Gingerbread Fun

This week's 52 Photos Project meme is "What's cooking?"  The challenge - capture something that's happening in your kitchen.

Well......my husband does most of the cooking.  And I haven't had time to do any Christmas baking.  So instead of sharing something from my kitchen, I thought I'd share some fun gingerbread creations from my after-Thanksgiving Bend trip.

Zip line gingerbread man

The Sunriver Lodge, south of Bend, hosts an annual display of gingerbread houses.  Anyone can enter a culinary creation.  There are entries from small children, all the way up to local businesses. 

The gingerbread adventure park

There was a couple dozen gingerbread "houses" on display.  One of my favorites was the gingerbread adventure park, complete with a licorice/candy cane zip line!

I took the fisherman's photo for my husband

The adventure park also featured a skier, kayaker, mountain biker, and this fisherman, casting for goldfish crackers.  So creative!

The brewpub was my favorite

But this entry was my favorite.  Bet you can't guess why!

To see more of what's happenin' in the kitchen, head on over to the 52 Photos Project website.

Also linking to This or That Thursday.

Retro Photo - Skiing in the 90's

While paging through an old photo album, I came across this image of myself taken during a mid-90s ski trip.  It really brought back memories.  After a brief hiatus from the sport due to having babies, I returned with a vengeance.  A horrible skier at the time, tales of epic wipeouts are legendary among my old ski friends.  But a new passion was born - and thus began my love of sliding around in the snow.  This sport spoke to me, and I patiently kept at it, working to improve.

Ancient skiing circa 1990-something

This photo really made me laugh.  I'm wearing a huge, boxy, ugly coat that's at least five sizes too big.  My gear is ancient by today's standards - long, straight skis and rear-entry boots.  And not a helmet to be seen anywhere.  Boy have things changed since then!

Enjoying last season's powder (photo by Grant Myrdal)

Fast forward nearly 20 years.  The technology has changed.  Wide, short, shaped skis are the norm.  Ski clothes are much more fitted (and warmer!).  And nearly 75% of snow-riders at resorts wear helmets.  I'm still skiing, but not crashing nearly as much.  Now my friends are struggling to keep up with me.  And my favorite day?  Skiing powder during a storm either in Mt. Hood Meadows' bowls or Heather Canyon.

It's finally time to ski again!  I'm planning on hitting the slopes tomorrow for the first day of the season.  Rest assured I'll have photos and stories to share - coming soon to a blog near you.

Unexpected Beauty on Eagle Creek

Judging by the decline in comments on my last two posts, I need to provide another hiking story!  And I've got just the trip - join me on a visit to the Eagle Creek Trail, crown jewel of the Columbia River Gorge.

Size matters!  Click on any photo to enjoy a larger version.

The mighty Eagle Creek

Last Friday was another day off from work.  My original plan was to head up to Mt. Hood for some skiing.  But a morning check of the conditions reported a 25 inch base, 32 degree temps, and rain on the way.  Not wishing to get soaked while dodging rocks on skimpy snow, I activated "Plan B."

Which was, of course, to go for hike!  (Bet you didn't see that coming) 

Droopy moss covers the tree

I headed to the Eagle Creek Trail.  If you can only hike one trail in the Columbia River Gorge, this is the one to choose.  Following lovely Eagle Creek, this path takes one through beautiful old growth woods, under amazing tall vertical cliffs, across dizzying high bridges spanning deep gorges, and past numerous waterfalls. 

Last of the fall colors

Unlike most other Gorge Trails that rocket straight up the steep bluffs, this hike stays fairly level.  With portions of the trail perched on ledges blasted from cliff sides, it's an engineering marvel.  Wildly popular, the Eagle Creek Trail resembles a hiker freeway during spring and summer months.  Wishing to avoid the masses, I usually steer clear of the place during these times.

  

Serious exposure part of the trail

 But on a rainy day in late November, I'd have the place nearly to myself.  Which is exactly how I like it.

But there are handrails...

Now that most of the autumn leaves had fallen, I wasn't expecting any stunning scenery.  I figured it would be a good "stretch your legs and get outside" kind of hike.  But I of course brought my camera just in case.

It's a long way down!

Parking at the trailhead, I was amazed by all the green.  And  the color was due not to leaves, but huge amounts of moss hanging from the trees.  The moss was a bright, electric green and it really brightened up the area.

Heading down the trail, I couldn't believe all the moss that was coating trees and adjacent rocks.  I've hiked this trail numerous times, and never before noticed it.  Maybe the lack of leaves on the trees just highlighted it more.

Everything but the trail is green

About a mile into the trail, I came upon the first of the cliffside paths.  Here the trail becomes a narrow ledge, perched on the side of a steep basalt wall.  Traversing this section gives one exciting, vertigo-inducing views - not for the faint of heart.  Steel cables are embedded into the adjacent rock for those hikers needing something to cling onto.  Of course the rock walls were also encased in a feathery coating of bright green moss.  Very cool!

