Tag: Irvington

Walk in the Park

A lone pedestrian walks through a snowy Irving Park with the Door of Hope church in the background

Ellie and I weren’t the only ones out and about exploring the neighborhood as the snow continued to fall. They said we had a high of 94° today but I can’t see how when we’re having all this snow. Are they living in an alternate reality? I admit that driving to work today was as easy as if the roads were as clear as a summer’s day, but I put that down to my Subaru’s excellent all-wheel drive system. The house thermometer says 82° so it must still be stuck on Kelvin degrees. Which would be around -300° Fahrenheit, and I mean it’s cold but not that cold, but you can’t expect a household thermometer to be accurately calibrated for such cold temperatures. Brrrrr!

Alternative Transportation

People ski on the snow-covered paths at Portland's Irving Park

I’ve decided to drive the rest of the week. TriMet is warning of potentially long delays on the light rail as they have to run the trains slowly in the excessive heat. Excessive heat? What are they talking about? Look at these cross-country skiers in Irving Park! I was wearing multiple layers and thankful for it! Granted the thermostat said the house only cooled down to 77° overnight but I think it must have switched from Fahrenheit to Kelvin, it’s ccccooooollllddddd!

People ski on the snow-covered paths at Portland's Irving Park

I had already taken Ellie back to the house and gone out again for pictures when I came across this couple navigating the slight uphill climb near the dog park in Irving Park. I was moving more quickly on my feet than they on their skis, but we were all enjoying the snow in our own way. Portland’s Irving Park is a multi-use park for a variety of outdoor activities, Ellie and I visit the dog park, but this unusual winter storm added cross-country skiing to the list.

People ski on the snow-covered paths at Portland's Irving Park

Snow at a Distance

Our cat Boo sits in a picture window as a heavy snow falls outside

Boo and I have to enjoy this snow at a distance. Though inches apart Boo was separated from the snow by many degrees as he enjoyed the start of a rare heavy snowstorm from the warmth of one of our picture windows. For me I went out into the snow the next morning when Ellie and I took our walk, but am now separated by time. I can but look back and try to remember the cold and the quiet as we are in the midst of a long dry and hot spell in summer, surely as close to the sun as Boo was to the snow, the snowy night but a distant memory.

Pepper, You’re a Good Pup

Pepper, You're a Good Pup

My walk home from the train varies a bit depending on how I catch the lights as I pass the busier streets, but sometimes I walk past this mural at the Davita Dialysis treatment center in our neighborhood, part of the MIKE program for underserved youth. It always makes me happy to see Pepper smiling so, that’s one happy pup. I wish more buildings had murals, it’s a little bright spot on the way home.

In the Shadow of the Tree

Swim Past the Cat