In June 2025, we had an excellent meal at the Brickhouse in downtown Bend, Oregon.
I started with the Beet Salad. This salad includes pickled beets, endive, arugula, radicchio, and candied pumpkin seeds topped with Rogue Blue cheese crumbles and citrus vinaigrette. I especially liked the tartness of the beets and the sweetness of the pumpkin seeds.
By the way, the Rogue cheese sprinkled on the salad won the World’s Best Cheese award in 2019 and won a Super Gold Award in 2022 at the World Cheese Awards.
Next, I had the Seafood Pasta. This dish includes wild prawns, sea scallops, and fresh fish topped with Parmigiano Reggiano cream sauce and fresh herbs. This was delicious and so rich, the leftovers lasted for two more meals.
My dining companion had the Rib Eye Steak. This 18-oz piece of heavily marbled USDA Prime meat was perfectly prepared and served with bone marrow butter (for an additional cost).
We celebrated a special occasion with the Marionberry Cobbler. The cobbler was full of flavorful berries and topped with vanilla ice cream and a mint leaf. The crumble topping on this dessert was very good.
Service at the restaurant was prompt and polite. Since we ordered a salad, dessert, and drinks in addition to the entrees, this was a pricey meal. However, I appreciated the well-prepared meal, good service, and the fact you can carry on a conversation. As I’ve mentioned before, restaurants where I have to shout to be heard, lose points with me. I will definitely return to the Brickhouse and recommend it to others.
Another visit to Brickhouse
I visited Brickhouse again in early September 2026. On this visit, I started out with a cocktail.
The Mai Tai was very good. It seemed to have a higher alcohol content than comparable drinks I’ve had lately. Next, we ordered an appetizer.
The Bacon Wrapped Scallops were nicely presented. However, the large scallops were a bit undercooked. A good scallop has a hint of sweetness, but these were not as flavorful as other scallops I’ve eaten.
Next, I ordered halibut, the fresh seafood offering of the day.
Again, this dish was beautifully presented. A slice of halibut rested on a bed of creamy mashed sweet potatoes. The garnish included crunchy vegetable slivers, two stalks of asparagus, and a sprig of fennel. Though the fish was good, it was a little overcooked and dry.
Since it was a special occasion, we ordered a dessert.
We ordered the Hula Pie. Chocolate and caramel sauce tops this ice cream pie. Garnishments include whipped cream, crushed nuts, and a sprig of mint. This was definitely the best dish of the night. I loved the chocolate sauce!
The food overall was good, but there were a couple of disappointments. Every restaurant can have an off night, so I plan to visit there again.
Brickhouse location and hours
The Brickhouse is located at 5 NW Minnesota Ave, Bend, Oregon 97703. It’s open seven days a week from 4:00 to 9:30 pm. Brickhouse offers First Hour Specials at discounted prices from 4:00 to 5:00 pm.
When we visited Cape Meares on the northern Oregon coast, we didn’t get much of a view. It was clear inland on that early August day, but the coast was blanketed with layers of fog.
When you enter the parking area at Cape Meares Scenic Viewpoint, you’re greeted by this beautiful sign. Colorful images of local wildlife sit atop rusted metal silhouettes of the landscape.
And then there’s the lighthouse. Can a lighthouse be cute? This one is shorter and squatter than the average lighthouse. It was active from 1890 to 1963. When it was put into service, its lens was “one of the most powerful and largest of its day.”
The lighthouse and a small gift shop are open from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm daily. There are guided tours of the lighthouse through September 30.
The map pictured below shows the nine lighthouses found along the Oregon coast. All of them were built in the late 1800s.
Though we didn’t see much wildlife on that foggy day, I appreciated the signage along the trail. It was well laid out, colorful, and didn’t have too much text.
I hope to visit this viewpoint again on a clearer day to catch glimpses of some of this area’s marine mammals and seabirds.
Can you guess what I’ve shown in my pictures this week? The answers are at the end of the post.
1. A few days ago, I saw a carnivore and an herbivore next to each other on my kitchen window screen. Can you guess what I saw?
2. While visiting a Japanese garden in the fall, I noticed these wrappings around several of the trees. What do you think they are?
3. This dark, globular sculpture looked like it was creeping towards me. Can you guess what it’s made from?
4. I saw a bird perched on a telephone pole and stopped to take a quick picture. It flew away in a blur of motion. What kind of bird was it?
5. I’ve ordered this cocktail a couple of times. Can you guess what makes it so green?
6. The interior structure of this building is almost like an umbrella. Does its name reflect the shape of the building and is this place historically important?
A praying mantis and a walking stick insect. I took this picture at my home in Bend, Oregon.
These ‘komomaki’ straw belts attract hibernating moths that defoliate the trees. Komomaki are removed in the spring. I took this photo at the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon.
Mylar and hot glue. Artist Tara Donovan rolled the mylar into cones, and glued them together. This piece is currently on display at the Seattle Art Museum in Washington state.
I saw this great blue heron at the Summer Lake Wildlife Area in Oregon. I’d never seen one perched on a telephone pole before.
This tasty Thai One On cocktail includes Blanco rum, coconut, basil, matcha, and soda. The matcha gives it its bright green color. I ordered it at the Dogwood at the Pine Shed food truck pod in Bend, Oregon.
Yes. This round barn is at the Pete French Round Barn State Heritage Site in eastern Oregon, near Burns. It was built in the 1870s or 1880s.
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I visited Pink Bee Thai Food restaurant on a recent trip to Seattle, Washington. We began our meal with Fresh Rolls. The rolls include red leaf lettuce, spinach, Thai basil, mint, shredded carrots, and vermicelli rice. You can include veggies, tofu, or shrimp in the rolls. This dish includes homemade peanut sauce and green Thai chili sauce. This is one of my favorite foods and they were delicious.
I ordered the Panang Curry & Rice with chicken. This dish includes chicken, beef, or tofu in a broth of coconut milk and Panang curry. The assorted vegetables are topped with a garnish of Thai basil and a carrot floret. The spice level I ordered was medium and it didn’t overwhelm the dish. This dish tasted pretty good and was not overly rich, as some curries with coconut milk can be.
