Week 7 of my 52 Week Challenge

Week eight in my 52 week challenge. So far this challenge thing is working great for me. I like the accountability and responsibility I feel when I put a hike on the Hike it Baby calendar. It just the right type and amount of pressure I thrive under. It's a similar feeling I get working the HHBB booth at the Beaverton Market. This week we met both of our weekly challenges in one day...and will most likely add a couple more as we head up to Christina and Bobby's for a couple of days.


Hike #7
Date: February 13, 2018
Place: Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area
Route: Interlakes Trail
Distance: 1.9 miles

Well, for the first time I had what is known in the HiB world as a No Show. No one showed up for the hike in the Smith and Bybee Wetlands that I posted on the calendar...it happens, and there are a million reasons why, no biggie. It was a beautiful day, so Lake and I went on the hike/walk anyway. This place is built to be accessible, so we enjoyed a paved path pretty much the whole way. There was one part of the trail with a raised metal type boardwalk, with so side rails, leading out to a viewing deck. We didn't view very many birds, I was hoping for a bald eagle...pretty sure it had nothing to do with the loud running child in my company.

One of the things I think is amazing about Portland is the public art that seems to be everywhere...especially sculptures. Both the places we went on Tuesday had public art in the form of sculptures that were designed and intended for interaction. I love being able to touch, feel, climb on, become part of the art. It's one of the things I really enjoy about the Winter Light Festival too.

Anyway, this is what I found on line about the really cool sculptures at Smith and Bybee Wetlands:
Ecology Stones ...
Near the parking area are pieces of sculpture - "Ecology Stones" - which look like seedpods, skulls, flower buds, diatoms, native tools, and even a turtle egg embryo.
According to the Portland Regional Arts & Culture Council's website (2016):

Artists: Fernanda D'Agostino and Valerie Otani

Title: Ecology Stones from the group Flows and Eddies

Date: 2004

Medium: Basalt

Discipline: sculpture

Dimensions: variable

Location: Smith & Bybee Lakes, parking area

Description: "Forms found in the natural habitat of the lakes are carved in monumental scale basalt boulders, creating a "teaching landscape" that awakens viewers to the rich plant and animal life that surrounds them." 

 As I was looking up info for these sculptures just now I remembered that these sculptures look a lot like ones I've seen at PSU when I've driven down SW 6th St. So, as I've said before, there is no reason to have a question with the all mighty Google around, I looked it up and sure enough, those sculptures of giant diatoms at PSU are made by Fernanda D'Agostino as well.

Park #8
Date: February 13, 2018
Place: Arbor Lodge Park - Harper's Playground - 2525 N Dekum Street

 

 From the Portland Parks and Recreation page:

Constructed in 2012 in Arbor Lodge Park, Harper's Playground is the result of a public-private partnership between PP&R and the Goldberg family. It is named after their daughter, Harper, whose enjoyment of this neighborhood park inspired them to spearhead a community fundraising effort to build a universally accessible playground. The thoughtful design allows people of all ages and abilities to easily play together. Features include an elevated sand table with a water pump, a xylophone, climbing walls for ages 2-5 and a separate wall for 5-12 year olds, and a pair of universally-accessible adaptive swings. It is the first of its kind in the Portland area.

Knowing that Lake would still have some energy to burn off after our HiB walk at Smith & Bybee, I looked at the map for a park not too far away. There are a fair number of parks in North Portland, but I remembered reading about Harper's Playground and wanted to check it out. It was a great choice.

Like the last place we went, like many places in Portland, there was a collection of public art sculptures to folks to interact with....these were all ocean themed, sea turtles, star fish, and octopus...and a crocodile, which is not form the ocean, but was there, standing proud next to the sand box.

 Lake really loves hammocks, he swings in the one at his school all the time. He was eager to get on this cool disc type hammock, I think it's one of the pieces of adapted play equipment. Lake loved it and wanted me to swing him higher and higher in it, he was practically sideways in it.

 He played until he couldn't even hold himself up any more! Totally tuckered out, fell fast asleep on the way home. Score another one for this adventurous duo.