Late April 2021

May 8, 2021 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

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

We go from pink trees

to pink sidewalks in a week’s time.

And find them all through the neighborhood.

Dogwood trees and other flowers bloom,

Dogwood

rhododendron

fothergilla

lewisia

Interestingly cracked concrete catches my eye…

We went on two more hikes with amazing wildflowers:

Tom McCall Trail, OR, April 23

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

Starting up the trail with friends.

Lower cliffs, balsamroot and lupine in full bloom!

Eastward view.

Every blade abloom under the oak trees.

Open slopes of balsamroot and Mt Adams.

Continuing up.

Paintbrush in bloom on the upper slopes.

Views from the top:

West to Mt Hood.

North to Mt Adams.

Northeast, to the Cherry Orchard.

More views on the hike down:

Rowena Plateau.

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

Parsley Alley….

And a few more flowers, for the day.

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

Oaks toothwort

Miner’s lettuce

Waterleaf

Orobanche

Baby stars

Bitterroot Trail, Catherine Creek, WA April 26

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

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

Lewisia rediviva

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

We wind our way up the slope:

Eastward.

Camas lilies and shooting stars.

Death camas and purple camas lilies

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

and west…

We drop down the Rowland Wall trail,

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

buckwheat

A giant clump of cliff penstomen surprised us!

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

This is their time to rise up!

Meanwhile…

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

Rare American Chestnut, Sellwood, Oregon

Leaves just budding out.

Knitting

I finished a Scrappy Marl Hat for the guild project,

started another hat, and restarted my bamboo cardigan.

Quilting

I’m making progress on the baby quilt.

Repotted plant report from Washington DC:

Commentary on the verdict, and the path forward:

The rest of March, 2021

April 7, 2021 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Tulips and cherry blossoms, three more hikes, a new knit along, a careful cross country trip, and our neighborhood loses our star author, as we continue into our second year of pandemia.

The neighborhood in bloom –

anemones

tulips

forsythia

garden wall on Klickitat St.

cherry trees

Catherine Creek East

March 26th – A beautiful day – we roamed on the eastward loop to see the latest of early spring flowers sprinkled on the grassy slopes.

White death camas and saxifrage all the way up…

Yellow agerosis and yellow bells

The first of the purple camas,

the last of the grass widows.

Monkey flowers, rosy plectritis and orobanche

Shooting stars and saxifrage

Larkspur, and purple Columbia desert parsley

Yellow parsley and Mt Hood!

Meadow lark

Fairy ponds

Wildwood Trail, milepost ~ 10 to 14

March 29th – A slightly rainy day, trilliums lining the trail on our loop. I have now completed about 20 miles of the 30 mile trail during the pandemic.

Wildwood trail on a damp day.

Trillium blooming all along the trail.

Trillium

Violets

Salmonberry

Coltsfoot

Return along Leif Erikson Drive

Sky breaking out!

Cooper Mountain

March 30th – We took a quick loop around this mountain on the edge of suburbia, being reclaimed/preserved so that all doesn’t become concrete, while our son was at an appointment nearby. A few early spring flowers on view.

Iris

Indian plum

Oregon grape

Looking down the slope from the trailhead.

Knitting

I finished another hat, and continue to knit on the socks and cardigan.

Plaid hat – a test knit for a friend.

Sock and cardigan, in process.

Son’s trip to DC:

Travel is fraught in these Covid times, yet we needed to transfer one of our cars to our daughter on the east coast. Our temporarily unemployed son volunteered, so in the midst of the pandemic, he bubbled himself across country. With all appropriate masking and testing, he delivered the car. Then he flew back, and after more bubbling and testing, successfully completed his adventure Covid free.

Postcards from the road

Cherry blossoms on the National Mall

More cherry blossoms, tidal basin.

Beverly Cleary

We live in Ramona’s neighborhood, the same neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, where the acclaimed children’s author went to school and roamed Grant Park and Klickitat Street. Beverly Cleary died last week, a few weeks short of her 105th birthday. Though she spent most of her adult life in California, our neighborhood honors her legacy. Libraries and schools bear her name. We have a walking tour of the neighborhood to see her world. I remember getting my middle school aged son to read the books to his three year old sister while I was making dinner, and he never objected – he looked forward to it. “Is it time to read to Emily yet?” I especially enjoyed her two memoirs, recognizing many of the scenes from her childhood as replayed in her novels. I heard her say in an interview that she identified most with Ellen Tebbits. She got to live a good long life, and in our neighborhood we have her “ordinary” fictional children cast in bronze in the sculpture garden in the park, which doubles as a splash pad in the summer. Last week there were flowers in the sculpture garden in tribute to her memory.

