La Wis Wis Campground, Washington

 Today, I travel from Vancouver north on Interstate 5 to Road 12, through Mossy Rock, Morton, Randle, and Packwood.  Washington Road 12 is a very good road.  It is 140 miles from Vancouver to La Wis Wis Campground, and a 3 hour or less drive.  

I will be camping two nights at the La Wis Wis Campground a few miles north of Packwood.  Here are some photographs from the Packwood area.  

I plan to explore the Cowlitz River today before setting up camp at 4 pm.  

I drove throught Lewis and Clark State Park Campground near Toledo.  

There are some excellent campsites right by the Cowlitz River
in the La Wis Wis Campgrounds, Loops A & D.

My campsite was not level and many roots.

Grayland Beach State Park, Washington

Gray's Harbor, Washington

Hypertext Notebook
By Michael P. Garofalo

https://www.egreenway.com/walking/graysharbor.htm

Camping at Grayland Beach State Park, Washington.  Images.  

BANG BANG - Dead Doves

A repost from September 2014:

Yesterday, dove hunting season opened in Tehama County.  Throughout the day, we heard the blasts of shotguns coming from the surrounding fields, dry creek beds, and orchards.

I don’t know how much edible meat is left of these small birds after being killed by a blast of shotgun pellets.  Pretty lean pickings I would think. 

We have lots of mourning doves and California quail living on our five acre rural parcel.  I am not a hunter, so they are safe on our land. These doves feed at our bird feeders and eat weed seeds. 

Red Bluff has lots of hunters.  We have large numbers of "beer, guns, and church on Sunday" folks in our area.  Guns are sacred phallic fetishes hereabouts. You know, fashionable rural values:  killing creatures is fun. 

I much prefer listening to the cooing of living mourning doves over the blasting of shotguns.  

“Mourning doves are the traditional bird of peace and a beloved backyard songbird. But some people use mourning doves as live targets, sometimes calling them "cheap skeet." Hunters kill more doves each year—more than 20 million—than any other animal in the country.

Doves are not overpopulated, and hunting them doesn't feed anyone or help manage wildlife. Mourning doves—called the "farmer's friend" because they eat weed seeds—pose no threat to crops, homes or anything of value to people.

Many hunters don't bother to retrieve the dead or wounded birds.

American kestrels, sharp-shinned hawks, and other federally protected birds look like doves and can be shot by mistake.

Mourning doves nest during the fall hunting season, and hunting can orphan chicks, who starve in the nest without their parents' care.”

-  Dove Shooting, The Humane Society of the United States

Aberdeen, Washington

I enjoyed spending the morning, from 6 to 11 am, at a seashore site.  You can drive on the beaches in Ocean Shores.  I parked my Ford Escape, AWD, about 50 yards from the edge of the water.  It was cool, windy, and misty.  Heavily overcast skies limited visibility.  I sit both outside and inside my Junior RV Escape.  In the early morning, there are few people on the beach.  

I packed up and checked out at noon.  I arrived home at 5 pm.  Clear and dry road conditions.  

I have explored the small towns of Aberdeen and Hoquiam many times in the past.  

I camped for two nights at Ocean City State Park.  Here are some images of the campground.

Ocean Shores, Washington

Today I am camping at Ocean City State Park.  It is a mile walk from the campground to the seashore.  Here are some images of the campground.

The campground is about 4 miles from the commercial and retail business section of Ocean Shores.  There are many access roads to the beach and you can drive on the beach.  I spent most of the day at the beach.  Many kites, electric bikes and carts, horse riding, family gatherings, digging in the sand, beachcombing, partying.  Drove out to the North Jetty of Gray's Harbor.  The Ocean Shores Peninsula is about 7 miles long and 2 miles wide.  Plenty of restaurants, hotels, gift shops, and supply stores.  

Children everywhere.  School does not start until September.  Across from my campsite a family set up camp last night and left today.  2 adults and 5 children ages 12 to a toddler.  Laughing, playing, chasing, exploring, running, crying, bickering, gaming ...

Ocean City State Park, Washington

Today. I travel from Vancouver up Interstate 5 to Centralia, then west on Road 12 to Aberdeen, then on Road 109 to Ocean Shores, Washington.  It is an easy 160 mile drive, about a 3.5 hour drive for me.  The traffic in Aberdeen and Hoquiam is slow after the long freeway drive.   

If I drive to Olympia, then to Ocean Shores, all freeway or divided highway, it is around 175 miles.  Traffic is very heavy on Interstate 5 from Olympia to Seattle.  

I enjoy visiting the Gray's Harbor Area for seashore and beach activities, marshes, tidal changes, forests, rivers, and coastal retail and restaurant conveniences.  Ocean Shores has many retail stores, restaurants, hotels, services, and seashore activities.    

