Mary Oliver Always Says It Perfectly for Me

CROWS

From a single grain they have multiplied

When you look in the eyes of one

you have seen them all. 

At the edges of highways

they pick at limp things.  

They are anything but refined.

Or they fly out over the corn

like pellets of black fire, 

like overlords.

Crow is crow, you say?

What else is there to say?

Drive down any road,

take a train or an airplane

across the world, leave

your old life behind,

die and be reborn again---

wherever you arrive

they'll be there first,

glossy and rowdy,

and indistinguishable.

The deep muscle of the world.

---Mary Oliver

To Portland by Train....and Back Again

To celebrate the successful conclusion of the 55th Edmonds Arts Festival, and my last Festival as a director, Nonie and I took the train from Edmonds to Portland, Oregon for a long, lazy weekend away.

part of the Heathman Hotel sign, taken from the bar window

We stayed at The Heathman Hotel, in downtown Portland.  We usually stay there as it has a lovely restaurant and is centrally located with Powell's just a few blocks away.

I love Portland.  The downtown has its share of tall buildings, but they are not overly tall, blocking out the sky, but are tall enough to be interesting subjects for photos.

There are lots of great little places to eat, some very plain and others quite fancy.  We had a bit of both on this trip.

art by Beth Kerschen from an Urban Landscapes postcard

And then there was Powell's, the reason we opted for a weekend in Portland.  Nonie and I both love Powell's and can spend a lot of time browsing the aisles, looking at this book and that one.  We both bought so many books we shipped them home as we didn't want to even try to haul them home with us on the train.

I spotted this tag promoting my friend Bee's wonderful collage book.  That was fun!

I love the water fountains.  I've only ever spotted this sort, with the four heads, in Portland.

We had all kinds of weather....rain, wind, sun, drizzle, gray, cold, warm, and yet more rain.
A typical "Junuary" in the Pacific Northwest.

The train ride was great fun, in both directions.  Lots of scenery, both urban and country.  And lots of rather interesting graffiti.  Some of it was very artistic, if one is allowed to admire graffiti.

We had such a good time we are planning a repeat visit in the autumn.

Peony Time

Everywhere I go, everywhere I look, peonies are blooming.  They are everywhere at our Saturday Market.  In my yard they are blooming like mad.

I have three different peonies blooming in my yard right now.  Two pinks and a dark red.  Next year I should have blooms from the yellow peony I added this spring.

I love how they look like cups made of velvet when they first open.

They resemble fluffy pompoms, full of edges and softness and fluff.

I have peonies in vases all over the house.  I'm going to be really sad when their season for this year is over.  I'll miss their exuberance and lushness, and their bright yellow stamens.

Of course, the hydrangeas are coming on nicely....

Three Delightful Days

My dear friend was here for a three day visit.  She lives 3000 miles away and I haven't seen her since last summer but even just three days together is a joy.  We laughed so much!  Every time we are together again we pick up our conversation where we left off, seamlessly.  

Bee & Heidi, the owner of The Artful Ewe

We spent one night in Port Townsend, a favorite place of ours.  On our way to Port Townsend we stopped at The Artful Ewe, a beautiful yarn shop in Port Gamble.  The shop owner gave my friend Bee a lesson in using a drop spindle to create yarn.

Bee uses textiles in her work.  This shop surely did have a lot of great yarns and roving from which to choose.  Heidi, the owner, has lovely things in amazing colors, many of which she hand dyes herself.

We spent a very rainy, cold morning walking and beach combing at Fort Worden State Park.  We didn't find many treasures to take away with us, but we both took a lot of photos.

This sun star was gorgeous and we took turns taking shots of it.  This often happens when we are on a beach together....taking turns taking a photo.  We see things in much the same way.

Lucky me to have had my friend come to visit, even though it was much too short and it went by in a flash.  I'll take what I can get---and be grateful.