Wow, I never meant there to be such a yawning gap in between posts, but I must confess the energy and emotion surrounding our presidential election has had a retractive effect on my social media engagement. I took a break from listening to the radio while I worked in my studio, playing instead early choral music sung in Latin. It seemed like the next best thing to joining a monastery. I have also taken great joy in spending more time to connect with friends.

This last weekend I was introduced by my friend, Amanda, to a little known Portland gem. We took an early morning walk in the Elk Rock Garden at Bishop’s Close. Where? I asked her. Oh, you’ll see, she said, you’ve probably driven by it a handful of times and never known it’s there. Sure enough, I had.

Elk Rock Garden is located at the edge of the Willamette River, halfway between the Sellwood Bridge and Lake Oswego. It is open to the public throughout the year, “to enjoy its beauty and its peace”, as their brochure states. The piece of property was donated in 1959 to the Episcopal Bishop of Oregon by the original owner’s two daughters, pictured below.

Amanda and I had the place to ourselves on a damp, chilly Portland morning. We strolled and chatted and stopped to appreciate all of the foliage and hardscape in its varying states of winterization. It was a lovely way to experience a contemplative moment.

I would highly recommend a visit to this small garden.