• Le Mutt News

    Every two weeks or so, Anchor Jean Paul Quebecois of the LeMutt News Channel publishes important news. 100% Real. Nothing fake here! If...

  • Silverstar 2019 – Rugby’s Trip Report

    Or How I Almost Became Known as “Silvie” Today, I had one of the biggest adventures of my life. It started off like...

  • Dog Mountain 2019 – Rugby’s Trip Report

    Since Carolyn hasn’t posted in so long, I decided to start writing my own story.  Dog Mountain. Again?  I really didn’t want to...

  • Why the Portland Winter Light Festival?

    For someone so focused (literally, using a 100 mm macro lens) on plants, it seems kind of strange that I’d be involved in...

  • Thomas E. Ryan, MD

    My dad died on October 7, 2015. 60 years ago today, November 4, 2015, he and our mother were married at The Vatican,...

  • PPO Treated Nuts

    PPO Treated Almonds

    Say “No!” to Gassed Nuts A Facebook post from Eva,  a dear high school friend, alerted me to the issue of PPO treated...

  • leash laws portland oregon ignored

    To Protect Natural Areas, Follow the Leash Laws

    Leash laws in Portland Oregon (they are valid) Outdoor adventure with a dog is a blast. I understand. It’s difficult to learn something...

  • McMenamins Passport – Cosmic Tripsters

    [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”2″ gal_title=”McMenamins Passport”] On Saturday, February 21 2015, Dixon and I purchased our McMenamins Passport. The plan is to record our adventures...

  • Oregon Pinot Noir & Malolactic Fermentation

    During a wine tasting in the Willamette Valley you may be told whether or not the wine went through a “secondary fermentation.” If...

  • GMO Labeling & Oregon

    We Need to Label GMO Foods The slightly less nerdy version: My letter to Willamette Week. If you’re interested in my original blog...

  • Lower Salmon Inter-Generational Rafting

    I’ve had the privilege of serving as Naturalist for 3 RoadScholar river trips this summer. Two on the Wild and Scenic Rogue River...

  • Rogue River Thoughts

      The Wild and Scenic Rogue River My first trip on the Wild and Scenic Rogue River was hiking the trail in May...

  • Yearly Visit(s) to Rowena Crest’s Grass Widows

    Rowena Crest Is one of my favorite places in the world In the spring of 1998, I was the organizer of classes and...

  • Victoria, the Oregon Coast, Seattle

    Starting a few weeks ago in February, I’m going to be on the road over 2 weeks of every month until September. Here’s...

  • Snowstorm in Portland

    I saw the first flakes starting to fall Thursday, February 6, around 11:30AM–a short time before I was supposed to drive to Salem....

  • Eagle Creek – January 2014

    I moved to Portland in 1997. At that time, the Eagle Creek parking lot would fill summer weekends only; and even then it...

  • Certified Woofer!

    (Woofer is how outdoor professionals refer to a Wilderness First Responder, or WFR) It’s been 10 days of approximately 30 scenarios (including one...

  • Invader Profile: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

    Note: As I gain more knowledge about invasives in Oregon, I plan to add pest profiles here. After visiting the entomology team at...

  • Say Goodbye to Clif Bars and Soy Protein Isolates

    Today, Dixon sent me a text from the grocery store:  “Clif Bars contain soy protein isolates. Is that bad?” At first, I thought,...

  • Fungus Among Us

    I watch people walk by. Very few notice the mounds of yellow mushrooms that have appeared on or near the sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)...

  • DDT and Diseases Generations Later

    I heard it on NPR. Researchers linked DDT exposure to obesity generations later. I was skeptical, with thoughts such as, “correlational data…” and...

  • Fall Photo Essay

    Fall permeates Southwest Portland Terwilliger’s Totem. Hints of Germany tucked away in Multnomah Village. Nasturtium (native to Peru) petals tickle pollinators while they...

  • The Story of the Scary Sign

    We were on the last half of a long hike when we came across this sign (kindly note the people running in both...

  • Oh Holey Swiss Cheese

    When in Switzerland, my day begins with cheese; a trail lunch will be either cheese and crackers or a stop at a chalet...

  • Day 12, Swiss Vacation 2013 – First, Grosse Scheidegg, Schwarzwaldalp

    With iffy weather, we chose a route with multiple options and alternative escapes. Starting with a mandatory stop at the bakery in Grindelwald,...

  • Day 1, Swiss Vacation 2013 – Bönigen

    Wow. I’m jet-lagged. Who knows what day it is? I think I lost Monday somewhere and today is Tuesday. I’ve been transported across...

  • Fairmount Loop

    On a bicycle ride–my usual after-work 13 mile route, only it’s Saturday morning (and I don’t have a job right now). I had...

  • Weedy Violets in the Garden

    Taking Action Against Weedy Violets I’m almost certain they arrived in my garden as tag-alongs with  plants given to me by fellow gardeners...

  • Tree Swallow Nesting

    I spent the day with an amazing photographer who was keenly observing a number of nesting bird families in the Portland Metro area....

  • City Lights

    Dixon and I took our cameras downtown. He experimented with time lapse. I took this one. Funny thing is, I’d forgotten it was...

  • Ruckel Ridge Hike

    Ruckel Ridge Hike is one of my All-Time Favorites. If timed correctly, the parade of flowers extends from trailhead to trailhead. I’ve never...

  • Hiking in the Swiss Alps

    Eiger, Mönch Jungfrau region, Bernese Alps I’ve had the privilege of hiking 2 weeks in the Jungfrau Region of the Swiss Alps for...