Before and After (getting to Portland)

One of the prettiest rest areas I've seen

Joseph and Rowan kindly let me ride along with them on the journey from California to Portland, Oregon. It's a long drive and a beautiful one. We took a couple of detours on scenic routes; redwoods, rivers and mighty rocks, oh my. Fields and farms and backdrops of mountains. Meadows  and vineyards, wine among the corn. It's a beautiful country, the US...most of these shots were through the window at speed on the road. Just so you know.

But before we left, I spent a last day with Carol and Elijah. She showed us part of her collection of arrowheads she's found, most of them just walking to her work at the lumberyard and construction place she's done the books for over the last 28 years. I was fascinated, first because I really like finding history on and in the ground and also after reading some of the history of the area the last few weeks. Sometimes it pays to look down.

 The only bar we went to in town. The only time, too, a last day outing. 

This woman knows how to build a Bloody Mary, and do an island pour! 

 (This has nothing to do with history or much of anything except that it's always fun 

to find a good bar with a good bartender, and it was part of the day)

 The beads for the necklaces were gathered over the years. 

Check out the serrated arrowhead to the far left. Wow.
The very large arrowhead outside of the box, the one broken in two? Fantastic story of Carol finding the bottom, larger part and then TWO YEARS LATER, she found the top, which perfectly fits and is without doubt the upper portion of the first part. I love stories like this!

 This is a...soil turning tool. Really. That's what she said.

 An outrageous lily on the porch (that overlooked the creek)

 One of Carol's cool collection of mermaids. This is for Jonny, since I couldn't steal it.

 I missed the 'front' bears on the other end of the bridge. 

California irony, the golden bear - which is actually the grizzly bear - is one of their big symbols. Unfortunately, they are extinct in California...

 Farming scene in southern Oregon

 I liked these haystacks...

 Old barn (obviously)

 Mt. Hood

Mt. Hood in the background of the Clackamas River falls in Oregon City,
also the site of the end of the Oregon Trail

So the adventure continues. But adventure is everywhere, sometimes not wanted, such as Irene, bearing down on the Bahamas. Please keep these people and their islands in your positive thinking arena, they need all the good vibes they can get!

Have a toned down Thursday! Do something thankfully.