We also ordered the Pad Thai. The stir-fried rice noodles were perfectly cooked with eggs, Chinese chives, preserved radish, red onions, and Tamarind sauce. You can choose to include chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, fried tofu, soft tofu, braised pork, or veggies. The dish was garnished with fresh bean sprouts, green onion, chopped peanuts, a slice of lime, and a carrot rosette. This dish was also very good. I’ve learned from experience that these noodles don’t reheat well so we ate the entire serving.
Pink Bee Thai Food menu, hours, & location
You can read lots of reviews and look at star ratings when looking for places to eat, but there are other ways to find restaurants worth visiting. There was a continuous line of customers at the Pink Bee. Some were there to pick up an order while others dined there. If you see lots of customers waiting to get in, it gives a good indication of how good their food is.
This family-owned restaurant serves appetizers, salads, soups, noodles, stir-fry, curry, meats & rice, sandwiches, several side dishes, and desserts. Beverages served include Thai ice teas, juice, soda, San Pellegrino, and hot tea.
Pink Bee Thai Food is at 2010 NW 56th St, Seattle, Washington. They are open daily from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and again from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Today I’m sharing edits of MoPOP displays I saw in Seattle, Washington. The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The displays feature music, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and more.
My first image shows a still from a video playing on a dragonfly’s eyes. The sculpture itself is beautiful, and seeing a screen on its eyes was unexpected.
For this edit, I cropped out the people at the bottom and used a warming filter to enhance the color.
The next picture is of a Borg costume. These part humanoid, part robot beings are first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation. They are known for their tagline, “Resistance is futile.”
For this edit of MoPOP displays, I cropped the photo, eliminated reflections, changed it to black and white, and added a dark vignette effect. I didn’t like the dark frame over the head, so I lightened it.
The next image is of the reluctant guard and the cowardly lion costumes from The Wizard of Oz.
The first thing I did in the edit was a perspective correction. It makes the edges you select turn into a square. I cropped the picture and eliminated most of the reflections. This one had a LOT of reflections so I used a scratch remover, cloning tool, and a paintbrush tool. I used a light vignette tool on this image.
I took the next picture in the horror section of MoPOP. The Chucky doll from Child’s Play is in the upper right of the picture. I imagined him waiting patiently for the visitors nearby to get close to him.
For this edit, I cropped the picture, eliminated reflections, and added a red filter. Then I lightened Chucky’s face just a little to highlight his gruesome grin.
Edits of MoPOP iconic sculpture
The last picture is of the massive IF VI WAS IX sculpture. When I decided to feature edits of MoPOP displays, I knew I’d have to include this iconic piece. The museum first opened in 2000, and it was called the Experience Music Project. This sculpture was its centerpiece. Exhibit designer Neal Potter conceived IF VI WAS IX, and sound sculptor Trimpin brought it to life. It includes 500 musical instruments and 30 computers.
I straightened and cropped the photo. Then I eliminated some of the lights and a big sign and dulled the brightness of several spotlights. I decided to leave a couple of visitors in the finished image to show the scale.
The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week is to show up to five images you consider to be your ‘best ever.’ Today I’m presenting some of my best.
Some of my best layered photos
I took the first picture in my backyard. One day, I found an interesting arrowhead ten feet from my bedroom. It was sticking out of the sand. For this picture, I posed it on one of my Western Juniper trees. I love their colorful, layered bark.
I took the arrowhead to an Archaeology Roadshow event this summer, and the archaeologists were pretty excited to see it. They estimated that it’s at least 10,000 years old. Wow!
My next image is of the Red Canyon Scenic Overlook in Wyoming. You can look at ratings on a map, but you might not always agree with them. This site, 24 miles south of Lander, deserves its 4.9 star rating.
When I took this photo, there was drama in the layers of sky and on the land. In the sky, a parade of clouds gathered along the horizon. Color and texture fill the landscape. The red soil contrasted nicely with the spring green grass. Yellow wildflowers blanketed the hills on the left side of the picture.
The next image shows a ceramic vase called Yōki (Leaf Vessel) that I saw at the Portland Art Museum. This piece, created by Inaba Chikako, was inspired by lotus leaves waving in the wind. The vase portrays the action of leaves curling inward and unfurling outward. Though it may appear simple and monochromatic, the curving, encircling layers have a complex structure.
It’s always a challenge to take pictures of items in glass cases. I spent a lot of time editing out the reflections.
Some of my bird images
The next picture also happens to be in Portland, Oregon. I took this photograph of a Great Blue Heron at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.
It was pouring rain, and maybe that somehow covered my presence. As I stood on the pathway, this bird walked right up to me, an arm’s length away. I froze in place. Then it turned and walked a few feet away to a nearby pond. It was a magical experience!
The next image is of a bird of a different kind. This is the famed Spruce Goose. It’s on display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. The Spruce Goose, aka H-4 Hercules or Flying Boat, has a wingspan of 320 feet 11 inches and a length of 218 feet 8 inches. It is massive. Though it only flew for 26 seconds, it will forever be remembered in history.
I’m sharing this image in black and white to emphasize the curving lines of the aircraft and the straight lines of the supporting beams, the window frames, and the shadows. I included the old airline seats set up beneath the Spruce Goose since I thought they added a whimsical touch.
I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my best photos. Limiting this post to only five pictures was extremely difficult.
I recently had this pizzetta at Bridge 99 Brewery, a small brewery in northeastern Bend, Oregon. This is their Hot Pepperoni Honey pizzetta. A pizzetta is a plate-sized pizza. I liked this pizzetta’s crisp, thin crust and sticky sweet topping. I would have preferred a bit more spice, but the flavor was good overall. We have a lot of options for pizza here in Bend, 128 according to Yelp, but I’d go here again to try their other offerings.
My dining companion had the Reuben Sando with a side of Tots. The sandwich didn’t have the traditional rye bread. The meat was tender and flavorful. It could have used a bit more sauerkraut, but it’s something he would order again. The tots were nicely cooked and reminded us of those we had in our childhood.
Seating at Bridge 99 Brewery
Originally, Bridge 99 Brewery had a small tasting room and a couple of food trucks outside. Now, they have a much larger space with seating inside and out. There’s one food truck outside.
They currently have 15 beers on tap. We both tried their coconut porter and thought it was good, but not outstanding. They also serve seltzers, cider, wine, cocktails, kombucha, and iced tea.
Inside, there’s seating near the taps, in a larger room, and in a side room. For sports fans, TVs playing different sports events line the walls. When we were there, a professional-level corn-hole contest was on one of them.
