HOPKINS DEMONSTRATION FOREST

Last weekend I visited Hopkins Demonstration Forest in Oregon City. It's a 140-acre privately-owned forest open to the public for self-guided exploration, tours, workshops, and education programs. They had an event called Art in the Forest.  One building housed various artists displaying their wares.  I fell in love with one gentleman's paintings. At first I thought they were photographs because they were so detailed. Couldn't take photos thought.
Outside they had various nature craft activities for children and adults. Along the trails you could see nature art created by people.  Trees had faces.  Fairy homes were created and decorated with shells, nuts, leaves and moss.

 

Pine cone mobiles were strewn throughout the area.

Sisal twine around some  trees were created for weaving bits of nature to make a tapestry.

Colorful ribbons decorated one walking path.

Wood and cones made for cool mobiles.

This was called the fairy castle.

"Fairies" were seen resting on plants.

A wooden xylophone was one of several hanging around and they were fun to play.  I loved the different tones from the different lengths of wood.

This one was made from various logs of different trees and it was surprising how different woods sound.

The red toned ones had the best tones.

Another musical instrument had me laughing as I ran the balled stick up and down its length.

Then I spotted a little niche in the base of a tree where someone had added berries on top of a mushroom and encircled it with fir branches and pine cones. Cute!

I loved the soft plants growing on the trees and found one shaped like a chicken!

Bits of natural beauty littered the area. I like this kind of litter.

And fall color abounds...

 

I spotted various mushrooms all through out the area.

 

 It was fun to stroll and see things many people miss.  This is why I will never be one of those hikers who have time limits as it takes me an hour or more to do 1 mile.  

So that was my fun last weekend.