The Reason Why Exploratory Walks are Important

We had been living in our apartment for over a month and a half before I got around to exploring. One day at the end of April I finally ventured up the road beyond the driveway. We can only see a grove of thick trees from our apartment windows, so I was not expecting to find what I found. Not 200 yards up the road I saw this:




Here's the panoramic shot - three photos spliced together. You can click on it to see it in full scale:



Our apartment is located just to the right of this picture, inside the thick grove of trees:



Who knew this vista was just beyond that clump of trees:


And that, my friends, is why going for walks up the road is a good idea. You never know what you might find!

Living in the Country

Living further away from Portland makes for a slightly longer commute. The payback, however, is well worth every extra mile. Every evening I drive through beauty to work. When work is done I relax and refocus as I drive through beauty on my way home. Every day the wheat grows a little bit taller. I can see the earth come alive before my eyes. The drive is a perfect way to transition from the hustle and bustle of the world to the peace of home.


Scenes along our daily drive:






























Now, doesn't that make you feel better after a long stressful night at work?

If You Don't Brave the Rain, You Miss Out on the Rainbows

The tale of today's glorious walk in the gorge:

It had just finished raining so the sun made everything sparkle as the cloud shadows chased themselves across the vivid green grass. How could I refuse a walk on such an afternoon? I sprinted beside the field adjacent to the house where Jacob grew up pausing a moment to admire:



Upon climbing a long hill I saw this:



And this:



Springtime walks are not complete without stopping to say hello to the flowers:




I also paused to admire someone's very imaginative lawn ornament:



The gorge has many steep hills to climb. The breeze was picking up. By the time I got to the top of this hill I felt a little bit winded and windblown:



When I rounded the peak of the hill I realized why the wind was picking up. Great angry clouds were making their way up the gorge:



I quickened my pace, but soon the great storm fingers captured the sun and blocked it out:



I was soaked to the skin in minutes and then it was over as quickly as it had begun. The sun came out dazzling. I swung around searching for the rainbow and found it - a brilliant arc that lasted less than twenty seconds before the clouds lifted away. By the time I reached for my camera it was already fading:



After pausing to take it all in, I happily sloshed and dripped my way back home, stopping only for a minute to admire Hannah's garden before going inside to dry:


Life is beautiful. So is Spring.