Metlako Falls

Two miles into the trail visitors get a glimpse of the first waterfall, Metlako Falls.  Tucked away at the end of a deep gorge, this cascade can only be viewed from a distant cliff-edge overlook.  But I got out my zoom lens and captured it anyway.

Gateway to Punchbowl Falls

Not far from Metlako Falls is the next great waterfall, this one a little more accessible.  A steep path leading to Punchbowl Falls takes visitors from the main trail down to the creek's edge.  This area is very picturesque, featuring a broad beach of rounded rocks surrounded by high, mossy walls.

Trader Joe's treats

Punch Bowl Falls is hidden away between two high basalt cliffs that form a sort of "gateway."  The falls can be viewed just beyond this mossy grotto.  In the summer, water levels are low enough to see it from the beach.  But this time of year, high water inundates the shore.  Punch Bowl Falls can only be viewed by wading out into the creek.  The water was much too deep for my liking.  Not keen on completing my hike with wet feet, I opted to pass up today's waterfall photo session.

Cookie break!

So you'll have to settle for photos of me eating cookies instead.  Yeah, Trader Joe's has their holiday cookies out now, and I had a most excellent selection with me.  Perfect with tea!

 

Cool little rock cairn

Instead of waterfalls, I busied myself taking photos of the small cairns someone had constructed from beach rocks. 

Eagle Creek below Punchbowl Falls

And I took more shots of this lovely creek.  Isn't it amazing?  (Even in the rain and fog it looks good)

Ferns a-plenty

Continuing on in the land of green, I passed more moss-encrusted trees, and a hillside covered with gigantic ferns.

Loowit Falls

Three miles down the trail brought me to Loowit Falls, a tall delicate cascade spilling down the side of a narrow gorge.

The fog is rolling in

About the time I reached this point, the fog began to thicken, and rain started to pitter-patter on my head. 

Stay on the trail!

I managed to get a few more shots of this amazing deep gorge that dropped vertically below the trail.  Another place where the path is a mere rock shelf hanging over the abyss. 

Or this is where you'll end up

But the views are fantastic!  On a sunny spring day, this place is simply amazing.  Of course on this drizzly November afternoon, it wasn't too bad either.

Foggy, rainy return trip

The increasing rain and lateness of the day forced Bear and I to turn around at mile 3.5, and head back.  Not wanting to risk my camera in the rain, we marched back without any photo breaks, and beat the sunset by mere minutes.

I was pleasantly surprised to find so much beauty outside on a dreary November day.  It just goes to show there is never a bad time to hike in the Gorge.

Christmas Tree Search - Central Oregon Style

After Thanksgiving, my parents and I journeyed to Central Oregon to visit my brother Dale and his family.  They live in the wonderful town of Bend, an outdoor recreation paradise.


Size matters!  Click on any photo to enjoy a larger version.

Our prey

During our visit, Dale planned to cut the family's Christmas tree.  He bought a permit from the Forest Service that allowed harvesting a tree from anywhere within the adjacent National Forest.

Our search begins

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, everyone piled into Dale's SUV and headed to the woods.  Our mission - find the perfect yuletide tree.  Dale knew of a great place.  In the forest south of town, a long strip of land had been cleared years ago for a new gas line.  Since that time, vegetation had reestablished itself over the alignment.  All the young saplings had now reached perfect Christmas tree height.

JJ is a tree hugger!

Dale found the correct road that led to this special place.  We parked, everyone rolled out of the car, and the search was on! 

How about this one?

It's a difficult task to find just the right Christmas tree.  And it's especially tough to get everyone's agreement on a particular choice.  Not only did Dale have his wife and kids, he also had my folks and I along, freely offering our opinions.   Of course, everyone "helped" pointing out possible contenders.

Max begins to cut

Although we spotted a few fir trees in the area, the trees in this clearing (and in most of Central Oregon) were predominantly Ponderosa pines. After much walking and discussion, Dale and his family settled on a fine Ponderosa specimen.

JJ tries his hand at the saw

Time to fell the tree!  Dale handed his saw to oldest son, Max.  Max started a cut in the tree's base, but the damp wood and dull saw made for tough cutting.  He quickly passed off to little brother JJ.

 

A little help from Dad

JJ tried valiantly to make some progress but the cut didn't grow.  Not one to give up easily, he kept at it, working much longer than his brother.  Finally, after many long minutes of watching his struggle, Dale stepped in to assist.

Everyone gathers to watch the show

My nephews stood back to let their dad finish the job.  Dale whittled away at the tree's base, while my Dad pushed on the trunk.

TIIIMMMBERRR!!

And TIMBER!  Dale's tree toppled over and landed on the forest floor with a soft thud.  Success!

