A Full-time Life

Day trip to Florence

Last week we drove to the Coast,  just for a day trip.  It's only about 60 miles from home to Florence and from there just a few miles either North or South until you (usually) get a good view of the Pacific.   Here's the bridge over the Siuslaw River at Florence.  

 

Our plan was to get a coffee in Old Town Florence and then drive North until we  made sure the Ocean was still there.  

   

 

The coffee shop has a lovely little patio and  a great view of the Bridge. Then just a few steps away, there's a viewpoint where we watched some harbor seals but didn't get a good picture.  We checked out the Purple Martin apartment complex and that population seemed to be thriving.    Can you see two  of them in the picture? 

 

 

Next we drove North and almost as soon as we left the city limits of Florence we hit fairly heavy fog!  We were almost disappointed in our quest to actually see the Pacific for the first time this year.  (The umpteen-millionth in our lifetime but it never gets old).  I've never seen the turnouts along this stretch as empty.  No  cars and no photographers.  We  did get a  glimpse or two of the ocean, but always on a curve where it was impossible to pull over.   The picture below is one from last year -- same stretch of the highway, better viewing day.

 

 

But after all these years and in spite of  our annual "checking out the Ocean"  tradition, we actually know that it will still be there when we come back -- sooner this time!  

 

 

The fog was really a surprise because  it was a beautiful day in Florence.  Lovely walking weather (cooler than at home in Eugene, which was a good thing.)    When we could turn around we headed back to the blue sky and spent some time walking around Old Town Florence.   There are fun little shops and windows to browse and summer flowers always seem to bloom more brightly in the cooler coastal weather.   

 

 

Great restaurants too, but I didn't get a picture of the delicious early dinner we enjoyed .  We didn't have to look as hard for ours as this pretty Great Egret did.  

 

 

It was a good day.  There's never a bad one on a visit to the Oregon Coast.   

 

Thank you to the hosts of these sharing opportunities:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS    

 

 

 

xx

We're having a heat wave

We have been living under a heat dome lately.  So hot!   But it is supposed to be moderating a bit this week.   I took the screen shot below from Thursday's local paper:

The line under the icons reads:   Thursday Sunny and Hot;  Friday Very Hot; Saturday Very Hot; Sunday Colder; Monday a shower......

Temperatures over 100 are definitely not summer normal here in western Oregon (or at least they haven't been up until the last couple of years. ) But I laughed at the five-day outlook when I noticed that under the icon for Sunday it says "Colder" (with a temperature range of 89/62).   I don't think that's quite the right way to describe a day where the high is expected to be 89!  (I'm writing this on Sunday morning and it is more pleasant outside than it has been, but I'm not wearing winter clothes just yet thank you.)

Because of the heat, we didn't get outside to play much at all last week.   We've spent some quality time with our Oregon family and loved it, but somehow the camera never remembers to come out of hiding on those days. 

 

Geoff's picture from their Colorado backyard

So this week I'm blogging a a few Oregon pictures from earlier this month and interspersing those with some lovely (and cooling) pictures from our Colorado family.  Colorado is our "third State."    

 

Lisa's picture from Colorado

Above is Lisa's picture of Geoff with Max the big white dog on an early summer hike.  Morning or evening, Colorado skies are beautiful.   

The pictures in the next mosaic are mine from a week ago Saturday before it got so hot here:

 

 

Just some random people showing some of the ways to enjoy the beautiful South Willamette River Trail   (and on that river as viewed from the trail).  Walking, kayaking, bicycling, walking with the dogs, tending plots in the two community gardens along the path, fishing, and just chilling in the park and along the water's edge.  The trail offers something for everyone on a perfect summer's day.   I'm pretty sure we'll have more good days before summer's end.     

 

Green Heron

This is also my picture but from three years ago.  A couple of weeks ago  I showed a distant shot of another green heron and then I remembered this old picture.  It's the best one I think I've ever taken of this particular species of heron even though we see them often both here and in Florida.  Like the more recent picture, this one was also seen at the Delta Ponds and also in July.  

