About West Linn's Willamette

Swiftshore Park, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in West Linn, OR 8/3/11

Congrats to John McCarthy for correctly guessing last week's Tualatin Artsplash, Farmer's Market & Concert on the Commons, answer to Where is it Wednesday...Somewhere in Tualatin, OR 7/27/11. I don't think he's missed one yet..AND he lives in New Hampshire!!

Each week I'll be posting a new picture on Wednesday morning. The title of the blog will have the City where the picture is taken and I'll post the answer Wednesday evening...not only here on my blog, but on facebook business page (please click like and add yourself there) as well as tweetin it on my Twitter page.

Do you know where it is? Care to guess? Comments are welcome! I'll post the answer tonight.

Hint: I'm giving TWO pictures this week..cuz the sun is shining and I'm in a great mood. I took a short stroll to this park this morning.

It's Swiftshore Park!

Swiftshore Park is in the Willamette section of West Linn and runs along the Tualatin River just passed where it V's off from the Willamette River. During the winter this river can get pretty high and I can here the rapids moving over the rocks from my home..love that! One of those things that most people don't know that live out of state is that although it can rain a bit in the winter months, during July and August..and even September, we really don't get all that much, so many smaller rivers just about trickle. Portland looks for those snow filled days on Mt. Hood to have that water run down and fill the resouvours to hold us for those dry months.

I've heard from a neighbor that this four acre park used to belong to the neighborhood, but years ago when the homeowners association went away, the neighbors all decided to give this part of the park to the City of West Linn. Swiftshore park would be something you'd walk right by without knowing as it's entrance is an easement between two residential homes. It almost feels like you're walking into their back yard, but half of what looks like the homeowners yard, is public park that backs up to the river.

I am now on a mission, as the info online says Swiftshore Park has picnic benches and such. The neighbors talk about an area where kids swing off of a rope into the water as well. None of that was found on my walk...so perhaps there is a whole section that I'm missing! I did walk all that I could one way..until there was a no trespassing sign...and then all the way I could the other without going in the water....and no picnic tables were seen.

I might have to go at it from the Fields Bridge Park..which is really close and looks like on google maps pretty much connects. I'm thinking many might get it confused with Fields Bridge Park. Either way, Swiftshore Park, Willamette Park and Fields Bridge Park are all within walking distance of my home. This is just one of the many reasons I LOVE living in the Willamette neighborhood of West Linn.

Here are some more pictures of my walk through Swiftshore Park in the Willamette neighborhood of West Linn.

Here are links to the other close by parks:

Willamette Park in West Linn Oregon..answer to this weeks Where is it Wednesday 5/25/11

Where is it Wednesday.....somewhere in West Linn, Oregon..2/16/11..It's Fields Bridge Park!

With the river so low, you can walk across this quite easily.

This picture was taken from the open grassy area that feels like your on someones property. This is the view they have from their home..Nice huh?

There actually were rapids moving here..ok..maybe not so rapidly

Hmmm..where are the picnic benches??

Once passed the easement and open grass area, you come upon this path.

Below is the easement between two residential homes to get to the river. This view is heading back to the street from the park.

West Linn Summer Solstice and Farmer's Market opening a success!

All the preparation and meetings to prepare for last nights Summer Solstice Celebration to kick off the New West Linn Farmer's Market was worth it. It all came together beautifully!  Coming into this committee late in the game, my only real contribution was to help out on some decorations and to do things as needed on the event night, but the core of the group really worked hard to get all the details, entertainment, sponsors and advertising done.

Interesting how I've always gone to and enjoyed these events never really giving thought to the people behind the scenes that work hard to put it all together! Now I sure do!

Here are some pictures of the evening. The Bridgetown Morris Men in the video aren't just "on" for the show...they truly enjoy what they do and were still singing the night away at BJ Willy's enjoying the "ale" when I was hopping into my car to head home. Much fun and if the smiling faces were any indication of how the night went, it was to me a success!

I gotta tell ya, this is a great neighborhood to live in!

The Bridegtown Morris Men

 

Ok, so maybe it's because I grew up on the east coast where I learned to drive in the snow by going into an empty parking lot and practicing 360's and how to turn the wheel to counter slides.. or maybe it's because this "HUGE" snow storm is so mild compared to what the rest of the country has been seeing on a consistant basis, that I have to smile when all the schools are cancelled, the news cuts into The today show to go on an on about the "Winter storm". Granted, there are some areas in Portland that do get slick icy snow, like the West Hills, Skyline Drive and the Sylvan area, but this is usually in the morning and it's gone by mid afternoon.

