Water is rushing over the road again, coursing through an old channel of the river that’s cleansing Goose Lake from top to bottom, and carrying debris from Mission Lake into the Willamette. Muddy in places, the path through the area is in generally good condition. Dandelions and daisies are abundant, and line the roadsides leading into the park. The immense black walnut is beginning to bud. There are enough daisies at its southern perimeter to form a river of their own. And in the grassy field beyond, swallows dart and glide between nesting boxes maintained by the park service. The whole time we’re out, we’re accompanied by the scent of tender, sticky cottonwood leaves, while here and there we’re met by potent waves of drifting pollen, as we pass through currents we can feel but not see. All of this is happening as the earth turns and sails around the sun. No wonder it feels like we’re everywhere at once.

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• Imagine That
• Always and in All Ways

Categories: Daybook

Tags: Cottonwoods, Dandelions, Goose Lake, Grass, Mission Lake, Mud, Pollen, Spring, Sun, Swallows, The Earth, The Willamette River, Walking, Walnuts, Water, Wild Daisies