Hey everyone! Summer is in Full swing in 2008 and for the first time in some years we decided to take a stab at gardening. The soils in our subdivision are not the best as in most neighborhoods…the top soils were covered by excavated fill from the construction of homes and streets. But here in Bethany, Oregon I was determined we would find a way to get as much out of our 3000 sf back yard as we can. Feeding three boys and paying for Gas in a downward economy is not fun.
So off I went into the backyard with some soil, tools, and nothing but some ideas in my head. It has been a while. But slowly some things started coming back to me and the internet is a big help in times like these. I planted seeds for vine crops like cucumbers, Pumpkins, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, beans, carrots, and corn. We than planted Lettuce, Strawberries, Broccoli, Onions, cantaloupe, and some choice herbs. It was a lot of work… and without a drip irrigation it has been a lot of early mornings watering. It was a slow start in May and I wa slike “oh man nothing is growing”.
The kids helped some; my little guy Kole especially. After all the waiting and watering it happened. The first to come was the lettuce and Broccoli! Man it was and is good. The Romaine Lettuce just keeps coming. I can not begin to eat it all and it is the most hardy. The Broccoli grows so fast that we can’t eat it all. Than came the Sweet Peas and Beans…… now Carrots, Zucchini (Yum with Butter and Garlic), Strawberries which our neighborhood Skunk is eating…oh well he is cute but smelly! The pumpkins are going now and so are the yellow squash and heck the corn is making an effort. We are not getting fat off the food but it is fun.
As we ate Cucumbers we regained something that is often times lost. We regained an appreciation for the earth and what it can do for us and for putting shovel to ground and seeing what can happen. It would be hard to survive this way but on a small scale it is healthy, fun, and rewarding. We are enjoying our garden here in Portland, Oregon this Summer. I want to urge you all to take up some tools and some planter boxes, whiskey barrells, furrows, or even plow up some grass and plant something. This has been fun and next year we are bringing in some better soil and probably going to get better usage by doing planter boxes as rows while efficient are not as productive!
Located in the center of Forest Heights Neighborhood this park features trails, a pond, and some very nice picnic areas and play structures. Have a quick look. This is a great place to spend the afternoon.
Check out this great footage of Multnomah Falls in Oregon in the Columbia River Gorge. This is Video I shot again with my Nokia N-95 Telephone. If you dream of living in Oregon where you can Snow Ski or go to the Beach within just a few minutes than you will want to give this a look. Call us at 503-799-8383 when your ready to reserve your piece of the Oregon Dream or if you are looking for help in any Real Estate Matters.
If you are looking for a great spot to spread out and enjoy your day you will want to check out Arbor Ridge Park in the Arbor Ridge Neighborhood. This is just South on Laidlaw from the corner of West Union and Laidlaw Roads in Bethany Oregon. There are a few benches and tables, a nice old school band stand, a large Court for shooting hoops, and a kid splay structire with swings. You could bring the bikes or ride them there through the extensive trail system that connects all of Bethany! This is one of the reasons I live here. This is a really liveable place. Attched here to you will see three Videos Clips I caught in late April of 2008 on my video phone. You will see us looking in on a gorgeous Mallard Drake along the bike/ped path, the park itself, and take a ride on a section of the trails. These are open trails to the entire Bethany Community and one of the reasons that the 800 unit Arbor Ridge Project is so popular! Homes form $25oK to $500K. Call us of course if you want a personal tour. Dirk at 503-799-8383.
I stopped the other day for a quick look at Cedar Mill Park at the Corner of 102nd and Cornell Road next to the Cedar Mill School. This is a park that I have passed by many times but have never spent any time at. I arrived in late April to find the Tennis Courts hoping and that there was an awesome stand of second growth Doug Firs bustling with tree squirrels! There were several picnic tables and huge open areas for throwing the ball or playing with a Frisbee. I could see this was a favorite of the locals…..but the parking lot was pretty empty. This is a cool stop if you are looking for a place to picnic or meet a friend. No playground but plenty kid friendly!
 Check out the field of Daisies I was in. This is a neat thing for sure. Watch my mini broadcast from my new Video Phone! Look for mor eloacl broadcasts as I am doing a series here at NW Home Center on Neighborhood Parks for oyur enjoyment! Ciao.
This past Sunday was like any other Sunday in Winter in Oregon. Kind of a dreary, slow moving morning. I had to work at Noon and so that short span of time I have from 9-11 Am is tough to get much done that allows me and the kids any Fun! But the sky cleared and as I peered out from my morning 3rd cup I remembered Forest Park.  The Nations second largest City Park was less than a 5 minute drive form my home here in Bethany, Oregon. My youngest son was out the door even before I could say “Lets go for a hike….”. And so out we went.
A canteen of water and a PBJ sandwich in hand we hit the car. A short drive up through the magical mile that is Germantown Road and we were in the deep canopy of Douglas Fir Trees that dominate the Tualatin Mountains. We went into the west part fo the Park off of NW Skyline and NW Germantown Road and parked at the West trail head extension of the Wildwood trail. The air was crisp, the the sky blue, the trail well blazed and off we went. My companion and I than proceeded to spend 2 very special hours together winding our way through a series of steep ravines and valleys under majestic Fir, Cedar, Hundred Year Old Maple which were just starting to wake up from their Winter Nap.  We found stream beds and side trails…saw some birds and squirrels and just had a great time. This was a lot of fun and also a very easy Hike. If you have not seen Forest Park or been in it ….you simply must. It is right above the City of Portland and it stretches for miles to the West. One of the best parks in America. We had a great time and Lunch at the trails end never tasted so good. Just a quick trip and we had a great time. Here are the pics of that most fun day trip:
