I watched my last sunset in Kauai this evening. I sat on a warm rock, a cool breeze made the 80 degree weather feel perfect. I saw a seal, crabs, fish jumping from one small pool to the next, surfers silhouetted by the sunset, kayakers, beautiful clouds and colors. It was the most beautiful sunset of my trip and I didn't bring my camera. The lighting was perfect and I didn't bring my camera!! I made a conscious decision not to bring a camera. Instead, I brought a pen and paper to compose a haiku or two. I brought my camera almost everywhere on this trip and so often the lighting was awful since I never rushed to start my days and didn't worry about time in general. I occasionally quickened my step while hiking in hopes of finding some lingering rays of morning light. Everything moves at a relaxed pace on the island, everything but the golden moments of morning and evening light. Day or night, the views were always great for my eyes.

I'm tired and leaving in the morning, so I don't expect to say much about my final days.

Sunday the 14th - Kayaking in the Hanalei river was much better than I expected it to be. I chose the Hanalei River because of it's length; according to my guidebook, it's the longest river in Kauai and I wanted many miles to explore. I rented my Kayak from Kayak Kauai, based on the Hanalei River in Hanalei. To my surprise, I was kayak the river, bay and ocean! There were a lot of surfers riding the waves at the mouth of the river. I tried catching a few waves in the kayak with no success. I tried to remain perpendicular to the waves, but I was unable to and a large wave capsized me after a few attempts at riding waves. To my surprise, I was able to touch bottom where I crashed... until the next wave crashed into me. Thankfully, all my gear was in a dry bag and secured to the kayak. The river was moving at a snails pace and was covered in yellow and orange hibiscus flowers. I saw quite a few turtles while kayaking in the river and passed a floating pile of guts. After kayaking, I had a great sandwich and smoothie in Kapaa. Kapaa is like a small slice of Southeast Portland; I love this town. The sandwich was made with fresh baked bread and local, organic veggies. Yum! Next time I come to Kauai, I'm going to stay in Kapaa. Poipu, where I stayed on this trip, is a resort town and feels more like Sun River and Bridgeport Village put together.

Monday the 15th - I visited Ho'opi'i Falls. I wanted to see some waterfalls while I was here and I managed to see Ho'opi'i, Kipu and Wailua Falls. Ho'opi'i Falls was the best of the three, two people were jumping and swimming while I was there. Later in the day I visited Kipu Falls where dozens of people where jump off ropes into the large pool below the falls. I climbed down a tree, through and under it's roots and over a mess of rocks and floating debris to find a better vantage. I haven't worn DEET in years, but I put a healthy coat on to protect my sunburned skin from the blood sucking bugs. I wasn't able to return the same way I came and was forced to make my own trail through a cane field. Sugar cane is sharp and after making my way through the field of cane taller than myself, my arms looked like they lost a war against an army of cats. After the sun set, I took some long exposures of waves crashing against rocks. I took about a dozen shots and only was focused. I have so much to learn about photography and my camera. Perhaps the camera was unable to focus in the low light? I was using a tripod. One is enough to satisfy me, but I'd rather know what happened to all the photos.

Tuesday the 16th - I hiked the Honopu Ridge Trail. It was well maintained like most of the trails I visited on the island. I have a greater appreciation for trails in the Pacific Northwest after this trip. Speaking of home, I also miss feeling temperatures below 75 degrees at night. I'm looking forward to the Oregon weather on Sunday; forecast calls for a high of 64 and showers. Wow, that might be more Oregon weather than I want! The Honopu Ridge trail was tough, due in large part to the heat and humidity. The elevation change was only 1,000 feet each way, but it felt like a hard 1,500. I relaxed for the rest of the day. The view at the end of the trail was one of the best views of my trip; the guidebook calls is a "drop-dead view". I had the trail all to myself. I was worried that everything would be crowded on Kauai, but crowds were rarely a problem. Helicopter traffic in the valley below me was significant. Over a dozen helicopters passed while I was taking pictures of the Na Pali Coast. The lighting was poor, but it was beautiful to my eyes!

Wednesday the 17th - Last full day on the island. I spent the morning preparing for my departure. Drove to the north shore, was going to the end of the road and beginning of the famous Kalalau Trail, but I encountered major traffic and crowns so I turned around and went to an empty beach for a final soak. Had Lunch in Kapaa again, fresh Ahi burrito and another smoothie. I tried visited the Lotus Root, related to the somewhat famous Blossoming Lotus (I think there's one in Portland too), but the Root was closed until October. I checked out Kilauea Lighthouse from afar. I decided not to pay the fee to be among a crowd. After touring the north shore of Kauai, I returned home, enjoyed my final sunset, wrote these words and...