The outside area has seating under a misting machine and in a separate room. The misting machine helps cool visitors on our many warm summer days.
The original tasting room is still at Bridge 99 Brewery. Just outside the door, a funny sculpture made from a beer barrel is there to greet you. The newer addition is right next door.
Bridge 99 serves appetizers, including pretzels and roasted veggies, 16 kinds of pizzettas, 8 types of sandwiches, and three salads.
This brewery is at 63063 Layton Ave, Bend, Oregon. Their hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 am to 9:00 pm, on Mondays from 3:00 to 9:00 pm, and on Sundays from 2:00 to 8:00 pm.
In this post, I’ll focus on the Space part of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, located in McMinnville, Oregon. This facility features aircraft inside two enormous buildings, plus more outside. It’s the kind of place where you’ll notice something new every time you visit.
When you enter the building, one of the first displays you see is of Russia’s launch of Sputnik. In 1957, their launch of the first artificial satellite changed the world. A few years later, Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union circled the Earth in April 1961.
The race to space was on. In May 1961, with the support of President John F. Kennedy, Alan Sheppard became the first American in space.
America, in the 1960s, considered the Mercury 7 astronauts to be heroes. They piloted six Mercury missions from 1961 to 1963 and went on other missions.
Overhead, you can see a capsule in flight with an astronaut taking a space walk.
This is stage I of the multistage Titan rocket. Its kerosene and liquid oxygen-fueled engines provided 150,000 pounds of thrust.
Here’s an M1 Rocket Engine.
Astronauts trained in this Skylab airlock module prior to their trip to space.
Helicopters secured landed capsules to take astronauts back to base.
This eight-wheeled Soviet rover landed on the moon in November of 1970. This is a replica of Lunokhod 1.
This is a scale replica of a H-Series Lunar Module. Modules of this type were used on Apollo 11, 12, and 14 missions.
There are huge displays throughout the Museum showing accomplishments along a timeline.
Other aircraft in the Space Museum
In 1926, the Goddard Rocket flew the world’s first liquid fueled flight. This is a replica of “Nell.”
This is a picture of Sergeant, one of the first solid-fuel surface-to-surface missiles. These short-range missiles were in service from 1966 to 1977.
The Rockwell Sabreliner 50 was flown from 1954 to the present. It’s used by business people and variants have been used by the military.
Helicopters
One section features several helicopters.
The yellow helicopter below is a HO3S-1. The Sikorskys, in use by all branches of the military, first flew in 1946.
This small aircraft is a Bell HTL-3. Manufactured in 1950, they were used during the Korean War.
This strange-shaped tandem-rotor helicopter is a Plasecki HRP-1 Rescuer. It was called the “Flying Banana” and flew from 1947 to 1953.
The Blackbird
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is one of the star attractions in this building. The secretive production of this reconnaissance aircraft began in the 1960s. It set records for speed and altitude throughout its career.
Here’s a closer look at the cockpit.
This hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft is an X-15. It first flew in 1959 and flew high enough to reach the edge of outer space. The U.S. Air Force and NASA flew this aircraft.
More military aircraft
This is a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk. It’s the first turboprop powered aircraft used by the U.S. Army. Designed in the 1950s, it was used for taking photographs, observation, and electronic reconnaissance.
This is a McDonnell F-101 VooDoo, a supersonic fighter plane. It was first flown in 1954 and used by both the United States and Canadian Air Force.
In this overview photo, you can see several aircraft, including two drones in the foreground.
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle was first flown in 1977. Heavy in thrust, and light on weight, F-15s are true modern dogfighters.
Here’s a view of it from another angle. At the time this specific aircraft was retired in 2007, it was the oldest flying F-15 in the Air Force inventory. As I’ve mentioned before, my late brother flew F-15s when he served in the Air Force.
To read about the aviation part of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, see my Evergreen Aviation post.
We visited Chico Hot Springs in southwestern Montana in early June 2024. The Chico Hot Springs Resort is located near Pray, Montana. It opened in 1900 and became a popular destination for those looking for a place to rest and relax. Prior to that time, miners used the springs as early as 1865. Historically, the springs have been in use by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.
The size and shape of the pools have changed over time. There is currently a large rectangular pool with a smaller one next to it that has hotter water.
The temperature of the large pool averages 96 degrees Fahrenheit. The smaller pool averages 103 degrees.
At one time, there was a roof over the pool. It collapsed in 1957, injuring 70 people, and was never replaced. The open air pools give you great views of the nearby landscape.
The buildings surrounding the pool reflect the history of this attraction. There is a bathhouse on one side and a small cafe on the other. There is also a dining room, a saloon, and a tasting room at the resort.
The Chico Hot Springs Resort is on the National Register of Historic Places. If you want to stay here, there are several lodging options, including a main lodge, cabins, chalets, houses, Conestoga covered wagons, and a railroad caboose. Chico offers recreational opportunities on site and off including horseback riding, fishing, disc golf, biking, and hiking.
Chico Hot Springs signs & murals
The thing I liked best about this place were the signs and murals near the pools. The sign by the small pool looked like it could have been there for decades.
A more modern mural was near the other end of main pool. This great landscape painting featured lots of local critters.
The funniest sign was on another wall. It read, “Welcome to Chico ool: You notice the P is missing. We would like to keep it that way!” It’s a friendly reminder to relieve yourself in a restroom; not in the pool. 😀
Additional info
The pools are open from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm daily for resort guests. If you aren’t staying at the resort, you can visit from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm. Admission for guests ranges from $8.00 to $14.00.
As I mentioned, this is an historic resort. When we visited in 2024, the changing rooms could have used a little TLC. Door latches on the bathrooms and changing rooms were broken. The showers only had cold water and visitors were shrieking when they turned on the water. It was painfully cold after getting out of the hot springs. For people like us who were camping elsewhere and stopped here for a quick dip, a hot shower afterwards would have been great. Ironically, this facility sits atop the most geothermally active place on Earth. 🤭
I had one other pet peeve about this facility. Kids were jumping onto oversize inflatables from the side of the pool. Not only was that activity unsafe, it also affected the serenity of the setting. This is just my opinion as a former lifeguard.
We visited Chico Hot Springs as part of our Hot Springs of the West tour. There are lots of developed and undeveloped hot springs in this part of the country.
