views forever.

Rowland Lake, near the trailhead. A late bunch of poppies; destination ponderosa on the skyline.

Mt Hood on view

Hello to the trail guardian oak tree

Creek almost dry, but a few ponds in the stream bed

Oak leaves

Oak grove

Lunch view

Ponderosa near our destination…

From which we can see over to the controlled-burn area above Catherine Creek.

Going down past the ridgeline oak tree

A glorious day!

October 29 – We went back up to the Hoyt Arboretum, to see the maple tree now in nearly full color.

Meanwhile – Neighborhood walks…

Sunflower

Sumac

Shadow

Joan of Arc

GrantPark

Sumac and tupelo

Neighborhood Halloween –

Ghosts

Witches

Spider

Peanuts

Bushes with eyes

Neighborhood Hope – I am writing this in November, but we did have hope in October…all through the neighborhood.

Crafting – was mostly knitting, but also, near daily prep and painting over numerous patches in the walls from plumbing repairs.

Icelandic vest – just needs buttons

New gift hat started

Gift socks finished

Donation hat finished

Painting in progress

And I carved my Halloween pumpkin with inspiration from my kitchen sock monkey.

September 2024 at home

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

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

September skies-

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

YanFang Inlow

Michael Mckee

Lindsay Fox

Lyn Sedlak-Ford

HONG RUBINSTEIN

Backdrop of new and old buildings…

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

2023

2024

Bookgroup views from Suavie Island on a beautiful evening-

North Portland

Mt St Helens

Neighborhood gardens-

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

Laurelhurst Park Lake

The dance studio

Charlie Brown van we passed near the park

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

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

Of course there has been knitting – I finished a scarf and cowl, started a hat, and acquired new yarn for gift socks…

New sock yarn

Chevron Cowl

Innsbruck Scarf

New sock yarn

New hat

Other news of the world –

A quote by one of my favorite artists:

Another (another another another) sad event:

And yet I continue to hope for change…

Neighborhood yard sign

August 2024 at home…

September 1, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

August is my birthday month. I had a lovely day at the Oregon Coast, and 3 other hiking adventures this month – described in the next post. In the meantime, I have been walking the neighborhood, knitting, visiting with friends, and trying to keep hopeful for what happens next in the world!

Neighborhood flowers, shadows, cracks, other sights:

Cat

Fairy garden

Farmers Market and summer fruit:

Tomatoes and blueberries

Peaches from Boring, OR

Strawberries

Homegrown Italian plums

Hollywood Farmers Market

Knitting – I finished my Emotional Support Chicken and a pair of socks, with a few other projects in progress:

Emotional Support Chicken

Finished socks; Innsbruck scarf in progress

Iceland/Caladiz Vest

Scrap yarn One Chevron Cowl, in progress

Other ...We have been laying low at the end of the month, as my husband recovers from a hand surgery. A few images from around town and elsewhere:

Portland – I love the flying geese imagery of the Fremont Bridge across the Willamette River:

Fremont Bridge, westbound

Camas, WA – My friend’s Echinacea and bees are thriving:

The Columbia River from Camas, WA, August 12, 2024

North Carolina – Our daughter has a new office space on the Duke Campus:

Durham, NC, August 2024

In New Zealand – The Northern Royal Albatross Web Cam chick is near fledging:

In memory – My mother would have reached her 100th birthday this month. This is one of my favorite pictures of her, at Mt Rainier, in 1995, age 71.

She died in 2006. I always regretted that she didn’t get to see Obama elected president – she would have been so happy. But she would have been crushed by what happened in 2016, so I’m glad she missed that. She would have been fully hopeful, as I am, about our future:

July 2024 update…

August 9, 2024August 9, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We were in Iceland for the last week of June and first two weeks of July. When I returned, I had a 24 hour travel day, a nine hour time shift, and a very mild case of Covid as part of my re-entry process. I made it through all, and then was able to share some time with visiting family members.

July 18-23 – Visiting with my family in Portland and Eugene. We spent a few days in Portland, and came across quilt shows in the Portland Central Library, and at Powell’s Books. We also visited the Peninsula Park Rose Garden.

Portland’s beautiful Central Library, with art show:

Quilt show at Powell’s Books:

Peninsula Park Rose Garden:

Family events in Eugene and Portland:

A favorite garden in Eugene

A belated birthday party

Knitting – I made progress on the Emotional Support Chicken, very fun! And started knitting a vest with the Allafoss Lopi yarn I bought in Iceland.

