Kait
Katherine Joined: March 7th 2005
Logged in: May 1st 2011
Logged in: May 1st 2011
I'm now posting most of my material at Off the Map
Travel Blog Posts
Only in Texas
What? You didn’t know I went to Paris over the holidays? I am sneaky like that...but truth be told, this part of Paris was firmly rooted in the Texas soil of Lamar County. Around Christmas, I spent a few days visiting my friend Rochelle in McKinney, Texas, which is north of Dallas. When we learned that the town of Paris had erected a 64-foot steel structure in homage to the original (and two of her brothers were, indeed, in that famed city at the time), we knew a day trip was in the making. Of course, Texans have to put their own unique stamp on it, and perched atop the tower was a bright red cowboy hat! The central business district of Paris is considered a Heritage Main Street of America, and even in the bleak ... read more
Recife fruit stand
I’ve always felt that the best gauge of the true pulse of a city is to wander the streets during one of the day’s busiest times. While the tour group perused the gift shops at Casa Cultural for a little souvenir shopping, I slipped outside for a brisk walk through the teeming side streets of the central market district in Recife. The call of the vendors, the clap of the hands to signal a potential customer, the stalls of leather belts and sandals, pyramids of fruit stacked at the ready, and the smell of street food such as grilled meat or tapioca omelets create the seamless ebb and flow of daily living. You can purchase most of your household necessities within a radius of only four or five blocks. Throngs of pedestrians crossing the bridge as ... read more
Whole coconuts
Autumn in the Pacific Northwest has been ushered in with spectacular weather: blue skies, high temperatures, and the glow of amber and crimson leaves. This weekend is the Autumn Moon Festival in the Chinatown/Old Town section of Portland. It’s a celebration of tradition and history, as well as shaping a path for continued appreciation of culture and diversity. For the past several years, the city has been busy with a development project in Old Town. They’ve installed more of the uniform red lampposts throughout the district, as well as updated signage, poured new curbs and sidewalks, installed public art and historical markers, and planted over 100 new trees. The festival was a way to reintroduce the public to this revitalized area. Two different stages for musical entertainment anchored the festival streets along Third and Fourth Avenues. ... read more
What do you spy?
Saturday was a day dedicated to exploring the Capitol Hill neighborhood. I had intended to start at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, but was sidetracked by St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. The exterior, in part, looked like an old, concrete warehouse. The interior was simply immense. When the cathedral was originally drafted, it was to be much more elegant and ornate than it is today, but the depression that started in 1929 tempered those plans. Volunteer Park is home to the Asian Art Museum, as well as the site of the old water tower which serves as a unique 360° panoramic viewpoint of the area. If you’re out of shape like I am, your knees will tremble and your face will flush, but the climb to the top is utterly worth the exertion. Your gaze will travel ... read more
Night glow
The first time I saw a hot air balloon night glow was entirely by happenstance. I was living in southeastern New Mexico at the time, serving as a missionary, and enjoying dinner with some members of the local congregation. Bobbing up over their backyard fence we could see the balloons inflate and rise into golden orbs glowing in the evening spring air. Dinner was forgotten as we dashed around the block to watch and mingle and enjoy the event. That was ten years ago, and I’ve thought many times about attending another balloon fest. When I found out about the Balloons Over Bend Festival a couple of months ago, I quickly made plans to go. Tonight was the balloon glow at Pilot Butte State Park. I arrived just in time to watch the balloons glow in ... read more
Footbridges over the Spokane River
It’s been awhile since I have experienced the anticipation of the unknown. That feeling one has when you close the door of the rental car--with only a basic map in hand--and wonder not only how you’re going to find your hotel, but how you’ll get out of the parking lot. That moment of excitement when you turn the corner and catch your first glimpse of a vista that is new and unexplored expanding before you. That is what travel does for me, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s Sicily - or in this case Spokane - that is the featured destination. I am frequently queried by friends, “You’re going where? Why?” Suffice it to say they just don’t share the same sense of adventure about some of my more obscure trips. Spokane has been on my ... read more
Shearing a show coat
About a year ago, my co-worker Patrick started talking about alpacas. Sure, I’d seen the furry critters on occasion during drives through the countryside, but I knew relatively little about them. Smaller than a llama, native to the Andean mountain range, perhaps related to the camel? That was about the extent of my random knowledge. Then last fall, Patrick bought four alpacas. I told him that when shearing time came around, I’d be interesting in seeing the process. The date was set, and off I went with my camera in hand to observe. Monte Bella Ranch is located along a ridge of hills in Sherwood. As the name suggests, it is a beautiful area for both mountain and valley views. Due to typical Oregon spring rains, the animals had been sharing quarters in a neighbor’s barn ... read more
An early start on setting up
Some called it history in the making, to others it was mere spectacle. But whatever your view, I must admit there is some magnetic pull toward witnessing demolition. I had mixed sentiments about the implosion of the Trojan cooling tower, which I wrote about earlier in . But in the end, I had to witness it for myself. I knew the best viewing position would most likely be from the Washington side of the Columbia River. So I drove north to Woodland the evening before the event, and then woke up at 5:30 am on Sunday morning to jockey for a position at the Kalama Marina. The press was well established along the riverfront footpath, already queuing up people with stories and perspectives to tell. I wondered what the crowd reaction would be. Would there be ... read more
Overlooking Prineville
Although spring was officially ushered in over a month ago, the weather hasn’t wholeheartedly corresponded with the season until this past week. With spring just beginning to bud, the landscape of central Oregon is not yet parched, cracked, and baked to a crisp. Descending from the plateau into the Crooked River Valley made me reminisce about other high desert locales I’ve called home: southeastern New Mexico, Salt Lake City, and the valley south of El Paso, Texas. The desert grows on you after a while. This was only my second visit to Prineville, which is home to the Les Schwab Tires empire. For now, it still retains its small-town feel where its appeal continues to draw native sons and daughters home to raise their own families within its intimate atmosphere. There’s no doubt that the natural ... read more
Riddle, Oregon, is thataway!
If you were to conduct a quick search on the internet to learn more about Riddle, Oregon, chances are, very little would come up. At least, that was my experience. Usually I can find some small tidbit of information to inform me before visiting a new place. My searches returned nothing but empty pages, and the southern Oregon tourism website doesn’t even acknowledge its existence. As I was leaving town, I took this photograph from my car window. And as I look at it now, I realize that it alone depicts a fairly accurate picture of Riddle. The fact that the sign itself is carved out of wood is apropos for a town with several lumber mills. And even the small re-forested hills in the background signal what is the predominant industry in this part of ... read more