My last date is here
With the sun I am falling
Garden Island love

Tomorrow, I'm off to Los Angeles to visit a friend. We're going to spend a day riding all the "Max" rides at Magic Mountain and a day kayaking and/or hiking in Santa Barbara.

I'm clearly in the minority. In reference to tourists, Kauai is for couples and a few families. People keep asking who I'm traveling with or how many people are in my party. A woman staying in a suite across from me asked me if I had any foil. She addressed me as 'you guys'.

I'm enjoying vacation, including most of the alone time.

Some firsts for me:
Smoking flavored tobacco at a hookah bar
Being in a tropical location
Swimming in the ocean
Snorkeling
Ziplining
Seeing dolphins, sea turtles and flying fish

Highlights so far:
Vintage Santa Clara Food & Wine Festival with Pavel
Hiking in the highest swamp in the world, the Alaka'i Swamp
Taking a boat tour of the Na Pali Coast
Ziplining for hours in the canopy of a forest

A few words about my vacation thus far (over 3,500 of them!):

Friday the 5th - I arrived in San Jose around 10:30 pm. The airport in San Jose is conveniently small. I was able to exit the plane, meet Pavel, pick up my bag and ride away within 10 minutes. Thanks to Pavel's sports car, the ride into downtown San Jose was quick as well. I have little interest in buying a new car and even less in buying a sports car, but I must admit, riding in Pavel's Porsche Boxter was a lot of fun! The night was warm, the top was down and both the music and our spirits were up. It was an invigorating ride. Perhaps my desires will shift as I approach the middle of my life. We stopped at a bar in downtown San Jose, had a couple drinks, then quickly left. The bar turns into a club on the weekends; it was loosely filled with muscles in tight, sweaty shirts, drunk girls in tight jeans and others in dresses that could be better worn as long tops. After leaving the bar, we considered getting a late-night snack, but instead we stopped at a hookah bar on the way to Pavel's. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life, but I decided to try a bowl of flavored tobacco with Pavel. We enjoyed a bowl of apple-mint-grape flavored tobacco. Surprisingly, the tobacco didn't make me cough much and when I left the place, I didn't smell like an ashtray! Only a faint scent of apple-mint-grape remained.

Saturday the 6th - It was a hot day in the Bay Area, around 95 degrees. Not the best weather for hiking, but that's what we did. We hiked up a mountain outside of Cupertino and were awarded with a view of the southern end of San Francisco Bay. After the hike, we returned to Pavel's to shower, then we met Pavel's fiance Leslie and her real estate agent at a townhouse in Mountain View. They're looking to buy a home in the near future. After leaving the townhouse, Pavel and I went shopping for dinner at Whole Foods. I was surprised to hear a customer comment on the low prices she was finding throughout the store. In Portland, Whole Foods is also know and Whole Paycheck. Grand total for our dinner was about $70. Pavel and Leslie hardly ever cook, but when they do, it's always great! With skills like they have, I can hardly understand why they don't cook more often. Thankfully, when we see each other it's usually considered a special occasion, so they cook and I get to eat! After our large dinner, that included the best steak I've had in years, we visited a popular frozen yogurt shop called Yogurtland. There was a line going out the door with 30 or more people waiting outside! It's good and it's new, so I can understand the popularity. The place charges by the ounce, offers more than a dozen flavors and dozens of toppings to choose from. After stuffing ourselves again, we headed back to Pavel's house to play some poker with Justin, Pavel's roommate, and another friend (this friend owns the yogurt shop!).