I will be camping for two nights at Ocean City State Park.  Here are some images of the campground.  I expect a low of 54F, a high of 64F, and cloudy skies.    

My "junior recreational vehicle" is a 2018 Ford Escape, AWD.  

Daodejing, Chapter 52

Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu

Chapter 52

"The beginning of the universe, when materialized, is considered to be a mother.
When a man finds the mother, he will know the children, accordingly.
Even though he knows the children, he still clings to the mother:
Therefore, although his body wanes, he never perishes.
The person who shuts his mouth and closes his doors
Will never perish.
If he opens his mouth and increases his affairs,
He will never be saved.
The person who sees the tiniest thing possesses clear vision,
The person who adheres to the weak possesses strength.
Use your light, but dim your brightness,
In this way you will not do yourself any harm.
This is called following the eternal Tao."
-   Translated by Chou-Wing Chohan, Chapter 52 

"The world has an origin.
The origin is the mother.
Knowing the mother, we know the son.
Knowing the son, we deduce the mother.
This way, we can be successful.
Plugging leakages,
Closing openings,
We can never be depleted.
Opening leakages,
Making too many commitments,
We can be hopeless.
Those who pay attention to details are wise.
Those who exercise flexibility are strong.
Use the light,
Things are illuminated.
Thus we can avoid mistakes.
This is called normal behavior."
-   Translated by Thomas Zhang, Chapter 52  

"If you trace problems in your relationship
back to the beginning
you will find their seeds
were sown and then ignored.
They grew unnoticed until their fruit
ripened and surprised you.
But if you can find
where the seeds were sown,
there you will find the roots as well.
And if you remove the roots
your problems will wither."
-   Translated by William Martin, Chapter 52

"That which was the beginning of all things under heaven
We may speak of as the “mother” of all things.
He who apprehends the mother
Thereby knows the sons.
And he who has known the sons,
Will hold all the tighter to the mother,
And to the end of his days suffer no harm;
“Block the passages, shut the doors,
And till the end your strength shall not fail.
Open up the passages, increase your doings,
And till your last day no help shall come to you.”
As good sight means seeing what is very small
So strength means holding on to what is weak.
He who having used the outer-light can return to the innerlight
Is thereby preserved from all harm.
This is called resorting to the always-so."
-   Translated by Arthur Waley, Chapter 52 

"This world must have begun in certain way;
We may thenceforth consider it the origin (mother) of our world;
Once we manage to ascertain the origin, we could [apply it] to study its offsprings;
After we learn more about the offsprings, we may reciprocally eke out our knowledge about the mother (the origin);
This is my never-ending life-long quest.
If paths and openings of one's connections [to the outside world] are blocked, he will never be aroused to do anything in life;
If paths and openings of one's connections [to the outside world] are unlocked and he is properly motivated, he will never cease [from the quest described above].
One who perceives subtleties is brilliant;
One who maintains humility is strong.
One who would use [the light of Tao] to illuminate his [potential] brilliance will thus leave behind nothing that could cause misfortune to later generations.
A person, who achieves all of the above described fulfillment, is what I called the person with embodiment of the perpetual [Te]."
-   Translated by Lee Org, Chapter 52 

Chapter 52 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi: Text and Commentaries  

Index of English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching 

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices  

Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Introduction, Bibliography, Commentary, Chapter Index  

Palouse Region, Southeastern Washington

We spent some time last month in the rolling hills and wheat fields of the Palouse Region of Southeastern Washington. We drove from Walla Walla on State Road 12 through Dayton, Pomeroy, to Lewiston. Then, north, up a steep grade overlooking Lewiston, on State Road 195 to Pullman, then Colfax.

She prefers and likes being the pilot driver, I am a very content passenger and occasional navigator.  She safely pilots our 2018 Ford Escape, Titanium, on a 2.5 liter engine, at 30 mpg.  We quietly rolled across the Palouse in beautiful summer warm weather and clear skies.  Brown wheat fields in four directions.  No irrigation systems visible in most cases.  

Since I was not driving that fine day, I slowly smoked a gram of potent sativa cannabis during the many hours of quiet staring out the car window and occasional map reading.  Mind tripping potent pot for road tripping trips.  I am sure that cannabis is grown in the heavily irrigated Yakima Valley, and indoors anywhere in Washington where cannabis for recreational use has been legal since 2012, and 25% of every purchase of pot is taxed.  The Palouse appears to be primarily wheat and beans, and largely not irrigated.  A primary rule is "where is the water, and how much can you use." Therefore, you could grow marihuana in the Palouse with drip irrigation methods.  

