Eerie

The lichen adds an eerie, dreamy, sort of unreal feel to a forest.  It grows in different shapes which I always find interesting.  I'm not sure whether it kills a tree or likes to locate itself on a dead tree but the trees where it resides are quite dead looking.  I'm sure it serves a purpose in the whole scheme of nature--other than for my entertainment.

Bee-utiful

The bees were swarming all of this type of flower.  I couldn't find the name of it but it surely was a pretty dark pink.  It was located near one of the lakes so perhaps it requires quite a lot of water.

Thistle

I'm quite familiar with this wildflower and I think it has grown everywhere I've lived.  This one is different from others in that it is smaller.  But that doesn't mean it isn't just as beautiful.  Love that purplish-pink color.

Lots of White

These tiny blossoms were close knit friends, huddling next to one another on one stem.  I couldn't remember seeing this nor anything similar before.  Each tiny flower was complete in itself but together they were even more beautiful.  Do you think people are like that?

Pretty Pink

McKenzie Pass offered a nice variety of wildflowers.  Since we are relatively new to the Pacific Northwest, I'm not familiar with the names of many of the local wildflowers and I had difficulty finding the names online.  But I do know that this is fireweed, always a brilliant pink with multiple blossoms on a stock.  Very beautiful.

Nameless Lake

We almost drove past this little lake but I got a quick glimpse of it and a circular drive gave us an opportunity to get to it even though we passed the first entrance.  It wasn't on our map so we have no idea what it's name is but it was peaceful and quiet, clear and pretty.  Strangely there were other lakes on our map that we didn't find.  We figure that's reason to do a bit of research and make the trip again.

Trees

Past the summit of McKenzie Pass we found more and more lava.  And there were more trees trying to survive on nothing.  Looks like there's an option of growing tall but not too wide or wide and not too tall.  And there's the third option--don't grow.  Wonder how much snow they get up there in the winter?!

Active Little Critters

This species was the only wildlife we saw on our trip over McKenzie Pass until we were nearly back in the community of Sisters where we saw a deer.  The chipmunks were plentiful and this one, which was housed at the summit, was not at all shy.  I though he might run right up my leg but a stomp of my feet made him scurry away.  I had no food (and wouldn't have given it to him anyway) so I had nothing to offer him except a photo op.  He's sort of cute -- but still an icky rodent.

Sisters

 From the McKenzie Pass summit this is the view of two of the Sisters peaks.  I don't know which ones they are from this angle but there is North Sister, Middle Sister and South Sister.  They all exceed 10,000' elevation and although they are grouped together geographically, their composition is quite different.  According to Wikipedia, the South Sister is active and could erupt so monitoring has been updated.  I'm going to pretend I didn't read that.

A Forest?

I can't imagine that there's much of anything between all those hunks of lava and yet seeds have blown in, sprouted and trees are trying to survive.  Seems a bit of a stretch to call this a forest (Willamette National Forest) and yet there are a number of trees in various stages of vitality.  Guess it wouldn't be any fun if all the forests looked alike.

Dee Wright Observatory

Traveling further west on the McKinsey Pass  you arrive at the pass summit and Dee Wright Observatory.  It looks like it sprung right up from amongst the lava pile and it was named for an early Forest Service Ranger who spent 24 years with the Service and was foreman for the construction crew.    The building was done by the CCC and completed in 1935.  Just a few stairs and an incline take you to it's interior and they did a nice job of creating windows so you can look directly out to see the various volcanic peaks in the area.  They even tell you which one you are viewing.  Then you can climb a few more steps to the top where there is a 36" in diameter brass circle on a rock base that also points out all of the peaks.  It's quite an amazing 360° view.

Mt. Washington

And this is a closer look at Mt. Washington.  It's a volcanic plug which has been deeply eroded by glaciers in the last Ice Age.  It's elevation is 7,794'.  That's quite a bit of color.

A Little Side Trip

On Friday we took a day trip over McKenzie Pass.  It's about a 130 mile round trip west of Redmond/Sisters so was easy to do in a day.  It's an Oregon Scenic Drive and is justly designated.  Because in some places the road is narrow, steep and very curvy, it's only open in the summer months so access is limited.

From the east this is the first viewpoint, Windy Point.  One can't help but be impressed by the massive amount of lava.  This is one of the more recent flows, happening 2700 years ago and I can't imagine what it must have been line when this stuff spewed forth from the earth.  I am somewhat reassured that all of the many volcanoes in the area are inactive.  That's Mt. Washington in the far distance.

Calendar Topper

I'm part of a group of talented ladies who exchange calendar toppers each year.  This is the topper I submitted for July.  There's script background paper then a layer of kraft cardstock with a window.  Inside the window is burlap and a die cut flower.  The text is stamped and narrow satin ribbon was used for embellishment.  It's always fun to see what the other ladies come up with and then we get to enjoy seeing each creation for a full month.

Redmond Hotel

The original Redmond Hotel was a two-story wood frame structure built in 1906 by William and Fanny Wilson after they made a small fortune in Alaska selling supplies to miners in the Klondike Gold Rush.   The hotel burned and was replaced by a three-story brick structure as seen here.  It is listed in the national Register of Historic Places.

Soaring Welcome

We often pass by this grand sculpture of an eagle which welcomes folks to Redmond.  It's in a median that divides the highway that turns into one-way streets in the downtown area.  It's quite lovely with the green grass and other plants and although I've yet to see any, there's a rocked area to the back that looks like it will accommodate water flow.  It's nice to see art all over town.