Sunday the 7th - Pavel, Leslie, Justin and I went to Vintage Santa Clara, a food and wine festival on the campus of UC Santa Clara. A limited number of tickets are sold, so it wasn't too crowded. Ticket bearers are able to try as many food, wine, beer and margarita samples as they wish. The small samples allowed me to try nearly a dozen wines and a similar number of foods, including sushi, gelato, soup, pasta and more. The weekend was filled with an overabundance of food and drink, so I'm extra glad we made room for a hike on Saturday. After hours of being at the festival, my cellphone found it's way into a small pond filled with algae and guppies. I was able to rescue it quickly and to my surprise, it was still working! The moisture indicator stickers turned red, so now my phone's warranty is void, but I believe it already expired over a year ago, so nothing was lost! After the festival, we headed across campus to a bar called the Hut. Pavel bought us all a round of tequila shots, then pitchers of beer were purchased a consumed, followed by a round of kamikazes that I purchased. After this more beer was purchased and we headed outside to play some beer pong. I failed to land any of the balls in the cups, but I got to drink beer so I felt like a winner! After the games, we decided to catch a train back to Pavel's. As we exited the bar, a taxi was waiting so we, easily swayed by convenience, got in and headed home. Once home, Justin decided to play some golf in the back yard and Pavel decided to make some more drinks. Thankfully, whatever he made was awful and our day of drinking ended with one foul sip. After returning inside, I began to feel the effects of excessive heat, food and alcohol so I went back outside for some fresh air. I laid on the porch for hours. Periodically, Pavel and Justin would yell from inside to see if I was okay. I had a lot of fun that day, but I'm not sure if or when I'll do that again. Pavel said he needed a week to recover; I think I'll be avoiding alcohol for much longer. No regrets. I'm glad I got the sickness out of me before bed. I felt decent in the morning, but Pavel didn't and Justin never came out of his room.

Monday the 8th - I woke before 7 am to get ready for my 9 am flight to Hawaii. Back at San Jose airport, I searched for some food. I skipped dinner the night before and didn't have time for breakfast with Pavel. While waiting in a line for some sub-par breakfast food, an attractive woman smiled at me and complimented me on my hat. I was wearing a new version of my favorite hat that I purchased at the Oregon Country Fair earlier in the summer. The previous version of the hat received over a dozen compliments during it's short, two-year life. It would have lasted much longer but I started washing it in a machine instead of by hand. I'm mentioning all the compliments because I hardly ever get compliments about articles that I wear. I'm surprised by compliments and not the lack thereof. I dress in a relaxed fashion, not really worthy of compliments! I shared some words with the woman though we never exchanged names. I asked her about her travels, she told me that she was a photographer and visited Ashland often. The people who make my hat, Hat People, are based near Ashland. We ran into each other again in Honolulu where we exchanged more words about photography, she recommended some places to visit and photograph in Kauai and she gave me her web address. Unfortunately I didn't write it down and although I'm sure the URL I tried was close, close did not lead me to her website.

A note about airport security - I had no problems until leaving the airport in Honolulu. My laptop bag was approved according to a sign I passed moments earlier, so I left my laptop inside the bag and placed it in a tray. While I was taking my shoes, jacket and hat off, a security agent asked me if a laptop was in the bag. I confirmed that the laptop bag was not empty and mentioned that it was on the approved list. She pointed at a small bulge in the bags lone pocket and asked what was inside. I told her my cellphone and an iPod were inside. She frowned and said, "this good bag is now a bad bag". In the interest of security, I removed the laptop from the bag and left the cellphone and iPod in the pocket. I never opened to pocket that turned my good bag into a bad bag.

