Outings! – Bush’s Pasture Park
Welcome! By the time you read this, I’ll be back in Oregon after a whirlwind trip to Arizona. Fun fact about whirlwind trips: there’s not much time for things like walks and blogs. Luckily for you, your girl planned ahead for this very reason! So, hop on in the Way Back Machine™ with me to a sunny fall day in mid-November when my writing friend, Madhu, and I went for one of our traditional Walk ‘n’ Talks. Bush’s Pasture Park It’s hard to talk about this park without talking about a bit of local history. As the name suggests, this park was once the home of Asahel Bush (who may or may not be a character in my next book) and his family. The house was built in 1882, and includes a gorgeous rose garden and the oldest conservatory west of the Mississippi. It’s a museum and art gallery now,…
Outings! – Orchard Heights Park
Welcome! Welcome to the third installment of Outings! If you’re new here, please check out the early installments to get a sense of what this whole series is all about. Orchard Heights Park This is a lovely neighborhood park in a pretty affluent part of town. It’s tucked back behind a retirement home and some winding housing blocks. You would never expect the park to be so big or have so much to offer, which makes it quite the gem! The main area of the park has brand new tennis courts (4 full courts!), a basketball court, two baseball pitches, a children’s playground and a small, fenced off-leash area for dogs. There’s also a paved path circling all of this. And across the drive are butterfly and community gardens. All of this would be enough to rate this park pretty dang high. It just offers so much in a very…