Mushrooms, and me

Dry, with some sun, in Philomath

Rich crops of mushrooms growing.

Took a whole bunch of blind snaps of my face with my phone, to try to get a few where I'm both in focus and in the frame.  Couldn't find any that actually made me look good though.  My hair, which used to be brown, is now steel-gray, and my cheeks and jowls are drooping.

Played with my sketching apps, using up the battery.

Japanese Garden and Washington Park

Sunny during the day.  Warm, so long as you managed to stay in the sun.  Clear and cold at night.

Stuffed my sketchbook and some extra clothes into my bag and took off, climbing to Cornell and then heading south.  I crossed Burnside and stopped in at Zupan's, hunting until I found the deli and bought a wrap for lunch.  (I'm reminded of why I hardly ever go there.  There's a sidewalk in, but it dead-ends in a dark corner of the parking lot, next to a service entrance.  The only other way in or out is to use the driveway, which is full of, well, cars.  Who aren't expecting to see people.)

Climbed up the old carriage road into Washington Park, started up the MAC Trail, then cut up through the Rose Garden, then zigzagged up the trail to the Japanese Garden, getting there not long after it opened.

A women stopped to admire my pencil set, and to wonder where she might be able to find such.  Sadly, I had to tell her that I'd had it for decades, and that the store that I bought it in has been closed for nearly as long.

Walked through the exhibit of traditional peasant clothing, woven from plant material (including kudzu) and even paper, or quilted together from scraps.

South on the Wildwood Trail, winding around and hearing at intervals both real trains from across the river and the little toy steam engine that plies Washington Park.  Diverted off the Wildwood near to the zoo, to walk the ridge and get my fill of mountains.

Then spiraled down the wrong way through the Vietnam Memorial, coming out in the zoo's parking lot.  Headed for the MAX station and caught a train to the stadium, and then caught a 15 home.

Meeting doodle

Cloudy and cool, with at least one drizzle.

Director Park Fountain, three ways.

Overcast and cool in the morning, turning warm and muggy by afternoon.

I found that it's damned hard to see the screen of my phone in bright sunlight.

Meeting doodle

Largely sunny, and even momentarily hot in the afternoon.

The Pearl

Started sunny and mild, turning overcast and warm, and muggy, and ending in clouds and sprinkles.

Stayed later at work than I had intended and caught a 9 to Burnside, then stopped in at Whole Foods, on a vain hunt for pepper sauce. Then sat down on a park bench and sketched, using up most of my battery.

Meeting doodle

Cloudy and cool.

Meeting doodle

Horse chestnut in Seattle

Sunny and warm in Portland. Growing hazy in Seattle.

Meeting doodle

Cool. Clouds and sun in the morning. Raining and hailing at noon. Cloudy, with spits of rain after that.

St James, Seattle

Cold and gray, with a gorge wind, in Portland. Sun over the Olympics, but clouds stuck on the Cascades, decapitating Rainier.

Claudio Monteverdi: 1610 Vespers, conducted by Stephen Stubbs.
St James, Seattle

Portlland bus mall

Mostly clear. The sun rose low and far to the south.


At lunchtime I headed up to PSU for a lecture, but cut it a bit too fine. Luckily I was able to hop onto a streetcar and get there just a bit after it started. Only to find that the room was full.

But it was sunny outside, so I stopped to sketch some of the sculptures on the bus mall, then walked back to work.

Willamette

Clear and cold in the morning, with a sunrise! Raining again in the afternoon.





After breakfast  I got dressed and went for a walk. My excuse was to see how well I could manage the phone's touchscreen in near-freezing weather. Unfortunately, by the time I'd gotten the last layer on the sun was fading.

Walked down to the river, circling back by way of Northrup. Caught a streetcar to Good Sam and then walked home. By the time I got back the ridge was fading into the mist.

Portland waterfront, evening

Dry, except for some drizzles in the evening. And mild. Actually quite nice for a day in late October. But so much grayer than yesterday that it's clear that summer is finally over.

Oregon City

A gorgeous day, 70 and sunny.

Tram, in SW Portland




Oregon City







SW Portland again, near the river

SW Portland

Clear. Cold in the morning, but toasty in the afternoon, and continued warm into the evening.

Between Barbur and Terwilliger





Downtown Portland, evening.

MacCleay Park

Cool. Cloudy and drizzly in the morning, with sun breaks in the afternoon.

Took a walk in the woods, carrying only my phone, a pair of reading glasses and a house key.

Vancouver

Cloudy and cool all day. Despite being promised sunny and warm.

Portland bus mall.


Old Apple Tree Park, Vancouver WA, squeezed in between a busy railroad line and a busier highway.

From my own garden

Cool early in the morning, turn sunny and warm early. Plenty warm by the afternoon, but cooling off quickly when the sun went behind the ridge. At 6pm.

Bus Mall

Cloudy in the morning, but clearing, and turning warm by afternoon. Breezy and mild in the evening.

At lunch time I walked up to PSU and bought a chicken curry (maybe just a tad too hot), then took a walk, caught a 17 back to work, and took another short walk, as it was so nice.