Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Fun Fotos

Here are a few of the close ups, details, little things, that made for fun pics. The first are on that sunny day at Manzanita Beach. Waves of beach grass. Beach combers Neakanie close up Lift off- the eagle and prey.
Barnacled rock crab
A tangle of kelp
Seen at the Tillamook jetty - today's catch.
Siletz Bay
Awaiting a hand out at Depot Bay
Sea wall flora
Blue sea star and friends.
We're enjoying a dry, partly sunny if chilly day. A walk is in my plans.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

"Hey, It's Good To Be Back Home Again"

Can you hear John Denver singing? "There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin' in." That's how it was in the Willamette Valley today. We arrived back home late this afternoon to a somewhat dry Seattle, ten degrees warmer than when we left Portland, OR. We had a good trip, but as each day got colder and wetter, I finally got tired of coping. I was happy to head home on schedule. No photos today. We did stroll down Third Street in McMinville this morning before the shops were open, and then we spent about an hour and a half at the Lafayette Antique Mall. We found a few more treasures. The rest of the time was spent driving home, with a stop for lunch. Now we'll get caught up here at home for a few days. The temperature has dropped to 39, and the mountains are getting lots of snow. The winter we skipped has hit us in the spring. Looks like the Easter bonnets might get wet.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Marking The Day

A storm hit the coast last night, with 60+ MPH winds. After a delicious seafood dinner at a restaurant in the Nye Beach area of Newport, OR, we were happy to be snug in our ocean front hotel. This morning we enjoyed breakfast in the hotel's view dining room before checking out. We drove south on Hwy 101 over the Yaquina Bay Bridge, headed for the Hatfield Marine Science Center. It's a great place for kids to explore, with touchy-feely tanks that I enjoyed too. Everybody loves the octopus. From there we dodged squalls at the historic Bayside District. And then the historic Nye Beach area, where we found a great little cafe for lunch. Then it was time to leave the coast and head inland on Hwy 20, through the Coast Range, to the Willamette Valley. Again we drove through tunnels of moss and lichen draped trees. The western Willamette Valley has become wine country. With a break in the rain, which, yes, came with us, we stopped at a winery to stretch our legs. I think we'll have to enjoy a bit of the local product with our dinner tonight. Today we are marking our 41st wedding anniversary.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

When The Sun Doesn't Shine

As sunny and mild as yesterday, today was the opposite - stormy, wet, and cold. What do you do at the beach when the sun doesn't shine? You get in the car and drive, drive to indoor activities, or to where you can watch the surf pound the shore. South of Tillamook we drove through the valley of Beaver Creek, where moss ans lichen cover bare branches, daffodils grow in the fence rows of green pastures where cows graze and grow cheese. Beaver Creek flows into the Nestucca River near the town of Cloverdale. We meet up with the sea again south of Nestucca Bay, and stop at Boiler Bay, and boiling it was. South on Hwy 101, we stopped again at Depot Bay, where the Spouting Horn didn't disappoint. We stopped at an antique mall in Lincoln City, where we managed to spend more than an hour out of the weather. There were lots of treasures, but we managed to leave most of them behind.We found a deli for our lunch stop. A stop at Cape Foulweather honored it's name. We arrived at our hotel in Newport about 4:00, ready for some down time while enjoying this view of Yaquina Head from our window.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

On the Oregon Coast

Surprise! I'm here already. Our motel in Manzanita doesn't have WiFi, but I'm "borrowing" a signal from the fancy inn across the street. The weather cleared as we reached Astoria and drove south on Hwy 101. We always stop at the overlook on Neakanie Mountain. We got settled in to our motel in Manzanita in the late afternoon and checked out the beach a block away. That's Neakanie Mountain in the background, from where we had our view. Now we are on the beach below. Our motel is a block up from "Ocean" on Laneda, the main street of this little village. No danger of tsunamis today. This morning was dry and sunny, and we began our day with a beach walk. Suddenly an eagle swooped over us, with a bird flopping from it's talons. I seemed to be an unwieldy load, and it landed ahead of us on the beach. As we approached it lifted off, slowly, and took its prey to a tree. Our purpose for this trip was to attend a family meeting at the little red cabin in Rockaway. It's time for major maintenance and decisions needed to be made. The weather was warm for March at the coast, and we enjoyed some time on the beach. Here I am with my mother and two sisters. My brother and his family have the cabin this week for spring break. We'll be heading south tomorrow to Newport.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Rain Doesn't Stop Seattle

We had rain over night and in the early morning, and then it let up - until it was time for the March to the Match. I put my poncho on and waved my flag.
Drew Carey, one of the owners of the Seattle Sounders FC, spoke to the crowd gathered in Pioneer Square.
Hey, I see some of my flags!
Jake says "Let's go".
Well, it got wetter and wetter, the rain fell harder and harder. At half time we sought shelter for a few minutes, then back out in the rain we went to watch our guys.
Most of the crowd of 36,000 stayed for most of the match. It was tough to give our "Full 90", but we did, and the payoff was a 2-0 win!
And then we descended out into the night, following the throngs to parking lots, buses, and for us, the train. Our feet got wet and cold, but otherwise we were none the worse for wear.
Tomorrow morning we are leaving for four days on the Oregon coast and Willamette Valley. I may be able to post in a couple of days, or maybe not.
Be good, you all. See you later.

It's A Green Day!

As much as we love our sunny days, and yesterday it reached 69 here, it takes a rainy day to really appreciate the GREEN. Everything takes on a jewel tone next to the emerald green grass.
Soon the shades of green of new foliage will be multitude. I love the layers of green.
Oregon Grape and viburnum are blooming in the front yard, filling the entrance with fragrance.
And the city is wearing the green as if it were St Patrick's Day, but it's Sounders Rave Green! Our MLS Soccer season starts this evening at Qwest Field, where 35,000 fans, wearin' the green, will be cheering on our team. We'll be there, rain or shine.
Tom's ready!
If you're curious, look for the match on ESPN2, 6:30 Pacific time.