I went to the rally organized by Popular Mobilization that I heard about from Sarah Innarone, inviting everyone to gather, be themselves, have a good time, and in doing so tell the fascists that hate has no place in our city. Following are some photos I took.
Over the weekend we went camping at South Beach State Park. It was a lovely campground just off the beach amongst many trees. I don’t recall having visited the coast in such nice weather. The town of Newport was a short bike ride away and we rode our bikes around parts of it as well. Following are some photos.
Relaxation with Olive. /cc @macgenie
Morning coffee on most days: First 100 ml – 😊 Second 100 ml – 🕴 Any more – 🤢
It’s a rainy morning today but these are from a rainy morning last week.
Twitter Trends feels more “in-your-face” with the new interface design.
Pro-tip: Change the location preference for that to a country in which you have zero to minimal interest.
Nice gradient of colors at sunset last night.
We let the artichokes go to flower, and wow, they make really pretty flowers!
Today I participated in the 3rd annual Walk with Refugees and Immigrants. Following are some photos. As an immigrant, I’m grateful for this community ❤️
It will cost you countless hours and dollars to deal with identity theft and it will cost them $4.48.
It’s been a looking-at-clouds kinda day.
You turned up the volume when you were watching a video on your always-on iMac in your home office. Later you left for somewhere and now others have to deal with loud sounds whenever a notification happens. Keyboard Maestro to the rescue!
Woodburn Premium Outlets. Woodburn, Oregon. 6th July, 2019.
Every time I start iTunes. For over a year. Because I cancelled subscriptions.
Someday she will be a master gardener.
Bikes have a home. After and before.
Sunday was new bike day 🙂
📷 @jennijelsing
My Apple Watch: Hey its 50 past the hour. Time to stand up!
Me: In a minute.
My Apple Watch: Hey its 50 past the hour. Time to stand up!
Me: WTF happened to that hour?!?!
I think this plant was supposed to have purple roses but it seems to only produce them selectively.
Someone is not happy about this situation.
Neighbors.
Doggo in sunbeam.
Two and a half years ago, my lower back had gotten so bad that I couldn’t walk for more than a few minutes at a time without having to stop to sit or squat. Then came surgery, recovery, return of ability, and progression from there on. Yesterday I hiked up Dog Mountain. It was the most strenuous hike I’ve ever done. And as I sit here all sore the next day, I’m incredibly grateful to be able to do that.
Due to it’s incredible popularity, and limited parking, the Forest Service has been issuing permits for weekend days. Jenni bought ours a while ago, and we have been making small preparations ever since. Purchasing some gear (backpack, water reservoir, hiking poles), and going on light to moderate hikes starting in early Spring. Although we didn’t go on any hike for over a month before this, and that was a mistake.
We arrived at the trailhead just before 9:30am, met up with our friends, and started the hike a few minutes later. About half a mile up is a “difficulty fork” 😂
For the first 2.5 to 3 miles the trail is like many others in the Gorge, comprising of switchbacks through the woods.
Halfway to the top the trail emerged from the forest briefly for a sweeping vista of the river and the gorge.
For the last half mile going up, we were out of the trees and surrounded by wildflowers. It was here that the wind also picked up significantly. This final stretch afforded gorgeous view all the way, with our trail surrounded by steep slopes full of wildflowers.
The views at the summit were incredible. Some fast moving clouds engulfed us soon after we arrived. That was quite a show before it cleared up in a few minutes. It was time to put on another layer. We sat there and enjoyed the views as we had lunch comprising of tasty sandwiches that Jenni had made, and some chips.
As we started back down, my IT band was hurting on the outer side of each of my knees. I was annoyed at myself for not having taken the time to go on hikes and do regular stretches since the Coyote Wall hike from over a month ago. Every downward step was painful. Soon Jenni reminded me of the cross-leg stretches and those helped. Those and the hiking poles were incredibly helpful in making the descent.
Heading back down we reentered the forest, and it sheltered us from the sun and wind for the rest of the way.
All in all this was a great hike with friends, and brought tremendous satisfaction on a personal level. It is entirely possible that someday my back may go bad again, but I’m grateful that I can do this today, and motivated to keep it this way. I’m also grateful for Jenni who has been supportive and encouraging all along the way ❤️
Distance: 7 miles (11.27 km)
Elevation Gain: 2800 ft (853m)
Ascent/Descent: 800 ft/mile (75.76 m/km)
Time (including breaks): 5h 30m
Did my biggest hike today. 3.5 miles, 2800 ft elevation, and back. This was about halfway up. Photo of our group by a friendly hiker.
