Category: walkabout / local

In a quick, cold and windy walk  downtown for a late morning visit to the chiro, I watch the skies as usual.  And glance down at the sidewalk beside me to see a small bird hesitate for a second, inches away from my foot, before flitting off, then come upon the local metro transit bus.  My doc, now working only part-time, tells me about self-building his new retirement house in the high desert, with windows and decks optimally oriented so that he can watch the sunset, glass of wine in hand, on one side while greeting the sunrise on the other, viewing from window or deck as weather-appropriate.

Sharp cold, fierce winds and constantly changing light,  Charlie D. gets a morning workout at GrandView Cemetery, overlooking the Grande Ronde Valley.  Snow was falling by the time we left.  Some documentation …

Whoops.  Guess I forgot the obligatory Mt. Emily photo (the local visual cliche).

Skies are interesting this afternoon.  Everything in one direction is fluffy white and blue, in the other, gray and black.   Wasn’t equipped on the spot to make a proper panorama to do it justice.  And I started tracing the mostly-routed-underground little creek that runs through the neighborhood.

We awaken to a smattering of snow on the ground, then accompany Devil Dog Charlie on his morning excursion, viewing Mt. Emily in the distance from the Forest Service and EOU campus fields.

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But the highlight of the day was a virtual visit by Ivi...

A brief morning spin into the valley, then a dog stroll in the rain down to the Arts Center, walking home past sidewalk sculpture, and finally attempting to dry off the always-in-motion Charlie demon-dog.

Today: taking notice of signs of spring in the front lawn (and all over town), walking to the library, returning home before rain falls.  

The afternoon proceeded with a visit to the library and hanging book art, then a dog outing where the high school track team was working out, with a stroll past the hospital, noting randomness such as skies and cars along the way.

Rainy day.  First, downtown in the morning to see the doc, drop in on friends and scout some of the changes and some of the familiar.  Second, another late afternoon trek to Exorcise the Beast, see the sneaker approach to planting, and just poke around seldom-seen side streets.

I’m trying to psychologically prepare myself for snow and even colder nastiness by tomorrow.  In the meantime, some lingering evidences of our now-disappearing autumn, caught during the trek to work.