Spring at Salmon Creek

It's spring at Salmon Creek! Jeff and I walked until we came to a stop. The trail had flooded. All this rain we've gotten in the last few days fed the creek and it detoured onto every low-lying piece of land in its path.

We glimpsed cormorants fishing in the water and an eagle atop a very tall tree. Also heard tons of birds singing their little throats out. Yes, I believe spring is here to stay.

Murphy Monday -- Hiking at Whipple Creek

Yesterday was so gorgeous, I told Jeff we needed to get out and hike. At first, I wanted to go to the Columbia Gorge, but we ended up closer to home after googling various parks in the Vancouver area.


Murphy thoroughly loved the trail, especially with the abundance of horse smells and muck. Several horseback riders passed us at different points and our dog behaved himself. One horse reared back when he saw Murphy, but finally walked past after much persuasion.

Hard to believe much of the US is still under a blanket of snow--another reason to spend spring in the Northwest!

What's Going On In Vancouver

Just a brief update:

* It's barely over a month since we moved into our north Vancouver neighborhood. The house now has a new roof and I'm still finding roofing nails in odd places like the shrubbery and slats between deck boards. No bare feet outdoors.

* A duo of frogs has taken up residence by the fish pond in our backyard. At first, their "ribbett riddee" sounded quite charming. Now we're getting a bit tired of the constant barrage from their froggy throats. But the funny part -- Murphy thinks a HUGE creature must be making all that HUGE noise -- so when the frogs start up their nightly chorus, he rushes outside to see if he can ambush monsters. If he only knew; these frogs are hardly an inch long!

* I saw my nephew Austin play in a rugby game yesterday. Rugby rules are still unclear to me. But how can the bottom person in the pile (I think it's called a scrum) survive all that squishing?

* People actually say "hi" to strangers here on the street. Almost fainted the first time that happened, after living in Germany for four years.

* There is no good English word to substitute for stau (traffic jam).

* I found some potential walking partners and take my first walk with them tomorrow morning. Yes! After several months of hotel stays and restaurant food, exercise is a priority. Unpacking boxes might fit into the category of aerobic exercise, but I need a little more intensity. Plus it's fun to talk and walk.

* That's all I can think of for the moment.

Proof

A few photos to prove that the sun does indeed shine in the Northwest in February. Although today, we're back to sheets of rain.


These sculptures stood in the courtyard between a hospital and the medical clinic I visited a few days ago. Vibrant red--a fittlng color for any health facility, eh?

Yes, I'm Still Alive

Contrary to what you might think, I am alive and kicking. Had an awful cold/flu for the first few weeks after arriving in Vancouver. All those people hacking on the plane did it to me, I think.

But now I've re-joined the land of the living! I like being able to breathe normally again.

A few first impressions from the day we landed:

* How weird to walk into a store and understand people's conversations, without even trying.

* Nobody clapped when the plane landed safely. I like that European custom!

* Free water in restaurants. A novel concept.

* How can there be an entire row in the grocery store dedicated to various types of salad dressing?