One Word Sunday

Mt Hood from above: WS & OWS

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I took this photo of Mt Hood from above a couple of weeks ago.

Mt Hood from above

If you look closely, you can see a couple other volcanoes in the background. Mt Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier are all close by.

The skies were beautiful that day, but at this time of the year they should be more cloudy and gray than blue. Snow accumulation on the mountain has been much lower than usual this season. This has affected winter recreation and all the other businesses associated with it. Fortunately, a recent storm system dumped a lot of snow on Mt Hood.

Weekend Sky (WS) & One Word Sunday (OWS) – Blue

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Sentinel standing watch: ST & OWS

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I took this photo of the Sentinel standing watch in Sequoia National Park in California. This giant sequoia tree measures 257 feet tall and 25 feet in diameter, four feet above the base, making it the 43rd largest in the world and 26th largest in the Giant Forest. It’s estimated to be 2,175 years old.

The largest giant sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum, is located nearby. The General Sherman tree measures 272 feet in height and 25 feet in diameter, four feet above its base.

Sentinel standing watch

In photographs taken from this angle, it almost looks like it’s a sentinel standing watch on long reddish-brown legs.

The Sentinel tree is growing right next to the Giant Forest Museum. This museum is small, but nicely laid out and informative.

Giant Forest Museum

Sunday Trees (ST)

One Word Sunday (OWS) – Red

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Brickhouse restaurant: Foodie Friday & OWS

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Last weekend, 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.

Brickhouse beet salad

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.

seafood pasta

My dining companion had the Rib Eye Steak. This is an 18-oz piece of heavily marbled USDA Prime meat. It was perfectly prepared and served with bone marrow butter (for an additional cost).

Rib eye steak

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.

Brickhouse berry cobbler

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.

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.

Foodie Friday

One Word Sunday (OWS) – Looking down

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Lan Su Chinese Garden: One Word Sunday

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Near the shores of the Willamette River in downtown Portland, you’ll find a small gem of a garden. Lan Su Chinese Garden is the result of a collaboration between Portland, Oregon, and Suzhou, in the Jiangsu province of China.

The Lan Su Chinese Garden mission is to “cultivate an oasis of tranquil beauty and harmony to inspire, and educate our global community in the appreciation of a richly authentic Chinese culture.”

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Kuang Zhen designed the 1.03-acre garden with the help of 65 artisans. The garden opened to the public in September 2000.

Over 400 species of plants can be found here. More than 100 plants grow near Lake Zither, a feature created for the garden.

garden in the rain

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All are welcome here: Pull Up a Seat, OWS

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I saw this bench with the words “All are welcome here” outside the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon church. In a time when we’re seeing divisions all around us, it’s nice there are places like this that exist to bring us together. The split-log bench offers everyone a peaceful place to rest and relax.

All are welcome here

We were there for the Annual Locavore Holiday Gift Faire. Eighty-five local crafts people and food producers filled the building with amazing products. If you’re in Bend in early December, drop in to help support local small businesses.

Pull Up a Seat

One Word Sunday (OWS) – Rest

Geese flying high quinzaine poem: OWS & SM

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Geese flying high over Bend
Searching for good brews?
Soaring songs?

Geese flying high

One Word Sunday (OWS) – High

Saturday Mix (SM) – Quinzaine

Oceans of Emotion – Ireland & Northern Ireland: LAPC, OWS

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Today I’m featuring images portraying oceans of emotion from a trip last year to Northern Ireland and Ireland. The images reflect the eight basic emotions defined by psychologist, Robert Plutchik.

Northern Ireland ocean views

Anger – Winds at the Giant’s Causeway were reaching 80 miles per hour. As each wave crashed upon the shore, froth shot out of a hole on the left side of this picture. It was as if Mother Nature was foaming at the mouth.

Oceans of emotion - Giant's Causeway
Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Fear – The incoming storm frightened most of the tourists away from Carrick-a-Rede. It shut down shortly after we crossed due to high winds.

Carrick-a-Rede Northern Ireland
Carrick-a-Rede, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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Brilliance of the Desert: One Word Sunday

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Last summer we took a trip to southeastern Oregon where we saw the brilliance of the desert.

Contrasting colors atop 9,733-ft Steens Mountain.

Brilliance of the desert - Steens Mountain August 2019

Colorful soils rounding a bend.

Southeastern Oregon Road

Rabbitbrush in bloom near Big Indian Gorge.

Brilliance of the desert, Big Indian Gorge, Steens Mountain, Oregon 28 August 2019

Mountain mahogany trees growing on a ridgetop.

Mountain mahogany at Steens Mountain

Some think of deserts as dull and boring. However, if you look at things in a different way, you’ll witness the brilliance of the desert.

One Word Sunday – Bright