A walk in the park

Portland's Washington Park is the biggest city park in the world. Do your city parks look like this? It is an immense wild space along the hilly border of the city, and is slowly being surrounded by urban development. None-the-less, it remains an enclave for deer, cougars, and survivalists who have gone a little too close to the edge and tipped over. MJ gathered her mom, her good friend Trish, and her good friend Roxie, and we took a hike in Washington Park.
Our hike was only a mile long, but we climbed 467 vertical feet. MJ and Trish are in great shape and led out with vigor. MJ's mom and I took a moderate pace and were grateful for one another's company. We paused often to admire the maidenhair ferns. And the mushrooms on the fallen logs. We listened to the bird song (when we quit panting) and we enjoyed the soft cool air on our skin.




MJ's mom, who lives in Southern California, had never before met a leopard slug. Toe of my size 9 sneaker is in the picture to give it a sense of scale. At the beach, I have seen slugs bigger than this. And banana slugs, though a mite smaller, are bright yellow. The slug is the state bird of Oregon. Oregonians don't burn in the summer. They rust.

Tomorrow, the Pittock Mansion - Street of Dreams, circa 1907.