What Did You Do the Last Day of Summer?

You know those days when you see an endless expanse of beach, and for a moment you think that summer days will never end.  And, then reality hits and you realize that this year in Oregon, summer days were in short supply, almost non-existent.

So...you savor the moment, and take an extra long beach walk, examine every tide pool, and try and find that perfect sand dollar.

It's OK, the room you were supposed to paint today will still be there tomorrow.  Now is the time for a last beach read, or a sketch, or a nap in the warm sun.

You'll need these memories to sustain you through the dark winter, until the sun comes back again.

Waning Days of the Farmers Market

It dawned me that I haven't been to the Farmer's Market nearly enough this summer.  For me, it's such a fun way to start the weekend, to grab some coffee, enjoy some music and get a week's worth of healthy food.  Everything tastes so much better.  It's funny that for years I'd plan my meal around whatever meat entree I was planning, now I plan everything else around the vegetables I'm having that night.  That's a real paradigm shift.   

The peaches have been especially good this year.  Too bad they have such a short season!

My son insists that eating local honey has improved his allergies. 

I found two of the most beautiful tangerine colored climbing roses for a trellis we have at the beach. It seems to me that so many roses don't have a fragrance, except for the climbers.  Hopefully, they will survive the winds this winter.  Here's a list of Top Ten most fragrant climbing roses:http://www.rose-gardening-made-easy.com/fragrant-roses.html

Car Show-Wordless Wednesday

Last Saturday, I was on my way to the Farmer's Market, when I stumbled upon this cool car show in Oregon City.  Lately, I've had a thing for old cars-their shape, the shiny surfaces.  All I can think of is how

fun they will be to paint. When I stop to talk with the owners, they are so proud of their vehicles.  Usually, they are standing their with wax and cloth in hand polishing up their 'babies!'  Hopefully, these beauties will inspire you.  They will probably show up again in some watercolor assignment!  Happy Wednesday, the rest of this post will be wordless! :-)

Welcome Home Emi

A little card I had fun painting for a dear young friend safely home from Africa, with a little stopover in Paris.

Timberline-A National Treasure

We took a drive up to Mt. Hood to take a day hike, and I was surprised to see that Timberline was in  the  middle of a 4.5 million dollar renovation from the Stimulus Program.  It's such a beautiful Lodge, and a destination for Oregonians.   It's origins were from a WPA project in the 30's, so it seemed appropriate for the government to maintain it, since it would be terrible to lose this National treasure.

There's so many beautiful points of interest at Timberline Lodge.  I captured a few to share, but it's really worth a trip up to check it out for yourself.  As you enter there's this native American carved art piece, with it's elaborate headdress

The interior evokes the style of the 30's, with it's attention to detail.  Note the inlaid wood piece above the door. 

This is a portrait of Richard Kohnstamm, the man who is credited with saving Timberline from decline is the 50"s and 60's.  He foresaw the skiing boom with brought thousands of visitors to Mt. Hood.

The gathering place of the lodge is the enormous space on the first level, where there is a restaurant, plus lots of chairs to sit near the fire, and gaze at Mt. Hood.  This especially fun to do on a snowy day.

In my wedding photography days, I was fortunate enough to have several jobs up at the lodge, and it was a beautiful background for a wedding party. I always tried to get the bride and groom outside to photograph the with the mountain in the background.

The details and craftsmanship are amazing.

A commemoration plaque as you enter.  Note the date 1936-1937.

Hiking to Sicox Hut

As we waited at the steps of  Timberline Lodge for our guide, I enjoyed checking out the several containers of seasonal flowers.

Also, even though it was late in the season, there were still several varieties of wildflowers to be seen.

I took a slow route, stopping frequently to take photographs, while DH and the dogs stayed up with the tour.  Much of the year, this area above the timberline is covered in snow.  The views were spectacular, and from this vantage point, you could see great views of Mt. Hood and the Cascades. 

It's a pretty steep hike.  In one mile you go from 6,000 to 7,000 feet!  I must confess, forgot my asthma inhaler and had to wimp out about 2/3's of the way up and go back to Timberline.

Below, an old water tower

view of the Cascades, dotted with lakes

There were quite a few skiers on Palmer Glacier, some of them took this route down to the lodge instead of taking the lift.

Silcox Hut, a warming area for hikers and a site for private dinners and lodging.  Guests are transported by Sno Cats from the lodge. http://www.timberlinelodge.com/silcox-hut/

The dogs went the whole route and slept for two days!