In Honor of my Mom

We woke up way before other campers, and quietly put our minimal gear away as we have a VW camper van - my husband married me with a 68 vintage model and that has been replaced now twice. This is a EuroVan and drives like a dream - not the case in earlier models as many know.

Anyway, headed across Oregon and along the way found a most deteriorated lime plant that I finished my film roll on; the light was fabulous at 7:00 AM and I sure hope for results. And then to Baker City - we have never gone all the way into this once big mining town with quite the collection of early 1900's grand buildings. There was a motor cycle rally this weekend there, 8000 cyclists for rides into Hells Canyon and then gathering in town. Sunday morning the streets were quiet and the leathered and bandana scarfed riders were subdued. We met an amazing guy further down the freeway at a rest stop who would have made a portrait beyond description. But I am simply too shy to make portraits of anything but the industrial leftovers I love.

We drove all side roads after we crossed the Oregon/Washington border heading for a tiny town that is on the east side of Mt Rainier on the dry fruit growing side the way the birds would fly. Humans have more twisting and turning to follow the canyons there.

I have wanted to go to this tiny town named Tieton and pronounced tie 't ton - a fruit growing area west of Yakima that is now host to a small arts community centered in an old apple warehouse. I love piles of apple boxes, for all kinds of reasons. Not the least is because my mother grew up an apple orchard - a big one - further north and just east of the Methow Valley. My grandfather started it in the early 1900's and lost it during the depression. He died shortly after that, the loss simply broke his spirit.

We were planning to hike and camp in the Mt Rainier area but rain and cold drove us to our little cabin on logs and gads we love the simplicity of it.