FIELD OF DAISES

I am currently right in the middle of writing my next book. It will be out in May. The title is: TRIPPING ON OREGON'S TREASURES Gathering Gems to Pave Memory Lane. It is solely a book with stories of my travels these past few years. Noted in the book are references to this blog so readers can find colored pictures of the black & whites published in the book. This beauty of the white horse in a field of daises has never made it into the blog so I figured it was about time. This being winter and all, we do need an infusion of Spring. So here it is. Enjoy, and just wait--in May the new book will be ready for you. In the mean time, I hope you are planning your adventures for next Summer. Now's the time. Planning is part of the fun. GO WILD! 

WINTER'S ON THE WAY

It's always such a surprise to me how beautiful Autumn can be. Even though I have experienced a "few" of them, I never tire of the exquisite beauty of a golden tree when the sun hits it square in the face or of a bush preparing for winter with all it's different colors.

Having just finished the Albany Bazaar, I had the pleasure of meeting a number of you. I thank you for your kind words and encouragement. Since most of you know "how to get out" the primary request has been for more of my stories. So, I will be spending my winter on my treadmill typing, typing, typing to get a book of stories done by May. The glorious part of doing so will be in the reliving my stories while I set them to print for you. Stay tuned, I will keep you posted.

If you are new to my blog, please subscribe by entering your email into the subscription field on the right. That allows new posts to be sent to your email. I wish you all a warm, snuggy winter with thoughts of hiking trails and bird song as you plan your coming adventures.

SUMMER 2014 GONE, NOT FORGOTTEN

Summer 2014 is history. It was a wonderful one though wasn't it? I saw some places that were new, visited some familiar spots and made some rich discoveries. What more could a person ask? Well, I hope you had time to get out for a bit and take in a breath of fresh air.

I spent 11 days on the Author's Table at the Oregon State Fair to close out the official summer. While visiting with one man, he said his mother told him there were only 7 days in the week and none of them were named "Someday". That is the thought I would like to send out to each of you who plan to visit wilderness areas "someday" when you have time. Please think of how much you will treasure the time spent if you just do it presently...or maybe next summer. Don't let life slip by like the North Umpqua in the first pix below. It slides smoothly by with barely a ripple, then BOOM, hits the rocks. That's how our lives seem to run. Enjoy the smooth time and renew your spirit for the inevitable times when life hits the rocks.

The second pix was taken at Clear Lake, the head waters of the McKenzie River. I made it up there in early September but knew the autumn colors would be outstanding later in the month so made a quick trip up early in October for that pix. The fire-red of the vine maples reminds me of the molten lava that slid to create this ice infested lake. Fire and ice, the real deal in the autumn months at Clear Lake. 

THE NORTH UMPQUA ROCKS

Having heard about the beauty of the North Umpqua River area from my sister Shirley Woods for years, and years, and years (well you get the picture), I finally found time to check it out. As per usual, big sis is right. And how! There were not enough pull-out spots to get all the wonderful pix that nearly brought me up side a tree, but I did get a few (hundred). Along Highway 138 there are many (at least 6) waterfalls that are well marked with trails to hike for viewing. My main goal on this trip was to see the cliffs and falls of Toketee. Well, my pix does not do it justice. When you go be prepared for a journey up, up, and up which means down, down, and down, then more of the same coming out. But every step was beautiful and well worth it. And just think of the calories burned.

The top pix here is a close up of Umpqua River sandstone rocks. I was really taken with the color and shadowing presented. Well, moving on, the bottom pix is the elegant Toketee. Look at those Basalt Cliffs! Is that a Wow! or what? I hope you add this hike to your bucket list.

WHERE WILD FLOWERS BLOOM

Here at the Oregon State Fair one can find wild flowers in the most unusual places. As you walk around the various exhibits you will find treasures where you least expect them. To all of you folks who picked up my card with this blog address, I say "Welcome aboard!"  I hope you made some memories to keep you company in the years to come.

If you are unfamiliar with the "blogisphere" please enter your email address in the "subscription" field on the upper right of this blog to enable you to receive future blog posts via your email as I do them. Generally I post a few pix and write a few paragraphs of my trips upon my return home. Since I have been at the Oregon Authors table for the past 9 days with 2 to go I have not posted travel-centric pix. But I wanted to take minute to welcome you to my blog and invite you to click on the earlier posts to get a sense of what Oregon has to offer YOU.

As we all proceed to TRIPPING ON A SHOESTRING consider what one person told me, "I will probably die of old age before I grow up." That is my wish for us all. Go Wild!