Common Ground

Posted on by pmdello

Yesterday, I walked home from Ground. This coffee shop is located at the bottom of Oak Avenue in Hood River. My wife and I had joined her sister and our nephew for lunch. Three days of shoveling snow following an iconic late to the party winter storm made me hungry for conversation.

Ground Coffee Shop Amidst Our Recent Snow Storm. PS: Photo Courtesy of Their Website.
A Picture Worth a Thousand Words, But Really It’s All About the Plaid. It Must Have Been a Gift from His Mom.
Detail of Tile Work on 6th Street Between Oak and State Brightens the Overcast Day.
More Wow from 6th Street Tile Work.
House on 7th Above Sherman Avenue. Note the Columbia River and Hood River Bridge in the Background.
Hazel Street Looking West
Detail of Gate to House on 7th Street. Ornate Metalwork Draws the Eye. I Want to Return in the Spring to See If that Yard Deserves that Gate.

The others had their own agendas. So, following our meal, I departed alone. I tromped up Oak to 6th Street, then traversed to the unshoveled sidewalks and steep pitch of 7th. Starting at Sherman, it’s eight blocks, climbing first to Hazel, then onward past Pine, to where 7th dead ends above the Indian Creek Trail.

A Railing Along the Switchback Down to the ICT.
Gate Detail Next to Our Wood Shed.
Hedge in Our Yard.
Fence Detail
Tiles, Sun, Shadow, Snow Detail in Our Yard

There, a switchback leads down to where skiers had broken a path through 16″ of snow. Coffee and coconut curry soup powered me step by step. Weary of reading, writing, shoveling, and thinking, the mantra of fresh snow squeaking underfoot cleared my mind.

7 thoughts on “Common Ground”

  1. I’m liking your blog. My hubby has multiple myeloma, also. We’re in Fairview, working at the big RV park there. You have a unique perspective on this pesky cancer. Best of wishes to you!

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  2. Hi Ann. Thank you for looking in. There is a wonderful support group for those of us with MM. It meets this Wednesday at Providence, St. Vincent, in Beaverton. Email for details if you are interested.

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  4. While you may be weary of reading, writing, and thinking, reading what you’ve written is always a lovely meditative pause for me. Thanks for that.

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