Magic scarlet runner beans

Camping in summer past

Mt. Jefferson Wilderness

wilderness exercise includes climbing gorgeous mountains and doing yoga amidst the trees

Baby snakes!!!

Dinner for two please

It's kind of amazing that the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area is one of the most visited wilderness areas in Oregon because we crossed paths with virtually no other humans during our time there. Clearly, the non-human animals were unprepared to share their space. We deemed this adventure our "invisible animal trip." What does this mean? Well, let me tell you...

While I was leading the way down the narrow path on one of our hikes, my big, scary footsteps were enough to send a big old brown bear packing, or at least that's what I'm pretty sure it was from the blur of it's backside. A coyote peed about two inches away from the front door of our tent one night - denoted by the smell, puddle size, and sleuth nature I know coyotes to have. (Tanya, initially, thought it was me. But no, even in the middle of the night when I'm cold and half awake, I do not pee two inches away from the tent door thank you very much.) Last, but not least a crazy big elk came galloping at us from the dense trees while we were calmly watching the sunset all of twenty feet away.

The Invisible Elk.

I stopped talking to Tanya in mid-sentence as I picked up the distant sounds of heavy, solid feet coming at us and quickly started singing...loudly. The tension rose and as we both sang our tuneless hearts out waiting for the inevitable body to come crashing out from the greenery, it stopped...changed direction and galloped away. Hence, the invisible elk.

We never really saw any of them, but they were there. It was awesome (though I have to admit I had trouble sleeping after being charged by an invisible elk:)

It's snowing...again. I mean, "yea!"

Pooch? Not a big fan of snow.

the new puzzle

and my friend, Hannah, who likes doing puzzles as much as I do. yea!!!

The finished product:)

puzzle update

I remembered to get a picture of me!

With me is Jerry, a previous co-worker of mine from REI and currently, my neighbor.  He leads outdoor trips around the Northwest and on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I was his assistant up on Mt. Hood.  It was only my second time snowshoeing.  

Despite the angry winds sweeping Portland and the surrounding area, we followed our trusty guide to the southeastern side of the mountain where there was absolutely no wind nor a cloud in the sky.  It was cold, but gorgeous.

Some of the pictures below seem like crazy combinations of color, but I swear that it was it actually looked like.  We were driving back as the sun was setting and the colors were fantastic. Depending on the light a tree received, it could have been green and lush with life or completely encased in glassy ice.  The transitions between these two scenes were abrupt and awe-inspiring.

Snowshoeing on Mt. Hood

My current 2000 piece puzzle

Dar Es Salaam

Fairy portals, arbutus, and love...oh my!

Fall Fair!

By the way, below on the green slide is The great zucchini race!

Fall Fair!!!!

It feels like my time is almost up

Sometimes in the middle of the night as I stumble my way to the bathroom, I stand in the dark and listen to the seals dream. Small splashes, grunts and groans, and the recent full moon leave me wanting more. I'm not ready to leave, but it feels like my departure is right around the corner.

Outside of animal care, many things have happened since my last post. I was asked by Jeff, the centre's founder, to give an educational presentation to a group at a retirement home which was quite an honor, particularly since Jeff hasn't said more than a handful of words to me during the entire internship. I won't be doing the presentation because it isn't for another week past my planned departure date...oh well.

The other day, I hiked Mt. Erskine, about 1400 ft. in an hour, to see what is supposedly one of the best views in British Columbia. It was beautiful though almost every view around here looks gorgeous. If you manage to increase your elevation in this part of the world through any means (hiking, planing, or spontaneously becoming a bird) suddenly you find yourself looking down on Pacific inlets, narrows, and ferries busily buzzing between the many green-spiked islands. If you're lucky, beyond the green humps, you will see snow-capped mountains ringing the horizon. I always feel like I have become part of a map and I find myself looking for the key on the tops of mountains. (The zoomed-in granite photo above is a monument to a hiker which we found on the top of Mt. Erskine...I hope that you all can read it.)

I have become the informal staff photographer around here. The "no picture taking" rules have been negotiated as the other interns and staff have set their own cameras down in lieu of getting copies of my shots. This means that I have had the opportunity to get close-ups of several off-limits seals and to spend some of my work time wandering with camera in hand to better catch everyone in action. (Now the only trick is getting pictures of me. My room-mate Crystal, the best room-mate in the world, is working on it. She grabs my camera every so often and sneaks around trying to catch me.)

Enjoy the new photos!

I got to experience Salt Spring's first pride parade!

...and it was awesome!