Complicated Simplicity

photos...wildlife in Olympic NP

since my last few posts have no photos....

oh the adventure...hoyt arboretum

On Monday they forcasted rain, so we took our time getting up and around. Thankfully, the sun came out and the afternoon was really lovely. We decided to head out to Hoyt Arboretum for a little hiking.

We drove over there, and as soon as we entered Washington Park, we were in love. It's amazing that this park (Washington Park and Forest Park) is just minutes from the hustle and bustle of downtown Portland. It's like a little oasis right next to the city. We drove past the Children's Museum, Oregon Zoo, and the World Forestry Center-saying we couldn't wait to get back to visit those places sometime later. We stopped at the visitor's center and picked up some trail maps, then decided to take the spruce trail around and connect with another trail or two back to the visitor's center.

The park was so full of life-little flowers and leaves and shoots of other plants growing out of the ground and on the trees. I was immediately smitten and then transported back to when I was little. My sisters and I would spend hour after hour and day after day wandering around and playing in the forest just up the road from our house. It felt just like that. Somehow magical and majestic.

Paul loved reading the names of each tree we went past. We were actually doing a hike on the children's pamphlet, and it pointed out lots of the different little points of interest along the way. It was really a lot of fun looking for the "fairy forest" and the lightning tree and all of the other little icons on the map. BTW-the "fairy forest" was exactly like those we played in as kids. If I'd been placed in the middle, blindfolded, I would've guessed I was in Michigan, close to home! :-)

I was most excited when we got to the sequoias and redwoods. There was a little deck/platform with benches that had actually been built around a tree. It was amazing to look up...and up...and up at these amazing trees. Absolutely amazing and breathtaking.

We decided to change our route mid-way and took the Creek trail back. Paul has this immense love of water, so we decided we'd stick with the creek and enjoy it's little babbling noises. 

We really, really loved our hike, and we cannot wait to go back. If I have my way, we'll hike every single mile of the trails in the Arboretum and the parks. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous place. It's perfect for a little break from the city, without going very far at all. If you're in the area, or visiting, you should totally take a trip to the Arboretum-even if you just drive through (although I highly recommend getting out of your car and walking around at least a little bit).

oh the adventure...lan su chinese garden

Last fall, I bought a groupon deal for the lan su chinese garden. It was $8 for two single-day admissions (a savings of 53%-I tell you, groupon has some great deals sometimes). Several times, we'd planned on going, but the weather or something else thwarted our plans. They were going to expire on May 1, so we decided to enjoy the garden this past Monday.

We took the MAX and got off at the Old Town/Chinatown stop-only a block from the garden. It was gorgeous before we even entered.

We had a little bit of time before the tour started, so we walked around the garden on our own. It's such a lovely garden. It's only 1 acre (one city block) in size-perfect for a little rest and relaxation in the middle of the city. There is something in bloom year-round, but even if there weren't the stones and architecture and water are stunning in and of themselves. We saw goldfish in the pond, and a hummingbird flitting around the flowers and plants.

The tour was really quite wonderful. Our guide, Jan, was extremely knowledgeable and told us about the whys and whats of the garden. That tour is worth the admission price alone, in my opinion.

We had a interesting, but lovely day as far as weather goes. It was sunny and moderately warm, with a few scattered clouds and sprinkles passing through every so often. We didn't go to the teahouse (neither of us care for hot tea), but I hear it's really nice, and I'd love to take my mom, sister and brother there. They would love it!

They had a bunch of kites on display with info about them. I really loved all of the bright colors and neat shapes of the kites.

My favorite part of the garden was all of the stone. The lake stones that are placed as an art form throughout, and the stone on the paths. If we ever have a home/garden again, I will definitely be bringing in a lot of elements from a chinese garden, because I really love that style.

I would highly recommend the lan su to anyone. It's really a nice size for a quick visit and break from the city, although if you can take the tour, I really think you should. :-)

After the garden, we hopped back on the MAX and took it down to Pioneer Courthouse Square. We headed out to find some lunch and ended up at Deschutes Brewery, where I had the best chips and salsa I have ever tasted in my life (seriously).

We then went to Powell's Books (of course) and picked up a birthday present for Boo (I still have Bee's presents all wrapped up and ready to go since her birthday in January-I'll be sending both presents along with P's mom when she's here to visit. I'm horrible about timing, I know!). Then we hopped on the MAX to head home, thinking about stopping and wandering around the Lloyd Center for awhile. When we got to that stop, the park was surrounded by police cars and police tape. Apparantly, there was a shooting there about a 1/2 hour before our train rolled through. When we saw the police, we decided to just head home and come back another day. It was an awesome day, and a great kick-off to the warm season! Ha!

And this little pup was very happy to see us, after being left out of the adventures for two days in a row! :-)

best of jan 2011 in photos

inspired by habit (dec 23 2010)...

inspired by habit

every day when I take the dog out, i breathe in the amazing smelling fresh air. i never want to leave this place. i've fallen in love.

photos...Brother/Sister Trip 2010 July 15-16, 2010

We canoed down the Pine River...it was awesome. Then we camped at Lake Mitchell State Park in Cadillac and the next day had birthday cake and wandered around Boyne City.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

photos...Books' 5th Birthday Party July 10, 2010

A few from the party.

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

photos...Chicago Botanic Garden June 3, 2010

A few favorites from our last trip to the Botanic Garden in Chicago.