 

 

We've been watching this big apartment complex going up along one of the streets on our way to the River paths.   It's interesting to watch the progress.   At this stage, the buildings didn't look like they were ever going to be finished, but now they look more like people will be able to live in them someday soon.   The already finished building is, I think, going to be the office.

And here's one more Colorado picture:

Geoff's picture

And it's another one taken from their deck.  They have magical views from their new home.  

 

 Thank you to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities where I'm linking this week:

   NATURE NOTES;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS    

 

ROSES, 2022

 

 

We should have visited the Owen Rose Garden last month because June is the height of the season for these beautiful flowers.   But even in mid-July  and with all the hot days we've had, there were still some perfect blossoms on view last week.

 

The gardens are well cared for and beautifully designed -- a peaceful place.  It's not  far from where we live here in Eugene.  Just  a tiny bit out of hot-day walking range to get there.

 

So I drove a couple of miles to park at Valley River Center, our area's primary shopping mall.  From there it's a short  walk across a pedestrian bridge  to the South Bank Trail (on the Willamette River).

 

 Then the walk to the Gardens is less than a mile along the trail.  The pictures in the collage above were taken from the bridge.        

 

Eugene has a great trail system.   Most of my walks along the river are from our house -- no driving.    I love  being able to "go outside to play" with no driving (or very little) even though we live in a metropolitan area.  

 

The Cherry Tree in the mosaic below has been growing in this spot from  the mid-1800s.  It's on the edge of the rose gardens.   Because it lies within the original land claim of Eugene Skinner, the founder of our fair city,  it is believed that it was planted by Skinner himself. 

 

Whoever dug the hole, the tree is beautiful and I'm thankful for the arborists  and volunteers who work hard  to keep this living bit of history in prime condition.

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities:  Thanks to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  TUESDAY TREASURES;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS    

Delta Ponds, Goodpasture

 

The (best) walk of the week started at the Goodpasture Island Road entrance to Eugene's Delta Ponds.  Great walk for photos, not for exercise -- I stop a lot!  

 

Great Blue Heron

That's OK  though because I'd rather take pictures.   It was cooler than it has been since we got home and slightly overcast.  I haven't yet been able to motivate myself  to walk early in the morning.  On hotter days, by the time I get  out there the birds are wisely hiding out.   

 

Pied Billed Grebe

So this day was pretty much perfect because the birds were happy with the cooler weather too.   

 

 Green Heron

Guessing on the photo above, but I think it's a green heron.  Too far away for a better ID   (highly cropped obviously).

 

Scrub Jay

The 2022 World Track Championships are currently taking place here in Eugene. an estimated  60,000 to 100,000 visitors are here watching these world-class athletes -- and spending time and money.  It's  a big deal for our small city!   No coverage on this blog because we aren't really track fans and we are still trying to stay away from crowds.  But it's impossible not to be interested and we are following coverage on-line and in our local newspaper (which is also on-line these days of course.)    

 

Real Oregon Ducks

 

We are on the other side of town from the University and Stadium area so haven't noticed much increase in traffic.  The area's largest shopping mall is within walking distance and it is being used as a park and ride shuttle for ticket holders.  Like most malls these days though there's tons of extra parking, so I don't think even shoppers will be inconvenienced.

 

They're everywhere!  Canada Geese.

All said and done, I'd much rather  watch birds than sit in a crowded arena watching people, no matter how talented they are.   But there is something for everyone here in Eugene this week -- and that's a good thing!  

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts:

NATURE NOTES;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

Home Again

It's been five weeks since my last blog post and it's good to be back.

 

Morning Sky on our last day at the Canal Cottage

 One busy week  to close up the Canal Cottage and prep for our cross-country trip.

The  Mississippi looking not so mighty from our RV Parked on the River

Two weeks of travel with the tiny trailer   -- 3500 miles (a night or two in ten different states). 