Ramona the Pest

Henry Huggins

Ribsy

March 2021, so far….

March 25, 2021 / margaretquilts / 2 Comments

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

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

Hiking

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

Mt Hood in clouds, near the Sno-Park.

Lunch view, near the Timberline Trail crossing.

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

Return trip…

Last views – we can almost see the entire peak.

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

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

Grass widows

More grass widows…

Columbia River reflecting the Cherry Orchard cliffs in Washington.

Parsley alley

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

Tiny flowers of spring whitlow grass.

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

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

Westerly view.

One of the lakes on Rowena Crest.

Abstractions in the lake reflections…

And more grass widows!

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

Hiking up above the Convict Road.

Columbia Desert Parsley in full bloom.

Balsam root opening on the upper slopes.

Lots of flowers showing for the first time this spring:

shooting stars

balsam root

death camas

ballhead waterleaf

popcorn flower

fiddle neck

blue-eyed Mary

gold bells and buttercups

Stunning views from the cherry orchard:

Eastward, one of the remaining cherry trees.

Westward, balsamroot

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

Tryon Creek

First trillium of spring

Around Portland

My neighborhood is also blooming.

cherry trees

star magnolia

The mountain is out, from the Markham Bridge.

goodbye to the Subaru

“Emily’s house”

windows

hyacinth

dove

windflowers

star magnolia

Knitting

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

New yarn, Rose City Virtual Yarn Crawl!

Marled Alaska Cowl

Bankhead hat

New socks for me

Patons Kroy socks

Em Dash cardigan

And…

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

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

An image from Instagram.

And a volcano is erupting in Iceland!

Hiking in February 2021

March 1, 2021 / margaretquilts / 2 Comments

Despite the mid-month ice storm, we managed three hikes in February – all in the eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington.

Lyle Cherry Orchard / Lower Catherine Creek – Feb. 2nd

We were hoping for good weather east of the mountains, but were foiled by a squall.

Starting up the Lyle Cherry Orchard trail, we could see nothing but blue sky from the Convict Road…

But there are clouds over the Columbia River to the east,

and west.

We saw our first Columbia Desert Parsley of the season,

and scattered grass widows.

As we continued up the tiers of basalt,

we noticed more ominous clouds to the west.

We continued up,

to about this point, when we encountered wind and driving rain on the unsheltered slope

We sheltered briefly under one of the oak trees, then headed down.

By the time we reached the car, the skies were blue again, so we decided to stop at Catherine Creek before going home.

We walked the Lower Loop, with views of the waterfall,

and of our Ponderosa guide tree, up on the slopes above the Labyrinth.

We saw a few early wildflowers, and finished just in time for another squall to blow through.

Blue jay

Bitterroot foliage

Rain in a vernal pool.

We saw rainbows in our rear view mirror as we drove back to rainy Portland.

Coyote Wall – Labyrinth Loop – Feb. 9th

We started cold and overcast, but hiked into a bluer, warmer day.

Looking up at the wall from the trailhead – we would soon be looking down from there….

View to the east from the lower slopes.

Ice on the trail.

First yellow parsley of the season,

and first prairie stars, with salt and pepper.

A bald eagle below us, watching the river.

Continuing up the Little Moab trail to the edge of the cliff…

Heralded by this raven the whole way.

Looking down at the trailhead,

and up the edge of Coyote Wall toward our lunch stop.

Trail continuing up the slope…

to the rocky edge where we took our lunch break.

The clouds began to part after lunch.

We headed east toward the Labyrinth across the upper slopes,

into a bluer sky.

Icicles in the upper Hidden Creek crossing.

Eastward view from our Ponderosa guide tree viewpoint on the Upper Labyrinth Trail.

Continuing down, we could see Mt Hood on the skyline peeking out from the clouds.

Through my favorite oak grove,

Past the columnar basalt buttes,

Following the waterfalls of Hidden Creek down the Labyrinth,

beneath the blue sky.

These falls were nearly dry in November,

now the pool is overflowing.

Goodbye to the ghost tree.

And back to the trailhead beneath the wall. A successful day!

Dalles Mountain Ranch – Vista Loop – Feb. 24

After two weeks of snow and ice storms, we were finally able to find a blue sky day at Columbia Hills State Park, an hour and a half east of Portland. A beautiful day, edged by snow on the skyline. Take a peek here if you want to see this trail in full spring bloom!