Have you ever wanted to learn a new language but found it too intimidating? I decided to try learning foreign languages with the Duolingo app. I’ve spent a year using the app. Over 3 million other users have worked on Duolingo lessons for 365 consecutive days or longer. I found this and other fascinating statistics related to Duolingo users on this Gitnux site.
Why should you learn a new language? Perhaps you’re traveling and want to learn a bit of the language before you depart. About 45% of Duolingo users say travel is their main motivation. Is this program the best for learning a foreign language? From what I’ve read, it’s okay for beginners, but other programs, like Babbel and Rosetta Stone, are better for higher levels of learning.
Why am I learning a new language? I like to stream series and movies from other countries. I’m also writing children’s books with characters from other cultures.
Though I remember some of the Spanish I learned in school, I only remembered two Chinese words a few months after taking a conversational Chinese in-person class. With Duolingo, I retain more of what I learn. I’m currently learning Spanish, Chinese, and Korean with the app. People who read, write, or speak more than one language are called “polyglots.”
English—Apple
Spanish—Manzana
Mandarin Chinese—Píngguǒ 苹果
Korean—Sagwa 사과
What are some of the benefits associated with learning another language? An article from Cambridge University describes some of them. Learning foreign languages actually changes the structure of your brain. It improves the communication between the four lobes of your brain and makes your grey matter denser. Learning foreign languages protects older people from developing dementia and other neurological disorders. What are other benefits? Foreign language learners perform better academically and have improved concentration, more powerful memories, stronger communication skills, and more creativity.
Duolingo gamifies the learning process. Your score is based on different factors, including how long you play. Users give input to multiple choice questions and challenges by writing, listening, and giving oral responses. You get monthly badges and achievement badges for your accomplishments. If you participate with friends and family, you’re more likely to remain active. You can see where you rank with your friends and with users worldwide. Duolingo has a free version with ads, and a paid one, without ads.
Screenshot of Duolingo showing standings
There are more Gen Z users than any other age range, but many others like it as well. In fact, in 2023, Duolingo had 26.9 million daily active users and 88.4 monthly active users. There are over 500 million registered users worldwide.
Which languages are most popular on Duolingo? It depends on which country you’re considering. English is most popular in 122 different countries. Spanish is second, and French is third, globally. Korean is the fastest growing language. Duolingo currently teaches 40 languages, including Valerian (Game of Thrones) and Klingon (Star Trek). 😀
Which languages in the world have the most native speakers? Babbel lists the top five as Chinese, Spanish, English, Arabic, and Hindi. There are many dialects within each country. The top five most spoken languages are English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, and Standard Arabic.
So, after a year of using the Duolingo app, can I carry on a conversation in any of the languages I’m learning? No, but I’m making progress. Now, when I stream series, I can understand words here and there. Occasionally, I can tell when the translation to English in the subtitles is incorrect. When I’m out shopping, I can understand parts of conversations of fellow shoppers. Even though I’m not traveling to a lot of other countries, I’m learning how to enlargen my world. 😀
If you want to eat the best fish & chips in the Central Oregon area, be sure to visit a Wild Catch food truck. Their wild-caught cod is dipped in a Wild Ride brew beer batter and deep fat fried. It’s nice and crunchy on the outside and tender and delicious inside. They sell English style Two-piece Fish and Chips and Three-piece Fish and Chips baskets that include house made coleslaw, fries, tartar sauce, ketchup, and a lemon wedge. Coleslaw can be bland and boring, but I like the flavor of theirs. Their crunchy fries are cooked perfectly.
The graphics on their trucks are simple but bold.
I also like their Stingin’ Honey, Garlic Shrimp basket. It includes ten shrimp dipped in beer batter and tossed in their Stingin’ Honey Garlic sauce. It also includes coleslaw, fries, ketchup, and a lemon wedge. These sticky treats are sweet with a little spicey flavor from the garlic.
Wild Catch also serves seafood combo baskets, chicken strip baskets, chicken wings baskets, several sides, and a raspberry cheesecake chimichanga. This business has been recognized as one of the best food trucks in The Source’s Best of Central Oregon publication.
You can find Wild Catch English Style Fish & Chips food trucks at Wild Ride Brew, 335 SW St., Redmond, Oregon, and at Wild Ride Brew, 1500 NE 3rd St., Prineville, Oregon. They are open daily from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm. We live about halfway between these two locations. Both have indoor and outdoor seating and beer on tap, plus other beverages. There is more parking and seating at the Prineville location.
A few weeks ago, we drove about an hour east of our home in Bend to collect Glass Buttes obsidian again. Sometimes it’s easy to forget about going on adventures close to home.
I wrote about going on a field trip to Glass Buttes on my blog in 2018. In that post, I explained some of the geology behind this site. I’m lucky it’s just a short drive away.
On the recent trip there, we drove to one our favorite spots to collect obsidian. Yes, there are maps showing where certain types can be collected. However, at Glass Buttes you don’t have to go far to find obsidian. It’s everywhere!
If you go here, be aware that it’s easy to drive right past the entrance near mile marker 78 on Highway 20 since it’s unmarked. Drive south of Highway 20 on the dirt road, and drive a mile and a half or so. You can continue straight or turn to the left or right. On some of the side roads, 4WD high-clearance vehicles are recommended, but you can find lots of obsidian on both sides of the main road.
There is a new interpretive sign a little ways in on the road to the buttes. You can stop here to read about the importance of this site to native peoples and a few facts about the geology, recreational opportunities, and the danger of wildfires.
On this trip, I took my drone to photograph the landscape. At first glance, it may appear to be “drive by” country. However, looks can be deceiving.
If you go in the spring and summer months, you’ll see beautiful wildflowers like the lupine in the photo below. You’ll also see birds flitting between the sagebrush. On our trip, the air was filled with the songs of the shrubsteppe-dependent songbirds I studied for my graduate thesis. I heard or saw Brewer’s Sparrows, Sagebrush Sparrows, and Sage Thrashers.
It can get pretty hot here, so if you bring your dogs, don’t forget to bring them water. Bring plenty for yourself as well.
A gallery of Glass Buttes obsidian
Here are a few of the pieces of obsidian I collected that day. There are at least 20 different kinds of obsidian at Glass Buttes.
What do I do with all the obsidian I’ve collected? I display pieces in the landscaped areas outside and feature some of my favorite pieces on shelves inside.
This beautiful “Let it Be” mural is at Worthy Brewing in Bend, Oregon. Native columbines growing in the bed under the painting blend in with the mural.
The plant on the left, and growing over the right side of the painting, is a hops plant. They grow very well here. Too well in fact.
In the area to the left of the painting, there is a 3,000 square foot organic garden. The produce grown at the Worthy Demonstration Farm is served in the pub. Extra produce is donated to the local High Desert Food & Farm Alliance Grow and Give program.
On June 29, I traveled to Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon to go on a guided tour in search of Kiger mustangs. I’ve always been a fan of horses, but have wanted to see Kigers in the wild for many years.
Our guide, Tim O’Crowley, lives on a working cattle ranch, the Steens Mountain Guest Ranch, in Diamond, Oregon. On the day I rode, Tim had his grandson, Tye, and niece, Connie, helping on the ride. Visitors to the ranch can participate in four- or five-day cowboy experiences, one-day Kiger mustang experiences, or two- to four-hour horseback rides. For our ride, Tim’s wife, Susan, laid out a smorgasbord of snacks to fill our saddlebags with.
After getting acquainted with the horses we would ride that day, our group of six riders and three guides took a short drive to the Kiger Herd Management Area. My horse, Larry, had been captured many years ago in the area where we would be riding.
People travel from all over the world to see these horses, but almost everyone in our group was from Central Oregon. The exception was a woman from Boise, Idaho. She was 81 years old and probably the oldest participant to ever go on these trips.
Kiger mustang history
So, what makes a Kiger mustang different from other wild horses? In 1971, Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act to protect wild horses and burros on public lands. In 1977, while gathering wild horses near Beaty’s Butte, Oregon, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse Specialist E. Ron Harding noticed an unusual type of horse in the herd. They had strikingly similar markings and conformation, reminiscent of Spanish horses brought to North America in the 1600s. At that time, it was widely assumed that descendants of those Spanish horses no longer existed.
Genetic testing confirmed that the horses gathered near Beaty’s Butte had Spanish markers for dun factor coloration and markings. The Kiger Mesteño Association notes these characteristics include dorsal stripes, jack stripes, zebra stripes on legs, arm bars, bicolored mane and tail, ears with dark outline and fawn colored interior, facial masks, and cobwebbing. Kiger mustangs stand 13 to 15 hands, smaller than most other breeds
Bicolored tails and faint zebra stripes on legs
The BLM separated the Kigers from the other horses and eventually moved them to two Herd Management Areas (HMA), Kiger HMA and Riddle Mountain HMA. In past years, the BLM auctioned off excess Kiger mustangs, but they have not gathered any since 2015.
Kigers in the media
Many of today’s Kiger mustangs can be traced back to a single stallion named Mesteño from the original herd. In 1992, Breyer used him as the model for one of their collections of model horses.
Another Kiger mustang, Donner, was the model for the 2002 animated film, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and the 2017 Netflix series, Spirit Riding Free! The Kiger Mustang Ranch in Bend, Oregon, raised the colt. Both of its parents were Kiger mustangs. DreamWorks Animation, the future producer of the film and series, purchased him after months of negotiations. Donner, later renamed Spirit, turned 31 in May 2026.
Breyer Spirit model
I’m a big fan of horse characters in books, movies, and series but feel like I have a special connection with Spirit. I live in Bend, where the real-life horse was raised, and I live in the Cimarron City neighborhood, alluded to in the movie’s title.
Finding Kiger mustangs in the field
After reading about the history of Kiger mustangs, I was eager to see them in the field. The riders in our group were advised to wear darker, muted colors so we would blend in with the environment when searching for mustangs.
As we rode along, I asked Connie if she had seen very many greys, often referred to as grullas. She helps at the ranch for a month in the summer. Connie said she had only seen five grullas. Brown-colored horses are much more common. Kiger mustang coat colors include dun, grulla, red dun, bay, black, and claybank.
Just by chance, the first Kiger we saw was a grulla. He was hanging out with a pronghorn. Why? We can’t say for sure, but pronghorn have remarkable vision, and these animals likely alert each other if they sense something nearby. This curious young stallion ended up following us for quite a while. You can see him on the left in the picture below.
Next, we saw a small group with two adults and a foal. Tim said it was only a few days old. After a brief break, we continued on our way.
The big herd
Our next stop was the most exciting one. A herd of Kigers had collected near a large clearing. There were at least 75 Kigers in this group. We ate our lunch and took numerous pictures of the herd. They seemed unbothered by our presence, partly because we had horses with us.
Within this herd, we spotted two black stallions. Tim said they were not Kigers. In the photo below, in the group of three horses near the center of the picture, you can see how much taller the black horse is. These two horses either escaped from somewhere else, or someone dumped them here.
Though the BLM lists the current population at 51-82 horses on the 36,618-acre Kiger HMA, it’s likely much higher. Some estimate there are at least 200 there. The BLM lists the 28,000-acre Riddle Mountain HMA population at 33-56 horses. Since the horses like to rest under juniper trees, certain methods, like aerial surveys, may not be as effective at counting them.
A trip to remember
We started riding at about 8:30 am and finished the ride at 2:30 pm. That was a long day in the saddle. Did you know you use eight muscle groups to horseback ride? By the end of the day, I was well aware of that fact. After stopping at Crane Hot Springs, going to the hot tub at my hotel, and taking a hot bath when I got home, I felt just fine. 😀
Tim helped make this one of the most memorable experiences of my life. His easygoing manner, knowledge of the environment, and gentle sense of humor made it a trip to remember. Once we got back to the ranch, Tim made delicious smoothies. It was a great way to end the day.
Steens Mountain Guest Ranch, Diamond, Oregon
This article will be featured in the July 2026 edition of High Desert Voices, the volunteer newsletter of the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon.
If you’re looking for an early morning breakfast restaurant in Central Oregon, your choices are limited. Do you want a fancy meal or a homestyle one? Here’s my take on two breakfasts I had out recently.
A fancy meal
Two weeks ago, I had breakfast at The Lemontree, in downtown Bend. I ordered the Amaretto French Toast. It included two thick slices of brioche bread from Big Ed’s bakery covered with fresh berries, slivered almonds, and berry coulis. It was nicely framed with slices of orange and kiwi and whipped cream topped with a sprig of mint. I thought it was excellent!
