Bend Foodie Crawl 2025

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After taking a few years off, we participated in the Bend Foodie Crawl 2025 in downtown Bend, Oregon on April 27. This event features bite-sized samples of food from local restaurants and food trucks paired with an alcoholic drink. I think non-alcoholic options are available. Upon registration, you are given a map showing the location of each stop. Since some of the places providing the sample are food trucks, downtown businesses graciously allow them to set up inside their business. The number of participants in this event is limited to help prevent overcrowding.

Bend Foodie Crawl 2025 map

This year, there were ten stops. The Bend Foodie Crawl hours run from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. If you want to hit up all ten of them, you can’t linger for long at each stop. The After Party runs from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at McMenamins. Desserts and small drink samples are provided at this stop. If you’re still hungry or thirsty, you can purchase food and drinks there.

Bend Foodie Crawl 2025 food & drinks

Blackened Ahi Street Tacos paired with Stafford Bourbon Huckleberry Margarita at J-Dub.

Blackened ahi taco

Bend Foodie Crawl participants at Zydeco.

Zydeco

Boudin Balls paired with a Jalapeno Passion Fruit Margarita at Zydeco. Boudin balls are Cajun snacks made with pork sausage, rice, and seasonings. The margarita at this stop was my favorite cocktail offered on the Crawl. Spicy, but not too spicy.

Bend Foodie Crawl 2025

Mini Dumplings (Chinese Pork, Pad Thai, or 4-Cheese Pizza) from Dump City Dumplings at US Bank paired with Huckleberry Vodka Lemonade provided by US Bank. The pictures show one dumpling with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce and another with Teriyaki Sauce.

Dump City Dumplings

Dump City Dumplings

Tuscan Almond Cookies paired with White Sangria at Blissful Spoon. This was delicious!

Bend Foodie Crawl 2025 cookie

Crispy Chicken Bites & Biscuit with House Made Honey Siracha Aioli paired with Drake’s Mojito (Soda, Sprite, mint, lime, & strawberries) at The Drake.

Bend Foodie Crawl 2025

Bend Foodie participants inside The Drake.

Lamb & Spring Herb Croquette paired with beer from Roam. This one was just okay.

lamb croquettte

Booths at and near The Commons

Foodie participants at The Commons, an outdoor meeting area. There’s a long line in front of El Sancho’s booth.

The Commons

Beef Birria with Ancient Grains and Roasted Corn paired with Apple Juice boxes from Head Start Food Service at The Commons. This tasty dish is one of several provided to Head Start kids in our area.

beef birria

Pork Carnitas Taco served on a Warm Tortilla with Cilantro & Diced Onion, Salsa Verde, and a Lime from El Sancho paired with Saiko beer from Sunriver Brewing Company at The Commons.

El Sancho taco

Sunriver Brewing Company Saiko Lager. This Japanese rice beer was my favorite beer of those offered. Nice, light flavor.

Saiko lager

Asian Inspired Meatballs, Carrot/Daikon Pickle paired with Humm Kombucha from Dinky Dau at The Commons.

meatball

Nashville Chicken with Pickle Slaw paired with Worthy Brewing Collaborative Pickle Pilsner Beer at Wonderland Chicken. This was one of my favorite foods offered. Loved the slaw tucked underneath the chicken.

Bend Foodie Crawl 2025 chicken

The last stop on the Bend Foodie Crawl 2025

Newport Avenue Market Chocolate Chip Cookie and Brownie, Eberhard’s Ice Cream, Nothing But Bundt Cakes Carrot Bundt Cake, and a taster of Broken Top Ascent Bourbon Whiskey at McMenamins.

desserts

People waiting to hear who won raffle items at the After Party at McMenamins.

Bend Foodie Crawl 2025

Funds raised during this event benefit NeighborImpact, a local nonprofit. Recent cuts in funding have slashed their food bank budget by 17%. This organization provides resources for finding food, housing, and paying bills. They also provide services for Head Start and Early Head Start for Central Oregon families. If you can’t make it to the Bend Foodie Crawl, consider making a donation to this nonprofit. I give them a generous donation every year.

Foodie Friday

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A tree’s birth writing exercise: TTL

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I wrote a 9-sentence short piece about a tree’s birth as part of a recent writing workshop. Author Pam Houston taught the More Than Human World online course.