 

Oregon summer flowers 

And now it's almost two weeks since we arrived  here in Eugene.   It's just beginning to feel like we're home!  Seems like it takes a little longer to get "Oregon-ized" than it used to.  I might be getting older.  

 

The "street" in an RV Park where we stayed somewhere in Missouri or Kansas.     No storms while we were there thankfully.

What with the price of gasoline these days, we could have flown home  for less money, but we already had the tiny trailer  in Florida.   And of course there are problems with air travel these days too.  So it was the best choice this time.   

Rawlins Wyoming -- a rainy day

I didn't take  many more pictures on this trip than I would have if we had flown.  We did only incidental sight-seeing as we drove or in the RV Parks where we stayed... no  touristy stuff this time.  We wanted to be home by the first week in July.  

Glenn's Ferry Idaho

Fortunately we like road trips -- it's fun to think about what's different and what's the same in the different places we pass through. 

Terrible "through the window" shot,  but I always like to document the first mountains we see as we travel west from the flatlands.  

We always get away later than we plan to, so the first night we stayed in Ocala Florida.  Then somewhere in Georgia (lost the name of the town); Montgomery Alabama; West Memphis Arkansas; Cuba Missouri (in the Meremac Valley); Marshall Missouri; Salina Kansas; Oberlin  Kansas; Kimball Nebraska; Cheyenne Wyoming; Rawlins Wyoming; Brigham City Utah; Burns Oregon; and Blue River Oregon. 

 

The McKenzie River -- just a couple of hours from home

 

For people who drive more than five or six hours a day, both the last two places are within a day's drive of home.  But we have always preferred to take our time.   The last day of the trip we stayed in Blue River, less than two hours from home.   Both because we enjoy being on the beautiful River in this sweet little park AND because we don't like getting home when we're tired from traveling all day. 

 

It's good to be home again.   

 

 

Linking to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS    

 

 

Winding Down and Wrapping Up

Our season in Florida is drawing to a close.  This week we'll be getting ready to close up the house and getting the car and tiny trailer ready to head for Oregon -- and then we'll be doing exactly that.  

 

 

I didn't even get to take advantage of the last normal week at the Canal Cottage  photographically because our weather didn't cooperate.  We had a lot of rain.  And gray skies.  But we're grateful that we missed the terrible rains that hit further South.   Our area just caught the tail end of the Florida monsoon that hit last week.    

 

Red shouldered hawks, Eagles, Osprey

So none of the pictures in this post are new.   They are all from this Season however.  Even though we were busy doing a lot of non-blogging work on the Canal Cottage and didn't do nearly as much Florida exploring as we have in the past, there were still many photo opportunities.    All of these birds of prey were seen in our own neighborhood. 

 

Ibis, Little Blue Heron (immature), Tri-Color Heron, Northern Shrike, Ducks, Kildeer, Blue Jay, Red-Bellied Woodpecker,  Snowy Egret

All pictures in the collage above were taken right here on the grounds in the resort where we live or at neighborhood parks or ponds.   All were accidental sightings -- none were from special birding trips.  You never want to go anywhere here without a camera.    Normal activities like morning walks or short errand runs  frequently turn into great birding opportunities.

 

 These are frequently seen roadside birds.   Almost every time we drive anywhere we  see Egrets on the ground or in trees,  Wood storks in roadside wetlands or even in water-filled ditches,  vultures doing what vultures do, and Ibis  everywhere.    

 

Grateful for our season in the sun.  For the views, the warm winter weather, and the many accidental birding opportunities right here at home.  (But not-so-secretly hoping we'll have time for a little more Florida exploring in another season.)  

 

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities:  Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS ; and RATHER B' BIRDING  

 

 

Venice Audubon Rookery

 

May really is a pretty month here.  The moods of the sky are fascinating and every morning walk is different.   