My companion ordered the Crab Cake Benedict. It included an English muffin topped with their “award-winning” crab cakes, poached eggs, and a citrus brown butter hollandaise sauce. A violet flower, sprigs of parsley, and small tomatoes garnished the meal. Though well-presented, my companion didn’t think it was flavorful
A homestyle meal
A week ago, I visited One Street Down Cafe in Redmond, Oregon. I ordered the Stuffed French Toast, and my companion ordered two fried eggs and a half order of Biscuits and Gravy.
The French toast included four pieces of bread with mascarpone, Black Forest ham, and blueberry ginger jam. Its presentation made a statement, but not necessarily one I wanted to hear. I ended up disassembling the dish and only eating part of it. I pulled out the thin slices of ham and saved them for my dogs. Shhh! Don’t tell my vet. 😉
You’ll notice I’m not posting a separate picture of the biscuits and gravy and fried eggs. You can see those dishes in the background below. That monotone-colored meal was not very photogenic. However, my companion thought it was one of the best meals he’s eaten recently.
When we ate these two breakfasts at local restaurants, the person who was dissatisfied with their meal thought it “lacked something.” At the first restaurant, my companion thought the eggs Benedict lacked flavor. He thought the dishes there were too “frou-frou.” At the second restaurant, I thought the French toast bread lacked flavor, and I didn’t like the inclusion of the ham slices. However, we both thought the meals that we liked at each restaurant were exceptionally good. So, when someone recommends a restaurant to you, consider what their personal tastes might be.
Here is an infrared photograph of the road to Frenchglen, Oregon. This road travels around the south end of Steens Mountain before dropping into the basin containing the Alvord Desert. This area is part of the Basin and Range Province.
At Portland International Airport, PDX, there have been some big changes. The years-long main terminal redevelopment is currently in its final phase.
The 9-acre timber roof makes the terminal stand out as an architectural wonder. Timber for the structure came from local sources, including small family-owned lots and tribal lands. The timber was harvested within 300 miles of the airport. PDX received the Best Design in North America award in 2025.
One thing I like most about the renovated PDX is the abundance of live plants. The design includes 72 mature trees and 5,000 other plants. The wooden beams bring warmth; the plants bring a sense of calm to stressed-out travelers.
It’s a great atmosphere to take a leisurely stroll through. When you’re wandering around the terminal, you might want to visit one of the airport’s 24 stores or 34 restaurants.
The redevelopment includes beautiful elements, but it also includes practical ones.
To decrease the need for artificial lighting, the terminal included portals with views of the sky. There are 49 of these skylights in the building.
Underground, a groundwater heat pump system warms and cools the building as needed. Even though the building size increased by 40%, it will decrease its energy usage by half.
The budget for this project was $2.15 billion. Yes, that’s with a ‘b’, not an ‘m’. The redevelopment will help accommodate the millions of customers expected to use the facility, but it will also include a nod to its past.
PDX carpet
In 2015, the airport’s special projects division announced it would replace the carpet. The iconic carpet, designed by a local architectural firm, was installed in 1988. There was such a public outcry against the planned removal of the carpet that the airport revised its plans.
To help heal the wounds inflicted during the Great PDX Carpet Replacement Tragedy, PDX will install a newly manufactured version of the beloved carpet in ten locations. You can use the map on this site to find them when you visit the airport. Yeah, really! 😀
What happened to the old, worn-out carpet? Four area businesses won contracts to remove it. When one announced they would sell framed one-foot squares and two-by-three-foot floor mats, “the cars were lined up all the way down the street.” Other businesses sold luggage tags, coasters, magazine racks, sling-back chairs, and ottomans made from the remnants. There is a reason for the well-known slogan, “Keep Portland Weird.”
Now you may have a better understanding of why PDX is often on various best airport lists. They’ve put a lot of time into making the airport beautiful, safe, and energy efficient, but also considered the voice of the people.
Other wonders nearby
After viewing all the architectural wonders at PDX over your head and below your feet, Mother Nature will show you a few of her wonders once you are airborne. Mt. Hood is a short distance from the airport and I can’t help but smile every time I fly over it.
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On 3 July 2026, I was notified that this post was selected for Freshly Pressed recognition. WordPress.com reviews posts by creators from around the world and showcases editors’ picks and community favorites on this site.
If you’re traveling east of Bend in Oregon along Highway 20, there aren’t many places to stop to get a bite to eat. About half-way to Burns, you’ll see Hampton Station. This business is a combination cafe, gift shop, and gas station. We stopped there after collecting obsidian at nearby Glass Buttes.
The food they serve is simple and delicious. Hampton Station serves breakfast burritos, burgers, sandwiches, ice cream sundaes, cinnamon rolls, and other sweet treats. When we arrived, they had just pulled freshly baked molasses cookies out of the oven.
I had a turkey, bacon, and avocado toasted sandwich. It also included provolone cheese, red onion, and lettuce. For the side, I ordered a salad with a mustard vinaigrette dressing. The sandwich and salad were very good.
My companion had a burger with bacon with a side of chips. He also ordered a root beer float. The burger was flavorful and well-cooked.
The last time I stopped at Hampton Station was about ten years ago. A new owner took over the business in November 2022. The interior has been updated, and it’s clean and cozy.
Outside, the building has an Old West style. It looks like it hasn’t changed in a hundred years.
If you are looking for a good place to take a little break on the long, straight drive across Oregon’s High Desert, consider stopping at Hampton Station. It’s located 63 miles east of Bend and 68 miles west of Burns. On the day we visited, it opened at 10:30 am.
Today I’m sharing a drawing and photo of a palm tree. I saw this Chinese Windmill Palm, Trachycarpus fortunei, while visiting the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon.
I did a quick pen and ink drawing of the tree as part of the Inktober challenge in 2024. The prompt that day was ‘exotic.’ I always associate palms with hot, humid climates, but these plants do well in much cooler places like western Orgon.
Chinese Windmill palms grow in a wide variety of habitats around the world. These graceful plants have been cultivated in Japan and China for thousands of years.
I wanted to share a drawing and photo of a palm tree because they have such interesting structures. I’d love to grow one where I live, but it probably wouldn’t tolerate our temperature extremes.
Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.
Yesterday, I made a visit to Post, Oregon, one hour east of my house in Bend. Why drive there? Because Post claims to be at the geographic center of Oregon.
