Summer in Portland

Portland, OR

Camping at Waldo Lake, 2nd deepest, most clear lake in Oregon


Wish I had taken photos of the clear blue water - friends say it's like the water in Hawaii.  There were 7 of us paddling and hanging out at Waldo Lake - a very cool place to spend a few days.  This is our 3rd year in a row and every year we have more fun!

This year was very,very dry - so no open fires allowed.  The one exception was propane grills and fire pits (anything that could be turned off).  My 'Fire Dancer' propane fire pit provided some critical camping ambiance; although the 9 yr old in a neighboring campsite was disappointed that I wouldn't let her make sticky 'smores over my clean fire glass!






The sunsets were a bit more colorful than normal because of the wildfire smoke in the air.  Luckily, it wasn't thick enough to disrupt our enjoyment of the trip.  Sigh . . . . Summer in the PNW = wildfires

More about those wildfires . . . 


Over the weekend, the wind shifted bringing the smoke from the numerous large fires burning in Eastern Washington and Oregon into the Portland Metro area.  Our normally good air quality deteriorated rapidly and was rated 'Unhealthy' for most of the weekend.

Where is the sky????

Normally, one has a very clear view of the hills across the Columbia River from this spot on Broughton Beach.

Volunteering for Greyhound Adoption NorthWest


Even though it's a 45 minute drive and shifts start at 7:30 am, I do love spending time with the hounds.  Mostly, I wash down kennels and feed dogs. They are so fun and enjoy their turnout time - the kennel muzzles are to protect their tissue-thin skin from inadvertent nips (we call the muzzles "their party hats").  They are almost all young, strong dogs recently retired from racing careers - so they are sometimes scared, sometimes rambunctious, and always so sweet I have trouble not stuffing a couple into the back of my car when I leave for the morning. 

Finished running around - now we want breakfast please

Even with thick rubber mats, these bony, thin-skinned critters need a lot of soft, cuddly bedding to snuggle in.  And sometimes, there are as many as 20 dogs in the kennel!    Depending on the number of dogs and how clean they keep their 'blankies', this translates to anywhere from 1 large garbage bag to 4 bags of laundry every day!!

I took one big bag home this weekend - it took almost 3 full loads to wash.


Clean, folded and ready for big dogs to mess up again!

4 comments:

  1. Aww, it is so sweet of you to volunteer with the greyhounds. Good job!

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    1. They are all so sweet - it's a joy! Even right off the race track with no manners (I call them 'Barbarians'), they are sweet and loving.

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  2. Great post. I have learned a lot about Greyhounds from you. Waldo is a beautiful place to kayak. Out to the island and back for the perfect day on the water.

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    1. Greyhounds are great dogs!
      I love Waldo Lake - even better when I miss the mosquito season!!!

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