Oregon & Springtime

 

So excited that Brian, Julie, Miller, Mason and Mercer visited from Atlanta. I was bummed to have missed them because I was up at work, but so delighted that they came and stayed and enjoyed the winter fun! I love this photo of them in our kitchen!

They had a great time at Brundage and even wore the boys out with so many runs per day. Apparently, the lines at the ski areas in Colorado are so long that people only get a few runs per day.

Dave took them hiking in Riggins and the boys loved fishing in the Salmon River.

Up at work, there were amazing aurora displays during the nights. I worked days on this stint but got amazing photos from my night shift coworkers. After a month of Alaska, I was ready for some springtime!

We booked an Airbnb on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Portland, based mostly on the proximity to a food truck area nearby. We are always thrilled to try food truck dishes and especially in Oregon where the food is so gourmet, cheap and made with love. On arrival we had vegan sushi and dry cider to start with.

I loved all of our long walks in the neighborhood because there were so many blossoming trees!

One amazing restaurant we ate at.

Gorgeous blossoms.

We saw a lot of beautiful art on the side of the buildings as well. This one was near our Airbnb.

We met our lovely friends Matt Ulsh and Bodie Davies (Antartic Fuelies) for breakfast at a place nearby.

Bodie then took us to the Japanese Botanic Gardens to see the blossoming cherry trees.

Bodie and Dave talking with a blossom in the foreground. 

What a gorgeous place for a walk.

Botanic Gardens with Bodie, who also worked with Dave in Alaska for a few years.

Daffodils at the Gardens.

We next visited Portland's smallest park; right behind Dave in this photo.

Next stop was a historic building with a vast Portland skyline overlook.

Portland downtown in the background.

Portland.

Every gorgeous flower in town was a blessing to see after so many weeks in the Arctic.

Our Airbnb was in this building on the floor above the Ethiopian Restaurant Lalibela, where we ate dinner our first night in town. Delicious!!!

We met up with Matt and Bodie at Mad Hanna, across the road from Ed Zimmerman & Jolene Wilson's home in Portland. They and Bob Zimmerman, Ed's brother, came and met us for a drink. It was wonderful to catch up with McMurdo, Antarctica friends!

A late night dinner at a restaurant that made its ramen in house from scratch. Well worth the visit.

So incredibly tasty and amazing textures!

Vegan Bahn Mi and black coffee for breakfast at a Vietnamese cafe nearby.

Gigantic Chinese steamed mushroom buns for the drive to the coast, an amazing car snack purchase.

We drove to the coast from Portland, and made an incredibly beautiful photo stop at the Tulip Gardens in Woodburn, Oregon.

The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival lasts from the end of March through early May.

We had a wonderful time walking up and down aisles of gorgeous tulips, grateful for springtime.

Picture perfect.

I think we both took hundreds of photos here.

Besides tulips, there are food vendors and small shops.

So happy we went!

An old covered bridge along the drive west reminded me of all the covered bridges in S. Indiana.

Finally at the coast, I made a photo stop at Seal Rock State Park before continuing to the Airbnb.

We were lucky to share an oceanfront home with Rob & Amy, Zack, Hannah and her roommates and friends. It was so amazing to talk with college kids about their plans for their futures and academic interests. They had one cocktail before dinner and this time, Dave made Koehlinger manhattans.

A hilarious carving on the beachfront nearby.

I love coastal Calla Lillies!

Incredible back yard and view from the Airbnb.

The sun came out so we went on a beautiful hike with everyone.

Dave and Rob.

The ocean's colors were incredibly turquoise.

Dave and I always say that Trilliums announce springtime, so it was great to see them on our hike.

Gorgeous view from our hike.

Photo op at the Visitor Center deck.

I love this photo of Dave and Amy!

Hiking group selfie.

We took lots of long walks along the beach since we were staying oceanfront. On this walk we saw a lot of these iridescent blue creatures that had washed up on shore.

Article in the local Newport Newspaper about these blue invertebrates called Velella:

https://www.newportnewstimes.com/news/velella-showing-up-along-oregon-s-coast/article_42c769e6-f132-11ee-8734-6baa6d235cae.html

Beautiful wave sets and so relaxing to listen too.

It's been wonderful getting to see Amy and Zack somewhat regularly, a true joy in our lives. A week on the coast was a perfect trip after Alaska. We headed back to McCall for a couple days before I had to head back to work for another month. McCall was more Winter-like than Oregon, but it was beautiful to see.

A walk at Jughandle Ranch and great view of Jughandle Mountain.

My Clivia Miniata was in blossom, and I was so happy to be able to see it in person!

This plant is a baby of the one Grandma gave me years ago that we gifted to our friend Jenny Turner.

We decided to get two more days of skiing in this season, for a total of 5 days for me this winter.

It was fun, as usual.

I always love seeing the frost covered trees at the top of Brundage Mountain.

Our last day was more springlike snow conditions.

The view towards New Meadows shows that the snow has melted below and spring is coming!

We enjoyed a nice afternoon in Boise before my early morning flight the next day to Alaska. This photo was at Mother Earth Brewing, which has great outdoor seating. This one was a truly gorgeous time off and getaway to see family and friends and enjoy the springtime blossoms. Love you!