 

Last week's morning walks at home

We stay busy indoors during the hot (and sometimes rainy) part of the day, but sometimes you've just got to get away in spite of the heat. 

So one day last week we drove about an hour North of us to visit the Venice Audubon Bird Rookery.  From their website: 

"The Rookery island’s deep lake is small enough so that from the shaded pavilion benches you hardly need binoculars for a clear view of the birds. Tangled invasive plants have been replaced by Florida-friendly vegetation so you can easily walk around the edge of the lake and watch bird activity on all sides of the island." 

 

Green Heron

May is the end of the nesting season, so there wasn't too much activity in the rookery itself.   But there were some very nice birds around the edges of that small Lake.  One of my favorites, the Green Heron was the first bird I spotted on that walk.  

 

Great Egrets and Great Blue Heron

 

 At the nests, which are on a bird island in the center of the Lake, we caught glimpses of a few big babies poking up their heads to be fed, but I think most of the nestlings had left home already.  The ones we saw (I didn't get pictures) were as big as the parents. 

There were a couple pairs of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks on the opposite side of the Lake from the parking area.   

 

Whistling Duck

There's just something about these guys that makes me smile.  Maybe it's the pink legs?  

 

Or the Mohawk Hair cut?

 

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks

Or their pretty eyes?  Or what seems like their curious nature.  Whatever it is, they are a joy to watch.  We've seen these ducks before, but not this close to home.

We spotted this high-density neighborhood on the edge of the Lake:

 

Purple Martin Condominium

 

And a condo tenant (Purple Martin)

 

He looks a little cranky.   Most of the residents didn't want their picture taken at all.  (The picture is highly zoomed.  I really don't think he even saw me.)

 

 Here's some more Spring color from walks in our own neighborhood:

 

More Florida Spring Flowers

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities:  Thank you to the hosts.

 NATURE NOTES;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;   WANDERING CAMERA; SATURDAY CRITTERS  and RATHER B' BIRDING

Total eclipse of the moon --

 -- and other news from last week. 

The bird of the week at the neighborhood pond was this Little Blue Heron.  Early in the week when it hadn't rained for a few days, the pond was almost completely dry, but then we had a few rainstorms.   It would be interesting to follow the birds to see where they go when their feeding spot dries up!   They always seem glad to be back. 

 

 

One of those storms, I think on  Wednesday,  was a literal eye-opener.  Rainstorms are common in late afternoon this time of year, but that one woke us up before dawn  with loud claps of thunder and lightning briefly turning our bedroom into broad daylight.  There's nothing like starting the day off with a bang! 

Earlier last week though the weather was good.  And on Sunday (a week ago) we were blessed with a beautiful day and  evening without a cloud in the sky.  So we stayed up late for the total lunar eclipse.   We couldn't have had better seats for the show than we did from the dock area in back of the  Canal Cottage.  

 

Lunar Eclipse, May 15, 2022

During a full eclipse, the moon passes through the darkest part of the Earth's shadow (the umbra).   According to NASA, the reddish hue happens because orange and red colors remain visible while blue and green light get scattered by dust particles in the atmosphere.  Because of the color, lunar eclipses are sometimes called Blood Moons.

Tuesday, May 17

I hardly ever stay up that late these days, so that long night meant no early morning walk happening on Monday.  But the next morning, the  moon was visible on the street side of our house -- and it still looked full.  Although certainly not as dramatic, especially with the point-and-shoot camera which is all  I carry on my normal walks. 

 

 

 

Great Egrets are common around here -- this one was standing perfectly still on a corner island in the middle of the supermarket parking lot.  For a minute, I thought the store had installed a statue.    But he was there hunting for food (just like all the rest of us).

 

In other news of the week for which I'm exceedingly grateful, we were both able to get our second COVID booster shot.  We're still masking up in public places, but the booster provides a nice margin of safety. 

