Faith & Amazing People

I hate when you get a hair cut and no matter how much the hairdresser blow dries your neck, and even if you go home and strip down naked and brush yourself completely off with a towel… it always feels like you are wearing a turtleneck made of human hair.

This post is not about hair cuts, or wearing clothing made of human hair.  It is a brief thought on faith.  My thoughts on faith.  If this essay were about Catholic faith and takled about the saints, most specifically St. Francis of Assisi then yes, we could talk about turtlenecks of human hair.   St. Francis had a thing for wearing garments made of human hair.  That was his way of saying “I love you” to God. 

I am nervous to write about faith since I have spent my whole life doubting God exists.  I grew up secular, not a hint of religion in our family.  On top of that – my grandfather – the most influential person in my life, was a scientist.  He had a very pragmatic view of the world, in his mind if it could not be proven scientifically, it did not exist.

Like every other person on earth, excluding some monks living on a mountain in Bhutan.  Check that – all the people living in Bhutan.  The rest of us fear death. Which is totally ok.  It’s scary to think about not existing.  Apparently religion helps you live with that fear.   Believing that a) God will take care of you or b) God has created this awesome after life place for you to go to, where you get to meet all your deceased family and friends.  And you can eat all the pasta you want and not get fat.  (I stole that from Albert Brooks).

I have no idea why I am here, or where I am going.  Like my grandfather, I have not been able to grasp the concept of a singular God.  Maybe religion is not for all of us.  For me, faith feels bigger than a singular God.  Faith, spirituality seem different, and less likely to get people to start a war.

My faith is people.  Faith in the fact that no matter who you pray to or even if you do pray, that there are some amazing, giving, loving, caring, compassionate people in the world.  There doesn’t seem to be one religion that owns all the awesome people.  

These amazing people run into burning buildings, jump into rivers to save kittens, or simply smile and acknowledge a homeless person. Maybe for all these people this is their way to say “I love you” to God.   I don’t know.  Do you know?  

 

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Escaping the crowds

Trail into Conboy Lake Wildlife Refuge

It’s a June weekend and the weather is finally getting nice so I want to escape the city.  But so does everyone else – the hiking and nature spots within an hour of Portland are busy.  Trailhead parking is full by 11:00am.  I am an early riser so getting ahead of the crowd is not a concern.  I just want something more quiet and peaceful.

I head instead to a little known wildlife refuge in SW Washington.  Conboy Lake Wildlife Refuge is about an hour north of the Columbia River and is a wonderful oasis of animal and bird life.  I arrived late in the day relatively – it was 10:00am but the early birds were long gone, but I still had a wonderful easy hike on the edge of the refuge.

Historic log cabin built in the 1800’s.

There is an historic log cabin next to the parking lot which I explored.  The interior walls are lined with newspapers from the early 1900’s.  Was this for insulation or decoration? 

The approximately 4 mile hike was easy, flat and I didn’t see another soul.  Even though the bird life was scarce – there were plenty of wildflowers to photograph and enjoy.  Next visit I will get an earlier start to the day and I hope to catch some of the 25-30 Sandhill Crane pairs that mate here every year.  Now that would be something special to see.

This is probably a weed but I still love it.

Creative Camp for Adults

 

My love of photography started young, and like many of you, studying National Geographic issues for hours.   My Dad sent me my first camera when I was 15.  I remember riding my bike 13 miles to the Pahoa, Hawaii post office to get it.

Coast waterfall, Hug Point State Park, Oregon.

That was 40 years ago and I recently reengaged with photography.  Learning digital cameras and new techniques has been challenging.  Youtube and all the creative learning websites provide an ocean of opportunity.  But nothing beats face to face learning so I signed up for a May photographic workshop with Hudson Henry.  It was a financial and social leap for me – I’m a poor introvert!

Photo workshop friend at the Peter Iredale wreck.  Warrenton, Oregon.

It was a great experience.  Like camp for creative adults.  I learned so much from Hudson and from the other 9 participants who all brought a different vision and skill set.  We had folks from as far away as the Yukon in Canada and South Carolina.  We became friends and learned and laughed together.  We got up early and stayed up late to capture sunset and blue hour. 

Offshore rocks. Cannon Beach, Oregon (Canon 5D Mark III)

If you have been hesitant to take a leap like this, I strongly encourage you to take a chance.  If you already have I would love to hear about it.  Thank you for stopping by…

 

#realhappiness

 

Sunrise from Rowena Crest, Oregon.

For a couple of Sundays now I have been getting up early and heading east into the darkness of pre-dawn.  The camera and tripod loaded up to catch sunrise pictures in the eastern Columbia Gorge.  Being outside, far from the city, as the day begins and the sun breaks the horizon – that is my happy place.

One of my creative inspirations is the YouTube channel by Thomas Heaton.  He is a photographer from England who produces fantastic videos about his adventures in photography, near his home in England and all over the world. 

Silent except for the cry of the hawk.

He is collaborating with the BBC on a project called #realhappiness.  In a nutshell – encouraging all of us to get up early and get out in nature.  Thomas’s involvement is soliciting photographers (that means you) to submit sunrise photos from their happy place to the instagram hashtag #realhappiness.  Check out this short video and be inspired.

Catherine Creek – Wildflower Mecca

There are some iconic wildflower hikes in the Columbia Gorge and Catherine Creek is at the top of that list.  With its dry climate the wildflower season comes earlier to Catherine Creek.  It’s a great time to head east to the Old Highway 8 turnoff.

Old Highway 8 between Bingen and Lyle, Washington.

In early Spring – the landscape on the dry side of the Gorge is greener than it will ever be – especially this year when we had a long wet and snowy winter.  There is a lot of anticipation for the wildflower season.

Sunrise at Rowland Lake – near Catherine Creek.

The Catherine Creek area has several options for hikers – from easy and all access to more challenging and longer hikes up into the hills.  The view of the Columbia River cannot be beat no matter where you go.  Looking east you see the Rowena Gap and the town of Lyle. 

Looking east from Catherine Creek.

But we are here for the wildflowers.  A couple of days ago the Camas were everywhere putting the rolling hills in a sea of purple.  Making the bees very happy!

Bee works a Camas bloom.

And on this day – I found a rare albino Camas.  This flower really stood out amongst his purple kin. 

Rare albino Camas flower.

I came early but soon the parking lot was full and I was joined by many others.  It’s fun to be able to see others out enjoying the early wildflowers.