The Post General Store and Eatery includes a store, restaurant, and post office. In 1889, Post was named after Walter Post, their first postmaster. The outside of the building has a rustic Old West charm.
A view my drone above the store shows the rural nature of this country. On this visit to Post, the weather was nice and warm with a scattering of clouds.
Inside, they sell gifts, groceries, and lots of products with a “Post: Center of Oregon” theme. I bought a new green t-shirt for my collection.
The picture below shows the Post post office. Yes, it is small. There are only 48 mail boxes.
The store also has an eatery with a very limited menu. I ordered a meatloaf sandwich and I thought it was fine, but not the style I prefer. Post General Store & Eatery serves over a dozen kinds of milkshakes.
The center of Oregon?
Is Post really located in the exact center of Oregon? There are multiple ways to determine the location of the center of a state. If you cut out a map of Oregon and balanced the rectangular-shaped state on the head of a pin, the real center is nearby. It’s on the Bonnieview Ranch, just north of Post.
You have to get permission from the landowner to view a small U. S. Geological Survey metal marker on the property. Over the years, people have assumed it marks the center of the state. However, these benchmarks were historically used to help surveyors create maps, not to mark geographical features. This marker, installed in 1903, indicates the site’s elevation at 3,348 feet. Other markers include the latitude and longitude.
If you would like to own the land where the center of the state is located, the ranch is for sale for $20 million dollars. With 20% down, your payments will only be around $101,000 a month. The 18,700 acre Bonnieview Ranch includes several buildings including three homes, two cabins, and a bunkhouse. There are more than 50 springs and ponds, plus a 35-acre reservoir.
For this post I used my Samsung phone camera, my Canon pocket camera, and my DJI drone. To play up the history of this spot, I used cross processing photo effects and a border reminiscent of old printed photographs.
Galley Bend is an Asian fusion restaurant that opened recently in Bend, Oregon. Two former flight attendants, Krid Sathirawongwan (Kris) and Sureeporn Tattumle (Kate), created this restaurant. They feature some of their favorite dishes from their past travels. Most of the food is Thai, but you’ll also find dishes with Indian, Korean, Chinese, and Malaysian influences.
Entrees and appetizers
The Korean Fried Chicken x Garlic Gochujang Sauce is my favorite dish. The chicken is coated in buttermilk and fried until golden, then glazed with a sweet, savory, and medium-spicy garlic gochujang sauce. This is a customer favorite and it is delicious! I was glad they provided wet wipes to wash your hands with because this is a very sticky dish. We ordered a side of kimchi for an additional charge and it complimented the crunchy chicken well.
Galley West offers appetizers including larb fries, crispy pork bellies, coconut shrimp, spring rolls, crispy tofu, and crispy clamari.
Galley West serves curries, rice plates, noodle plates, salads, and soups.
The Pad Thai features stir-fried rice noodles with egg, scallions, bean sauce, and pad Thai sauce with a garnish of lime, bean sprouts, peanuts, and dried chiles. I added chicken to mine. This classic version had a familiar taste.
Their Pineapple Fried Rice is often mentioned in online reviews. It includes scrambled eggs and fried rice with onion, tomato, and chunks of pineapple topped with cashew nuts and parsley. I added beef to mine. This dish also had a familiar taste.
We also tried the Fried Chive Cakes. These chewy garlic chive cakes are fried until crisp and served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. This was an unfamiliar taste. I liked the crunchiness of the outside and the flavor of the dipping sauce.
I ordered the Red Curry, since it’s one of my favorite Thai dishes. Galley West mixes a rich Thai curry paste with red chilies, lemon grass, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, and coconut milk, topped with basil leaves. Most red curries I’ve ordered have a rich base that is so “heavy” I can’t finish a bowlful at one sitting. Galley Bend serves a lighter curry that is a nice change. I also liked the tangy taste of the lemon grass.
My dining companion ordered the Spaghetti Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles). This Thai style stir-fried spaghetti includes basil, bell peppers, and savory house sauce. It is a colorful dish with lots of different textures and flavors.
Drinks at Galley Bend
This restaurant offers soft drinks, beer, wine, cocktails, and mocktails.
On one visit, I ordered the Asahi Japanese Lager. This beer was light and refreshing.
On another visit, I ordered the Thai Iced Tea. I ordered it with coconut milk and it was yummy! 😀
The interior is decorated in a light, modern style. Unlike other industrial-style interiors in some of our local restaurants, you can actually carry on a conversation without yelling.
I also like their logo of a plane in flight. The food preparation area of an aircraft is called a galley, so this is a fitting name.
The owners of Galley Bend have connections with two other Bend restaurants. They learned some of their cooking techniques and management practices through Sathirawongwan, Jattalee (JJ) Chalernhinthong, of the Dear Mom Cafe, and Kwan Singhakahm, of the Yokocho Izakaya restaurant. Both are very good places to eat here in Bend. The owners of these three establishments once took a university class together in Bangkok. We’re lucky these friends brought their commitment to preparing meals well to Bend.
I’d also like to mention the staff working at Galley Bend. They go above and beyond in treating their customers well. You can tell they’ve worked in careers where hospitality is important.
Galley Bend hours and location
Galley Bend is at 62080 Dean Swift Rd, Ste 100 on Bend’s east side. Their hours are Monday through Friday 11:00 am to 2:30 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, they’re open from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
On April 26, we participated in the Bend Foodie Crawl 2026. At this event, you walk around to different locations in downtown Bend, Oregon and get small food and beverage samples. The number of participants is limited to help prevent overcrowding. The map for this year’s event is at the end of this post. Since not every place has a downtown location, samples are also offered at The Commons and at US Bank.
The Bend Foodie Crawl 2026 took place from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. The after party at McMenamins restaurant went from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. It featured, desserts, drinks, raffles, and other entertainment.
Favorites at Bend Foodie Crawl 2026 food & drinks
I’ll start out this post with my favorites. Yoli serves modern and traditional Korean cuisine. They featured a Bulgogi Ssam with kimchi and banchan paired with a soju. This beautifully presented dish had great flavor. It was one of the spicier options of the day.
I’ve eaten at Yoli before and described a 5-course meal we had there in a previous post. It was delicious!
One of my other favorites was from Five Fusion | Sushi Bar. They served spicy hamachi with citrus and olive oil in a cute square cup. They called their drink a Good Neighbor. It included roku gin, blackberry infused St-Germain, blackberry gomme, blueberry, and lemon. It was flavorful and paired well with the hamachi.