 

And also (TA-DA) the bathroom project which has kept us (uh, half of us) busy all season is finished and it is beautiful.  We (both halves of us, for sure) are delighted with the way it turned out.     I'm   amazed that Bill's talented design and skill  incorporated a roomy walk-in shower, corner sink cabinet with storage,  a wall-hung toilet, and space to maneuver in an area only 7 by 8.     

 

 

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities:  Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS    

 

Good Starts

We didn't cover a lot of distance last week but there still a lot of pictures.  All taken last week on early morning walks right here in the neighborhood.   May mornings are lovely but the days heat up rapidly here in subtropical Southwest Florida.  It's good to get outside early and work on  indoor projects during the heat of the day.

 

 

It looked like an approaching storm as the sun rose, but it didn't materialize in our neighborhood anyway.   

 

 

These flowering branches look prettier in pictures than they do in real life.    The Royal Poinciana tree across the front street from our house has been neglected for a long time.  The flowering branches are up so high that most people wouldn't even notice them.    The lady who lived in that house when we first lived here was a dedicated gardener, so we know the tree is there and we look for it every year around this time.  All of the pictures were snapped within about six seconds -- it's interesting to see how the sky was changing at that hour of the morning.

 

 

It doesn't take a whole lot of water to attract wildlife  around here.  This retention pond is part of a relatively new addition to the  neighborhood.   I've enjoyed keeping an eye on it all season, but it is even more active this time of year -- partly because of the season and partly because so many human residents have already gone back to their homes "up North"  for the summer.   

 

 

I'm pretty sure these are Red-Shouldered Hawks and I'm also pretty sure there must be a nest in one of the larger trees near here, since this is the second week in a row I've spotted at least one on my morning walks.   I swear I saw this one turn its head in a complete circle.  Can that be possible?  

 

 

Back at the pond on another morning -- and I think this is an immature Little Blue Heron.  

 

 

Not a lot of water, but enough to share.

 

 

This is a different hawk -- and I know this because I could see this one and the one above at the same time.  They were perched across the street from each other.  They both look young to me and that's why I think there must be a nest somewhere nearby.  I'll keep watching (through my lens from an appropriate distance).

 

 Grateful for good starts.  

  

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B' BIRDING  

At home with camera ...

 

.. and a computer on which to download its contents. Life is good.

 

This morning  ... looking East from the back-porch: 

 

SUNRISE:  Like sunset in reverse, but without the wine.

 

 Osprey seen on a hot day's drive in the Babcock-Webb wildlife area.

 

Red shouldered Hawk seen on a crack-of-dawn walk here in our neighborhood.   I guess he'd already had breakfast because he made no move  toward those little birds perched right below.   I walked around the block and hawk and (I think) mockingbirds were still perched in exactly the same place when I got back to this point. 

 

The Kildeer skittered around  leading me away from its ground nest even before I even got anywhere close.   I always wish I could tell them that I wouldn't dream of hurting their babies.

 

The bunny's defensive strategy, on the other hand, was to freeze in place also before I got anywhere close.  There is a reason why rabbits are at the bottom of the food chain.  But I always like spotting them.  This grassy area borders the wildlife walk next door to our resort and I've probably taken pretty much the exact same picture every season we've stayed here. Except of course this bunny is at least the 12th or 13th generation of wild rabbits over that number of years.    

 

Florida Spring flowers are anything but subtle.   

 

The rainy season arrived early this year.    That's good for flora and fauna.   Here in subtropical Florida, the mornings are almost always sunny --   the rains come later in the day.  They move in  fast and furious and then are completely gone for the day, with not a drizzle left.   We need more  English words for rain, because it's very different here than in our home state of Oregon.  

 

Great Blue Heron (leftover from beach trip posted last week)

It was an ordinary week and in our family we have always been grateful for ordinary days.   But when I think about how nice it is to sit at my nice new speedy computer to write these words, I can't help but think about how different an ordinary week is nowadays.    I'm glad for that because I like this way of saving our memories.   

 

Linking this ordinary week to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS