An Afternoon Journey

Lurking near Corvallis is one of the peaceful jewels of the Willamette Valley, The William L. Finley Wildlife Refuge. Its primary purpose is as a wintering habitat for dusky Canadian Geese, and when I lived in Corvallis it was one of my haunts. So, when a friend suggested we drive over there yesterday, I jumped at the chance. It's been way too many years since my last visit.

Not much there, really, just many acres of fields for food and lots of water, some oak and fir savannas and forests, and a few buildings leftover from past inhabitants. As you can see, this was not perhaps the best day for photography, and we didn't see many geese or other critters, but the place is peaceful and beautiful and quiet and......lovely to wander through.

This magnificent old oak tree was simply too huge to capture in its entirety, but I tried. I really did.

All of the trails through the property are still closed, as they always are from November to April 1, when the geese are in residence, to protect their habitat. I don't know why, but I have never walked any of these trails. Surely I have been out there in months when they are open! It would be a lovely thing to do, perhaps some fine summer day when the sun is out and all is dry.





I don't know why this old shed appealed to me so much, but it did. I love the mossy roof, the faded red paint and -- let's face it -- the setting itself. There's a wonderful old red barn nearby and I took lots of photos of it, but none that seemed to capture what it said to me.

I think the one thing that stood out the most for me during this visit was my own reaction to being out in nature again. I was like the proverbial kid in the candy shop, so awed and impressed by the various sights around every turn in every direction. I knew I missed nature, needed to get out into nature, and that I'm tired of living surrounded by concrete, but still, I was surprised at the pure aching need that surfaced. Nature is so much a part of who I am, of where I find joy in life and where I find peace. This tells me I need to get out far more often and I will -- in fact, I think I am going to drive over to Hendricks Park, my favorite nature getaway here in Eugene. Yes, it's wet and dreary - but the rhodies should be blooming and the forest path calls.

The daffodils are blooming riotously all through the valley. These were at Finley, alongside the old home that's used as the park office. In fact, there is a daffodil festival going on this weekend.

After we'd wandered the refuge, my friend introduced me to the Alpine Tavern -- a really old place in the tiny town of Alpine that serves as a community meeting place, whether one drinks or not. We had some brew and hamburgers, which are, apparently, de rigeur and which were most definitely terrific. It's a hard place to describe, but let's just say it's filled with untold decades of character and plenty of local characters. I loved it.