Group tree photo

Time for a group victory photo!

Father, son, and grandson carry the tree

Next step - transport the tree back to Dale's vehicle.  Luckily, my Dad had driven it up the dirt road and parked close by, so it wasn't a long trip.  I love the above photo.  Three generations - father, son, and grandson - are carrying the Christmas tree.

Back at home, it's time to decorate

Arriving back at Dale's house, the tree was immediately put into a stand.  It was then taken indoors and placed in a special spot by the front window.  Let the decorating begin!

Max hangs an ornament

Dale's family had a huge box chock-full of interesting ornaments.  Dale's wife buys the boys a special ornament every year, noting the date on the back of each one.  My nephews have quite a collection. It was fun to see Max and JJ finding their special decorations and reminiscing about each one.

Godzilla??

Max and JJ's trinkets run the gamut between Sponge Bob, Homer Simpson, and the more traditional decorated balls.  But I was surprised to see a small plastic Godzilla hanging from one of the branches.  That's one ornament I've never seen on a Christmas tree before!

The tree is getting full

The boys ended up pooping out about halfway through the decoration process, leaving their parents to finish up.  Once all the colorful balls and trinkets were placed, this little tree looked quite magnificent.

Even the dog gets some decor

Now it was time to decorate the rest of the house.  Nothing was safe.  Even T-Bone the dog got festooned with a merry garland.  (And you can tell how thrilled he is!)

Since my kids are grown, purchasing our tree at a local lot has taken the place of a trip to the woods.  So it was fun to be a part of my nephew's tree cutting tradition.  I'm looking forward to getting our own tree very soon.

Linking to:  Share Your Cup Thursday and This or That Thursday and Orange You Glad It's Friday.

Turkey Day

Ahhh.....Thanksgiving.  When you gather the family together and consume the equivalent of two day's worth of calories in one sitting.  Who doesn't love a holiday that revolves around eating?


Size matters!  Click on any photo to enjoy a larger version.

In all seriousness, I love this holiday.  My kids always come home, I get to make some of my favorite foods (turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie), and there's no pressure to decorate or buy gifts.  Just cook a big meal, and have the family over to eat it.

Roger cleans the turkey

This year, in addition to having my kids home, my parents decided to visit.  With the additional family members 'round the table, dinner would be extra-special.  I picked out a huge turkey for the occasion, and Thanksgiving morn, recruited Roger to help get it ready.  His task was to clean and season Mr. Tom.

Caught with my hand in the turkey's *ahem*

I got the fun job of shoving stuffing in the turkeys hiney.  A sticky, messy bit of work.  But once ol' Butterball was full, it was into the oven to roast for several hours.  This break in the action provided time for a quick field trip.

Future light rail bridge across the Willamette

I took my folks to downtown Portland's riverfront to show them the new light rail bridge under construction in the Willamette River.  I had a small role in the preliminary engineering phase of this project, so it's fun to see the towers finally rising out of the water.  Plus, the geeky civil engineer in me loves bridges - especially watching one being built (c'mon - who isn't fascinated by huge cranes on floating barges?)

My parents pose on the dock

A bike path on the Willamette's east bank provides a nice observation platform to see the emerging towers.  A short distance down this path is a public boat dock.  Thinking we might be able to get a better look a the bridge construction, my parents and I ventured onto the dock.  To my surprise we were treated to a great view of the downtown Portland skyline.

Downtown Portland skyline

Such a wonderful sight!  The dismal gray light of the day doesn't do this picture justice.  I'll have to come back on a sunny day (or maybe at night to capture the lights).

The turkey is done!

Arriving back home, we were greeted with the wonderful aroma of baking turkey.  An hour or so later, Mr. Tom was finally deemed done.  Roger got out the carving knives, and I swung into action, prepping the side dishes.

Bear hopes for a handout

It's rough being a dog on Thanksgiving.  Poor Bear smelled all those yummy scents - and then had to eat dry dog food!  However, Roger poured some of the turkey stock on his kibble, so Bear didn't entirely go without.

Kitchen spectators

It was so nice to have both my kids home!  And they even posed for a couple photos without complaining (too much).

The table is set

Finally, all the favorite side dishes were prepped and ready to go.  Denise and my mom set the table.  Cody said grace.  It was time to enjoy this great feast!

Time to dig in!

What an amazing dinner.  The turkey actually turned out quite nice.  I gorged myself on turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes.  And then came back for pie.  Oh so good!  Now why don't I make these foods more often?

Mom gets the drumstick

Of course, the most important part of Thanksgiving is it's a reminder to stop and be grateful for all the good things we have.  I'm most thankful for my husband, two great kids, and my parents who are still in good health.  It was wonderful to have them all gathered around my table this Thanksgiving Day.

Linking to:  Sunny Simple Sunday.