NOVEMBER HUG

It's November. The long hot summer of 2015 is in the record books. Whether you live in the city or the country, take a few minutes out of your busy day before the holiday season smacks you upside the head. Get out, breath some cool air. Splash in a puddle, pick up a beautiful leaf. Anywhere you are, there are lovely spots where you can refresh and renew your spirit with a brief walk along leaf strewn paths (or sidewalks). Kick some leaves, pick up a few, revel in the small works of art placed at your feet. 

November, 2015 will not come this way again so don't let it pass without giving it a proverbial hug. Embrace the illusive sun as it dips behind a rain cloud. Rejoice in what rain does fall. Our parched Earth is thirsty. Hum as you go. Put any worries you have in a sack and leave them on the porch for later. Who knows, when you return, maybe some stranger will have picked them up hoping for a surprise. Novembers freshness has a way of offering a different perspective to those worries anyway. Especially if you take time to kick a few leaves, splash in a puddle, and smile, smile, smile. 

DRINK IT IN, AUTUMN & MINERAL SPRING WATER

Welcome to Autumn in the Pacific Northwest. Here it is--nestled away in this little remote park tucked into the Cascade foothills. Wilhoit Springs sports one of the few mineral springs in Oregon. Tasty mineral water bubbles up out of the ground to offer you a bit of Middle Earth liquified so take some drinking cups with you. Since I was fortunate enough to tag along with family members who knew the way, I was allowed to gawk off and not pay attention to how I arrived at this little known wonder. So my directions would be less than desired. Google and a good map will get you there. I do know it is out of Molalla. Take a lunch and plan to spend some time soaking up the woodsy-ness of it all. It is to good to pass up on these crisp lovely days ahead. The long drive will be made on narrow two lane country roads that twist and turn, go up hills and down thereby keeping your speed in the 15 MPH to 20 MPH range. Plan to allow enough time to enjoy it. The beauty surrounding you will be worth the slow trip. Roll the windows down, put on an extra sweater and breath the rarified country air. Ahhhhhhhh! Don't forget your drinking cup.

WALK FOR THE SMELL OF IT

Those of us who live on the western side of Oregon, revel in the beauty presented by our forests, rivers, lush flora and fog. Traveling along the Umpqua River this morning, I couldn't help but "gawk off" as I drove along that beautiful diamond encrusted river. Gold maples punctuated the emerald green forests while perfect white fog highlighted the deep blue sky. I even saw a fish jump. It happened only because I had no hook in the water. 

But, I wasn't there for the fish. I was there for the beauty that resonates with each of us who live here and walk this side of Oregon just for the autumnal smell of it. Don't miss it! 

GO WILD!

This year at the Oregon State Fair Author's Table I was privileged to meet a number of you folks and pass my blog info on to you. I hope you subscribe by placing your email in the subscription field on this blog so you can receive future blog posts as I do them. 

This blog is just a reminder that if you didn't pick up a copy of either (or both) of my books at the fair, they are available by emailing me at tripshoe@gmail.com or you can get them from Amazon or on your eBook. 

In light of my photo for the "Shoestring" cover, I want to share my personal philosophy with you. It is a quote from Henry David Thoreau. "If one advances confidently in the direction of his (her) dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he (she) has imagined, he (she) will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

So, folks, GO WILD! You can only succeed if you proceed!

SUMMER, WONDERFUL SUMMER

It's summer and the Great White Egret scratches his chin thinking of all there is to do. In his world, it's fish, eat, sleep, fish, eat...well you get the idea. I have been traveling around the state visiting with many of you who are new to me and my blog. I hope you can find fun and inspiration in some of the scenes I have presented so far. 

My new book, Tripping On Oregon's Treasures, is out. What a treat it is (for me)! I just love it. Many of you ask for more stories and this is it. It is filled with wonderful places in Oregon to visit. You may even meet a Monarch like the one pictured here. Lucky me, just as I was taking the pix, he was dancing on a butterfly bush (go figure) and turned just perfectly to catch the sun's rays. I almost dropped my camera! Wonderful surprises like that come along so rarely, snap them up while you can.