We stopped at a rest stop in the Palouse.  Stretched our legs and bodies.  Used the vault pit toilet.  We enjoyed looking at the immense fields of wheat.  I held and closely studied some wheat plants.  

Wheat food products have kept me alive for 75 years.  

"The Palouse is the most serene and pastoral of the seven wonders of Washington State. It is a region in south eastern Washington characterized by gentle rolling hills covered with wheat fields. The hills were formed over tens of thousands of years from wind blown dust and silt, called "loess", from dry regions to the south west. Seen from the summit of 3,612 foot high Steptoe Butte, they look like giant sand dunes because they were formed in much the same way. In the spring they are lush shades of green when the wheat and barley are young, and in the summer they are dry shades of brown when the crops are ready for harvest. The Palouse hills are not only a landscape unique in the world, but they are beautiful to behold, making them my favorite of the seven wonders of Washington State."

The Palouse

Months and Seasons Webpages Series

Comments before a Cloud Hands Blog Repost from April 22, 2012:  

I lived back then in Tehama County, near Red Bluff, California.  

Since 2000, I had been interested in studying Neo-Pagan theology, rituals, concepts, and creeds, e.g., Druidry, Wiccan, Taoist, Yoga, Zen.  

I published many hypertext notebooks on months, seasons, nature studies, gardening, gardens, plants, spirituality, Neo-Pagan and New Age topics, fitness, taijiquan, yoga, Taoism, Zen, Druids, etc. Many, many many millions of people used these Green Way Research Hypertext Notebooks from 2000-2021.  These hypertext notebooks are one of my gifts to others in our world.  

I had been teaching yoga and taijiquan since 2001 both privately and at the Tehama Family Fitness Center in Red Bluff, adjacent to the St. Elizabeth's Hospital and Medical Professional Complex.  I taught three yoga classes and two taijiquan classes each week at the TFFC from 2003 to 2016; a great part-time job for me.  I obtained many fitness certifications at workshops and training courses.    

Again, a Repost from April 22, 2012:

All avid gardeners are keen observers of the impact of the seasonal changes in their local environment.  Garden work projects must be carefully timed with the flow of the seasons and weather changes so as to minimize wasted effort, prevent wasted time, reduce costs, and maximize their gardening effectiveness and success. 

Those who enjoy outdoor activities and outdoor sports plan their activities around the cycle of the seasons.  Vacations and outings are carefully scheduled with the weather in mind. 

Persons interested in NeoPagan religions and Nature Worshippers play close attention to the “Cycle of the Seasons.”  Holy Days and Rites are planned and celebrated based upon a seasonally based liturgical cycle.  

 

I live in the Northern Hemisphere at latitude 40°10' North, in Red Bluff, California, in the North Sacramento Valley.  Cities with a similar northern latitude include Beijing, Barcelona, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Madrid, Naples, New York, and Vladivostok.    

 

When I created my Months and Seasons Webpages Series I made the following assumptions.  First, the resources (i.e., quotations, poems, sayings, facts, links, citations, etc.) would be organized by months and seasons so as to be relevant to me, a person gardening and walking and enjoying nature studies in the Northern Hemisphere.  Second, resources chosen would be relevant for a gardener and nature lover.  Third, resources chosen would reflect my interests in NeoPagan customs, Indo-European myths and lore, Far Eastern worldviews, nature mysticism, ecology, and the Green worldview. 

  

Every year, the most popular webpages that I have published have been the 26 webpages in the Months and Seasons Webpages Series.  These "Cycle of the Year" webpages are served very frequently to readers all around the world.  Since they are so popular, I offer the webpages in this series at both my domains: gardendigest.com and egreenway.com.  I try to make additions and improvements to some of these webpages every month.  I use Google Analytics and my Internet web host's (Blue Host in Utah) statistical programs to keep track of how many times these webpages (excluding counts of graphics served on these webpages) were served by my Internet web host to readers in 2011.  

1,287,000 Webpages Were Served in 2011 from the Months and Seasons Webpages Series by Mike Garofalo

January    84,200

February   82,100 

Imbolic, Mid-Winter Celebrations   300   

March   103,700 

Spring   84,700

Vernal Equinox, Minerva/Athena Celebrations   900

April   67,200 

May   62,100

Beltane, May Day, Walpurgis Nacht Celebrations   1,200  

June   42,600

Summer   40,300

Summer Solstice Celebrations   2,200

July   41,800 

August   68,500

Lughnasadh, Mid-Summer Celebrations   2,400

September   85,900 

Autumn   23,800 

Autumnal Equinox, Mabon Celebrations  12,200 

October   103,800 

Halloween, Samhain, Ancestors Day Celebrations   6,000

November   105,000

December   117,100    

Winter   55,700

Winter Solstice, Yule, Saturnalia, Christmas Celebrations   4,500

Seasons and Time   5,300

Index   83,500 

Total   1,287,000

Cell Phone Samsung Galaxy A32 5G

My daughter, April, put the SIM card in this new cell phone.  I am under her Samsung account.  She gave the new phone to me when we all had dinner at the Koran Barbeque restaurant on Thursday night.

