Halle’s Smooooth Words o’ Wisdom

Snowy rooftops in Sandy are always a good sign. Hood was very good today.

What started out as a yarmulke sized lenticular ended up as a three-sizes-too-big sombrero by the time we headed home around 2pm. The next weather system arrived more quickly than we expected. Things happen quickly in the Cascades. Especially stellar snow conditions.

Pictured is not my pooch Jane but Ryan Flood’s dog Stella. She’s an alpha bitch of the highest order. In other words, cut from the same cloth as Jane.

Cool Breeze and the Angry Midget showed us how it’s done:

5 laps later we were low on food; it had become an ‘I could eat the ass out of a dead horse’ sort of day. Thanks for the colorful quote EJ.

I went Chanterelle picking again recently. Fortunately the skies weren’t puking rain as they were the last time out. When it’s November in Western Oregon the temptation to stumble through the woods with my orbs glued to the ground is too hard to resist. Plus we’ve eaten up all our stash and need more for a Thanksgiving Chanterelle cream soup. We’re making a recipie out of Karen Brooks’ book, Oregon’s Cuisine of the Rain: From Lush Farm Foods to Regional Recipies. According to the Book the Chanterelle soup recipie is from Portland’s venerable restaurant Genoa.

The following photographs are in chronological order.

These are the waterlogged bits I pitched after cleaning. The first time I visited this spot I parked the car, opened the door and found a similar pile at my feet. I knew that I’d come to the right place.

This pack was my high school book bag and is still going strong after over 20 years.

It is unwise to ramble about the forest deep without a compass. My gps gets crap reception-as do most I think-in the trees so I leave it home. I always bring a compass and try to refer to it freqently when I pick mushrooms.

Today Claudia Howell and I spent 3 hours foraging for Chanterelles in the Mt. Hood National Forest. All rivers we saw were mocha colored and menacing. We wondered out loud several times whether or not roads would wash out or hillsides slide and impede our return.

The conditions were VERY wet and the mushrooms tough to find. We managed to find a few and will probably head out again in 2 weeks or so so long as the freezing level doesn’t dip to 2,500 ft.

I hope that y’all voted.

I just heard on the radio that Bill Bradbury, Oregon’s Secretary of State, predicts a 71% voter turnout. Thats an impressive number given America’s penchant for low voter turnout.

Every vote counts.

A flood watch is in effect for portions of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. ‘Il pleut des cordes’ as the saying I learned in middle school French class saying goes. Here on NE Knott St. some Portlanders’ ingenuity and diy spirit are on display in the form of a homemade storm drain cover and filter. Is there a proper name for this?

Winter is nearly upon us.