An April Update

Hello folks. I don't do these "State of the Union" style posts that often, but should do them more often, because there's often things going on in my life or with the League that don't always translate into a blog post. April has been a difficult month here, mostly due to the weather. It seemed...

Snow. Really?

I went to bed Sunday night (10 April) with the knowledge that some sort of "snow flurries" was in the forecast. While I've definitely seen the "snow" symbol for forecasts as late as mid-April, I've never actually seen the snow, at least at sea level. (Higher elevations can get snow well into May.) So I...

Like a broken record, the bike camping/touring itch returns

Beverly Beach State Park on Emee and my Oregon Coast Tour, 14 August 2021. Camera: Olympus Pen EES-2. Film: Fuji Sensia 100 (slide film)(expired) Winter camping in Portland is a possibility: there are several all-year campgrounds nearby and we rarely see snow or temperatures below freezing. Every once in awhile the temptation to do a...

The “snow” week, 26-31 Dec 2021

Looking out the front door, 28 Dec 2021. Minolta SR-T 101, MC Rokkor PG 50mm f/1.4, Fuji Superia 400. It's winter, and we saw a bit of snow here in Portland. It really wasn't much of anything, especially in comparison to the goodly amounts that happened to the north--Seattle and Vancouver really got socked. Basically...

Talk about the weather

Sunflowers, Frazer Park. 17 August 2021. Minolta Freedom Tele/Kodak Ultramax 400 It's the last day of August. For many, this means "the end of summer", though in the US we typically consider Labor Day Weekend as the season-ender. Soon the long, warm days will be a memory. The sun is setting sooner, now it's going...

The snow week, plus snow photography

Rosemont Bluff Natural Area, 13 Feb 2021. Minolta SR-T 101, MC Rokkor-X PG 50 mm f/1.4 lens, Kodak Ultramax 400. Last time I checked in with you fine folks we had our only true Winter Storm of the season, a few days of snow and ice, followed by freezing rain. The city shut down. Trees...

A Portland Snow Event, 11-15 Feb 2021

Why yes, it was just last week when I was talking about how I enjoy Portland's temperate winters. OnRhodes correctly surmised that I was "jinxing" things by talking about it. And jinx I did: We've had a significant winter weather event over the weekend. While snow in Portland isn't uncommon during winter, most of it...

The benefits of “temperate” winters

Olympus Pen EES-2, Kodak Ultramax 400. Taken on December 13, 2020, which pretty much is "winter" here. I've said it here before: While Portland has a real winter (meaning: a distinct season) its "realness" is not on par with what I saw when I lived in Connecticut many a decade ago. Here, winter is more...