Though I focused on the food, I liked checking out the interiors of some of our local restaurants while on the crawl. I liked the symmetry and colors of Five Fusion’s bar.
I also liked the food at El Sancho. They served beef barbacoa and pork carnitas tacos. The warm tortillas were filled with meat and garnished with cilantro, diced onions, salsa verde, and lime. They served a refreshing Sunriver Brewery beer with the tacos.
One of El Sancho’s restaurants burned down a couple of years ago but they rebuilt it. It’s a local favorite so we are glad to see its return.
Wonderland Chicken served a sample of their Nashville chicken with a side of pickle coleslaw. They let us know the chicken was level “0” on the hotness scale, with 7 as the hottest. I was glad about that because we ate there before and level 2 was too hot for me even though I like spicy food. I liked the tasty, crisp chicken and the extra pickle flavor in the slaw.
Roam is a Modern American restaurant in the Oxford Hotel, one of the more upscale hotels downtown. They served a mini elk sausage corndog with a mustard relish aioli. I was a little hesitant because elk can taste gamey, but this was good. The drink I had was a smoked honey bourbon sour.
Mother Shuckers served Willapa Bay oyster shooters with cocktail sauce, horseradish, and a wedge of lemon. The sample include a single fire cracker and a glass of Willamette Valley white wine. I admit, I prefer my oysters cooked, but I braved my aversion to the slightly slimy texture and ate the raw oysters. I still prefer them cooked. 😉
Mother Shuckers is one of my favorite Bend food trucks and I love their fish sandwiches. I usually include their lime cilantro slaw with my order.
Okay offerings
J Dub is an American restaurant and bar downtown. They served a chicken lettuce wrap with diced chicken and garlic, peppers and onions garnished with an Asian peanut glaze. It was paired with Stafford bourbon. The wrap was fine, but I preferred the more flavorful one offered by Yoli.
Cascade Culinary students served a savory green garlic brisee tartlet paired with a sweet pistachio French macaron and a sparkling strawberry sangria. It was nice to see the tasty tartlets assembled right before your eyes. The macaron was flavored perfectly, but the sangria didn’t have much taste.
It was wonderful to see students from our local culinary program enthusiastically participating in this event.
Zydeco served Boudin balls paired with a Hurricane cocktail. The Boudin balls were okay. The drink was one of my favorites.
We go to Zydeco for special occasions and ate there last night in celebration of my sister’s birthday. Maybe I’ll write a post about their food in the near future.
Not my favorites
The local Head Start Food Service also served food at this event. This organization serves food to our children in need. The grilled chicken was mixed with ancient grains, carrots and other veggies, and topped with a cherry. I thought they were trying to sneak in a lot of healthy food into this dish. I liked the unexpected inclusion of a cherry on top. They served a lemon spritzer with this dish.
Blissful Spoon is a gluten-free restaurant downtown. They served pita chips with a selection of dips including Moroccan hummus, zaalouk, and muhammara. It was paired with Monkey Bay sauvignon blanc. I thought this dish was just okay. Maybe it was partly due to the almost monochromatic presentation. I expect food to be a feast for the eyes and the palate at events like this.
I liked some of the bakery items I’ve tasted here in the past and also like their well-laid out interior design.
Bend Foodie Crawl 2026 desserts
We went to the after party to check out some of the desserts. McMenamins, Bonta Gelato, Mom’s Kitchen, and Eberhard’s Dairy Products provided the food. Desserts included gelato, cheesecake, pecan bars, lemon bars, brownies, and ice cream. By the time we got there, I think my taste buds were dead but I liked the wide variety of sweet treats.
Here’s the map for the Bend Foodie Crawl 2026. I look forward to going to this event next year.
The money raised during the Foodie Crawl benefits NeighborImpact, a local nonprofit. 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. I give them a generous donation every year. Please consider donating to them here.
In case you want to see more, here’s my post about the Bend Foodie Crawl in 2025.
The Star Catcher mural in downtown Portland, Oregon, was painted by Rustam Qbic in 2015. This mural depicts a person with a conch shell head catching stars in a net and using them to light a lantern and campfire.
Qbic’s art contains small details you may not notice at first. Did you see the magical window on the back of the person in the Star Catcher mural?
Rustam Qbic is a Russian street artist whose work can be seen in countries throughout the world. His murals, illustrations, and graphic art pieces are often inspired by literature and classic poetry of Eastern countries. Qbic’s murals include vibrant colors and whimsical elements.
For this post, I’m showing several pictures with clouds as a major element. The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week is to post quotes illustrated with your photos.
The first one shows a view of Red Canyon in Utah. The quote seemed to fit this picture perfectly.
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.
Edward Abbey
I took the next picture in my backyard in Bend. The nighttime rainbow magically appeared in this image taken with my phone.
There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
George Carlin
I took this picture of a tree in my yard in winter. My juniper tree muse looks beautiful with a coating of snow.
In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.
Alice Walker
The next picture was taken on the Oregon coast, south of Seaside. Misty clouds collect along the shoreline.
Change is the only constant. Learn to surf your life instead of planting your feet.
Amy Poehler
I took the next picture on top of Steens Mountain in Oregon. The yellow aspen leaves contrasted well with the blue skies and puffy white clouds.
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
George Eliot
I took the last picture from my house of a sliver of sunset in the final moments of a day. My drone captured great pictures of the setting sun and dark clouds over volcanoes in the Cascade Range.
These salt ponds viewed from above are in San Francisco Bay, California. When I flew into San Francisco, I wondered what these colorful ponds were and had to look it up.
Salt water is collected in a series of ponds and as it evaporates, it turns into a thick layer of crusty salt. Initially, the color is green or brown but it becomes more pink when the water evaporates. The last stage is called “pickle” brine.
Though most people call them salt ponds, they are called “crystallizer beds” by Cargill, Inc., who harvests the salt. The beds are rolled, graded, sloped, and compacted.
Historically, Native Americans collected salt in this area. During the Gold Rush era of the 1850s, demand increased dramatically. Before refrigeration became common, food was preserved in salt. Salt-making continues to this day. After 80 percent of San Francisco Bay marshes were lost to development, there was a shift towards habitat restoration. Restoring those marshlands is part of the largest project on the West Coast.