If you are interested in my new "lovely" Tripping on Oregon's Treasures or the older sister Tripping On a Shoestring you may email me at tripshoe@gmail.com for more information. In any event, get out, breathe deep, live every moment like it matters...because it DOES!

COAST RANGE IN GOOD OLE SUMMER TIME

Summer has arrived in the Coast Range. This week I went to North Bend / Coos Bay to introduce my new book (Tripping On Oregon's Treasures) to the folks in the area. It was well received and makes me grin from ear to ear. True parent that I am, I love that book! But it wasn't all about books. A walk to the Golden and Silver Falls State Park up in the Coast Range made my camera happy too. Butterflies were out in profusion, buzzing around all the beautiful blossoms lining the hillsides. 

The water load careening over those rugged rocky falls was much lighter than what is generally found in June, but the trip was worth it anyway. I love that rounded boulder where the Silver Creek takes the plunge. 

The trip home up highway 38 took me past hay fields with those huge rolls of hay. While they are wonderful to see themselves, the clouds overhead lent a quiet beauty that pulled my van over for a quick photo op. Funny how that works. Here I am, driving down the road, then suddenly...screech!! A must stop shot is presenting itself right in front of me. What's a person to do? Well, what I generally do is follow the rule: Get The Pix! So here it is for you. 

Swallowtail on butterfly bush

Golden Falls

Silver Falls

Hay!

PEACEFUL EASY FEELING

Undoubtedly I sound like a broken record when I sing the praises of the Metolius River with its surrounding beauty. But like the song says, "I get a peaceful easy feeling..." every time my feet land on old pine needles in the path along that new river. 'New' because it pops right out of the ground near Camp Sherman where these photos were taken and is barely a mile old. 

This week the sky was spring blue with fluffy clouds hanging around for fun. Warm air brought multitudes of butterflies dancing around wildflowers. Birds sang their little heads off and the breeze bounced through the tall red-barked sugar pine delivering fragrant air. Who could ask for more? 

FROGGIE WENT A-COURTEN'

I promised in my last post that I would include some pix of bull frogs, springtime bull frogs. Here they are k-i-s-s-i-n-g! They were as big as my dog, Sophie! Yikes! No wonder the indigenous populations of frogs here in the Willamette Valley are in trouble. Many have "croaked" and that's no joke. These guys are taking over ponds and since they do more than "kiss" they have proliferated through out the valley. While biologists are looking into the problem, and I, just a nature lover, have no answers, these green goblins continue to prosper.

SPRING TEASE

I think Spring is finally getting serious. It was 72 degrees here in the Willamette Valley today so I thought I would take my self for a hike. I visited some wet-lands where wildlife is protected. The walk was lined with wildflowers: Wild roses, buttercups, the blue Camus Lilly, to name a few. 

On one pond island made of reeds, a mallard couple were visiting with a pair of wood ducks. I saw kissing bull frogs and butterflies too. Stay tuned!

The ferry took me across the Willamette River for more travels through farms. Well, spring can tease all it wants but I am taking this day seriously. What a beauty!

SPRING FLORA & FAUNA

The darlingtonias in the photo below remind me of gossips. They have their "heads" together whispering while their "tongues" wag as they await the next bug to enter their domain. You can find a pond of them at the Darlingtonia Gardens north of Florence, Oregon. Sprinkled in with these charmers are magnificent skunk cabbage blooming their little yellow heads off. 

Bald eagles get their final feather color after they are several years old. The two-year old having "duck a l'orange" for breakfast on this spring morning was suspicious of the Canadian geese lurking behind him. Little does he know, they are vegans. But he was taking no chances as he cast aspersions to all who came within reach. 

So your breakfast menu choice may not include insects or dead ducks (or live ones for that matter), but mother (nature) feeds us all per our inclinations. Mine is to get out and see--see it all--look until my eyes give out! I hope that is what you will do as we launch into this beautiful season. Don't forget your camera. You will want to look, over and over, as you remember this spring. 

