Weekly Hike

This week was an 11K (6.8 miles) volkswalk in the Bethany area. It actually went right past Avamere at Bethany, where I worked for a while. There were 14 homes in the process of getting lights put up and many others with the lights ready to go at dusk. We wandered through neighborhoods, greenways and past a golf course. In the background of this photo is a putting course.

Okay, I'm ready...

I really have not been able to start thinking about Christmas. This may seem early, but I am usually ready the end of October. This year with 13 weeks of unemployment and some other stuff going on it has been really difficult to anticipate all the get togethers. Yesterday, my husband put up the Christmas lights on the house. I returned home from running errands and there they were. I had to smile. I love Christmas lights. They add life to an otherwise dark and dreary evening. To me, they are like the star that led the wise men to the newborn King of Kings. And last evening, the lights led me to the joy of the season. Now, I am ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday and the giving and receiving it brings.

A Walk in the Park

After a deluge yesterday, the weather was a bit better today. We went on a 10k volkswalk that led through a number of venues. It began on a wood chip path then passed by the skate park and into a quiet neighborhood. From there we walked through a greenway and on a boardwalk through a wet land. (The leaf covered boardwalk was slicker than snot on a slug slimed doorknob.) It ended by walking through a business park after walking through the 1986 Street of Dreams with mansions surrounding a private lake.

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is so much to be thankful for again this year. It becomes so easy to deal on the losses that we forget the simple things we do have.

I am thankful for:

• The certainty that I will see those I love who have gone to Heaven before I
• The colors of a sunny day and the rain that brings the colors to life
• Family~99% of the time
• The unconditional love of a dog
• The man who is the love of my life

Rose City Golf Course

We have had such an amazing fall. Saturday dawned bright and beautiful with barely a cloud in the sky. After a couple of false starts, we ended up at the Rose City Golf Course for our weekly hike. A path circling the course afforded views of the greens and fairways with colorful deciduous and evergreen trees. In the distance, Mt. Hood rose into the sky overseeing the valley. The path was deep with leaves fallen from the trees making a crunching sound with each step. The joy of kicking through them made me give an impish grin as I recalled the fun of jumping into piles of raked leaves as a child. And so, another moment of joy to share and to carry one through the rough patches.

Fanno Creek Trail

One cannot really call this a hike; after all, the trail is asphalt and several feet wide. However, it is called the Fanno Creek Trail, so we will go with it. There have been some comments from the Midwest on the green we still enjoy. The area will be green through most of the winter, unless we get a bit of snow. We haven’t had a hard frost yet and the wind has not picked up, so the leaves have stayed green longer this year as well as staying on the trees longer.

Hoyt Arboretum

We went back to Hoyt Arboretum this afternoon and followed a map which led to trails that I haven’t been on before. Amazing or not, I have been on most of them even though there are nearly 50 miles of trails in the arboretum and connecting Forest Park. Hoyt Arboretum is home to 1,100 species of trees from around the world on 185 acres within the Portland city limits.

Angel's Rest

The weather is clear and bright today, so we headed out to the Columbia River Gorge to one of our favorite hikes, Angel’s Rest. Just a quick trip out I84 to Bridal Veil and the trail head. It was busy today; every Oregonian was taking advantage of the dry, sunny day before getting stuck in months of rain. Casey was his usual excited self as we got ready to head up the trail. It is amazing that a 13# dog that is 12ish has so much energy! I had forgotten that the trail to Angel’s Rest is 2¼ miles UP! It is an elevation change of 660’ and I felt every foot of it. The truth is the burning glutes are so worth it when you get to the edge and look both up and down the gorge. It is incredible. The Gorge is beautiful from any angle, but from this viewpoint one can see how vast it is. How great is God that he not only created such beauty, but also a way for us to view it.

Weekly Hike

A while back, my husband and I would go for a hike each weekend. We would then send a photo of something we saw along the way to friends and loved ones. We have begun to do so again. This time I will also share them with whoever happens on this site. Today, the choice was a small state park within Portland, Tryon Creek State Park. It has a combination of asphalt and hard packed dirt trails that meander through a wetland area. It is under a canopy of trees, both evergreen and deciduous. Soft moss covers much of the trunks and the sun peaked slightly through the treetops and the clouds.

I'm back...

So, I am back finally. Since my last post, I have left a stressful job and been on vacation. So, it is getting a bit easier to see the bright side of things again. (Especially, since I got a couple of good leads for a new job today!)

Fall colors have always been one of my favorite things to see. The changes happen every year just like I expect them. Yet the views are so spectacular, I find a new thrill with each turn of the path. That is definately a good thing!