Emotional Support Chicken, in progress

Vest swatch

Hiking – Larch Mountain, Oregon – July 30th – I went on one short hike at the end of the month. It was cloudy, so no mountain views today. Lovely to be in the forest and see a few wildflowers.

Sherrard Point Trailhead – only a third of a mile, less than 200 feet, to the top.

Stairs to the top of Larch Mountain

Views to the south – Mts Hood and Jefferson behind all those clouds.

Looking north – clouds, rocks, wildflowers

Traveling – June 23 – July 13 – We drove completely around Iceland, more than 1200 miles of driving, and more than 50 miles of hiking. We visited every size and shape of waterfall; also, volcanic rocks, geothermal fields, glaciers, fjords, black sand beaches, birds, and wildflowers. I plan to create a more detailed post in the future. Below is a highlight photo collage.

Fjadrargljufur

Skaftafelljokull and Svinafellsjokull glaciers from the Sjornipa Overlook, Skaftafell

Harpa, Reykjavik

Reykjavik

Skogafoss

Ice Cave, Mýrdalsjökull⁩, Vik

Whimbrel and chick, Dryholaey

Reynisfjara – Black Sand Beach, Vik

Svartifoss

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Vatnajokull National Park

Atlantic puffins, Borgarfjordur

Icelandic sheep, Seydisfjordur

Vestdalfossar, Seydisfjordur

Godwit

Selbrekkufoss

Rjukandafoss

Dettifoss

Dimmuborgir lava field

Namafjall Geothermal area

Lake Myvatn

Godafoss

Nootka lupine, buttercups, cuckooflowers; Siglufjordhur⁩

Angelica, Siglufjordhur⁩

Arctic thyme, alpine lady’s mantle

Hruanfossar

Meanwhile, a couple of family members were also traveling:

From Iceland, my husband continued eastward to Chamonix, France. He completed an 80 mile hiking tour of Mont Blanc with a tour company!

Mont Blanc

And my daughter was able to travel with friends to Portugal, then on to Paris for a bit of Olympics!

Portugal

Paris

Looking forward…with hope…

March 2024 at home

April 24, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

What we did in March besides our east coast trip:

In the neighborhood – We returned from the east coast in time to see cherry trees in bloom, and our neighborhood St Patrick’s Day parade:

Cherry trees at the St Patrick’s Day parade

Windflowers

Hyacinths

Tulip buds

By the end of the month, the cherry blooms had fallen, tulips were in full bloom, and the crabapple was just starting to bloom!

Crabapple

Tulips

Cherry blossom snow

Hikes – My one hike, on March 19, was to Lyle Cherry Orchard, Washington, on a beautiful, windless day. The balsamroot were just beginning to bloom:

View from the first tier up the cliffs – the Convict Road, back to the Columbia River. Columbia Desert Parsley in bloom.

Last of the grass widows under the cliff.

Looking up to our destination…

We saw the first blooming balsam root of the year on our way up.

Looking west on the way down – lots of balsam root starting to bloom on the lower slope.

Balsamroot

Quilting – I finally began to practice sewing with my new Juki machine. I made several sets of potholders out of fabric scraps. They make great gifts for people we were or will be visiting in our travels.

For east coast family,

Portland Airport Carpet fabric on the back…

For California people, fronts,

and backs.

This set for us.

Knitting – I didn’t complete anything this month, but I made time to block the Anthology Throw that I finished earlier this year, and it is very pretty in its final dimensions…

Blocked Anthology Throw, pattern by Curious Handmade.

I picked out some yarn for a scrappy cowl.

Leftover Malabrigo Rios, for a Herringbone Cowl (Purl Soho)

I purchased a new tote bag from the Rose City Yarn Crawl – I love the graphic of my favorite California poppies (more on that next month) as well as Portland roses, and the St John’s Bridge.

Rose City Yarn Crawl tote bag

Shadow of the month…

February, 2024…

March 4, 2024March 4, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

I’m trying something new here. My desktop computer is temporarily unavailable to me, along with most of my photo library. This month I will try to create my post using only my iPad, and the photos on my phone…

Around the neighborhood…

My monthly collection of shadows and cracks…

Wildlife in the neighborhood…

Street art, Northwest Portland

Hiking…

I only managed two hikes this month…have I mentioned it has been particularly cold and rainy this year? One urban hike, with friends, and one out in the Columbia River Gorge, at Catherine Creek.

