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Greetings rod,
Ok, so I missed writing a newsletter last month. And this month’s is really late. But I’ve got a moderately good excuse: we’re remodeling our kitchen and I’ve been waist deep in making runs to the dump, answering questions and making requests, and other forms of “helping.”
So that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
And because of that excuse, this newsletter will be rather short. That and I need to make another Home Depot run….
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Recent trips
Since my last newsletter I’ve held workshops at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon and Olympic National Park. Both trips were great and we only got a little wet.
Silver Falls State Park
 Since the devastating fire in the Columbia gorge in the fall of 2017, there are only a very few falls that are accessible or even look good. One option is to explore some of the falls on the Washington side of the river. These are spread out and a little harder to get to.
But Silver Falls State Park, just east of Salem, OR, is a wonderful alternative. There are eleven falls and five of those are pretty spectacular.
It’s a small park and can photographed in a day. But do yourself a favor and plan at least two or three. You’ll likely want to revisit some of the falls.
Olympic National Park
 During this year’s trip we visited a couple of waterfalls I’ve never really been able to fit in. Bunch Creek Falls and Merriman Falls are along the North Shore Quinault River Road on the south side of the park. And while they’re not as spectacular as Sol Duc Falls, they are well worth the drive. There are a few other falls along the road too, if you’ve got the time.
We visited the Hoh Rainforest, Second Beach, Rialto Beach, Lake Crescent, Madison Falls, and the Sol Duc. The Sol Duc seemed to be the big hit. Sol Duc Falls looked great, but it was the little stream that crosses the trail at about half-way to the falls that stole the show.
We a morning along Lake Crescent and found some nice scenes before heading to Madison Falls. The backlit alder grove next to the parking lot was especially nice.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip with a very enjoyable group. I’ll be looking into next year’s dates soon, so if a trip to Olympic National Park is on your list, let me know and I’ll put you on the early notification list.
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Iceland and Patagonia tours
My Iceland tour is coming up and there are still a few spaces available. This should be a great time to be in Iceland: fall color, waterfalls, and the very real possibilities of auroras without the need of freezing your you-know-what off. For more information, visit my Iceland Tour page.
(Photo courtesy Iceland Photo Tours)
The Patagonia tour is going to be amazing. It will be autumn in the southern hemisphere, and I love autumn. Two autumns in one year is hard to beat!
(photo courtesy Richard Badger)
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The Big Remodel!
Yes, the project to beat all projects is upon me. And no, I’m not doing the remodel. We’ve hired the same team that build my home office a year and a half ago.
The old kitchen was gutted. Our guest bedroom is no more. All new appliances and lighting. Currently, we’re in the final stages of adding lighting, finishing off the drywall, and moving the gas line to the new stove location.
We have a new door in a new location and a bigger kitchen window. So lots of reframing and cutting and pounding and the releasing of sawdust. We’ll have to have new flooring added to the existing hardwood floor too. But it’s getting there.
This is just a small look at what’s been going on. I may write a blog post about it and include more pictures. It’s really quite something.
And Bailey has been a trooper throughout the entire process. It helps that she really likes our contractor and for the most part she’s just been sleeping through it all or supervising.
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Until Next Month
Hopefully I'll find some time to write something useful for next month. Otherwise you'll be subjected to more remodel news and cute pictures of Bailey.
I'm heading to the Palouse week after next so maybe even new Palouse pictures??
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