View south and west from Dalles Mountain Ranch trailhead – Mt Hood in Oregon, far across the Columbia River. We are heading downhill toward the river.

Looking back to the ranch as we hike down Eight Mile Creek.

Creek crossing.

Our lunch stop along the Missoula Floods scoured lower bench. Mt Hood, Columbia River, The Dalles and Horsethief Butte. Lots of purple grass widows in the foreground.

Eastward lower viewpoint.

Salt and pepper, grass widows.

Yellow bells

Gold stars

Another desert parsley

Looking back up to the ranch on the return hike.

One tree to rule them all.

Begin anew! January 2021

January 23, 2021 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

January 20, 2021 – So far 2021 has not brought much change to our daily life, but the relief of having a new president casts a hopeful light on our future! We celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary this month, with homemade Indian food and leftover Christmas chocolate. We continue in pandemic lockdown mode, staying home unless doing essential shopping, going on neighborhood walks, or weekly out of neighborhood hikes. Vaccines are seeping into the community, mostly to health care professionals and long term care facilities. My husband has temporarily unretired and will be helping with vaccinations. Thus he was able to celebrate inauguration day doubly, as he got his first dose today.

Hiking: We have been on three hiking adventures so far. The first, on January 7th, was our annual trek to see the bald eagle nesting area along the Klickitat River near Lyle, Washington. We saw at least thirty birds, many of them juveniles that still have brown plumage.

Bald eagles flying across the Balfour-Klickitat pond.

One eagle stayed perched in a tree nearby.

Closer view.

Many more eagles in the trees across the pond.

Zooming in, even more eagles can be seen disguised in the foliage.

Another dozen eagles were out on the sand bar where the Klickitat River flows into the Columbia River.

Two adults, one juvenile bald eagle on the sand bar.

Osage oranges along the trail here.

They are a curious fruit.

We walked a couple of miles along the Klickitat River trail.

Downy woodpeckers were in the bushes nearby.

This is a converted rail trail with a nice even tread.

We turned around at the Fisher Hill Trestle.

View down the Klickitat River from the trestle.

A side stream cascading into the Klickitat River.

On our return walk we saw a congregation of a couple of dozen eagles circling overhead.

On January 14th, we walked around Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Southeast Portland. The blue sky was reflected beautifully in the water, and we saw cormorants, herons, and a barred owl near the trailhead.

Blue sky.

Reflections in the marsh.

Winter foliage.

Muraled Mausoleum across the marsh.

Oaks Park on winter/Covid hiatus.

Cormorants and herons, Downtown Portland.

Cormorants.

Barred owl.

Back out at Catherine Creek, near Lyle, Washington, on January 19th, we found the first grass widow of spring, then hiked a long loop up Atwood Road, across the top of Sunflower Hill, then down the Desert Parsley Trail back to Rowland Wall, thus completing some of the gaps in our map there. It was a beautiful day – chilly, but conducive to hiking up hill at a steady pace to see the eastern gorge spread below magnificently.

First grass widow of spring!

Catherine Creek waterfall set in the winter landscape.

Mt Hood to the west.

The arch from Atwood Road.

An old stove near Atwood Road.

Lunch view from the top of Sunflower Hill.

Oak tree, Mt Hood, noonday sun.

Looking up at our guide Ponderosa from The Desert Parsley Trail.

Knitting: So far this year I have finished knitting a sweater and a gnome, I’ve started a blanket and a new pair of socks:

Farallon Cardigan

Here We Gnome Again

Habitation Throw, using my “advent” yarns exchanged with my knitting group

Artists Garden Socks

Quilting: I finished my Plaid Rectangles Charm Quilt, a companion piece to my Plaid Applecore Charm quilt.

Plaid Rectangles Charm Quilt

Companion quilts.