More of Monday the 8th - I arrived in Kauai mid-afternoon. Upon exiting the plane, my jeans and long-sleeved shirt quickly began sticking to my skin. Friends who frequently fly had warned me that planes were usually cold, so I ignored the weather and dressed for the flight. On my way back, I think I'll wear less and rely more on the blanket that Hawaiian Airlines supplies to all passengers. I'm not sure if I should trust the blanket. I've not forgotten what free blankets did to the Native Americans and friends also warned me that illness are often spread on planes. My rental car for 10 days is only $250! When I arrived in the rental lot to pick up my compact car, they were all gone, so I was able to get a mid-size for the same price. I drove away in a Pontiac G6 that looks deceivingly sporty. A quick test of the gas pedal proved it was no Boxter. Speed limits on the island are quite low so there's little use for a fast car. The low speed limits add to the relaxed feel of the island. I found my lodging with ease; weeks of going over maps and reading guide books made the island seem familiar. After getting settled into my room, I headed out to get some food at Puka Dog, a Hawaiian hot dog shop. I ordered my hot dog with tropical relish and a fresh-squeezed lemonade. The flavors were a strange but enjoyable mix. I made a mess with the meal; my hands, face, shorts and toes all got hit with some of the tropical relish. The staff was very friendly. One young employee made an alien face and I replied with the same! I'll probably go once more before I leave and try the veggie version with a different tropical relish. After satisfying my hunger, I drove to the neighboring town of Koloa and did some grocery shopping at Big Save. Guide books had warned me that the price of food in Kauai was quite high , but the prices weren't that bad. This comes from a person who always buys natural and organic products that tend to be higher priced than their conventional counterparts. Now I'm the person commenting on the low food prices at an expensive grocery store! Milk was expensive, around $9 a gallon! Thankfully, I use soy milk. I was able to find quite a few organic products, though selection and quantity was very limited. Most of the produce looked like it had traveled thousands of miles. Eggs were from Washington State which seemed odd considering the overabundance of chickens on the island. I'm going to visit the weekly farmer's market next Monday to taste what the island has to offer. I rented a condo with a full kitchen so I'm to make most of my meals. As I write this, I'm in my 4th day on the island and I've only found one cockroach in my room. It was one of the first live cockroaches I've seen. It was fast and quickly changed directions, but I got it just before it made it under the refrigerator. Aside from a bug, the condo is clean, big, has windows on three walls and has a big porch that overlooks an area landscaped with plumeria and other tropical plants. Surprisingly I haven't heard a single rooster crow while I've been at my condo. I think the island has more chickens than humans. After shopping, I felt like I should make an obligatory trip the beach to feel the sand and warm ocean water. Part of me wanted relax and wait until the next day to explore. Flying is tiring, especially after drinking heavily the day before. One of the best beaches (according to some) on the island, Poipu Beach, is less than a five minute walk from my condo. Since I brought my camera with me to capture a quintessential Hawaiian beach scene, I only got my legs wet. The water was warm, not bone-chilling as it often is on the Oregon Coast, but it wasn't as warm as I imagined it would be. The photos I shot caused me great frustration. I'm still getting familiar with my newest camera, the Rebel XSi and was also using my newest lens, a Sigma 10-20. The photos were not as sharp/focused as those I get from my other camera, a Canon S3 point-and-shoot. I tried manual, landscape and auto mode, varied the ISO, shutter speed, aperture and more. I was using a tripod for most of my shots... After studying the EXIF data for many photos from both cameras, I noticed that the Canon Rebel XSi is shooting images with a resolution of 4272 x 2848 @ 72 dpi, and my Canon S3 is shooting images with a resolution of 2816 x 2112 @ 180 dpi. At this point, I don't think the difference in dpi is the problem, but I'm still wondering why the more expensive camera has a lower and seemingly inferior dpi.

Tuesday the 9th - I woke early, made breakfast, packed some water and snacks and headed to a trailhead near the southern edge of the Na Pali Coast. My plan was to see a little of the Na Pali's famous cliffs (Na Pali means the cliffs in Hawaiian) and hike in the highest swamp in the world, the Alakai. Near the beginning of the trail, there were multiple viewpoints of the cliffs. At one point, I was treated to a rainbow over the Kalalau Valley. The trail itself began as a wide, heavily eroded mess of red dirt. It was steep, a little slick and unlike any trail I've been on before. Looking ahead, I could see moisture-rich clouds that would surely be unloading before I made it back. A couple guys that passed me while I was taking photos turned around due to the clouds; they wanted to avoid the mud. I wanted adventure and was mentally prepared for the worst so I kept going. After the first mile, I had the trail mostly to myself. Soon after, the trail turned into a wooden boardwalk and movement became much easier. On the way back, even the boardwalk was challenging; parts of the boardwalk seemed like mile-long staircases. It only rained a little on the way out, but at my turnaround point, it began to pour huge drops that quickly soaked my clothing. I'm glad I purchased some quick-dry clothing before the trip. At the turnaround point, there was only a view of wet, white nothingness. This was one of the places that I wanted to visit on my trip. I checked my phone for the time and noticed I had full reception. With a strong desire to share my happiness and excitement with others, I sent a few text messages and made a couple calls. I watched the nothingness for a short while, hoping to see a sign of blue or green. Too much moisture and too little time, so I headed back. It rained a lot on the way back and by the time the boardwalk ended, the trail was full of puddles and running water. I only fell once on the trail and that was on the boardwalk. I passed about a dozen hikers on my return, mostly couples. This eight-mile hike took 1.5 to 2 times longer than what I'd normally expect when considering the distance and elevation change. After spending the day in a tropical swamp without applying any bug repellent, I received zero bites! By the time I made it back to a city, it was 6:00 pm and I was feeling sick with hunger. I ate a meal big enough to count as dinner and the lunch that I missed, then I the went to bed early (or at a normal hour for the Pacific Time Zone). Kauai is currently 3 hours behind the Pacific Time Zone.

