You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Spring Break’ tag.
Looking toward Portland along the Columbia River on a typical April day.
Ok, to be honest, it’s mostly still raining. But that’s what the weather does around here: it rains. The trick is to look at the other details.
The sun actually does peek out every so often, and it’s a warm, invigorating sun this time of year. A sun that means business.
One trick to avoid letting the rain get you down: take photos when the sun comes out, however briefly.
The temperatures average in the 50s now, instead of the 30s or 40s. Warmer temperatures bring calm to me. (Maybe it’s simply because I’ve stopped shivering!)
Things are sprouting. Buds are opening. Daffodils are blooming. I thought for sure I’d have a photo of some of the exciting new growth, but alas. I dug through all my recent photos and I see nothing. But the growth is there and it fills me with smiles.
Hummingbirds are back! They are sucking through the sugar water like they’re starving to death! It got me to thinking the other day: how can that be good for them? I’ve always made hummingbird juice by boiling sugar water into a light syrup. But…is that truly what they survive on? There’s no vitamin value in it. I think I will do some research. The hummingbirds have so far been too hard for me to catch with my camera, so have some ducks instead.
Ducks in the pond. This was only a few weeks ago, but already it is much much greener on the banks.
Reflections
I’ve been lucky enough to catch a couple of videos of the critters around here. I hope it isn’t boring to you that I always post new photos of the animals I see. I find unending joy in them. These big beautiful animals so wild and different…and so close to me!
I had been seeing elk sign out there, but finally got to see the magnificent beasts themselves one morning.
Tara came home over Spring Break. It’s always fun and calming to have my kiddo home again. That side of the house gets opened up, and the heaters come on and there is music blasting and the shower running, and ahhh…. all is right in the world.
My college sophomore. Tara has dyed their hair dark green this time (can you tell?). I can never predict what will happen next with that hair!
They kicked my butt at Scrabble, due in part to their word skills, but maybe possibly also due to these rotten tiles? And yes, I posted this photo on facebook and got a dozen great suggestions for what to do with my hand. But it is TOO LATE you people!
I took my friend Vlad into the Gorge and we played in waterfalls in the rain. And why not? Since viewing waterfalls, one tends to get wet anyway. A rainy day is a perfect day to go the Gorge.
Bridal Veil Falls is just one of many astounding waterfalls along the Old Columbia Gorge Highway.
I liked this crooked old mossy tree branch as much as the arched bridge behind it.
The dramatic cliffs around here are, of course, the reason for the amazing waterfalls.
One of my favouritest, most beautiful, inspiring friends was diagnosed with cancer in January. She is another mom with a huge heart and an open mind and an honest gaze upon the world, that I put effort into keeping in my life because she’s the kind of woman I want to be when I grow up. Susie has been through chemo and radiation and is right now waiting to see what the next step is. She lives in Boston and I am so very far away when I want to be there to drive the kids to practice, and pick up some groceries, and mop the floor for her. I can’t do any of that. But I can send her messages of love and messages that don’t say anything about cancer, so maybe for 2 minutes, there will be no cancer on her mind. But I can be a forgetful, scatterbrained friend, no matter how much I love her. So I got the idea to dye my hair pink to remind me to send a note to Suz. It’s temporary dye, so I have to re-dye once a week, and I’ve been doing it since January. And I am proud to report that I have, indeed, remembered to send cards and notes.
Pink! And green! Look at that springtime hue behind me: woo hoo!
One of my many fires on the back of the property.
I’ve been cleaning up the land. Branches down everywhere, accumulated during the winter snows and rains and wind. I’ve been hauling them into piles and setting them alight. It’s a tricky thing to slog through the mud to a pile of wet wood in the rain and set it all ablaze, and I have gradually begun to perfect the art. And…very little chance of wildfire… so there’s that! 🙂
I hope you are enjoying the change in the season, finding your sources of joy, and making a way to connect to the people you love.
Tara and I stand with Mickey and Walt, in front of the iconic Disney castle.
I am doing a little housecleaning today, and skimmed through my Disney photos to see what I have not showed you yet. There are a few more images I wanted to share. I was following a theme before, grouping all my photos under one topic. For this one, I just want to make sure I hit what’s left. Things that caught my eye during my very first trip to Disneyland, that I haven’t showed you already.
If you missed the earlier photos, check out the side panel to the left of your screen, and go down to where it says “I already said,” and click the arrow next to “select month.” Choose April 2014 from the drop down menu and scroll down. There are lots of photos. But of course I still have more!
I love shots from airplanes. This one shows the California coastline as we headed south to begin our journey.
If you hold still at any moment in the park, and look around, you will see bubbles floating through the scene. It’s magical.
A peaceful and traditional ride through the park could be had with a horse and buggy.
Another traditional trip around the park is on the train, with an underground section revealing scenes of the Grand Canyon and taking riders back through time with animated dinosaurs.
A rare moment of sunshine during our trip lit up the Matterhorn while we were standing in line for Space Mountain.
Unexpected street shows would pop up anywhere. Performers in period costumes with actual singing and dancing talent would entertain anyone standing nearby.
I liked the way this photo turned out, of a lantern against the sky.
Look at this big beautiful paddle wheel riverboat. Hard to believe this scene is in an amusement park.
Daring adventurers get ready for a giant drop on Splash Mountain.
This one was pretty scary, when the elevator went crazy and just …DROPPED.
Inside of the Tower of Terror is convincing and remarkable. I have a dozen photos of the dusty abandoned hotel lobby with layers of cobwebs and dust.
Big Thunder Mountain railroad has been reopened and is really exciting, including an accidental TNT explosion as part of the ride!
The place is a whole new level of wonderful at night.
Standing in line was frequently entertaining because the lines ran through spectacular otherworldly scenes.
We were entertained by this droid who chattered and made fun of us while he worked.
At the front of every line is a sign telling you how long to expect to stand in line. I wondered how they kept track of that till one of us was handed this tag.
Lines. We stood in so many lines. The lines wrapped around and up and down stairs, in and out of buildings.
Here’s the line inside the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, wrapping through what looks like an authentic basement boiler room.
Another shot I like, as the rollercoaster flashes overhead above Toy Story Midway Mania!
I just loved the Tiki Room. It was completely throwback and such silly fun.
Strollers. If you’ve ever been there, you know what I’m talking about.
Downtown Disney was a fun outdoor mall. Entertaining and Disney-themed.
Skippers of the Jungle Cruise
Taylor, our most favouritest skipper of them all. We loved her so much we asked for an autograph!
Oh my, my. I realized when the kids began shooting at this booth that I had failed to pass on a critical Idaho skill! She’s 16 years old and I had to teach her how to hold a rifle. I’m so embarrassed. This photo is after some coaching.
Um…ok. Is it safe to go inside?
View of the park from our Hilton room. You can see the backdrop to Cars Land, and the Tower of Terror. There’s the Matterhorn, too, if you look carefully.
Alright, that’s about enough. I could go on but I want to discard this image folder from my desktop and finish the tidying. I hope it’s been fun to visit Disney one last time with me.
Update: Maybe not the very last time. My Tara is begging already for another Disney trip as her high school graduation gift next year. (She’s graduating in a year, can you believe it?!) So by the time the memories have faded, we may head south again and make some more.
