#18 Sahalie & Koosah Falls

HIKE #18 Sahalie and Koosah Fall on the McKenzie River

#52HikeChallenge for 2020.

June 14, 2020

No filters used just so you can see the amazing blue of the water!

My friends Jennifer and Erik joined me on this adventure. And once again I don't have a lot to say about it because it was several months ago! This took place during the lockdown and during my complete lack of creativity phase.

iI mean clearly I was taking pictures but I wasn't doing anything with them. It was a LONG year. This is such a beautiful area and the hike is wonderful. We started at Sahalie and walked down to Koosah, spent some time at the reservoir and then back on the other side of the river.

We did get a little concerned that we might have missed the cut off somewhere along the way. Fortunately, we eventually found the bridge to cross back over the river and made our way back to Erik's truck. Definitely an adventure!

#everyday adventures

#thingsthatmakehappy

#iloveoregon

#17 "Susan Creek Falls Glide, Oregon May 31, 2020

Hike #17 Susan Creek Falls, Glide, OR

#52HikeChallenge

May 31, 2020

Spent the day exploring and playing with my camera. Figuring out shutter speed by trying to freeze water, playing with the self-timer, and checking out different pre-set modes. Crowded at the falls but the rest of the trails were pretty isolated.

It was an extremely crowded day at Susan Creek. I had to get pretty creative with cropping and focused shots in order to get shots with out random teenagers and posing couples.  All though to be fair, I did my own solo posing while playing with the timer on my camera (see pic below)!

It's been about 7 months since I took this hike. Since then, our area was devastated by a forest fire and this beautiful and amazing spot was in the fire zone.  

I haven't seen it yet. I tried. I did.  I had to stop before I got there though...too much destruction. Too many tears. Another day. 

On a lighter note....Is it just me or is that an alligator growing out of the side of a tree?   These forests are weird! Never sure what you are going to find out there. 

And on a creepier note...Look at me all posey and shit.   It's a little weird to be honest.  But, you know, it is what it is!  

 

Writing a Book

March 28, 2020-- I think it would be cool to write a book. Not saying I need to have it published. Just that it would be cool to do. I love to write. I write ridiculous things in my blog all the time but it might be fun to write an actual story. Something that fits together with a beginning, middle, and end.  I did some research on how to write a book. There is a lot of stuff out there about setting daily word counts, committing to a set time and location each day, setting weekly and monthly chapter or word count goals, etc.  But it ALL starts with step 1. What is step 1 you ask? Great question. Step 1 for writing a book is coming up with a topic for the book. What the heck are you going to write about? Let's work on that. What do I know enough about to write about?

Idea 1: I used to want to write a book about incorporating assessment into our daily teaching practices. I did a lot of research on this when I took the Assessment Coordinator position with a former employer and I came up with my own take on this behemoth of a subject. I tried to strip it down, eliminate all the high level clutter, and get to the heart of what teachers could do everyday and how they could use the information.  I loved it. But I was unsuccessful in getting buy in from my fellow faculty and was constantly at war with administration.  I love the topic. I am still very interested in. But maybe I am not the person who should write the book. Or maybe I am just what the field needs.

Idea 2: I LOVE adult learning theories and am constantly pushing the differences between adult and children learners on my coworkers and am trying--sometimes in vain--to encourage people to shift their focus, re-frame their ideas, and loosen the reigns a bit. I could write about that. I can go on for days about andragogy. 

Idea 3: I have worked deliberately over the last 8 years to rebuild---no that is not true, I wasn't rebuilding, I was CREATING a life.  It is hard when you are in 40's and then 50's to make new friends, build new hobbies, do things on your own, be responsible for everything, and manage to enjoy and learn from it all.  I faced some hard challenges---crazy things that no one should have to go through but many of us do...like a mass shooting, health scares with family members, dating--OMG, loosing friends, finding new friends, finding my voice, taking a stand, buying a house, changing jobs, a lot.   I could write about that. 

Idea 4: I always have alternate story lines going on in my head--always. I see someone or something and some part of my brain starts creating a whole backstory for them. I can be lost for hours chasing some weird fantasy life I created for someone else. Not usually me--it is usually sparked by someone else I see and wonder what led them to where they are. I could write those down.

Idea 5: I could write the story of me for my grandkids.  Nana #EverydayAdventures

That is all I have for now. Step 1 for writing a book--come up with an idea.  In progress.

UPDATED December 23, 2020

Idea 6: The Socially Distant Life. AKA Like in Quarantine

It's been a minute...

Today is December 22, 2020 and it has been a minute since I worked on a post.  Somewhere after March I just let it go...the blogging that is.  I continue to work on my Duolingo App learning Spanish and have completed 49 of my #52hikechallenge!  3 to go, baby!

Unfortunately the creative side just didn't hold up. I am going to give that another go next year. Bring it on 2021.

So where are we...still in Covid-19 pandemic mode.  Still on some variation of lock down. Schools closed for awhile, masks in public, limited gatherings, no in door dining, and even more of the SOCIAL DISTANCING! Sadly our country is at 18,684,628 cases and 330,824 deaths. That is a far cry from the last time I wrote about this when we had just topped 2,000. Now we are at 330,824 lives lost in the US alone. What?! How is this still happening?

Worldwide we are at 1,723,915 fellow humans lost to this pandemic.  2021 will be here soon and while there are now 2 vaccines in distribution the road ahead still looks grim. 78,364,099 MILLION cases around the world.  

So, yeah...I will stay in lockdown and keep as save as I can be in my little town. Not that Oregon is excluded from the loss. We have 104,950 cases and 1,362 deaths to date.  Douglas County has 1327 cases and 38 losses. It is a lot to deal with.  

Wow. That is depressing. And scary. And so unreal. It's like we are living in an end times movie! I don't like it.

These are not the types of #everydayadventures I want to be part of and these are definitely NOT #thingsthatmakemehappy. 

Overall 2020 sucked. Flat out.  Between the coronavirus and the elections (Trump v Biden--Biden confirmed winner but Trump refuses to conceed) this has been a year!  There have definitely been moments of good.  People have shown up for one another and reminded us all that we are in this together...while socially distant.  Hopefully. And PLEASE for goodness sake -- wearing a freaking mask. It is NOT a violation of your personal freedom. It IS a caring act to take for your fellow human beings!

So what I have done this year? Hiked  a lot. Worked on Spanish. Read. Binge watched a lot of crappy TV and sappy shows. Yoga. Started practicing Qi Jong. Meditated. Spent precious time with my kids and grands. Safely interacted with my friends when possible. Spent a lot of time on self-reflection. Worked on lowering my cholesterol. Drank--more than I should but not out of control. Stayed home most of the time but did manage a couple of camping trips. Camping is the essence of social distancing!  No judging.

Cried. Laughed. Prayed. Loved. Lived.