Pearl

Last night Robb and I wanted to get out and get the dogs some exercise, so we headed up to the Marquam trailhead. We had just crossed over Terwilliger into the woods when i un-hooked Mona's leash to let her cruise the path. Just as she started to trot off, we heard this horrible screeching & yelping coming from behind us. I put Mona's leash back on and ran as fast as I could back down to the road. I was convinced that the animal had been hit by a car. But when i got back down to the road, the traffic was flowing like usual and the sounds from the hurt animal had stopped. We were a bit confused and unsure of what to do, so started back on the trail again. We had made it in to about the same spot as before when we heard a woman far off to our right calling for her dog. My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach. There I was with our dog that is let off her leash all the time in the woods to run and play at her own freedom. This woman had probably done the same with her own pet. I couldn't imagine what she must have been feeling. She was headed closer to us, so Robb trekked thru the overgrown forest to see what had happened and what we could do to help. She said she was on the same path as us just about to leash her dogs before they got close to the road. The same area where we usually leash Mona. Then her dog Pearl (she had another dog with her Dharma), bolted to the left off the path and disappeared. She said she didn't think she had been hit, b/c no cars had stopped and we all agreed we hadn't heard any screeching tires or anything. She said she thought she had been attacked by something. Her biggest concern was that Pearl wasn't making any noise anymore...
Let me rewind for just a sec. After the woman said this, the first thing that popped into my head was a story our neighbor had told us this past weekend. That she was up on the same trail, the same time of day, around dusk with her dog and a dog she was watching. When she came upon what she thought to be a wolf. Being freaked out, she headed back the way she came and met up with some people on the path. Telling them she just thought she saw a wolf, they informed her that it was most likely a coyote. After returning home she did some research on coyotes in the area and found out that they were usually harmless but did occasionally go after small dogs. Pearl was only about 30 lbs.
It's all i could think of but i didn't mention anything to the woman about it.
It continued to get darker as we scanned the sides of the road, all in the forest and down in gullies. It was hard enough to see where we were walking let alone an injured animal. But we still called whistled and called out to her. Robb and i decided to check over on the other side of Terwilliger, wondering if she had wandered across the road. Nothing. We hadn't heard her in over 20 mins, which was unsettling to all of us. The woman's husband showed up with a flashlight and a whistle. By this point it was completely dark and Robb and I were feeling more like we were in the way than helpful at that point. So we left them and decided to just take the dogs for a walk up the road. On our way back thru, we noticed that their cars had gone from where they were parked. I'm not sure that they found her, I can't think that they did, it was so dark. I just hope she didn't suffer too much.
Anyone who lives in our area, please be aware if you are up there at that time of day with a smaller dog. Here's some info:
http://www.audubonportland.org/livingwithwildlife/brochures/coyotes

R.I.P. Pearl

SOTD

song of the day, is this little tradition that Robb and I try to stick to... more often than not it ends up being a SOTW. anyway, we've been hooked on M.I.A. for the past week and a half. We just can't stop listening. If you haven't heard of her, definitely check her out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7sei-eEjy4g (robb's fave)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=knQuxZj9rTA (my fave)

Politics Shmolitcs

S & I had a quick conversation yesterday about a couple of democratic candidates. I'm so torn...
I'm leaning toward the dude, but for some reason I'm feeling this obligation (not sure if that's the right word to describe it) toward the chick. I know that just b/c she's a woman is not a valid reason for her to become president. I guess allegiance would be a more proper word to explain what I'm feeling. Shouldn't I be supporting a woman b/c I am a woman? Isn't she going to break ground for so many new women's liberties when she is in office? fight for fair wages for women, reproductive rights, violence against women? who knows... It's so hard to have any trust or faith in any of these candidates due to what has been going on since the 2000 election. But i guess, as cheesy as this sounds, we have to have trust in ourselves and our country's citizens to make the right choice.
I can't claim to be an expert on politics, far from it. I just know what issues are important for me and that is totally different for every person, yet all are equally important.
I listened to the speech that Obama gave in NH after losing to Hillary. This is the only time that has come to close to the feeling that I got when I listened to JFK give his speech to the Houston Ministerial Association before he was elected. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16920600
Those words are exactly what I'm wanting to hear today. Maybe I'm a sucker, but to hear someone have such confidence & faith in this country makes me have more respect and dignity for what we have here. It makes me feel that maybe things might not be so bad after Bush gets out of office, that maybe we can really turn things around.
None of this brings me any closer to making a decision on either candidate, I just have to be true to what matters to me and keep listening & learning as much I can about each of the candidates. I encourage you to do the same and please feel free to fill me in on your thoughts & feelings on all this...

Plastic Sucks

We've been trying to be more aware of how/when we are using plastic.
Here's some info on why it's bad for us: http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Plasticizers/Out-Of-Diet-PG5nov03.htm
why it's bad for the environment:
http://reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=2

While having lunch at a cafe this weekend, R noticed my iced tea cup. We're making changes...

Sleepover in Hood River

In honor of all our wonderful presidents and a free Monday off, Robb and I went to Hood River on Sunday night. We stayed at the Hood River Hotel right on Oak St. in downtown Hood River. It's on the National Historic Register and is just so charming. Our room had a great view of the river and the hotel is within walking distance of all the sweet shops & restaurants. We did some wine tasting at the Pines winery right off Oak St. and had an amazing dinner at the 3 Rivers Grill that overlooked the Columbia River. It was such perfect weather this past weekend in Oregon and on the way back we jumped over to Washington and drove along that side of river on the way home. If you haven't made that drive yet, it's a must. Such spectacular views of Mt. Hood and the river. 14 is a straight shot into the 'Couv.

Mo

I just can't get enough of her, these photos crack me up. she's so ready to schralp the gnar...

Scarves

Anyone who knows me knows my obsession with scarves. i think they are an essential accessory that add so much to an outfit. I've been using gauze lately, where i just have the fabric cut to the length i want and then i create fray on the ends for a look that's a little more interesting than a standard jersey scarf (American Apparel style). Easy peasy. Mill End (my favorite place on earth) has an amazing selection of cottons & wool for your scarf making needs.
Another one of my favorite ways to make scarves is to take old shirts (your basic tee, button downs, polos etc) de-stitch them and re-sew them into scarves. Check 'em out. I wear the green one practically everyday... that's how Robb's scarf was made from the previous post.

Black & white plaid wool .

Yellow gauze, another regular.

Buy Handmade

It was my mission this Giving Day to hand make the majority of my gifts. It was quite a task to take on, but in the end it was extremely rewarding. The inspiration for this challenge was http://buyhandmade.org/. I was amazed at the amount of pledges they received, and hope to continue this Xmas tradition!
Here's what i made:

• Robb/ recycled scarf made from his favorite shirt that he could no longer wear due to a spaghetti stain/ a sunshine yellow pillow with an applique camera
• Mom/ rectangular pendant with a picture of her and i from the early 80s, covered with diamond glaze/ gray crocheted scarf/ an aquamarine wirewrapped ring
• Leslie/ a vintage heart locket
• Jenn/ natural canvas bag with black iron on transfer bicycle/ a wooden wirewrapped ring
• James/ black & white checkered wool scarf
• Ashley/ smoky quartz wirewrapped ring/ poppy gauze scarf

I unfortunately didn't document any of the items I made so I've asked the ladies to take some quick shots and send them my way. I'll post them when as soon I get the pix.