Successful invaders Old western juniper tree at dusk
Old western juniper tree at dusk

In class, she gave us the following prompt. We had to complete it in about five minutes.

Nine Sentence Writing Exercise

Sentences 1-3 Describe a natural object’s birth. It can be an animal, plant, rock, etc.

Sentences 4-6 Describe what else is happening at the time of the object’s birth.

Sentences 7-9 Put the birth in an ancestral context.

juniper seedlings
Western juniper seedlings

A tree’s birth short story

Here is what I wrote…

A Tree is Born

By Siobhan Sullivan

I am emerging from the sand of the High Desert. The first thing I do is send a taproot down, seeking water. After that, I send a stem up, covered with sharp, scaly leaves on its branches. I feel the earth trembling beneath me. In the distance, I see dense clouds forming over a sharp peak. I smell a powerful scent, like rotting eggs. Above me, my great grandfather shifts his branches to shelter me from the ashfall. He has lived on this hilltop for 5,000 years. I am a juniper, grateful to be a part of his family and a part of this developing world.

Generative writing

When you do generative writing like this, you’re forced to think fast, sort of like an improv actor. I usually type everything I write on my desktop computer or other device. However, when I take writing classes with prompts, I often use longhand. Why, you may be asking. It uses a different, sometimes more creative, part of your brain. I can write and cross things out quicker in longhand.

Here’s a picture of the first draft I created in class. It includes a quick sketch of a tree. Yeah, it’s messy!

Tree's birth draft

Is this short piece about a tree’s birth the best thing I’ve ever written? No, but I can see how something similar could be incorporated into some of my other writings.

I was inspired to create this piece by western junipers growing on my property in Bend, Oregon. I often use the tree in the first picture as my muse. Can you see why?

Thursday Tree Love (TTL)

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Porcupine chew toy: Wordless Wednesday

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Porcupine chew toy

Porcupine chew toy white-tailed deer antler

A porcupine's pointy portrait February 2019

Wordless Wednesday

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Before Edmonds mural: MM

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This Before Edmonds mural is located in downtown Edmonds, Washington. It shows a view of Puget Sound with the Olympic Mountains in the background. The canoes of Native Americans can be seen near the shore.

Before Edmonds mural

I couldn’t get the whole mural in one shot, so I took another one. Here you can see a raven at the top of the mural and a closer view of the heron.

Detail of mural

One of the things I liked best in this mural was how the artist painted the clouds. If you’ve looked at very many posts on my blog, you’ll know I love dramatic skyscapes like this one.

The Before Edmonds mural was created by Andy Eccleshall, in collaboration with Ty Juvinel (Tulalip tribe). It was installed in August of 2020. This mural, and the one facing it in an alleyway, took 18 months to paint. The Art Walk Edmonds website has more details on this and other murals in the vicinity.

Monday Mural

Bear having fun sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

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I saw this bear having fun sculpture at the Oregon Zoo in Portland last spring. The artist did a great job of capturing a moment of a bear just doing what bears like to do.

bear having fun sculpture

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Sculpture Saturday

Pygmy rabbit drawing & facts: First Friday Art

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Today, I’m sharing a pygmy rabbit drawing I created with pen and ink. These tiny rabbits are the epitome of cute. They are the smallest rabbit in the world.

Life history

This rabbit weighs between 9 to 15 ounces and measures between 9.2 to 11.6 inches in length, small enough to fit in your hand.

pygmy rabbit

Pygmy rabbits, Brachylagus idahoensis, live in sagebrush-steppe habitats. Unlike other rabbit species in North America, they dig their own burrows. Their range includes parts of Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and California. Washington and Wyoming’s populations are genetically isolated. The Washington state population is endangered and attempts to captive breed them with rabbits from other locations have met with limited success. Elsewhere in their range, biologists classify them as Least Concern.

Comparing pygmy rabbits to mountain cottontails

I saw this rabbit on my back porch one day and I believe it’s a pygmy rabbit. Their fur color is uniformly brown to dark grey and their ears are small and rounded. Pygmy rabbit’s short brown tail is nearly invisible under their fur.

pygmy rabbit

I’ve also seen black-tailed jackrabbits and mountain cottontails on our property. This photo, also taken on my back porch, shows a mountain cottontail face to face with my cat for comparison. It had a white tail and undersides and large ears. Yes, my cat enjoyed the free show. 😉

Mountain cottontail and cat

More life history

In the winter, pygmy rabbits feed primarily on sagebrush. In spring and summer months, they add grasses to their diet. Pygmy rabbits also eat roots, wood, bark, stems, and seeds, grains, and nuts. Weasels, coyotes, foxes, badgers, bobcats, owls, and birds of prey feed on this rabbit. Predation can eliminate up to 88% of juveniles and adults. Other threats include habitat loss, competition with heavy livestock grazing, severe weather, isolation of populations, and road mortality.

Though we have limited information on their reproduction, they produce 4-8 offspring in late winter and early spring. They may raise their young inside burrows, but no one has found any.

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First Friday Art

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Plesiosaur model: Monochrome Monday

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This Plesiosaur model can be seen at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. This museum has an amazing collection of fossils, articulated skeletons, and models.

Plesiosaur

Plesiosaurs were always one of my favorite dinosaurs as a kid. Pterodactyls, a flying reptile, were also a favorite of mine. I must have admired these creatures’ ability to travel through water and air, respectively.

Plesiosaurs were 11 to 14 feet long and weighed between 400 to 1,100 pounds. They fed on fish, reptiles, and cephalopods. Plesiosaurs disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous period.

Monochrome Monday

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Summer Lake’s scenery: LAPC & FOWC

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Summer Lake’s scenery is full of drama

From a distance, clouds, water, and flora all play parts in a scene

Summer Lake scenery

Up close, individual plants become the stars

Double views of Summer Lake

From the sky, works of art are minor components of a vast playa backdrop

Summer Lake scenery

Up close, the strength of a single piece of art shines

Playa artwork

From above, an old barn is one of several structures on the sagebrush set

Old barn

Up close, the barn’s face is shown in its best light

Barn at Summer Lake

From a distance, the action of a cattle drive scene blurs in a cloud of dust

Summer Lake scenery

Up close, a cowhand and his dog costars come into sharp focus

Cowboy and dogs

Summer Lake’s scenery is part of an impressive production, from a distance and up close

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Cinematic

Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Cattle

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Fat Tony’s Pizzeria: Foodie Friday

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If you type “pizza” into a website like Yelp, you’ll come up with pages and pages of restaurants and food trucks in Central Oregon. One of my current favorites is Fat Tony’s Pizzeria.

I’ve had their Regina Margherita pizza a couple of times. It includes cherry tomatoes, imported buffalo mozzarella cheese, basil, and a small amount of pizza sauce. I like pizzas like this where less is more.

Fat Tony's pizzeria

My companion ordered the Classico (meat) pizza. This pizza includes sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, fresh mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce. Pineapple was added to the order.

pizza

I like their pizzas for a few reasons. The crust is medium in thickness; not too thick, not too thin. Fat Tony’s Pizzeria well-seasoned pizzas don’t pile on excess cheese or sauce.

Fat Tony’s is located at 215 NW Hill St in Bend, Oregon. It’s open seven days a week from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm. They also serve starters, salad, pasta, and desserts. You can order gluten free crusts on any 12 inch pizza.

What makes a good pizza seems to be more subjective as compared to other foods. I’ve tasted pizzas that were highly rated on the Bend Foodies page and been disappointed. Since Bend is constantly adding more places to eat, I noted that Fat Tony’s Pizzeria is one of my “current” favorite places to get pizza.

In February, Ken’s Artisan Pizza opened in downtown Bend. Their other restaurant in Oregon is known as a “beloved Portland institution” and “world-renowned.” I will wait until the hype dies down a bit before visiting their restaurant.

Foodie Friday

Depression glass S & P: Wordless Wednesday

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depression glass S & P

Depression glass S & P shakers in geometric design

Wordless Wednesday

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Above Big Sky Park with drone effects: JMK

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In my quest to get more familiar with my drone, I flew it above Big Sky Park in Bend. This park, a few miles from my home, is 97 acres in size. It includes playing fields, an off-leash dog park, miles of trails, picnic areas, and a new bike park. It’s a great place to go for walks.

