2018 Ramblings

 

Somehow, somewhere, sometime, I got off track keeping this thing up to date. Not for lack of exploring or wandering, just not sitting and writing about it. This is almost a Year-In-Review but not quite. More just an update on 2018 ramblings. 

Happy Dory smile

I’ve spent a lot of time closer to home, wandering for hours with the mongrels through local parks, taking the time to get to know our cityscapes. Oddly this is something I haven’t really done before. Between Vancouver and Washington, we really are blessed with a fantastic network of trails close to the cities. I’ve seen deer and coyote, eagles and hawks, rabbits and beavers, herons and storks and egrets and woodpeckers, all within 20 minute drives of my house.  

mossy winter trees in Lacamas Park (Vancouver)

god only knows what Dory is stalking (Thousand Acres)

Pepper is HOT if she is willing to lay in swamp water

Dory looking photogenic

Andy and I have been trying our hand at crabbing, which is both an entertaining and delicious hobby. Sometimes painful too, especially when a very large Dungeness is able to pinch the ever-loving snot out of you thru the gloves. (I ate him first). 

Beaches and sunsets.

Fall wanderings. 

Hikes, big and small. 

The very, very lovely Clackamas River trail

quintessential Oregon forest

Lots of dog friends. 

Pepper, Maya and Dory along the Sandy

Cute Shenzi tail (Clackamas River Trail)

Navin is just STUPID HAPPY about water

 

Maya thinking hard about *trying* to catch a bald eagle

 

Good friends getting married at Silcox Hut, one of my favorite places on Hood (it was weird to be in dress clothes at 7000’). 

Exploring the southern Oregon coast more, complete with kayaking (more on that later).

Cape Arago (before the dead seal incident of 2018, to be discussed later)

And now, into winter, snowshoeing. 

into the White River Canyon

White River Canyon. I can imagine this is an awful slog in summertime

Navin is an Osprey advertisement

Dory ears

Best buds checking out Hood (Barlow Pass snowshoe)

My husband is a dork

Twas a good year.