Many of the other blogs I read do year-end "recap" posts. I really enjoy reading them. It's interesting to look back and remember places and faces from the past 12 months. At the end of 2010, I wanted to do something like this, but didn't quite get it together. This year I resolved not to lapse again.
This blog is many things. It's a skiing blog, a hiking blog, sometimes a running blog, and also a place to showcase my family's activities. But most of all, it's a photography blog (it is named "Linda's Lens" after all!). With that in mind, I give you the year 2011 in photos - one representative image from each month of the year. Some of these pictures were chosen not because they were my best work, but because I wanted to commemorate an event in 2011 that was special to me.
Skiin' the pow in Steamboat, CO |
January - this month I was busy skiing, skiing, and more skiing. Thursdays, I was riding the ski bus, and Sundays traveling up to Mt. Hood Meadows with my good buddy Kim. But the highlight of the month was the trip I took to Steamboat, Colorado. While there, the weather gods provided a dump of the finest Colorado powder, that hence forward would spoil me for skiing in Oregon.
Happy B-day to me! |
February - February is my birthday month, and this year my kids surprised me with dinner and a homemade red velvet cake. Not wanting a blaze of candles on my cake, Cody and Denise managed to advertise my age in a different and creative fashion. What can I say? My kids are the best!
I never tire of this spectacular view from Mt. Bachelor |
March - Still more good skiing to be had. But there was also the Shamrock Run (where Roger ran his first 5K). However, the trip I made to Mt. Bachelor to ski with my brother Dale was memorable. It was a beautiful, clear (but cold) day. Perfect to showcase the spectacular views from the mountain!
Cami and I celebrate our Eugene marathon finish |
April - A transition month. I began the month skiing and ended it hiking and running. I cut my ski season short so I could concentrate on training for the Eugene marathon, which I completed with my best running friend Cami.
Punchbowl Falls |
May - So many hikes, so difficult to pick just one photo. With the higher country still snowed in, my explorations were limited to trails in the Columbia River Gorge. A Friday visit to the Eagle Creek trail reminded me why this is one of Oregon's (and my) all-time favorites. I had to wade into the creek to get this shot, but I think it was worth it.
Amazing display of Bachelor Buttons near Bald Butte |
June - Again, many more hikes, with some family and running activities thrown in for variety. But the best hike from this month had to be the trip I made up Bald Butte with my hiking buddy Chuck. We hit the wildflower season just right and were rewarded with a fabulous display of every variety you could imagine. I loved the Bachelor Buttons the best. I've never seen such a large concentration of these flowers in the wild.
My parent's 50th anniversary celebration |
July - More hiking. Roger and I made our first backpacking trip since 2004 (and it was a success!). The big event of the month was traveling back to South Dakota to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. The first time my entire family was together in many years, I commemorated the day with a photograph.
Smith Rock State Park |
August - So much happened this month, it was really hard to pick just one image to represent. There was the Haulin' Aspen half, the Styx concert, loads of zucchini, and - you guessed it - lots of hikes. However, I finally made it back to Smith Rock State Park, a place I've wanted hike again. It was the day after I'd ran a half marathon, and hot weather to boot, but I had the most amazing time. The views were phenomenal. I got some great photographs (it's hard to take a bad photo here).
Wildflower paradise on Mt. Hood |
September - Another action-packed month. There was the Hood to Coast relay (hands down my most favorite running event of 2011), another great backpacking trip with my hubby, Oktoberfest with my folks, and - yes - more amazing hikes. This month I hiked one of the best places of 2011, the Paradise Park Trail on Mt. Hood. The lingering snow delayed the wildflower bloom, and I enjoyed a summer floral paradise in the middle of September.
Mt. St. Helens from Norway Pass |
October - A little bit of everything to blog about this month. One more half marathon completed, Halloween, fall colors starting to show, OSU football games (and tailgating!) and, oh yes, a couple more hikes. A trip to Norway Pass near Mt. St. Helens, made it onto the "best hikes of 2011" list. This trail has been on my bucket list for years, and I finally got there. This view of Mt. St. Helens was so worth all the time spent driving and hiking to reach it.
Fall colors at Multnomah Falls Lodge |
The 2011-12 ski season has begun! |
Lupine and St. Helens Lake |
I had the most difficult time choosing just one image to represent the hike, but finally settled on this shot of St. Helens Lake rimmed with dark purple lupine.
I hope you enjoyed reading and viewing this recap of 2011 as much as I had fun creating it. Here's to an exciting, adventure-filled 2012, with hopefully lots more blog posts, and, of course, tons more photographs.
Happy New Year!
Nice series and a good idea- hard to pick a favorite- probably the view from Mt.Bachelor.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic year you had! I LOVE the photo of Punchbowl Falls. GORGEOUS! And since you like Styx, I'm gonna make you jealous - they are originally from Chicago and they were the band that played at my Junior Prom (just before they hit the big time) Happy New Year to you and your wonderful family.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good wrap up of the year Linda! Oh yeah, you nailed that Punchbowl Falls photo. I'm feeling a bit of low shutter speed envy :)
ReplyDeleteBest wishes in the New Year and hopefully plenty more lovely outdoor shots!
Happy New Years to you too! I enjoyed your photo recap of 2011.
ReplyDeleteGeat closing for the year. Looking forward to the new year living through your blog. This is one of my favorite blogs
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the one for my birthday... truly exquisite falls shot. And we are the same age :) Did we already know that?
ReplyDeleteEugene...you have to fill me in because I'm doing it... yikes.
And all they got is indeed replaceable...and all they got was my husband's photography equipment...so you can totally understand his pain. Among other things, his Hasselblad baby ... gone :(
Here's to a spectacular 2012, Linda! And hoping we meet again :)