Spring bloom

There is so much happening around me in the last few weeks and having a relaxing weekend at home was a welcome change. I did a bit of riding on the springwater trail on Saturday and spring is in the air. I did some hiking in the Gorge last weekend and its nice to spend more time outside in the warmer weather. Considering that I lived in New England for so long and braved more than few nor'easters -aside from the rain -- it is so mild here in the Pac North West. It only snowed once and the city virtually shut down. There is some serious snow in the mountains if that is what your looking for. I'm starting to see the fruits (literally) of the rain we endured this winter and the flowers are blooming and trees are forming canopies and water is perhaps the most amazing element on earth. I see the old maple tree in my backyard forming the most amazing canopy over my garden, house, and backyard. It is changing at such a rate that as I look out the doors each morning it appear noticeably different.

I caught up on some reading --a fascinating chapter on the Anasazi civilization in the book Collapse and although I expected to read about the graet Mayans and Polynesian civilizations -- learning more about the Anasazi who thrived here in North America caught me a bit off guard. The pictures of their ruins are quit impressive and pondering the question of why great societies rise and fall was a nice place for my mind to wander this afternoon. I'm tempted to rent a car this summer and drive through some desert and explore the remnants of this civilization for myself.