On Mother's Day, May 9th, my son took my husband and I on a picnic to Silver Falls State Park. JImmy brought along his dog, J.J., and his girlfriends dog, Chewy. J.J. is the brown dog and Chewy is the white and black dog. Apparently the name Chewy fits him as my son said the dog chewed up their couch, which was a hand-me-down from us. Bad doggie!
Silver Falls State Park is most noted for its multitude of waterfalls. I got a few shots of one but since there were so many people there also enjoying the park, we did not take the hikE. Way too many people and their pets on the trails.
The park had a couple of raptors on exhibit.
There was a great horned owl. He was so lovely and very large, much larger than I had expected! The expert said that he had been badly injured when he was young and is unable to be released back into the wild as he could not take care of himself. She told us that these owls can lift three times their weight! I felt like the owl was keeping a close eye on me.
The other raptor was a red-tailed hawk. He had also been injured and could not go back into the wild. The handler told us that these animals are working. The federal government provides money for their care and in return, they must make visits to places and be on display. They each must do this at least several times a year. No free rides!
On the way home, as we drove through one area of Silverton, I saw a mural on a wall and just had to stop to take some photographs. It was so pretty! The couple is quite dressed up for a picnic.
The other half of the mural says "Return to the day, when they'd steal away, to sneak a kiss, or moonshine or fish, 'neath the old covered bridge, named the Gallon House, after a place nearby,
cross the Abiqua, to Mt. Angel, when Silverton was 'dry' In nineteen hundred and sixteen,
built to last, the years have passed, oh, the stories it has seen."
When I turned around, I saw another long mural across the street! Of course, I just had to trot over there and photograph it! Since it was so long, I had to do it in sections. This mural was about a dog called Silverton Bob. The poem says: You hunted garages and alleys, wended through byways and lanes, tramped over mountains and valleys, through sunshine, cold sleet and rain. Over pavement and rough road you traveled, __ automobile was your quest, to find it along with your master, headed for home and the West. Arriving here footsore and weary, tramping near three thousand miles, your master was tickled to see you, and greet you again with his smiles.
You can read an article about this amazing dog at this site:
One of these days when I have the wanderlust, I am going to travel back to Silverton and explore the other murals! Clackamas Community College sure has a lot of walls that could be great canvases for murals!
What a lovely day!
ReplyDeleteConsidering the artists we have on campus, I don't know if I'd appreciate a wall-sized mural. They might want to make a "Statement."
How sweet of your son to take you to Silverton. Sounds like you had a fascinating time.
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