Wednesday the 10th - I decided to relax today since yesterday was a strenuous day of play. I stayed in bed late, made a bland (almost nasty) breakfast that would have been much better if I had some herbs and spices. I made reservations for a boat and snorkel tour, a zipline tour and confirmed availability of a kayak in Hanalei. The rest of my time on the island will be spent hiking, photographing, reading, journal writing and maybe some time in the water. In the afternoon, I drove to Maha'ulepu Beach. A guidebook had mentioned this beach and said that it would likely be uncrowded. There were about a dozen people scattered along a mile of beach. It was perfect. I hiked across some lithified sand dunes, saw a few rats and numerous crabs, and found a hissing crack and small but powerful blowhole near the shore. I photographed some big waves crashing against the jagged shore and repeatedly got my lens speckled with ocean spray. When I'm ready to relax at a beach, I'll likely return to Maha'ulepu. Overall, it was an uneventful day.

Thursday the 11th - Another uneventful day, a day of rest and relaxation. I spent hours reading in the shade on Maha'ulepu beach. At the end of most chapters, I took some time to enjoy the sun and sea. I'm currently reading Second Nature: A Gardener's Education by Michael Pollan. In the evening, I walked to Poipu Beach to watch boogie boarders riding the waves and write some postcards. Messy writing on the postcards (due to an uneven writing surface, my leg) made me think of my dependence on the machine, the central processing unit. I'm going to rewrite the postcards! It will be good practice; I don't want to lose the ability to legibly put ink to paper. I stayed long enough to watch the sunset. I'm still finding it difficult to take sharp and focused photos with my new camera and lens, but after speaking with a pro that found me at the beach and doing some of my own testing, I'm fairly confident that great photos are in my future. The pro is a photography instructor from Anchorage who's moving to Kauai to run a photography studio. He really liked my green pen. His last name is Green and he was wearing all green, his pants had 'green' printed on them an innumerable number of times.

Friday the 12th - A beautiful day for a boat tour. Seas were calm, skies were clear and the water was comfortably warm. I saw a large pod of dolphins, complete with babies jumping out of the water and lot's of bow surfing. I also saw some large sea turtles and many flying fish. When I first saw a school (or flock) of flying fish, I thought they were extremely large dragon flies. The Na Pali Coast is an awesome sight. Before I leave Kauai, I will hike part of the world-famous Kalalau Trail that runs along it. Next time I come to Kauai, I want to backpack the entire trail (with a friend); it's about 22 miles round-trip. We spent about an hour snorkeling. There wasn't a lot to see in the water, but it was still an enjoyable experience. Dark skies surrounded us on the return trip, but the rain held off until the drive back to Poipu. Weather wise, I feel lucky so far. I can easily recommend taking a boat tour with Holo Holo Charters.

Saturday the 13th - I spent the morning zip lining through the canopy of a forest. Instead of returning to the ground to go from one line to the next, we used rope bridges. One rope bridge wasn't much more than a single rope to walk across. From the high staging platforms, there are beautiful views of the interior mountains of Kauai and below there are flowering hibiscus, mango trees and other tropical delights. Growing like a weed in the lawn-like parking lot is an interesting plant that moves it leaves in response to touch. Later in the day, I visited Wailua Falls. It was beautiful, but after seeing so many falls in the Pacific Northwest, I wasn't impressed. Vantage points were limited and the weather was poor so I have no pictures to share.

The forecast calls for good weather tomorrow, at least for the first half of the day. I'm going to hike and/or kayak the Hanalei River.

For photos, see Flickr .

Current Location: Poipu, Hawaii

I bought a cheap raft and ran part of the Clackamas River last weekend. How safe can a forty-dollar raft be in the high flowing Clackamas? Safe enough it seems. Steering was a significant problem at first. I tried using two oars at once, but that didn't work well, so I switched to one and made myself spin in circles. I switched back to two and was able to steer by the time I hit the second set of rapids. I went sideways and backwards through the first set. It was a fun adventure that I plan to repeat.

Some of my broccoli seems to have skipped the edible stage and headed directly to flowering. My raspberry plant has multiplied many times over, too much of a good thing in too small of a space. It started as three stalks and now I've lost count. Not many of my onion seeds sprouted, next time I should follow all the directions. I planted at the right depth, but I think my timing was a little off.