February 4, West Hills Long Walk – It was almost seven miles, and 900 feet elevation, all on pavement, sometimes on busy roads, sometimes across one of several cemeteries that are on the tops of the West Hills. Our friends who live in the neighborhood guided us, as this is their regular walking area. Not my favorite kind of walking, because of the traffic and the pavement, and it turned out to aggravate my hip bursitis, which I am still feeling, darn it! But we did enjoy the time with our friends, and the views across the city.

February 12, Bitterroot Trail at Catherine Creek – We walked about 4 miles, on both the lower and upper trails, looking for grass widows, and we found them. We also saw a few salt and pepper parsleys, and lots of water everywhere. This is my one phone picture of the fairy pools. There are a few purple grass widows in the foreground – though the exposure, looking toward the midday sun, is not ideal.

Fairy pools at Catherine Creek, Washington

Quilting – I finished the top of my Modern Quilt Studio Transparency Quilt – Mystery Quilt. I also made the back, and it is now in my queue for quilting.

These mystery blocks were transformed into…

I am improv piecing the back for my Lodge Quilt, which I made from the Modern Quilt Studio summer mystery quiltalong, using the leftovers from that top. I enjoy the process of improv piecing so much more than the extremely precise sewing and point matching required for the Transparency quilt, but both techniques have their place.

Knitting – I finished a few items – hats for the Puddletown Knitters Guild Service Project, the Mystery Shawl for The Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knitalong, and the most recent pair of socks, and I started a new pair of socks for some upcoming travel knitting…

Six “Warm One” hats for donation, made of Knit Picks Mighty Stitch, held double.

Plumbing!… In December we had a leaky pipe that created a small flood in our basement – we found it and had it fixed before too much damage was done, but it prompted us to replace the 92 year old pipes that run through most of our house. We are currently experiencing the dust and noise created by cutting through plaster and tile – very efficiently, but still not pleasant. Then there will be the patching and painting. Meanwhile, we get a peek inside the walls of our house, which has very good bones…

While preparing for the plumbing work, I took down this twenty year old dragon from the laundry room wall to keep it out of the dust zone.

Quilts in the News….

I did not attend the Quilt Con show in North Carolina. I enjoyed looking at the images on Instagram, and was moved to tears by their Best in Show quilt. The artist, a teacher, crowd sourced the items shown from other teachers, and created this piece. (Images from Instagram)

Split image of front and back of the quilt.

I think the IPad format worked, though a bit time consuming having to learn the new touch prompts. One of the many things I am upgrading this month.

Hiking, January 2024

February 5, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Two hikes in January – it was mostly too cold, wet, icy to hit the trails this month.

First Day Hike – January 1 – Columbia River Gorge and Powell Butte

The skies were blue and the sun was out! We could see the mountain as we drove east out of Portland!

But in the Gorge, the east winds were strong and cold, and fog banks covered many of the slopes. We turned around and drove back to town on the Historic Highway, stopping for views at Vista House. The winds were so strong I could barely open the car door!

Looking east – white caps on the river!

Looking west…

And Vista House.

We stopped again for a quick view from Women’s Forum/Chanticleer Overlook…

Looking back at Vista House, the Columbia River, Beacon Rock…

And then we drove to Powell Butte in east Portland, where hiking trails lead up the sides and around the top of this volcanic butte. It is also the location of an enormous covered reservoir, a main stop in the Portland water system. Lots of other people were there on this sunny first day, so that we had to hike up from the north parking lot on 148th Avenue because the upper lots were all full. But we persisted, and were rewarded, finally, with a chance to stretch our legs a bit on this beautiful day. It was a lot less windy here!

We could see Mt Hood beyond reservoir infrastructure as we reached the top.

The museum at the top utilizes pipes as part of an exhibit that explains the water system

Pipe as embedded surface art.

We made a loop to the high point on top, with better views of Mt Hood,

and Mt St Helens.

Eventually, we returned down the Blackberry Stairs to our car, after a 3.5 mile hike.

Thus we began the New Year as we mean to go on, with weekly hikes. Nature got a little bit the better of us in this regard…there was snow, ice, and below freezing temperatures for a week, and then a fair amount of rain. But I did get out for one more hike in January – to see the eagles!

January 23 – Balfour-Klickitat Natural Area, and Coyote Wall, WA

There was a lot of snow all through the Gorge, and more than I expected in the eastern Gorge. It was quite beautiful, and not as cold as it had been. We drove over the Hood River Bridge to Washington…

Looking east from the bridge

The views across the Columbia River from the Chamberlain Lake Rest Area on Hwy 14 were sparklinging in the sunlight!

We reached The Balfour-Klickitat Natural Area, just west of Lyle, and found that the parking area had not been plowed. We parked just below, on Hwy 14, and walked up along the Klickitat River on a snowshoe trail. We wore microspikes on our boots to assist our grip on the six inches of snow.

Looking back across the Columbia River from near the parking area.

Walking along the Klickitat River Trail

Klickitat River

A perennial stream enters the Klickitat River on the west side of this little lake.

We reached the overlook to the lake where bald eagles congregate this time of year, and there they were! We counted about 25 different eagles over the course of our observations.

The white plumage of bald eagle pops out against the gray tree branches across the lake.

Closer view

Another one

We noticed these two on our side of the lake…

Zooming in…

The more we scanned the landscape, the more we saw, though the brown juvenile birds are harder to see. Then we noticed a snag in the distance that was covered in birds!

Distant snag, circled in blue

Zooming in. Birds were coming and going. There are also three perched in the trees to the left of the snag.

Nine eagles perched on the snag in this view.

There were also ducks down on the lake, and flying about…

Ducks

Eventually the fog started rolling in, so we returned to our car.

Fog

Goodbye to the eagles for this year.

It is always a treat to see them before they return to Canada.

We drove back west on Hwy 8, planning to walk at Catherine Creek, if possible, but it was completely fogged in. We sat in the car, eating our lunch and hoping the fog would move on, but no luck.

Lunch view at the Catherine Creek Trailhead.

We continued west to the Coyote Wall Trailhead, once again parking near Hwy 14, because the parking area was not plowed. We walked under the cliffs, and along Look Lake to the frozen waterfall, and then turned back, as the fog was beginning to settle here, too.

Looking toward Coyote Wall from the snowplow berm near Hwy 14.

Our path along the old highway under Coyote Wall

Looking back toward sunlit cliffs at the top of Coyote Wall

Look Lake

Sunlight in the melted lake ice

Frozen waterfall

Waterfall icicles

Fog rolling in ahead…

View over Look Lake as we walk back westward.

We had seen enough for the day, and it was time to warm up again.

View to the west as we drove back over the Hood River Bridge. Even the sandflats out along the Hood River Delta were covered with snow.

We will be back next month to see the first spring wildflowers after the snow melts.

January 2024 in Portland…

February 3, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Winter…Rain and cold and ice storms…not much outdoor time this month, a few views of the mountains, and a visit to the eagles of Balfour-Klickitat, a lot of knitting and a bit of quilting…but all is well at the end of January, as we welcome longer days.

First Day Hike – January 1 – We tried to go out to the Gorge, but the wind was cold and relentless. We returned to Portland, and hiked at Powell Butte, which was sheltered from the cold blasts of east wind (next post for details).

Ice Week – January 13 to 19 – It began on Saturday, the 13th, with below freezing temperatures and fine, powdery snow. High winds blew down many trees throughout the city. We were fortunate not to lose power though many did.

Powdery snow

January 16th

Jack frost on the windows – a rare sight.

On Monday, it stayed so cold that nothing melted. The sun came out and I went for a short walk, but the bitter wind made it rather unpleasant.

We wouldn’t see thawing temperatures for a week – and in a city without many snowplows, that means we all stayed home for the week, almost in pandemic lockdown mode, especially after Tuesday, when everything was coated with an inch or two of sparkly but treacherous ice.

An inch of ice on every surface!

January 16th

We counted 25 gold finches on and around our neighbor’s bird feeder.

Also, a hungry squirrel.

January 16th

On Wednesday we were teased with a bit of thawing, but then it all froze again.

Screenshot

Our personal skating rink.

Finally on Sunday we had serious thawing, but it took a few days to melt entirely, and some people were without power for many days. These conditions may be common elsewhere, but I personally am not a fan of the cold temperatures.

The snow and ice added much needed snow to the mountains, and also shut down the roads through the Columbia River Gorge, with icy conditions and fallen trees. Many of the trails still have trees down, landslides, and flooding. We could see some of this the next week when we drove through the Gorge for our annual trek to see the bald eagles near the town of Lyle, Washington (next post for details).