A New Day! After a long, satisfying hike yesterday, I got up way too early (for me) to watch the inauguration celebration. I felt some trepidation, due to the recent insurrection. I am very relieved to report that all proceeded beautifully. The participants were diverse, eloquent, hopeful, forward looking! I cried as I witnessed the swearing in of our first female vice president! The singing, the president’s speech, and the prayers were relevant, meaningful, beautifully delivered. I adored the young poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, and the firefighter who signed as well as spoke the Pledge of Allegiance. The outgoing vice president was gracious in the transition. The colorful wool coats of the ladies brightened a blue sky day, when the Capitol, unfortunately, had to be surrounded by military lockdown, as the previous occupant never really conceded to his violent, deluded followers. I am disappointed that my daughter, sitting in her apartment about a mile away from the proceedings, could not witness the day. She assured me they remained safely within, while the din of helicopters continued above. Perhaps, going forward, the domestic terrorists will withdraw and think about the bill of goods they were sold, the lies told, the violence fomented by a greedy, disappointed narcissist who was only ever out for personal profit and aggrandizement, with no concern for the common good, no interest in public service. Good riddance! Meanwhile, executive orders and initiatives are already putting to right some of the damage, and asserting to the world that we want to participate in finding solutions for global problems.

Hiking in December, 2020

December 30, 2020January 3, 2021 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Another gathering of late reports…

Friday, December 4th, Tracy Hill, WA

The fog never lifted, and was sometimes frozen, as we hiked past the Catherine Creek Arch, all the way up Tracy Hill, and then down again. (Hike #72, 5 miles, 1100 feet)

Looking toward our destination from the Hood River Bridge.

Passing the Arch on the way up,

and into the fog.

The frozen grasses and seed heads are pretty.

Lunch stop with no view, near the top of Tracy Hill.

On our way down – eventually below the fog again.

Frozen vernal pond.

Hiking above the Arch on the return.

Our first time crossing the new trail bridge over Catherine Creek – we used to walk back along the highway.

We always see something new here – this time, frozen grasses and a new trail bridge.

Wednesday, December 9th, Hardy Ridge and Nancy Russell Overlook, WA

The rain was supposed to stop midmorning but didn’t, so we turned back about half way. We stopped for a quick view from Nancy Russell Overlook on the way home. (Hike #73, 6.2 miles, 1200 feet)

Soggy trail to Hardy Ridge.

Soggy lichen

Nancy Russell Overlook

Columbia River Gorge, looking east.

Puddles in the trail.

Monday, December 14th, Catherine Creek, WA

We finally found the path through the inside out switchbacks on the Shoestring Trail beneath Rowland Wall, as we hiked through fog, snow, and then a surreal landscape between fog and sun. (Hike #74, 4 miles, 850 feet)

Fog ahead – we began with hopes that the fog would lift.

Looking to the east – it is sunny out there.

By the time we reached the pylons, we were in the fog.

When we dropped over Rowland Wall, we were walking through oak groves with patchy snow along our trail.

I saw a ruby crowned kinglet in the bushes.

The snow helped define the place in the path where we have lost the trail on previous occasions. Also, by hiking down instead of up, I thought we could make the connection, and we did!

Our GPS track for the day: the red circle is the place of the inside out switchbacks, developed by mountain bikers, where we have lost the trail in the past.

After lunch, we continued down, and looked behind us to see blue sky!

Continuing down toward Rowland Wall, below the fog.

We emerged out onto the grassy slopes, fog above, sun somewhere shining on the Columbia River.

Heading toward Rowland Wall.

The leaning tree and the Pinnacle.

Our path back up the wall.

Once above Rowland Wall, we could see more blue sky to the east.

Vernal pool near the trail head.

Catherine Creek Arch in the low sun.

Foliage of the bitterroot flowers of April!

Looking back up to where we have been.

Wednesday, December 23rd, Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, WA

Swans from a distance, and an excellent view of moonrise. (Hike #75, 2.7 miles, 100 feet)

The best view of the swans in Carty Lake was from the entry bridge.

Upside down trees out in their full glory.

Moon rising…

Moon, photobombed by airplane, as we approach the bridge at the end of our hike.

Monday, December 28th, 2020, Powell Butte, Portland, OR

Cold and windy, with clear views of the surrounding Cascade Mountains. (Hike #76, 4.3 miles, 500 feet)

Mt Hood from the top of Powell Butte

Mt Jefferson

Mt Adams

Mt St Helens

Hiking in November, 2020

December 27, 2020 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

A gathering of late reports….

Monday, November 2nd, The Labyrinth

My favorite, often visited, eastern Gorge trail on a windless day with beautiful low autumn light. (Hike #69 for 2020, 4.4 miles, 1000 feet)

Trailhead, Rowland Lake, perfectly calm and reflective. Our destination is the tall Ponderosa Pine, left of center.

The Old Hwy 8 waterfall is completely dry.

Mt Hood on view to the west across the Columbia River.

The labyrinth waterfall is almost dry…

A few drips in the mossy wall,

and some still pools below in the streambed.