Still want to plant:
basil
cilantro
dill
zucchini

On Tuesday, my economic stimulus check will magically turn into two 4GB SD cards, a lens filter and a Sigma 10-20 ultra-wide angle lens!

Tags: gardening, photography, rafting

Cippolini Onion
Allium cepa
Seeds of Change

Kurota Chantenay Carrot
Daucus carota var. sativa
Seeds of Change

Temperatures were in the mid 50s this weekend. It was a great weekend for hiking and photography. I'm looking forward to adding gardening to the mix.

The owner of the home I'm staying in misses her garden, so I took a few pictures for her:

( Three more... )

I wish a wonderful holiday for you and your family. Merry Christmas everyone!

... rose before the sun, had a lonely banana for breakfast, was surprised by a morning prayer, helped build a home for a family in need, had lunch with Alicia in Keizer, hiked at Cooks Butte Park in Lake Oswego and bathed my housemate.

I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. Andy, you might enjoy doing this.

Habitat for Humanity works "in partnership with God", hence the prayer. I mainly worked with Robert, a project manager, and Alicia. I was hardly able to hear the quick and choppy prayer, but it must of have included something about invincibility or expendability because I was offered no warnings, instructions or safety equipment. I was allowed to use a massive reciprocating saw, a compound miter saw, power drills and many other sharp metal tools. Actually, I did receive one warning. "The [massive reciprocating] saw may jump a little when you hit those nails". Yes, this is true. The saw also jumps a bit when one unknowingly engages its variable speed trigger as if it's a mere on/off switch.

Once again, it's time to rid my home of needless things. This promotional matchbox car is the first item to go.

Apply pressure to the top of this promotional matchbox car and it says, "Pick Enterprise. We'll pick you up."

Auto Loan (as of last week) - $0
This loan was a six-year loan that turned into a seven-year loan. OnPoint Community CU allowed me to skip one payment each summer and one payment each December. I accepted far too many of their offers.

Credit Card (as of yesterday) - $0
I've decided not to use my credit card for one month.

Rollover minutes (at this moment) - 1,191
My plan allows me to use 450 minutes month. My accumulation of rollover minutes started about 4 months ago. Perhaps I should call you.

Age (as of last Saturday) - 29
My sister used my birthday card to remind me that I'm less than a year away from 30. Thank you. I wonder if there's a list titled, "The top ten things one should do before turning 30". Seconds pass... Google shows me a few.

Now I'm thinking about what I want to do....

(no specific order)

I want to find a long-term love.
I want to travel east of the Rockies and to another continent.
I want to purchase some land, with or without a home.
I want to pay off my student loans.
I want to spend more time with my family.
I want to make more friends.
I want to go backpacking in wilderness.
I want to become a better photographer and purchase an SLR.
I want to decrease my use of automobiles.
I want to change careers.

The above is not a list of what I want to do before I'm 30, nor is it a list of the top ten things I want to do. It is merely a list of 10 things I want to do.

My October weekends have been filled with gardening, both as a volunteer and in my own garden. I had a great time gardening with John, Andres, Debbie and Nancy (a co-worker) today. I'm typing their names because I remember them all and this is rare. I'm typically bad with names, but great with facts an faces. The weather was perfect, both garden recipients worked with us and the last family made us traditional, Egyptian Baklava! I'm addicted to volunteering at the moment, but I think I'll take a break after planting trees next weekend.

I miss hiking and photographing nature. Night is falling way too early. Next Sunday we get an extra hour of sleep, but we also lose another hour of evening light. I'll take the sleep. Maybe I can work some photography into my mornings, although I have serious doubts right now because I'm so tired.

We met at 10 am this morning and didn't finish gardening until a little before 4 pm. I had a terrible headache after gardening today, but I didn't let it ruin my experience. I thought it was caused by me swinging an axe for long periods of time, occasionally contacting solid rock. After working hard for six hours, I realized I had gone almost eight hours without any food. My head still hurts a little, even after a hot meal and bath.

A little more about volunteering with Growing Gardens...
Once again, most of the volunteers were new to Portland. It's been the same every Saturday this month. Most volunteers have lived in Portland less than a year. It's great to see newcomers getting involved so soon, some have only been in Portland for a few weeks!

Tomorrow I'm going to visit some family, eat some food and celebrate a few birthdays in the family.

Wow, two posts in two days!