Friday, January 5, 2018

Into the Burn, Gorge Vistas and Fun Stuff

Yesterday was our Portland Women's Forum meeting, my friend Sally's car has died so I offered to go pick her up, take her to the meeting and take her home afterwards.  She lives between Vista House and Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.  I stopped to snap a few photos of my beloved building.  The East Wind has been gusting up to 90 mph!  


This place is in Oregon, and across the way is Washington State, the Columbia River lies between the states and establishes the border.


The view east up the river.. Beacon Rock in the distance.


We went to the meeting in Portland and had a nice time, our program was about the Blue Star Markers.  On the way to return Sally to her home she showed me how close the Eagle Creek Fire got to her home.  The forest here is still alive but the trunks where all the underbrush burned are blackened.  Can you imagine this when all of it was ablaze?


The US Forest Service has been working to cut trees that are in danger of falling over the road.  When you drive through here there are blackened tree bases, newly cut stumps and the regular devastation of winter.  


The Springtime here will be interesting to see if the ferns and wild bushes and flowers will come back.


I can't believe how close the fire came to Sally's house!


On my drive towards home I passed Latourell Falls.


Just past Vista House heading west I stopped to snap a photo of the icicles that form on this cliff face every time the temperature drops below freezing.  


I worked at Vista House for 15 years as the Executive Director of the Friends of Vista House and passed these cliffs as I drove there each day.


You should see the ice here after many days of freezing weather, they can get quite thick and amazing.


I pulled down into the Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint (our society's park!) and snapped this image of Vista House and the view up the river.


Last evening our son Travis made homemade macaroni and cheese for the family, which I can't share in due to my low carb regimen, so I heated up my cast iron grill pan and seared a beef tenderloin and roasted some asparagus and mushrooms.  My son remarked that it didn't look like I was suffering much not being able to have the mac and cheese.  :-)


I had to show you what I got at the White Elephant Sale at the meeting yesterday.  Sally actually had brought these two pictures that she'd bought in Mexico when they wintered there for years long ago.  They are made with real feathers!


I saw this metal sign on Amazon the other day so I got it to mount just outside our kitchen door.  I thought it was fun.


I head off to swim today.  What are you up to this fine day?  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

19 comments:

  1. Those are some beautiful photos of the area around Vista House. However, the burned trees sadden me. I know fire can be good for regeneration of forests, but this one was just so unnecessary. Have you heard anymore about the boys that started it?
    I have to agree with Travis. I think I would prefer your meal over Homemade Mac and Cheese any day. I love beef! I'm down almost 3 lbs. in the past two weeks. I think my meds have finally stabilized and I can start losing weight again. It was very discouraging, gaining 10 lbs. after working so hard to lose it. My cardiologist said it would happen until my body got used to the new meds., but it's still hard to see. :-)
    Have a lovely weekend. We're all packed and ready to go to Mandy's.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  2. Great photos, Teresa! It was sad though to see the burned trees and made me mad again to think of how that terrible fire started. Your meal looks great to me; too many meatless Fridays at Girl Scout camp "cured me" of Mac and Cheese! Happy New Year!

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  3. Awesome pics Teresa and makes me feel a little cool while it is going to be 41 Celsius here today....Your meal looks great, we had pork ribs and butter fried cabbage last night....Today I will stay out of the hot sun and keep cool indoors lol

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  4. Beautiful pictures! And, gosh, I thought our winds were bad at 40mph! Hoping you have a cozy weekend.

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  5. You live in such a beautiful part of the country, Teresa! I thought those bird pictures are so pretty - the real feathers make them so special! Cute sign for your kitchen! Thanks for sharing so much beauty with us!

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  6. I especially love the photos looking East up the river. While you are having cold and ice up your way, we are finally getting some rain here, thankfully. It is so startling to see the burned rubble of many homes down here, but the trees and hillsides that were burned look much like the area near Sally's. I'm so glad that Sally's home is safe. We were jolted awake two nights ago by a 4.5 earthquake that did no damage here, but has been a topic of conversation! Thanks for your pretty note :) xx

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  7. Ooh, it looks cold with you. Very beautiful though. The sign is brilliant, nice find. I hope you and Dayle have a good weekend. CJ xx

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  8. So sad to see the blackened trees. The icicles were a delight such a beautiful photo, although I don't envy you the cold. Your meal looks delicious, I am not a fan of mac and cheese. Love the sign for the kitchen.

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  9. Thank you for sharing those wonderful photos. We visited those lovely spots just three days before the terrible fire last August and it will be interesting to see how the low growth will be this spring. Congratulations to you on sticking to your low carb diet.

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  10. Such beautiful views and so different to our small island. Hopefully the undergrowth will recover quickly once spring arrives. Those icicles are wonderful. Still very mild here. B x

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  11. I'd have the steak over the mac and cheese every day! Your food looks so so good, my mouth is watering. We had Spaghetti Bolognese and salad. I love to make a slow cooked Bolognese ragu. I always enjoy photos of your surrounding countryside. Have a good weekend. x

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  12. Lovely photos Teresa. Gosh that fire got very near....Im sure Mother Nature will kick start in the spring. Enjoy your weekend. Hugs xxx

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  13. what stunning scenery! I'd eat your dinner anytime - yum! Yikes for bushfires - lots of parts of NZ are in drught, even though we've had massive storms and flooding days ago. Water levels are at a critical stage in some places. Summer started very early with hot temps months early.

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  14. Gorgeous photos! Nature is pretty amazing so no doubt it will spring forth again when everything starts to warm up. So sad that there have been so many devastating wildfires and storms. So many people trying to rebuild their lives.

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  15. I always love your photos Teresa. The feathered art is so Mexican! I love it. You are working hard to be healthier Teresa. Im proud of you. I m sending you successful vibes. It is very difficult to see others eating what we can.t But it gets easier for me as time goes on. I hope it is the same for you.

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  16. I am so happy for your friend that the fire did not burn her home, but so sad for the devastation everywhere. Stay warm Teresa.

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  17. Lovely photographs Teresa- such wonderful views. Your dinner looks very tasty. Anne x

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  18. I was taken by surprise when I came to the last two photo's. You see my fraternal Grandmother had three bird feathered pictures like yours only hers were from her parents so they were antiques when I saw them. As my Grandmother passed when she was 103 in 2005.
    And the sweet "Eat Here" metal sign hangs in my kitchen over the entry door. I found mine on Zulily.com.
    Isn't it a small world!

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  19. Just a side note to my original comment.
    My Great-Grandparents brought the bird pictures over to the US from England around the late 1880's, so they're a bit more refined with different framing.

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