We wind around columnar basalts surrounded by golden grass,

Through the oak grove.

Mt Hood still on view in the glare, as the sun moves west

We pass a favorite trailside oak tree,

Almost to our destination Ponderosa…

The eastern Gorge beyond

Rowland Wall and the Catherine Creek area slopes.

Zoom in on Lyle and Memaloose Island

Tom McCall Point and the orchards of Mosier on the descent.

The haunted oak tree bids us farewell.

Monday November 9th, Dry Creek Falls

We spotted the winter swans in Mirror Lake at the base of Crown Point as we made our way through The Gorge to Cascade Locks.

Dry Creek Falls, which we have hiked many times, is one of the closest waterfall hikes, most of the trails still being closed since the 2017 fire. Today we walked through falling Big Leaf Maple leaves lighting up the partially burned forest. (Hike #70, 4.9 miles, 1050 feet)

Bridge over Dry Creek on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Dry Creek Falls

Monday, November 16th, Finley Wildlife Refuge

Our first visit to this refuge, on a day when the Willamette Valley to the south was the only partly dry place within a two hour drive from home. Recovered farm land is a winter sanctuary for migratory birds. (Hike #71, 2.5 miles, 150 feet)

Our first stop, the Prairie Overlook:

Miles of Willamette Valley grasslands.

From there, we walked the Homer Campbell Boardwalk through a wetter terrain.

Canadian Geese near the trailhead

The boardwalk…

Marshy forests

A bird blind at the end of the winter trail.

Back through the mossy and lichen covered trees.

Another hiker told us we would see swans in the McFadden Marsh, so we headed there for our lunch stop.

Swans, geese and other water fowl.

The weather had cleared a bit, so we hiked the Woodpecker Loop trail to stretch our legs a bit more.

Along the Woodpecker Loop trail.

High point – a shelter, and view of some of the high Cascade Mountain peaks to the east.

As we began our drive home, we found the best view of the Cascades was from a road pullout above some of the historic farm buildings.

Mt Jefferson

North, Middle and South Sisters.

We enjoyed our day at Finley Wildlife Refuge – anything to get out of the house for a few hours and walk in nature. I would like to visit in other seasons, but we usually have destinations closer to home…

Eleven Lakes and a bear in Indian Heaven Wilderness, and more pandemic knitting

September 4, 2020 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

We took two hikes in Indian Heaven Wilderness, a beautiful patch of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest between Mt Adams and Mt St Helens in southern Washington. A few small volcanic peaks rise above the rolling forested landscape that is also spotted with dozens of lakes, and covered with ripe huckleberry bushes in August.

August 20, 2020 – Indian Racetrack Lake and Red Mountain

Trailhead into the forest

Racetrack Lake – the only lake on this hike

Looking Across Racetrack Meadow to Red Mountain

View of Mt Adams on the way up to Red Mountain

Closer view of Mt Adams,

And closer.

Nearing the top of Red Mountain

Views from the top:

Mt Hood beyond Red Mountain Lookout

We climbed up to the viewing platform on the lookout.

Some other hikers pointed out a bear cub down on the other side of the mountain, eating huckleberries.

Looking back east at Mt Adams – clouds now covering the top

Mt St Helens to the north

And starting down again, we can see our trail dropping into the woods, and beyond we see the spine of Indian Heaven Wilderness: Berry Mountain, Gifford Peak, burned East Crater, and Lemei Rock.

Some details along the trail:

ripe huckleberries

aster

pyrola

red knotweed

Lily pads and grass, Racetrack Lake

Falls Creek

Hike #57, 6.8 miles, 1500 feet

August 28, 2020 – Thomas Lake trailhead to Junction Lake

The other ten lakes were seen on this hike.

Once again we enter the forested wilderness…

Thomas Lake

Heather Lake

Dee Lake

Eunice Lake

Nuha Lake

Rock Lakes

Unnamed lake beyond Rock Lakes

View of burnt East Crater from the Old Cascade Crest trail segment

A glimpse of Mt St Helens as we cross the shoulder of East Crater

Unnamed lake near the trail junction

Junction Lake, our turnaround point

Some details along the trail:

Reflections in the lakes…

Huckleberry bushes turning red

Mountain ash berries

Hellebore

Most likely the last beargrass bloom of summer

And another view of Mt St Helens above Eunice Lake on the descent.

Hike #58, 6.8 miles, 630 feet.

