Newsletter — April 2021

Dear Friends,
The sparkling blues and greens of early spring have arrived to brighten our days—a good time for robins, not such a good time for earthworms. Budding flowers and chattering birds fill fields and yards—a good time for deer, not such a good time for flowering plants. Springtime is starting to emerge, (along with those of us vaccinated to protect others and ourselves)—a promising season of new beginnings. Imaginative children have begun a hopeful remake by gathering storm felled leaves and branches scattered throughout the local park into little hideaways. Threats still abound, but so do hopes for better days. In that spirit, Open Spaces presents a photograph of sunrise over the Willamette River and an editorial essay entitled “Portland, Oregon: Then and Now.” The current moment demands that we also offer a continuing update of information on Covid19 presented by the Brown University School of Public Health and the Harvard University Global Health Institute. You can find a link to this site on our home page.

For those seeking a brief and entertaining musical interlude, check out Stringfever’s “Bolero,” performed with eight hands and one cello. For those who just need a few deep breaths, try relaxing with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Jellyfish Cam, live 7am-6pm PST and with a pre-recorded video at other times.

We hope you find some inspiration, information and amusement and that your days to come are filled with good health, some satisfactions and at least a bit of adventure.

–The Editors at Open Spaces: Views from the Northwest
www.open-spaces.com