On this trip, I wanted to try out a couple specific video features on my DJI Mini 4 Pro drone.

MasterShot

With this option, you get several effects with the push of a single button. You select a point of interest (POI) on the screen by dragging a shape around it. The drone then goes through a series of maneuvers. It goes up high and points in one direction, then it points right below. It zooms in on the POI, a goal net in this case. Then it circles high, moves closer to the POI, then farther away. It goes high and looks in the opposite direction of the first shots. Finally it focuses on the POI.

Asteroid above Big Sky Park

Another option I tried that day was Asteroid. The drone flies backward and upward, takes several pictures, then returns to the starting point. It then combines the footage it takes into a globe shape. The video I took above Big Sky Park turned out really cool!

Active Track

I’ve tried the tracking option a couple of times. Last week, we went to a hilltop park with rocky trails. I selected myself as the POI, and had my drone track me as I walked. When you fly drones, you should always be aware of your surroundings. The drone pilot watches the drone’s progress on the controller screen, while the spotter helps keeps track of where the drone is. Unfortunately, I was paying too much attention to the screen and not enough to the trail. Since I had both hands on the controller, I tripped and fell face first. Yikes, how embarrassing!

Face plant

I had a few cuts and some swelling on my nose, but otherwise was okay. I spent the rest of the day icing my face off and on. A couple doses of Acetaminophen eased the pain.

The funny thing is, my drone recorded the fall. The picture above was part of the video it recorded. Sorry to tell you, but I will NOT be sharing the entire video.

Here’s a photo of my drone following me at Ochoco Wayside State Park before I fell. The lesson I learned that day was, keep your hands on the controller, but your eyes on what’s going on around you.

DJI drone

Jo’s Monday Walk (JMW)

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The wonder of Yellowstone: LAPC

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This week, the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is to show your go-to places. For me, I’ll never get enough of seeing the wonder of Yellowstone. Every time I visit the national park, I see amazing new sights.

The wonder of Yellowstone fauna

When visiting the park, I often see bison, pronghorn, and elk. I know exactly where to find the Sandhill Cranes and Mountain Bluebirds. Ravens and killdeer are common. But sometimes you get to see creatures that are not as common. I’ve had memorable encounters with badgers, foxes, and snowshoe hares.

Large pronghorn buck at Yellowstone
Magical moment with wildlife
Mountain Bluebird near Morning Glory hot spring June 2015
missed it by a hare
furry & feathered, killdeer at Yellowstone National Park
Red fox, Yellowstone National Park 4June2015
Elk with songbird at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 4June2015
Bison coming at you in Yellowstone National Park,WY 30May2018
Raven near Morning Glory, Yellowstone National Park

Flora at Yellowstone

In the spring and summer, you may catch glimpses of wildflowers in bloom. Gentian and Indian paintbrush brighten the landscape. Meadows are filled with vibrant green grass.

Fringed gentians
Guided by shadows
Slender paintbrush , Yellowstone National Park, June 2018
Green plants at Yellowstone

The wonder of Yellowstone thermal features

The thermal features are one of the things that distinguishes this park from all others. Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is the largest and most colorful. Morning Glory’s yellow edge shines like a spring flower. The water of Artemis is brilliant blue in color. The trail at Artists’ Paintpots wanders through several features.

Yellowstone Hot spring
Artemis Geyser
Steam-filled landscape with bison
Pretty as a picture at Morning Glory
Artists' Paintpots Trail in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 2 June 2018

Yellowstone’s landscapes

The landscapes are big and bold at Yellowstone. The Yellowstone River cuts through canyons in dramatic waterfalls. Storms brew over Yellowstone Lake. The Lamar Valley hosts vast herds of wildlife.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Upper Falls, Yellowstone National Park 13 June 2011
Cliff face near Tower Fall, Yellowstone National Park, WY 6June2015
Memories of Yellowstone lake

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Go-to places

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Creatures of the sky tanka: TTPC

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creatures of the sky
preen within shallow marshlands
in pale shades of white
gathered from Winter’s first snow
cast over gossamer wings

Creatures of the sky

Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge (TTPC)

Petunias up close: MM & FOTD

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Here’s a picture of Petunias up close I took last summer. These delicate looking blossoms have a powerful, sweet scent.

Petunias up close

Macro Monday (MM)

Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Remembering a time when: LAPC

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Remembering a time when

harvests of corn and rye persevered within my earth-warmed embrace

earth-bermed shelter

Recalling the shuffling footsteps of laborers

in search of sustenance and rest within my drafty walls

remembering a time when

Remembering a time when

stallions and fillies nickered and whinnied within my sturdy stalls

Abandoned barn

Recalling the sounds of laughter and song

lingering within my heart in this place they called “Home”

Lens-artists Photo Challenge – Abandoned

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Salute restaurant: Foodie Friday

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In early March, we visited Salute restaurant in downtown Bend, Oregon. This restaurant serves “contemporary Italian cuisine.”

This Endive Salad included endive, walnuts, bleu cheese, walnuts, and green onions. It had a light vinaigrette dressing. This salad was my favorite part of our meal. All the flavors blended together well. Note, this item is not currently listed on the menu so check the website ahead of time for availability.

Salute restaurant

The Scampi included wild ocean prawns, capellini, white wine, garlic, shallots, butter, and fresh herbs. This dish had good flavor and had a nice serving size of prawns. However, the prawns were a bit overcooked. I know from cooking them myself, it’s easy to cook them for too long.

Scampui

The Hand Made Ravioli included raviolis stuffed with four cheeses with your choice of spinach alfredo or house Bolognese meat sauce. While this dish had good flavor, the serving size was way too small. There were only seven very small raviolis.

The word I would use to describe this restaurant is “light.” Light flavor is great, but tiny, light serving sizes are not, in my opinion.

Ravioli

The Banana Millefeuille contained layers of caramelized phyllo & banana pastry cream, butterscotch sauce, coconut “snow”, whipped cream, and roasted walnuts. The dish was beautifully presented and I liked the crunchiness of the phyllo dough layers.

Salute restaurant dessert

We arrived at Salute restaurant at 4:00 pm, right when they opened, without reservations. Service was slower than we are accustomed to.

Though there were a few glitches, the food itself at Salute was good. Fingers crossed that our next experience there goes a little more smoothly. 🤞

Foodie Friday

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Rippled memories haiku: BOTW

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rippled memories
disappear beneath the waves
rise renewed in spring

rippled memories
Barrow’s Goldeneye, Bucephala islandica

Birds of the Week (BOTW)

Above Haystack Reservoir: LAPC & WS

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On a recent sunny day, I decided to take pictures above Haystack Reservoir in Central Oregon. Here in the High Desert, reservoirs provide much of the water used in local agriculture.

The first photo shows the dam on the reservoir. There’s a fishing dock in the lower right corner. Visitors can catch largemouth bass, crappie, rainbow trout, kokanee, brown trout, and brown bullhead here.

Above Haystack Reservoir

My next picture shows a view towards the west. There’s a corner of the reservoir in the lower right. The snow-covered peak of Mount Jefferson is in the distance.

Mount Jefferson

When I pointed my drone towards the east, it almost looked like a different location. The rising sun is reflected in the reservoir’s waters in a nearly monochrome image.

Sunrise

The next picture shows Mount Jefferson on the left and Mount Hood on the right. Volcanic peaks are ever-present characters in our landscape.

Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood

Looking again to the east, the morning light begins to brighten the scene.

reflections

Towards the south, you can spot one of the reservoir’s campgrounds. There are three campgrounds at the reservoir, including one specifically for groups.

Above Haystack Reservoir

When I zoomed in a bit above Haystack Reservoir, I saw the Sister’s peaks peeking out from between the hills.

Above Haystack Reservoir

The last picture, is looking to the southeast. Gray Butte is in the middle of the picture. It’s a great place to hike and find gorgeous wildflowers in the spring.

over reservoir

In past years, this and other Central Oregon reservoir levels were low due to an ongoing drought. However, we had higher than average precipitation this winter and there is currently no drought in Oregon.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Seen on My last Outing

Weekend Sky

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High Desert Voices April 2025

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Here’s the High Desert Voices April 2025 newsletter for your reading pleasure. Lots of nice photos as well!