Redmond Sculpture

Redmond has "art on the corner" similar to Grand Junction CO.  This horse with the flying mane is on the main street and I think it is quite handsome.  It also represents the area well as there is a high presence of agriculture.  The weekend newspaper even had a story about the BLM rounding up some wild mustangs in Central Oregon.  That made me thing of the wild horses near Grand Junction.

One Street Down

This Redmond eatery is "One Street Down" from the main business district (which is Sixth Street).  It, too, is in a remodeled house and has a big, green lawn.  The table tops are copper and there is a water element/room divider where water flows down a sheet of copper.  Definitely unique.  Their food is good, too, though we thought it was a bit pricey for what we got.  We'll go again, just not often.

Eateries

I'm not promoting business for anyone but thought I'd mention some of the places we've found that are good for a meal out.  Christie's serves breakfast and lunch (though not on Mondays) and the staff is efficient and friendly.  It's close to downtown and there's a big parking area in back.  Food is good at a reasonable price.  This is one of our new favorites in Redmond.  And, yes, it's a remodel of a two-story house.

Bright Red

I didn't look up the name of this plant but it is growing in a neighbor's yard and looked especially nice with the backlighting.  Such finds are always a bonus on my walk.  The volcanic rock in the background and the dark mulch give it a nice stage to perform and it looked very happy.

Grasses

I'm even seeing more varieties of grasses.  I rather liked this little guy with white at the edges of each blade of grass and a light-colored seed stalk.  It looked especially nice contrasted to the darker-colored, tall grass in the background and the groomed grass in the foreground.  The dark mulch makes keeping weeds at bay much easier and also provides more contrast.  Who knew there were so many ornamental grasses?!

Lots of Purple

A lot of purple is beginning to appear in gardens.  The bees were really involved with this plant and I hope they are able to produce a lot of honey and grow their population.  We need more bees.

Daisies

Daisies are one of my favorite flowers.  They always seem bright and happy.  We have some blooming in our yard but they have some growing to do to become this gorgeous.  (I saw these in a yard on my daily walk.)  I'm glad to have any and I only have to look out the window to see their brilliance.  Grow, daisies, grow.

Lilies

The lilies are in bloom and looking gorgeous.  I took a photo of these near the American Legion Park in Dry Canyon.  I admit I played with the photo a bit to make it a bit unusual.  I was finding excuses to say inside out of the hot sun.

July 4 in Redmond

We celebrated our first Fourth of July in Redmond by watching the parade (themed "Baseball, Hot Dogs and Apple Pie") and viewing the fireworks.  The parade had more vintage cars than I've ever seen in a parade and there were lots of other things too--75 or more entries.

In 1991 Redmond was officially recognized as a "Flag City, USA" community and more than 1,000 4x6 flags line several streets.  Various organizations have responsibility for putting them up and taking them down on seven different occasions each year.   We got with the program and lined the front portion of our lawn with flags and we'll probably add more down the side next year.

The fireworks show was very good with a lot of variety in the display that lasted 20 minutes.  But leaving the fairgrounds was a snarl of traffic requiring 30 minutes of time from pulling on to the street to reaching the exit (which was probably a quarter mile distance).  We'll have to come up with a better viewing plan--or maybe just plan to spend the night at the fairgrounds.  ha  There was one other snafu behind us when some bushes caught on fire by individuals lighting their own fireworks.  Fortunately several guys kicking dirt onto the flames took care of it pretty quickly and disaster was averted.  Whew!

And that was our first Fourth of July in Redmond.

Bridge Structure

This is the heavy-duty (I hope) bridge structure that supports the road across Dry Canyon.  I thought it was practical, yet pretty.  Near here is a little picnic spot in the cedar trees with a table and drinking fountain, even a low fountain for the dogs.  They seem to have thought of everything.

A Highway Spans The Canyon

When I venture far enough north in Dry Canyon, I go under the highway.  There's a spot closer to home where there's a short, wide tunnel to go under another street.  Along the route are skate parks, dog parks and other green areas.  One day I'll have to venture even further to see what else I can discover.

Big Sky

This shows one of the wider parts of the southern portion of Dry Canyon where I enjoy walking each morning.  A couple weeks ago I encountered this amazing sky.  That's enough to get me out to exercise -- most mornings.

Grasses Galore

About four blocks from our house (as the crow flies) is Dry Canyon which is a very nice place for my morning walk.  The locals say it started many years ago with two baseball fields, tehn a couple of years ago it was expanded to add more than 10 miles of paved trail.  I've been on only half of it but from where I start I can go either north or south so I get some variety.  There's a lot more trail to the north, however.  

The walls are volcanic rock, sometimes 20' high, with some pine and juniper trees and lots of grass as shown here.  I think it's a great alternative to walking on the streets.

Redmond Street Festival

Last Saturday my husband and I went to the downtown street festival.  Five blocks of the main street were closed to traffic and vendors sent up shop in the middle of the street.  Although we didn't buy anything, it was interesting to see what was available:  leather goods, framed photos, jewelry, patio furniture, kettle corn, a few commercial booths and lots of different hand-made items.  There was also a bouncy play area for the kids and "BBQ that's good to the bone."  Since it was predicted to reach 100°, we went mid-morning and it was quite pleasant, though hotter than I preferred.  The festival had a local flavor as to what was available and I think it's a two-day annual event.  I think we will go back again.

Things To Be Happy About

flag displays

fluffy clouds

modern medicine

smoothies

sunscreen

panda bears

floppy hats

automatic washers

windows

celebrations