Meanwhile, I have had plenty of time for Knitting and Quilting:

I finished two long time projects – the Anthology Throw, by Helen Stewart, made from 24 different 20 gm leftover balls of sock yarn.

Anthology Throw

The Hitchhiker Shawl by Martina Behm, made from a discontinued silk marino yarn.

Hitchhiker Shawl

I’ve made the first three of many hats I plan to knit as part of the Puddletown Knitters Guild service project, destined for the local women’s shelter.

In progress: I started a pair of socks with the alpaca wool yarn my son bought for me from a Philadelphia yarn shop.

Philadelphia Socks

And I have finished two of the five clues on the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Shawl KnitALong – the two yarn skeins I bought at the Sacred Sheep event in Portland last fall. it is lovely to work with the bright colors and beads on these gray days.

Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Shawl

I also started the Modern Quilt Studio Secret Agent Mystery Quilt Along – with the Transparency fabric. We are about half way through the clues, and I am enjoying the process.

Transparency blocks, in progress

For the record, I have been practicing quilting on my new Juki machine, and hope to have something to show for it next month.

In The Wild….Two of my children were out and about in New York city in January; and the third, in North Carolina, has assured me that her custom knit convertible mittens are really great for biking on cold days.

December 2023 – all about the light..

January 2, 2024January 2, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

December is a month for hibernating, preparing for holidays and family visits, rooting for the solstice, and trying to get all the knitting done for holiday gifts. I only went on two hikes this month.

Early December...sun getting lower, shadows longer, I was counting down to the solstice with two advent-style knitting projects and a few walks on dry days.

Pro Palestine march passing our house

A little bit of knitting every day on the stocking and the mystery gnome…

Arne and Carlos Mystery Stocking

Imagined Landscapes Mystery Gnome

Hanukkah was early this year. We lit candles and had friends over for latkes on one of the nights.

December 12 – Hike – Lyle Cherry Orchard Discovery Trail, WA – We hiked the 4.5 mile loop on an overcast day – taking in the views and getting some good exercise.

Looking east as we ascend

View west from our lunch stop

Circling back below the Lyle town sign

And almost back to the Convict Road.

December 15th – We passed Joan of Arc on our way to lunch and bead shopping with the knitters…

December 20th – Hike – Dry Creek Falls, OR – Another dry weather window – we hiked a past Dry Creek on the Pacific Crest Trail to one of the pinnacles, but not all the way to the main pinnacles. It was a good seven mile hike.

Starting up the trail at Cascade Locks.

The pinnacle near our lunch stop. All the forest we have hiked through today has 2017 burn scars

Slight view across the Columbia River from our lunch stop.

Back to the PCT bridge over Dry Creek,

and upstream a short way to the falls —

Dry Creek Falls, pouring out of a notch in the columnar basalt.

They are quite beautiful!

Splash pool at the base.

And back at the trailhead, the park at the Bridge of the Gods is adorned with festive light displays.

On the Solstice, I took an enjoyable walk through the neighborhood – happy to know that longer days are ahead.

Christmas week – House guests, finishing the knitting, decorating the tree, wrapping and unwrapping presents, tamales on Christmas Eve and dinner with friends on Christmas day. A little bit of baking, but not too much. It was a relaxed and enjoyable week.

Tree decorated

New ornaments – from Italy and New Zealand

With gifts

Stockings

New books, bowls, and glasses

Trifle of Christmas

Dog of Christmas

Emily and Izzy at Multnomah Falls

Some of the Knitting:

Finished stocking

KC hat for Rachel

tiny cat for nancy

Hat for Izzy

Socks for Dan

Socks for Emily

Socks for Brian

Snow Matter What gnome and snowman

The month ended with more clouds and rain. I found a version of the Christmas story on instagram that resonates with me for its inclusiveness, and the reminder that although history repeats itself in terrible ways, there are always people who step up and help.

Weak sun through clouds

Rain wet streets and sparkling lights

Message of hope

Margaret Quilts

Quilting, Knitting, Hiking

Portland

November 2024 in Portland…

Knitting and Home Improvement

November 7, Catherine Creek Arch Loop, WA

Neighborhood color

October 2024 chronology…

September 2024 at home

August 2024 at home…

July 2024 update…

March 2024 at home

February, 2024…

Hiking…

Hiking, January 2024

First Day Hike – January 1 – Columbia River Gorge and Powell Butte

January 23 – Balfour-Klickitat Natural Area, and Coyote Wall, WA

January 2024 in Portland…

December 2023 – all about the light..