This newsletter is published by volunteers at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. We have a great team of writers, photographers, and editors that help put this publication together. I’ve been a part of that team since 2013.

High Desert Voices April 2025

Articles this month include one about the many forms of fractals, one on the history of flannel, one on portraits of Native Americans created by Frank S. Matsura, and one on removing the invasive American Bullfrog. The last page of the newsletter includes a list of upcoming events related to the Museum.

Please enjoy the High Desert Voices April 2025 issue!

HDV April 2025Download

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Dog travois sketch & photo: FFA & TTC

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Here is a dog travois sketch I drew based on a display at the Plains Indian wing of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Wyoming.

Before the introduction of horses in North America, people relied on dogs to pull loads up to 75 pounds in weight. After the use of horses became commonplace, dogs continued to carry lighter loads.

This quick sketch was done for the Inktober challenge in 2024. The prompt for that day was “nomadic.”

dog travois sketch

This beautiful display at the Buffalo Bill Center shows a woman walking beside a dog travois. A man on horseback leads the way. Native people have relied on dogs as guardians, hunters, and companions for hundreds of years.

Plains Indian on the move

I’ve used saddlebags on my dogs in the past, but travois carry much heavier loads. Here’s a historical photo of dogs pulling travois in Alaska in 1897.

Two Klondikers with dogs packing supplies along the Chilkoot Trail near Dyea, Alaska, 1897. Frank La Roche, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.

First Friday Art (FFA)

Three Things Challenge (TTC) – people

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Bobcat in black and white: Monochrome Monday

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bobcat in black and white

Bobcat in black and white at the High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon

Monochrome Monday

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Watching wild things: LAPC & FOWC

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Watching wild things

Ruminating on what they’ve left behind

watching wild things pronghorn

And looking forward to what lies ahead

Badger

Watching winged wonders

Considering what’s best to leave buried

Watching wild things bluebird

And what’s worth soaring towards

White pelicans

Watching wild creatures

Surfacing from turbulent waters

Painted turtles

And basking in their many accomplishments

watching wild things lizard

Watching wild things

Transforming from earthbound organisms,

Into many-eyed sages of the skies

Moth

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – It’s a Wild Life!

Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Bury

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The eyes of March: Thursday Tree Love

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The eyes of March on aspen trees at Pine Nursery Park, Bend, Oregon.

Eyes of march

Aspen tree

Eyes of march

Thursday Tree Love

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Favorite sunrises & sunsets: LAPC & WW

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Favorite Sunrises & sunsets

Oregon photos Bend sunset

Favorite sunrises & sunsets

Sunrise over Bend

Favorite sunrises & sunsets seen at my home in Bend, Oregon

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Personal favorites

Wordless Wednesday (WW)

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Rock Garden windows: Monday Window

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Here is a close up of rock garden windows in a model of a building at Petersen Rock Garden and Museum in Redmond, Oregon. The walls are covered with black and mahogany obsidian.

rock garden windows

The windows shown above are on this building. It is impressive!

Petersen Rock Garden

The row of colorful lawn chairs in front of it adds a nice touch.

See my post about this unusual roadside attraction for more information.

Monday Window

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Favorite moments: LAPC

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Favorite moments at an old homestead in the Oregon Outback

favorite moments old homestead

and with a Great Blue Heron at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, Oregon

Magical moment with wildlife

Remembering time spent near Grand Prismatic Hot Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Landscape Grand Prismatic Yellowstone National Park 5June2015

and beside a weathered tree in Arches National Park, Utah

Weathered tree at Arches National Park in Utah. 3May2017

Favorite moments with a pronghorn buck in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Favorite moments pronghorn

and near a prickly pear cactus blooming in Bend, Oregon

Prickly pear cactus with petals radiating Bend, Oregon 4June2020

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Personal favorites

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Blanket flowers of summer: FOTD & FF

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These blanket flowers of summer were growing near the Deschutes River in the Old Mill District of Bend, Oregon. I took this picture last August, but Gaillardia plants are known to bloom “profusely all summer long.”

blanket flowers of summer

Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Friday Flowers (FF)

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Poulnabrone Portal Tomb in Ireland: TTT

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Over 5,000 years ago, enormous slabs of limestone were used to construct the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb in western Ireland. This structure measures approximately 12 ft long by 7 ft wide by 6 ft high. Loose stone surrounds and supports the structure

Poulnabrone

Archaeologists discovered the remains of over 30 people buried at this site. The remains dated from 5,800 to 5,200 years ago. The bodies likely decomposed elsewhere and then were transported here. An infant found here is the first documented case of Down Syndrome. Items found near the dead included a polished stone axe, decorated bone pendant, stone beads, chert and flint weapons and implements, and fragments of pottery.

