March is already here

Dear friends,
I can't believe March is right around the corner, which means Z's birthday is too. We're having a very small get together for nachos, records, and Settlers of Catan (we are new catan converts).

I spent much of my February in major job hunting mode. After 8 months of working only on the Hush installation it was time to start bringing home the bacon. I found an incredible outdoor education program, Trackers, that really pushes some limits and expectations for outdoor experiences and am really looking forward to being part of their team this summer. For awhile, I felt like teaching wasn't my thing anymore, but after interviewing and doing some shadowing I'm excited to be with a program that will push me to learn some new skills, but will also appreciate my artist spirit and give me more reasons to explore Portland's wild spaces.

We went on a Oregon coast trip this past weekend and I was hit by a sleeper wave. I'd like to imagine that it snuck up on me on it's tiptoes, but really I just wasn't paying attention and got  sidelined by a foamy wave. Fortunately I was wearing my raincoat so only my bottom half got drenched, but my camera was in my pocket, and my pocket was unzipped and after walking 3 blocks with cold wet legs I reached into my pocket to discover a water logged camera filled with sand. So no photographs of that beautiful day trip. Although we did see three Bald Eagles, the Goonies house, watched ships on the Columbia River heading out to the Pacific and climbed the Astoria Column.

Last night Z and I were out for our nightly walk and I discovered a free library, it's basically a cabinet on a post with two shelves for a small collection of books that you borrow or keep as you please. It was mostly filled with sci-fi classics, but we found a great old cookbook that I'm excited about. We're taking a pile of old books from our collection over tonight. I love sharing books with the neighborhood!

We've had a very mild winter in Portland, not too cold, not too wet, not yet anyway we'll see what March brings us. Sunny days have found me in the garden, trimming back the winter bones, laying out compost, deciding what veggies will go where and making room. Another project has rolled in too. A large installation involving hundreds of paper drums. The Springfield art museum was asking for submissions for a large installation for their entry way and the latest project seemed like a perfect fit. I scrambled to get sections complete so I could photograph and do audio recording, which sound so haunting. I wrote up my proposal, calculated shipping, sketched out the install details and tossed it in the mail. I'm so excited and have a strong feeling I'll be spending my summer in Missouri! I'm really hoping we'll get a chance to visit the City Museum in St. Louis.

Anyway, I hope winter is being kind to everyone. Stay warm!