Ten walkers showed up for today's walk, but Mike was reading the map today and when we got to the park, which was closed off, he lead us over to Cornell and the most amazing Alley Garden we've ever seen.  We turned into the development and Mike said, just cut through here and this should lead us back. So we started heading down this alley and we see a couple of flower pots with flowers, some with tomatoes.  It was pretty unusual and I kept wondering, what is this?  As we got to the end of the alley there was the most beautiful "alley garden" I'd ever seen.  It was hard not to take a lot of pictures.  Look at the details.  It was mesmerizing. You just kept looking at it and seeing more stuff.  Carol, the owner, heard us talking and came out for a visit with us.  She said she had lived there for 20 years and wanted to do gardening but didn't have a conventional garden.  She took us into her patio where you just stood there in amazement.  Let me tell you, if you do that 31 Flavors, take the detour down Cornell, right by the start and look for the entrance into the townhouses.  Take the first little driveway into the alley and just walk to the end.  You really felt like you tumbled into something so special.  This should really be included in the walk, but if it isn't, make a detour and don't miss it.

I bet everyone is waiting on pins and needles to see who walked the most walks and won the gift certificates for the 2012 Challenge.   Three gift certificates were awarded to the top three: 1st was Ed Hainline (29 walks); 2nd was Ethel Wood (25 walks); 3rd was Susan Treacy (22 walks)  Mary Elise Diedrich had 15 walks. Congratulations, and that was a lot of walks!
It was a perfect day to be out in the fields today.  We had six of us who carpooled but we met up with our other two Merrywalkers at the start.  Cookies, cake and a beautiful field of flowers and the most beautiful English Garden at the end.  It was a wonderful walk, and even more wonderful because we didn't have to do it in the mud!  Tomorrow we are headed off to do the 31 Flavors Walk in Beaverton (unfortunately, it isn't ice cream).

Today was our "looking towards the future" walk.  Because the walk through the Wilsonville Park is so nice, Sandy Reid turned it into a 5k with a 9K option.  Being it was such a beautiful day, I asked Dick if he wouldn't lead the 10k walkers on that walk, because we are really thinking of digging up one more kilometer and getting rid of the old Wilsonville walk that goes out over the I5.  We split up into three groups today, 10k with Dick, 5k with Joe and an exploratory walk with me.  
On a tip from a Wilsonville Walker, San Berry, we were advised to try out the park at the Water Treatment Facility.  What a treat!  We ended up taking a lot of pictures, so you guys can all preview it.  When we first took over the Wilsonville walks, we didn't know what to expect, and it's been expanding each year so that next year we will have 4 walks!  Anyway, Dick is saving me Wednesday, September 10 and I'm going to sanction it for a group event.  It should be a lot of fun, I just now need to get Sandy Reid to go over there...But if anyone has a name, send it along ... we are always open to suggestions.  It's going to be another great walk for our dogs too!

I was finally with Mike so he could point out the new Eagles next out in the snags.  so if you are doing our new YRE event there, ask some to point it out for you.  
The Refuge keeps getting better and better this time of the year.  As year, when the cut the grasses, it almost looked like the meadows got a shaving.  This summer, the grasses have added so much to the landscape.  The two ponds look magical with the tall grasses around the perimeter.  
After we headed over to Target for coffee at their Starbucks.  The manager there is going to see if he can get us a couple of big tables we can put together there on Mondays.  Hopefully we will hear from "Brad" soon.  Ah, remember, this week the Wednesday group is doing our Wilsonville Walk.  The dogs are definitely welcome to go on this walk and Sandy Reid made some great changes to the 5k to make it into a 9k.  So, that might be an option.

We had over 20 walkers that turned out for a nice walk in the sun today.  Geislla and her husband came with their two dogs, so we felt bad that we had to send them off to do our Town and Country Walk out of the YMCA, but the rest of us had a great time out there.  Quite a few of us had a binoculars with us and we were able to see the 2 eagles and their nest and one junior eagle flying around.  Sandy led the 10k around the first time and then Starr took the rest of the walkers on the second time.  Marge came, and can you believe it, she walked all the way out to the view point and back again.  What a trooper, and she's only 86.
We had Garrett in our group (Starr's grandson) who kept us up to date on the seed pods that are behind the leaves of the sword fern, the different ducks and then he told us a story about the flamingos.  He said they are only pink because of the shrimp that they eat, and if they didn't eat them they would be white..  We had a hard time believing that, but he was right.  So then I asked how do you get the plastic geese.  Without skipping a beat Max said "they are the ones who eat all of the plastic bags!"  
Mary Rose and Carolyn helped the Friends of the Refuge clean up, but then they joined us at the South Shore Cafe for lunch.  We had quite a few of us there, 11 of us.  There were so many beautiful pictures that I put them up under the picture page.
Have a great Mother's Day!

What a way to spend my second 34th birthday.  Linda, Duck Cay Florida