Poulnabrone


Poulnabrone is an example of a typical portal tomb. This is one of two tombs in the Burren district and the best-preserved in Ireland. Approximately 172 of these dolmens have been discovered in Ireland.

The rectangular-shaped chamber has two portal stones at the entrance, two orthostats (upright stones), and an end stone. A single large sloping capstone covers the top. This design may have enabled “the soul to depart easily from the lower angle at the back.”

portal tomb

Surrounding landscape

The karst landscape surrounding the site is almost as interesting as the tomb itself. Limestone has weathered over the years into interesting formations. 320 million years ago, the carboniferous limestone formed the floor of a warm, shallow sea.

portal tomb


Several geological features at this site include:
Grikes–Cracks between the limestone pavement of limestone.
Clints–Blocks of limestone.
Kamenitza–Small hollows in the limestone formed when rainwater dissolves.
Rillenkaren–Channels where rainwater flows off the sides of the pavement.

limestone formations

limestone formations


During the time of the tomb’s construction, forests and scattered grasslands covered the landscape. These forests included pine, elm, and hazel trees.

Farmers cultivated crops of wheat and barley and raised livestock. Ancient stone field walls at the site likely marked the boundaries of properties.

stone field walls


Poulnabrone is in remote townland near Ballyvaughin in County Clare, about an hour south of Galway. Over 200,000 people visit the site every year.


Poulnabrone is an English version of the Irish, Poll na Brón. The name translates to “Hole (or Pool) of the Quernstone” or, sometimes, “Hole of Sorrows.”

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from Siobhán Súilleabháin, aka Siobhan Sullivan!

Three Things Challenge – two, thousand, one

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Plants grow… : Sunday Stills

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Plants grow in bunches in dry environments

Plants grow Wyoming

And in dense carpets in moist places

Forest floor

Plants grow with sharp defenses in dry places

Cactus

And rounded edges in wet environments

Plants grow lilypads

Plants disperse in rockbound dry environments

snowball cactus

And collect along waterway edges in wet places

Plants grow Summer Lake

Sunday Stills – All shades of green

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Xalisco Latin Cuisine: Foodie Friday

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I recently had dinner at Xalisco Latin Cuisine in Redmond, Oregon. I’ve eaten here before and it’s a place I recommend to locals and visitors.

This time, I had the Tacos de Camaron of Mezcal dish. The three tortillas are filled with a mixture of shrimp cooked in garlic and peppers and flambeed with mezcal and peanut sauce, chile pepper, and pineapple. It’s served with slices of cucumber and radishes, cilantro, plus two sauces. They were bursting with flavor.

Xalisco shrimp tacos

I splurged and had a Margarita Flight. The flavors included hibiscus, tamarind, mango, and guava. They were all tasty, and I liked how they didn’t have way too much alcohol.

flight of maragaritas

Two people at our table ordered burritos. The Burrito Percherons were a nice size and tasted great. Some restaurants fill them too full and they’re hard to eat. This burrito includes skirt steak, chorizo, peppers, onions, portabello mushrooms, guacamole, cream, pico de gallo, cheese, and chipolte sauce.

meat burrito

The nicely presented Chiles Rellenos also tasted good.

Xalisco chiles rellenos

The Chimichanga, with a side of rice and beans, was tasty. The serving size was perfect; not too big and not too small.

chimichanga

If you’re looking for a Latin restaurant that focuses on quality over quantity, go to Xalisco Latin Cuisine. It’s at 3835 SW 21st STE 105, Redmond, Oregon.

Foodie Friday

East Lake paddle: WWE & FOWC

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Last July, I went on a nice East Lake paddle in my kayak. I enjoyed the view of these colorful cliffs covered in cracks and crevices. I went a little crazy with the alliteration in describing them. 😉 East Lake is located in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument in Central Oregon. There’s a nice campground here and at Paulina Lake, right next door.

