Benches

Wooden benches are stacked behind the Pioneer Mothers cabin at Champoeg State Park.

Memorial

A memorial "bell" stands near the well to the side of the Pioneer Mothers cabin at Champoeg State Park.

Closer

The well's wooden roof is rich in plant life.

Moss-roof

The roof of a well at Champoeg State Park is thickly padded with moss and other growing things. Like a man-made nursery log.

Sharp

A single fern in front of the Pioneer Mothers cabin at Champoeg State Park. Green. Covered in spores.

Fenced

Champoeg Park's Pioneer Mothers has a section of fence, weathered, that offered a boundary for a pair of trees. I liked the perspective.

Rain Trees

On rainy days, the condensation on the bus windows filters the light and softens the outline of distant trees.

Brake

The brake lights on the back of the bus protrude just a touch from the otherwise fairly flush surfaces. Like frogs' eyes.

Reflective

This reflective strip on the emergency exit at the back of the bus is just one of many. In general, school buses are covered with reflective strips and surfaces. Safety first!

Clearance

Clearance lights on the back of the bus. They glow in the dark.

Same Signals

Straight-on look at those same rear signals. I like the color contrast. And the surface texture.

Signals

Turn and brake signals. On the back of the bus.

Squiggles

Finger drawings in the fog on a bus window. I like the way the light shines through.

Chrome Yellow

Side of the bus. Trees in the background.

Pinks

I almost walked right by this trunk. Almost missed the pale pink leaves that rise from the dark green moss. Contrast-y.

Sharp Ferns

A patch of sword ferns shoots out into the walkway in front of the Pioneer Mothers building at Champoeg State Park.

Bell-Shaped

It's on the lawn next to the Pioneer Mothers building at Champoeg State Park. It looks like a bell. Or a sun-dial.

Ivy

What it says on the tin.

Carpet Verde

A carpet of green and needles. At the base of a trunk. With water.

Rhododendron's Ready

Late winter bud on a rhododendron at Champoeg State Park. Should be opening any day now.

Through

Trees in perspective. Looking past a bit of moss at the meeting of branch and trunk.

Looking Up

Couldn't help but notice how the moss follows the trunk right up into the gray sky beyond.

Lichen

Lichen on a broken branch. Found on the ground.

Trunk

A bit of lichen grows along the edge of a tree trunk at Champoeg State Park.

Self-Contained

I agreed to take in this plant for a friend who was in the middle of a big move. More than a decade later, I still have the plant. It sits in the window next to my desk in my office.

Pink Tufted

Same estate sale. Different pillow. Great conversation starter (but not very comfortable).

Pin-tuck

I found this pillow at an estate sale on the north side of town. It sits on an olive upholstered rocker in my office.

Bible Friend

This figure of a friendly, suited, Bible-carrying gentleman was my gift at a staff white elephant gift exchange in 2011. He's standing in front of a small framed print of a scene in which Mary and a toddler Jesus are reaching out to pet a lamb with a daisy-chain necklace.

Wind-up

I found this wind-up travel alarm clock at an estate sale during my first summer back in Newberg. I make sure it's wound in the evening before I head home and again in the morning, first thing after getting into the office. It ticks in the background all day, every day, reminding me of the sounds of my grandmother's house, a place where every room has just such a clock.

Final Closure

The path appears clear, but off in the distance, there's another stand of water. Walkers beware.