Meanwhile, we are floating along through more days of pandemia – some days we see no one at all, only virtual connections to the outside world. Our neighbors leave us tomatoes. We leave them apples and plums and wave across the rose bushes. Downtown is still burning up with civil unrest while I go on placidly through the days of late summer, of pandemia, of this administration… I virtually hold my breath, knock on wood, pray, cast spells, wish for a begin to a return to ‘normalcy’; hope for a late summer without a local fire season, hope for a scientifically tested efficacious vaccine, and hope for a fair election that will allow us to emerge from impending climate change, covid and facism. And I knit…

Knitting –

I cast on a hat and some socks…

Rafa by Joji Locatelli, Malabrigo Arroyo, Blue green

Sock, Berroco Sox yarn

Neighborhood sights:

fern shadows

Poetry Post

yard sign

neighborly tomatoes

And nationally…

My daughter attended the 57th March on Washington,

The march

Lincoln Memorial

The Mall

-and this artwork crossed my social media feed:

I am still struggling a bit with the new WordPress format….

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

June 27, 2020 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Friday, June 19, 2020, Grassy Knoll, Washington

Wildflower meadows filled the open slopes near the trailhead.

lupine and paintbrush

blue gillia and buckwheat

paintbrush

mariposa lilies and blue gillia

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

bunchberry

bead lily, starflower

anemones

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

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

Grassy Knoll looks green from here,

but the green slopes are full of flowers!

Summit view toward Mt Hood.

Summit view toward Mt Adams.

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

And more blooming meadows near our turnaround point.

Every color of wildflower was in bloom today!

columbine

honeysuckle

wallflower and parsley

blue gillia

phacelia and penstemon

pea

coral root

meadow rue

cliff penstemon

olympic onion

phlox, sorel and parsley

parsley and onion

paintbrush

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

Tuesday, June 23, 2020, Chinidere Mountain, Oregon

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

Wahtum Lake, near the trailhead.

A few early season flowers still in bloom here:

avalanche lily

clasping twisted stalk

bugbane

Ascending into the rainbow meadows on Chinidere Mountain.

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

Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson from the summit.

Wahtum Lake and Mt Hood.

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

Tree guardian…

Wahtum ‘Express’ back to the parking area.

Knitting

Finished mitts.

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

Sock progress.

Around the neighborhood:

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

lily

One of many posted throughout the neighborhood.

Pandemic masks ubiquitous, thank you!

Skyline sign on the Fairhaired Dumbbell Building

Hydrangea

George Floyd memorial

And more action nationally…

First Columbia River Gorge hike in a while, another hike on the Wildwood Trail, some knitting, and neighborhood views

June 12, 2020 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

June 2, 2020 – Phlox Point, Beacon Rock State Park, WA

A quiet Tuesday. We met only a few other hikers on trails that are mostly wide equestrian trails until they switchback up Hardy Ridge. Lower slopes are shady forest, with shady forest blooms. We passed a few sunny open areas before reaching the rocky ridge crest with the wide angle view of the Columbia River Gorge that we have been missing these last few months of pandemic-closed trails. A mile north along the ridge are the rocky ledges of Phlox Point. I was very tired by the return, but happy to be able to hike here again. Hike #44, 8.5 miles, 2200 feet.

The wide angle view – Mt Adams, Table Mountain, Columbia River Gorge, Bonneville Dam, Hamilton Mountain, Mt Hood.

Hardy Ridge Crest intersection

Lunch view of a raven and Mt Hood.

Heading north along the ridge to Phlox Point.

Phlox, paintbrush, and parsley on the way up Phlox Point.

Hamilton Mountain, Mt Hood

Mt Adams

Northern Phlox Point ridges and view.

Some of the wildflowers:

phlox

beargrass

penstemon, paintbrush, Oregon sunshine

Cascade mountain ash

mariposa lily

serviceberry

anemones

columbine

nodding onion

June 10, Wildwood Trail again…

Today we hiked from the Springville/Trillium Trailhead on the Wildwood Trail, east to the detour at the Cleator Trail, and then back. We will have to skip the next mile of Wildwood Trail that is closed for repair. We have now completed approximately half of the 30 mile trail on our five pandemic Wildwood hikes. – Hike #45, 7.6 miles, 615 feet.

On the Wildwood Trail…

Salmon berries getting ripe…

A bridge

Green!

Knitting

Mitts and a new sock:

Neighborhood

Another tethered horse.

Interesting concrete

Low light

A colorful garden

A Black Lives Matter march appeared in our neighborhood. We were able to catch the tail end and join for a short distance, masked and separated, of course.