Not a day

More snow yesterday and last night with freezing temperatures.There was maybe two inches on the ground from this storm, the previous snows being gone from the pavements but still piled in corners and vacant lots

About 3 a.m., a couple of people had car trouble of some sort, trying to get out of the parking spot below our bedroom windows.  Revving an engine was one thing, another was compounding it with what sounded like a Bollywood soundtrack played at top volume with the boom box throb. ("Rajesh--Rajesh-thub-thub-Raaaa-jesh-thub Ramayan-ayan-ayan-ayan-thub-thub-ayan Koo-Koo-doo-thub-thub Koothrappali-aaAAli-aaAAli!")  I watched from a window as they got out to scrape ice from their windows, marveling that there was ice when the car had been running for at least ten minutes. Either the tires were incredibly bald, or the engine wasn't engaging with the axles, but either way, I knew it was beyond my help when I saw that they both got back and sat in the car while revving the engine.  I wondered if they would give up and get a tow truck.  They eventually did get the car moving, but then it sounded like they were stuck every ten feet as they left the parking lot.


I'm still doing yoga and incorporating free weights into my post-floor routine.  Still seeing incremental improvements. 

One of my moves for core strength, but that's not me in the photo. And I point my upper toes straight back.

  photo from http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/yoga.html?WT.ac=ctg

Day 72: Wading at Riverbend, sliding at Farewell Bend

After church I took my walk to Riverbend Park.  Sunny, blowy, breezy above freezing weather.  The snow on the grass was about six inches deep still, no ice on the main part of the river, but the banks were still snow covered.  Also in the park were dog walkers, small families, some dry pavement and lots of watery places on the paths, bordered by snow and ice.

I went over the footbridge, circled around the restrooms at Farewell Bend, and back over the footbridge.  While I was at Farewell Bend, I noticed one of the memorial rocks, placed by a bench, had an plastic angel and some artificial fir boughs and poinsettia blossoms, as if it were a tombstone. I don't know what the parks protocol is regarding such items.  The paths at Farewell Bend were still for the most part covered with thick solid ice, and I was relieved to get back to the other side of the bridge.

I tried to avoid the water on the path, but after a few times of picking through crusty snow and slush over soggy lawn.  Towards the end, I gave up and walked though the large puddles that were as deep as my shoes, until my shoes and feet were thoroughly soaked and my half-hour alarm went off.
 

Just knock the snow off the trees, the statue and the upper surfaces.  As for the rest,we still have that much snow.

 

Photo from https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7445/11260601106_cc8edce74a_z.jpg

Day 71: Ducks

Back to Miller's Landing, air temp about 44 degrees, partly blue sky, strong breeze.  The iced over car is about half way to freedom, the restrooms are still closed, and part of the path that lies near the river is itself a shallow pond.

I walked to the Old Mill District and found myself at the tail end of a parade of ducks.  There must have been fifty going single file along the asphalt path, tail to bill.  There were other lines of ducks coming up from the river, coming over from the neighboring field, making a couple hundred or more.  They were all headed up to an embankment of bald earth and rock and landscape pavers, where the ducks that got there first were between a wall of a building and a row of paver stones, facing west to what little sunlight there was while the other ducks scrambled their way up the slope, tugging with their bills at what grass remained on the lower flanks.  I wondered if someone fed them, but as all the ducks were so silent, I decided that there must be some other mysterious reason for their meeting.

I walked past the line, upsetting the ducks who eyed me as I went by.  I briefly recalled the Hitchcock movie "The Birds" but there weren't any scenes of people being warily eyed by ducks, so I relaxed and safely made it to the Columbia pedestrian underpass, and turned around instead of wading through.

There was a brief shower of rain at the orange flagged footbridge and some snow bikers on fat tires on the western bank.  I decided not to try the amphitheater way, and went back the way I came.

On my way back, the top area was empty, and the ducks were down in the river, and starting their approach up the slope again.  Some were marching forward while others looked back and watched their mates, their fellows swarm out of the water to meet up with them.

Ana Orellano's
"Ducks in the snow"

Day 70: Miller's in the snow

Miller's Landing, like everywhere else in Bend, is still covered in six inches or so of snow.  Next to the park is a buried car, covered in ice from repeated donations from the snow plow.

The paths had been cleared down to packed snow, with some sidewalk and pavers peeping through. No ice, thank goodness.  I walked for over a half an hour and decided not to go down the path to the Old Mill District, as the slope looked like a slip and slide spot, although the underpass, being somewhat protected, had bare pavement. 

Maybe in a day or two, I'll risk it, but today, I mainly walked loops around the parks' trails.

I went over Whitewater Park's pedestrian bridge and looked down to black river water, iced over and frosted with snowflakes, a bit like looking into a galaxy.  The paths in McKay Park was about the same as Miller's.  I did notice that the restrooms at Miller's were closed, one sign giving the reason as needing repairs, while two of the four doors at McKay were still open.

A couple of the parks' people were out on the river, checking Whitewater's western arm.  They had a footbridge out to the area, with a plywood door that slides into place, with "Keep Out" spray painted on it.

The park needs more work done on it, one of them explained to me.  Perfect weather for it, he wryly added.

Of course it is; no one is whining to get in it! I replied.

In my walk, I saw families and dog walkers, other individuals and couples with layers of coats and hats to keep warm, and one guy in a red tee-shirt and dark sports shorts and soft looking track shoes who was running along the path as though it were summer.

The grey clouds overhead got darker and greyer with a slight breeze from the west, and by the time I returned to my car, little beads of ice came down in a short scattered shower.

pedestrian underpass along river trail, under Simpson Bridge
photo from the Bend Bulletin