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.

Milwaukie Sculpture Garden

Sunny, turning quite warm in the afternoon.

I packed a sketchbook and took off, walking into the Pearl, and getting to the bus stop a minute before the 33 was due to leave.

We drove up the bus mall, then crossed the river on the Hawthorne bridge and turned south, heading for McLoughlin. (The east side streetcar tracks have made it all the way to where they turn to go over the new bridge. The new bridge, on the other hand, does not yet exist.)

I got off at the Milwaukie Transit Center (one block long) and sat down for a sketch in their sculpture garden.

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.

WES line

Sunny and warm. Damned warm at times.

Art along the WES line, from Wilsonville to Beaverton.

From PDX Transit

From PDX Transit

From PDX Transit

Blue MAX line and swifts

Sunny, cold in the morning but turning quite warm in the afternoon.

Civic Drive MAX station

From PDX Transit

Rookwood

From PDX Transit

As it was getting towards 7pm I walked up to Chapman School. There was still a soccer game going on on the field, and the hillside was filled, save for the lanes where the kids were sliding down the hill on pieces of cardboard. I headed for my secret spot among the trees, and found people sitting there too. But I was able to squeeze in.

The swifts took their own sweet time in massing. At one point everyone disappeared - I hadn't seen it, but it must have been a hawk. Eventually they started elevatoring in. And then a hawk did swoop through, grabbing a hapless swift. They saw him off and resumed their descent. But it took a long time. They formed a circle, going clockwise, with the bottommost birds in the ring flying down into the mouth of the chimney. When they needed a break from that they reformed as a counterclockwise ring. And then a clockwise one again.

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.