Author: boolie

The Leaking Earth

A moss-covered weeping wall in the Columbia River Gorge

One of the things I love about the Pacific Northwest is the dense moss that grows in some of our wetter locations, in this case a weeping wall in the Columbia River Gorge. The water was dripping down from above but because it was coming out through the moss, it appeared as though the earth itself was leaking.

Silver Linings

A close-up of our dog Ellie in the snow at the Irving Park dog park in Portland, Oregon

I took some time off in November and December but didn’t get out hiking as much as I hoped as my stomach was a bit unsettled in the early going, plus we had some bad weather that I didn’t want to venture out in. The benefit was that I could take Ellie on long walks in the mornings during the week instead of just on the weekends. Sometimes I record our walks in my GPS app, with several overlaid on top of each other you can see how much of the neighborhood we canvas. We always go to the dog park first (upper left corner) and then south towards Broadway before winding our way back, mostly based on where she chooses to go and how much energy she has. Our walks are ringed in by the busy streets that I won’t let her cross, our neighborhood is relatively pedestrian-friendly but there are limits. She’s 13 years old but in pretty good shape all things considered, she typically can go for an hour to an hour and a half on these walks.

I’m off on Monday as well but then it’s back to the normal work, and walk, routine.

IMG 2077