I watched as the gal from channel 8 news ...who must have pulled the short straw stood on at one of the entry ramps talking about slick conditions even though you saw all those cars just zooming normally by behind her. One thing about Portland, when it does snow, they are really not as equipped to deal with it as other Cities across the country. Just a couple of inches can have the City declaring that you either have to have studs or chains on your tires in order to get on the highways. Just a few flurries and it's not uncommon to overhear people freaking out and wanting to go home early from work.

It's a little after 11AM and the snow is already melting since the temp as risen to 37 degrees. I will say that it's like anything, it's easy to scoff at the overexageration of the weather conditions, but there is something about the cold weather patterns here in the Pacific NW that can make a easy layer of ice that is under any snow which I don't really remember too much happening back east. I can only remember sliding on ice during those "ice storms" back on Long Island. Here, I've watched as cars just slide down the hill on a nomal snow day...so who knows.

Anyway, this is what I woke to this morning. This is the view from my back deck. One of the reasons I fell in love with my house was the huge wall of windows that looks out into the trees. I feel like I am in one giant treehouse!

Of course I had to take a picture of this squirrel at the low feeder I put out just for them. I have never seen baby squirrels until I moved here. One day I'll get a picture of them, but they move fast! Gotta take care of the babies ya know! This guy played "statue" until I finished taking the picture and then scrambled off.

(Cindy's Blog about Portland Real Estate & Stuff)

Fields Bridge Park, answer to Where is it Wednesday...somewhere in West Linn, Oregon:

Did you know that Fields Bridge Park is where the Willamette Meteorite which is the 6th largest in the world was discovered in 1902? It can be found in the Museum of Natural History where it's been since 1906. As I walked along the Meteorite interpretive trail, this morning,I came upon the replica of the meteorite as well as many descriptive display boards discribing how the meteor found it's way down from Canada to West Linn. Interesting stuff! Fields Bridge Park is also a popular baseball park with it's new turf,covered batting range, basketball courts and play structures.This is a great place to go for a nice walk along the Tualatin River Trail.. I know I see lots of people walking their dogs as well.

The first picture of the falls posted (bottom photo) was a nice find and one that will be dried up come summer. Right now with the rainfall, you can come upon many small falls here and there. This one is right across the Tualatin river from the Park. I thought this was something really pretty.

This weeks picture is somewhere in West Linn, Oregon.

Each week I'll be posting a new picture on Wednesday morning. The title of the blog will have the City where the picture is taken and I'll post the answer Wednesday evening...not only here on my blog, but on my facebook business page as well. Feel free to click the link below to go to my facebook business page to add yourself there.

Do you know where it is? Care to guess? Comments are welcome. I'll post the answer tonight.

Ever since moving to my new home, I have just gone to the birds. I have some feeders hanging from the railing of my deck (which is three stories high in the back) so I can watch them from my windows. It would seem that I've attracted some woodpeckers ever since I started putting the suet feeder up. A common sight to my feeder are the Downy Woodpecker, (or could be the Hairy Woodpecker) since they look so much alike, and Norther Flickers. Yesterday morning, I looked out my bedroom window and saw for the first time this huge Pileated Woodpecker. I grabbed my camera and tried to get as close as I could without it taking off. It seems that the birds are really coming out in abundance lately so I need another trip to my favorite bird store The Backyard Bird Store..I go to the one in Lake Oswego, as well as the one in Clackamas depending on where I am at the time, but they have several all over the Portland Metro area.They are very knowledgable, so a great resource as well!

Now I know I've sorta created a monster for myself, because even though I love these birds, last year my husband and I were woken at 7AM every morning for several weeks by this horrible sound. At first I thought it was something gone crazy with the furnace, but after running through the house..everything looked ok.

I found this video online of someone who heard the same exact sound. If you hear this sound...you'll now know it is a woodpecker pecking on metal. Why would a woodpecker peck on metal?...how much wood can a woodchuck chuck?Did Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers?..oh wait ..that's something else..sorry. Ok..bird lesson over for today!