Friday, August 13, 2010
A Morning Run
Running around my neighborhood is a regular activity, and today, I thought I'd take my camera. There is always something interesting to see.
Flowers abound no matter which route I take
A gravestone getting swallowed by a tree root at Lone Fir Cemetery
A throwback to the day
Home sweet home...always
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Danes Come For a Visit
Well, one was actually a Scot and one was a German, but the fact remains that recently Portland experienced an influx of Europeans as 8 of my colleagues from the Vestas office in Randers, Denmark came for a visit. While here, we worked on a pretty interesting IT project, did a lot of knowledge share and also took a trip to Seattle to visit Microsoft for two days.
I haven't been to the Space Needle in years but it was still just as impressive
Microsoft's campus in Redmond
A super fascinating tour of Seattle's underground
Dinner with the Danes
Final dinner=fancy clams
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Road Trip to the Tetons
Last week, 4 adventurous souls set off from Portland to journey to the wilds of Wyoming. The goal: The Grand Teton.
After 15 or so hours spent in my 'new-to-me' CRV and a restful night in Wilson, we found ourselves at the Lupine Meadow trailhead. We quickly loaded up with our heavy, heavy backpacks, said goodbye to civilization for a few days and started the rigorous hike up to 10,700' feet (quite a test of endurance for yours truly). Once we reached elevation, we made camp on the moraine field right below the Grand. The next morning my 3 intrepid companions ascended the Grand, using rock climbing and route finding skills they had been learning and practicing beforehand. As I had not been training, I stayed at base camp and tasked myself with scaring the marmots away (no need to worry about bears over 10,000') and trekking to the water source to filter water into our containers.
It was a memorable and peaceful trip. My fondest memory will be the night it stormed for hours and we all lounged in the comfort of our tent, eating dinner, playing scrabble and sipping whiskey while the wind and rain arrived and lingered over the moraine field.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Salmon Butte Trail
After a short hiatus, I finally got a chance to take to the trail again. This time, it was the Salmon Butte Trail in the Mt. Hood National Forest. Together, with 4 strong women, we hiked 9 miles round trip, climbing 2700 feet. The rocky outcropping at the top provided a good place to rest, as well as views of many of our most beloved mountains.
Rhododendrons were in bloom all over
5 girls and their packs
Friday, July 16, 2010
My New Wheels
Two weeks ago I finally decided to buy a car! After a year and a half of living in my awesome city with only my bike, a zipcar membership and public transportation, I felt it was time to once again experience the freedom that having my own wheels can afford me. I will still continue to bike/bus to and from work and I will definitely be paying back some rides given to me by my friends.
A 2001 Honda CRV...perfect for wintertime shenanigans on Mt. Hood
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Californ-i-a
This past 4th of July weekend, I ventured down to California for a family reunion to celebrate my great-aunt's 90th birthday. Born in 1920 with cerebral palsey, my great-aunt has lived a life full of inspiration. In her words, she never felt like a cripple growing up and from my point of view, she has always seemed fiercely independent. She has traveled to Europe 3 times and learned to drive after having a car retrofitted for her. At the age of 90, she is happy, aware and even still drinking her whiskey.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Sailing on the Columbia
The 2010 sailing season has begun!. I've been out twice so far this year and can't wait to go out again when the wind is upon us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)