                                                 Darlingtonias awaiting a buggy breakfast

                   Two-year old bald eagle having duck a l'orange on Umpqua River sand bar

WATER FALLS, FLOWERS & MOSS

The weather man suggested that this Thursday would be rain-free, so I marked it on my calendar as my first hike of this season. Off to Silver Falls State Park and the expectant opportunity to take photos of the lovely water falls, wild flowers, and nature in general housed in that canyon. Little did I know! Even the Skunk Cabbage waved to me. This is the season of excess water running over the basalt cliffs bringing nourishment to the large variety of wildflowers and mosses as well as quenching your thirst for natures beauty.

This first picture was taken of Middle North Falls while standing in a cave where the trail naturally takes you. The second one is the North Falls. I can rant all I want, but until you get mist on your face and water drops on your lens (note spot in top pix), you are not going to fully appreciate what I am going on about. 

Arriving home tired from my 5+ mile hike, but none-the-less refreshed, I had 190+ photos of the beauty available and smiling for me. I just want you to take advantage of it. It's an easy drive out of Salem presenting lovely walks with maps available. And even though I met a lot of folks on the trail, most of the time I felt like I was the only one there. That park has room for everyone. 

I'M READY TO HIT THE TRAIL

 Well, I don't know about you, but I am ready to hit the road and find a good trail for hiking and communing with mother (earth). Winter has been very kind to us here in the Willamette Valley with record warm temperatures. In fact, I have burned exactly half the wood in my wood stove that I usually do by this time. While I won't complain, I know it will allow a profusion of insects to swarm and make life buggy this summer. Another repercussion is the low snow pack. We may have a bad fire year. So I will need to plan twice while making my itinerary for the summers travels. Once for where I want to go, and twice for where I may end up due to forest fires.

That all being said, I hope you are planning a season of outdoor adventure that will roll with you into the next winter; one that will keep you mulling over the beauty outside your window when the November weather graces us with bluster.

Tripping On Oregon's Treasures will be out in May. It is a book of my stories and will hopefully give you some ideas on which direction to "trip" off to this summer. I will keep you posted on actual date of publication. In the mean time, get out your maps and start warming up your hiking boots. It's almost time!

WE WERE BORN WET, ENJOY THIS WEATHER

As I have said previously, I love winter. We are currently in the midst of a "major rain event" which should bring several inches of rain to the Willamette Valley in the next few days. It is warm like the middle of spring with a wind to blow your hat to Portland. So my camera and I took a walk down to the Willamette River. 

In 1912 this bridge in the pix below was constructed as a railroad bridge. It was used for decades but after the trains quit using it, it fell into disrepair. Several years ago the city of Salem purchased it, retrofitted it as a pedestrian bridge connecting the Riverfront Park on the east to Wallace Marine Park on the west side of the river. It is a favored walking / biking spot for Salem folks. Note the blue sky. I wore my raincoat and hat. Not a drop! Oh well, my camera captured some shots. I included my two favorite ones here. The bottom one is "winter reflections in a city mud puddle". 

I hope wherever you are, you are getting out and enjoying this lovely weather we have right now. Even if you have to walk in "wind-driven rain" enjoy the heck out of it. It is every bit as fun as playing in the sprinklers used to be as a child. You won't melt and I'll bet you have a great time.

MA NATURE IN HER LICHEN LONG-JOHNS

I Love Love Love winter. It is a time for rest and renewal. Taking a cue from our Mother (Nature) I enjoy the peaceful quiet that comes from winter time. As Mother Nature strips down to her Lichen Long-johns for a foggy respite from creating growth, so do I take advantage of the short daylight hours. 

Have you noticed what daylight induces? One must weed, mow, rake, hoe, clip, prune, paint, mend fences, wash cars, and while the hose is out, wash windows...and oh, the house. None of which can be done if it is dark when you return home from work, or it is too cold out, or there is nothing to mow, weed, prune or rake. 

So who wouldn't love a cup of hot mint tea, a good book, and a foggy or rainy, or snowy, or darkening day? I do, I do. Ah, good old winter who comes but a few months a year. Can you stay? Have some tea?