A Winter's Walk

Sun, snow, and the remnants of fall

By Mark Smith

March 4^th, 2023

Welcome to Portlandia.

Over the past 25 years Nancy and I had explored Portland's Washington Park, and loved its forested trails and its distant views of the Northwest's great peaks.

But this time we happened to be there on an exceptional early-winter day, with a light snow covering the park. It was magical.

Guiding us were my brother-in-law Dave and his wife Donna, long-time Portlandians who know the trails. We headed into the forest, with me lagging behind as usual.

Leaves doing their thing

As we passed through the Park's great variety of trees, I was noticing the color, shape, and texture of the leaves, including those that had already fallen.

All around us, in their various stages of growth and decline, leaves display how intricate, fragile - and amazingly resilient - life can be. And as you walk among them they are a constant reminder of the passage of time.

The Japanese Garden

The trails eventually led us to the Portland Japanese Garden. With the falling snow, the Garden was extraordinarily beautiful.

And just when we thought the day couldn't get any better - or any colder, for us Southern Californians - there was the Umami Cafe, a traditional Japanese tea house ready to warm us with hot tea and miso soup, and send us on our way :-)