Winter stopped by

February is when this area begins to look like Spring. It always cracks me up because I’ve lived in the coldest, snowiest places for much of my life. Idaho, Vermont, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska – all these places with serious no-holds-barred winter. February is still dead of winter in those places. But here, daffodils are putting […]

Nearly Enough Waterfalls

The Trail of Ten Falls has more waterfalls per square mile than any trail I think I’ve ever been on.

Cape Falcon

One way to find fun at the end of a cold, wet, sad, December is to go for a hike.

Mouth of the Columbia

Door connoisseurs may appreciate these rusty doors.

Shifting season

Working hard outside is a good way to not think about politics.

Five H’s

Helens, Hiking, Hummocks, Heavenly, Hoffstadt, and oh and…Happy

Breathing smoke for a week

Wildfires are raging across my state of Oregon, as I’m sure you’ve heard in the news. People have died, homes burned to the ground, and thousands of people evacuated. Friends of mine have been ordered to evacuate their homes, and more have just left to try to find clear air to breathe. California is getting […]

St. Helens foothills

Forty years later it’s amazing both that there is so much life here, and that I can still see the devastating effects of the volcanic eruption.

Baltimore Shiver

The pigeons looked cold and they validated my shivering.

Teaching in Annapolis

I had never seen the town and they insisted I would love it.