Smith & Bybee

The day after Thanksgiving, it's traditional for our family to go for a walk in the woods. This year, we went to Smith and Bybee Wetlands, right here in Portland. Elizabeth had gone there on a field trip a few weeks ago. It's sprawling, preserved wetlands on the peninsula where the Willamette and Columbia Rivers meet.

We've been enjoying a beautiful autumn this year, and while today was much colder than the oddly-warm weather we had on Thanksgiving, it was great to be out. We had a nice walk, saw some birds, and soaked up some much-needed sunshine. As they say in Westeros, Winter is coming.

Suzanne loves Elizabeth!

That diamond-shaped marker above Elizabeth's head is the height of the water during the 1996 flood. This flood occurred six months or so before Barb and I moved to Portland.

A walk in the woods.

You can't see them, but there are lots of mallard ducks and one heron in this landscape.

Suzanne scoping the heron. The monocular she's got hanging around her neck (a gift from Uncle Mark and Aunt Mary) is useful, but less powerful than the binoculars. 

You can see why waterfowl would like this place.