It’s sunny somewhere

Well, actually, it’s really sunny here.  Above the fog, that is.  I can’t give proper credit for this photo, because someone sent it to the local news station and they posted it without saying who sent it.  Anyway, I live in south Eugene, not far from Spencer’s Butte, one of our very distinguishing landmarks.  There’s a nice trail to the top, and someone climbed up yesterday and took this photo, looking east to the Three Sisters in the Cascade Range.

 

Unfortunately, we’re all down there, under that thick white blanket of fog that just won’t go away.  30° this morning, so it is frozen fog.  Everything is coated with a layer of frost.  I have to go out in it soon, as the car is due for an oil change.  I’m really hoping the sun will burn it off, if only for a brief time.  Once I have the car serviced, it may be time for a trip up to the mountains or out to the coast.  The fog only settles in the valley.

A little of nature’s beauty

When I first moved to Oregon, long, long ago, I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the fall colors here.  I grew up in New England — well known for spectacular autumn displays. In Oregon, the trees are green.  In autumn, they just sort of turned brown and fell off.  Well, in town anyway.  Up in the forests, there are lots of vine maple and other trees that can put on a spectacular show in the fall.

Over the past ten years, many of our street trees have been replaced with more colorful trees.  The two trees in front of my house used to be hawthorns, but they eventually decayed and the city cut them down and removed them.  They then allowed me to choose two other trees to plant.  I chose Norwegian Sunset Maples which, it turns out, are not all that colorful.  Other trees in town though, are putting on a very nice display.  I thought I’d share some near the dog park that Ozzie and I get to see every day.

Now these would all have looked much prettier if the sun had been shining when I was taking the pictures, but it’s been a bit cloudy and rainy here lately.  That’s fine with me.  We really needed the rain.  It’s also great quilting weather, and I’ve been extremely busy, hence the less frequent posts.  I’m trying to get some client quilts done and out of here before I go off to the Pacific NW Quilt Festival (MQX) next week.

Where have I been?

Well, life has been fairly busy, but leisurely so, lately.  Our Spring has been so gorgeous here in Oregon, that Ozzie and I can’t stay in the house.  So, we go for walks in the park (Alton Baker) on Pre’s Trail (named for Steve Prefontaine).  Come take a walk with us. It’s only about 5.5 miles.  Then we’ll come home, maybe take a short nap . . .  I’m old, remember!  And then we’ll need to do some quilting.  The heck with the housework — we can still walk through the house.  Right now, nature is calling.  It’s cold this morning, but we’re off to the park again soon, because, well, it’s too beautiful not to go.

I am more than blessed to live in this place.