East Lake paddle

For more details about another East Lake paddle, see one of my previous posts.

Water Water Everywhere (WWE)

Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Crevice

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Snowy sunrise: Sunday Trees & Weekend Sky

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A snowy sunrise over western juniper trees in the High Desert.

Snowy sunrise over junipers

Sunday Trees

Weekend Sky

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Magpie & Painted Hills painting: First Friday Art

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Today I’m sharing a painting I did of a Black-billed Magpie flying over the Painted Hills. They are both characters in my magical realism work-in-progress novel with the working title of Darkness of Hills, Lightness of Wings. I wrote this book for kids in the 8 to 12-year-old age range. Yes, it’s fiction, but it includes factual information related to history and nature.

In the book, the main character, Jīnsè, moves from China to Oregon to work with her grandfather, a local doctor. After a traumatic event, she develops the ability to understand animals and also receives messages written on the hills. The magpie character shown in my painting is named Liàng. Jīnsè also has a snarky seagull friend she names Rěnshòu.

magpie & painted hills

I painted this piece on watercolor paper with watercolor paints and ink from inksticks. I used my set of Chinese brushes. Once again, I was impressed with the Chinese inkstick ink. The ink has a nice consistency. I edited the picture with Corel PaintShop Pro.

Most of the time, I do pencil sketches of characters when I’m working on books. I decided to put a little more effort into creating a color piece. Becky Wallick, my blogging friend at Wild Sensibility, suggested I include some of my artwork when I send out manuscripts for review. Thanks for the great idea, Becky!  😊

I used this picture I took at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in eastern Oregon to create my magpie and Painted Hills painting. The colors of the soil on this visit really stood out after a rainstorm.

After the rain painted hills

I took this picture of a magpie in Bozeman, Montana. Though they live in my neighborhood in Bend, I’ve never had one visit my yard. Maybe one day…

Black-billed Magpie

Kam Wah Chung

I decided to write a book for kids after visiting Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site in John Day, Oregon. When a long-abandoned building was opened in 1967, a treasure trove of artifacts was discovered inside. This building served as a medical clinic and apothecary, meeting place, boarding house, place of worship, and store for Chinese immigrants and local residents from the late 1880s to 1940.

The store inside Kam Wah Chung, John Day, OR 26October2018
The store inside Kam Wah Chung

Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.

First Friday Art (FFA)

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Octopus art: Wordless Wednesday

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Octopus art

Octopus art in Edmonds, Washington

Wordless Wednesday

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OMSI in black & white: Monochrome Monday

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Today I’m sharing an image of OMSI in black and white. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Oregon has great architecture for pictures.

OMSI in black & white

It looks interesting from inside and the outside.

Science center

Though you’re supposed to share black and white images for Monochrome Monday, I couldn’t resist showing this pop of red color on the sign. 😀

entrance sign

Monochrome Monday

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A road may… :LAPC

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A road may take you straight ahead to distant mountains beneath moody skies

A road in Idaho
Mountain Home, Idaho

Or twist and turn uphill towards massive works of art

Crazy Horse sculpture
Crazy Horse sculpture, South Dakota

A road may drop you deep into the layers of earth

a road to Cove Palisades
Cove Palisades State Park, Oregon

Or elevate you above wide winding waterways

Bridge of the Gods
Bridge of the Gods, Oregon

Columbia River
Bridge of the Gods, Washington state

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge – Pick a Word

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Garry oak near the Columbia: TTL

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These Garry oak trees near the Columbia River caught my eye. The oaks were growing east of Mosier, Oregon along the Historic Columbia River Highway.

I’ve always liked how oak tree branches twist and turn. Garry oak, Quercus garryana, does not grow in a neat and tidy kind of way. This tree is also known as the Oregon white oak.

Garry oak

The deciduous leaves are darker green on the top side and finely haired underneath..

oak leaves

The distinctive lobed leaves turn brown in the fall.

Fall leaves

These trees flowers in the spring and the acorns they produce ripen from August to November. The acorns are eaten by many wildlife species including, woodpeckers, doves, jays, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, and bear.

Thursday Tree Love (TTL)