We went for a Valentine's walk on Saturday. Sixty-something degrees and sunny. Apparently we've skipped winter entirely and moved straight to spring. Our walk was just a tiny portion of one we'd taken several years ago (Walk 6, Portland Heights to Council Crest Loop), from the book Portland Hill Walks by Laura O. Foster. I cannot possibly say enough about this book, I love it so much. Walking tours and history and a wonderful, friendly, thorough, savvy writing style. I love this little essay about walking (on Laura's web site). Now that we have a junior walker, our family walks have a whole new pace and style. The picture just after the one of her boots? That's Mimi doing "sassy walk." I think she does it when she's really happy. Swinging her elbows and shaking her hips, tromp tromp tromp. Like she owns the place. Oh how I love it when she does sassy walk. This neighborhood is way up in the west hills, across the city from where we live. Some of the houses are worth millions; just blocks away, some of the houses are in various states of dishevelment. I think we were walking on SW Hawthorne Terrace, SW Davenport, SW Elizabeth Street. And Robin's Crest Drive: my favorite part of our walk, a little fairyland at the end of that dead-end street. Around there, charming, once-fancy little houses in need of paint and new roofs, forgotten winter-crusted gardens brimming with Kenilworth ivy and hyacinths, ancient Mercedes parked in the driveway. Wild birds everywhere. Mossy steps and cracked sidewalks. Pine-scented breezes and impossibly lovely camellias. My favorite season now approaches, ever so strangely early. Pink fairy magic.
***Mimi's pink dress is from JujuBunnyShop (but over a year ago), her tutu is from H&M (but over a year ago), and our lasagna recipe is here!