My new Cell Phone is a Samsung Galaxy A32 5G.  

Busy setting up and learning this advanced cell phone.  

The photographic options are superior to my last cell phone, a older Samsung 7.

These phones run on the Android operation system.

Reception is good throughout the areas in both Washington and Oregon that we travel within.  

August Gardening Chores

August Gardening Chores

Red Bluff, North Sacramento Valley, California, USA
USDA Zone 9
Typical Weather for Our Area
Red Bluff, California.  Natural History Studies at our Home and Gardens
The Spirit of Gardening

August Gardening Chores for Us

Water plants: take advantage of cool early morning hours, use daytime shade, water plants deeply and less frequently. 
Avoid watering leaves during the heat of the day.
Water in the early morning. 
Use any ditch water carefully and wisely. 
Conserve water during our drought in California. 

Move potted plants to areas that get some shade in the afternoon, e.g, along the east side of a fence that runs north/south. 
Water potted plants carefully on very hot days.
Mow lawns infrequently with high cut settings.
Prune branches of trees; remove dead limbs and branches. 
Mulch and compost: cuttings, leaves, twigs, chips, shredded paper, garbage.
Water compost pile areas.
Manage cutworms, larva, grasshoppers and other garden pests.
Weed around vegetables.
Use mulch to help control weeds and cool soil.
Maintain the lawn mowing equipment and power tools.
Work on carpentry projects.
Pick and save or eat fresh vegetables and fruits.
Thin out excess fruit on trees.
Mulch with straw, chips, compost.
Train vines on support structures.
Read, listen to music, relax and rest in the shade during the heat of the day.
Tend to and enjoy annuals in bloom.
Maintain lawn: water, fertilize, mow, clean, plant, spray, etc..
Mulch, mulch, mulch, mulch....
Harvest and preserve fruits and vegetables.
Paint outdoor art objects. 
Cut and stack wood so it can dry thoroughly. 



 
"Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven with repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.

Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-clad
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles
Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy's inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes."
-  Robert Louis Stevenson, Summer Sun 

August: Quotes, Poems, Sayings


Lammas: Extensive Bibliography, Links, Lore, Poems, Prayers, Preparations, Crafts, Quotes, Notes

Tsugawa's Nursery, Woodland, Washington

Karen and I enjoy browsing and shopping at the Tsugawa Nursery in Woodland, Clark County, Washington.  It is a large and well stocked nursery.  They have a good selection of bonsai and pots, maples, water garden supplies, tools, and plants, plants, plants.

The Spirit of Gardening

I don't have a hypertext notebook/webpage with information and quotes about shopping for plants, plant collecting, local and area nurseries, browsing commercial gardens and private and public horticultural institutions, research sites, and gardens.  

Photos of our Landscaping Projects at Our Home and Property,
Red Bluff, California, Tehama County, 1998-2017.

Photos of our Landscaping Projects at Our Home and Property,
Vancouver, Clark County, Washington, 2017-2021

  

Here is a photo of me and a Nandidia bamboo like plant on a cart
from a past Covid Winter trip to Tsugawa's.  

Paths of Beauty

"Walking is a spiritual practice that yields so many dividends: replenishment of the soul, connection with the natural world, problem-solving, self-esteem, health and healing, and heightened attention. Movement seems to encourage dialogue and conviviality, leading to richer conversations with soul mates, friends, and even strangers. Artists report that walking activates the imagination and opens up the creative process. It is deeply restorative. Throughout time, walking has played an enormous role in the devotional life of people from all the world's religions: prayers and mantra practice while walking, pilgrimage to sacred sites, walking the labyrinth, walking meditation, and informal spiritual practices that make the most of strolling, sauntering, or cavorting."
- Walking and Spirituality


"Walking:
Improves your circulation
Shores up your bones
Leads to a longer life
Lightens mood
Can lead to weight loss
Strengthens muscles
Improves strength
Supports your joints
Improves your breath
Slows mental decline
Lowers Alzheimer’s risk
Helps you do more, longer."
– Arthritis Foundation, Walking Program, 2016




One of my walking paths is at Fuller Park, Salmon Creek area, in Vancouver, Washington.  

Walking: Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Facts, Lore.  Complied by Mike Garofalo.