A Full-time Life

WORK and (mostly) PLAY (now and then)

 

 

Except for the first two rows, this week's pictures are all from last Summer and Fall.  But like the best second meals from the same day of cooking, it's not just leftovers served because there's nothing else, but rather "planned-overs."  In this case,  good experiences that we really want to remember.

Here are the new servings:

It was a beautiful day for the January Boat Club lunch.  Above, the Captain is bringing our boat in to the dock in front of the restaurant for a passenger pickup.  Bill's piloting and our friend is ready to help.    I'm always happy to cede  first-mate duties to someone more experienced -- and we enjoyed the company during the "voyage."    The spouses formerly known as first-mates were waiting at the dock.  It had been a  long walk to the place where we'd tied up during lunch and we were happy for the water-taxi service.

But below is what that Captain was busy with for most of the week ....

 

... which explains why there were few new experiences to blog about.   "We" are putting in a second bathroom  at one end of the Florida Room that we added a few years ago.  It's in  a very small space planned for this purpose -- but finishing it requires not only  skill but also  acrobatic ability (neither of them mine, although sometimes I stop blogging and go hold something or fetch something as requested.)   The addition of this bath and then renovation of the existing one are the last parts of the remodeling project begun when we bought the "Canal Cottage."   

Now onward -- or backward -- to last season when we were in Oregon.

 

Late November 

The picture above is a view of the Willamette River from one of the walking paths we can access easily from our apartment.   Autumn is  beautiful in Eugene and we are happy with our location where we have the ability to walk these natural surroundings as often as we wish.  

 

Early November
Birds and a Bat!  

 

All of the above critters were seen on the same day as I walked through residential areas on the way to the river.  There were dozens of robins on the grass behind our apartment complex -- perhaps a migration stopover (although Eugene seldom gets too cold for them -- maybe this was their final stop).  There are always ducks -- but the center picture was a big surprise.  It was taken behind our apartment complex, an area where the sun had not yet reached, on the same walk where I photographed some of the many  robins.   I have to admit that I didn't realize I'd taken a picture of a Bat until we downloaded the pictures -- what a surprise that was.

 

 

Burney Falls, California

October

 

Burney Falls was the first California stop on our October Road Trip.  We were in the area to visit  Lassen Volcanic National Park -- which is another "planned-over" for a future post.

 

September

 

This is Parker, our daughter and son-in-law's dog.     He is half McNabb Terrier and half Mastiff.  This big puppy thinks he's hiding behind that tree.     There's a family tabby cat as well and one of my photo goals is to get a good picture of Parker and Chloe playing together.  They really do like each other -- and the great part of it is that the two have almost the exact same coloring.   Some day I'll get that perfect picture.

 

August

Swallows migrated through our area in August -- I caught a few of them in a very rare moment resting moment.   

 

 

 Auto-correct is one of my pet peeves,  so I had to laugh at this sign seen in a coffee shop somewhere on our summer travels.   This is dedicated to every blog friend who has ever wondered what the heck it was I meant to say when I didn't catch an error in a comment before I hit "send".    We won't even talk about text messages.

 

October -- Mt Lassen area 

Beautiful blue skies from our Autumn Road Trip -- and at the lower row corners, what I can fairly confidently say is the only snow we'll see this season.         

Thankful for memories this week and for the new ones we're making -- of both work and play  -- today, last season,  and always!     

 

LINKING this week to the following:  Thank you to all of the generous hosts. 

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

OCTOBER!

 

 

I don't care how many pumpkin-flavored lattes are being sold at Starbucks this month -- to me the wonderful month of October is all about Fall color  .....

 

 

... And  apples.   October is definitely all about the apple harvest!   They are plentiful, ripe, and bursting with fresh-picked flavor.

 

 

 

 

 This  wheelbarrowful  on our favorite back-porch (at our daughter's and son-in-law's)  was just waiting for us to help ourselves.  We barely made a dent in the bounty -- and the trees (in the collage above) were still full and getting fuller.   

 

 

The reds and  golds of the season are everywhere -- even an ancient and long-abandoned lawn chair echoed the color scheme of the month!

 

Grateful for the beauty of everyday.

 

Linking this week the the following:  Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES;  MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  COUNTRYSCAPES;

TUESDAY TREASURES; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  

SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and   FRIDAY  BLISS.

 

TRANSITION SEASON

 

It's just beginning to feel like Autumn here in Eugene.

 

 

These colors showed early last week on a short walk from our home to the Willamette River.  That day was warm -- shirt-sleeve weather; screen-door breezes when we got home.     But yesterday we had to turn on heat.    Summer is now officially over!  

 

Washington Park, Portland

Last weekend, we traveled to Portland for a short getaway in the big city.   We hadn't really seen much Fall color here at home by that time.  Portland was a little ahead.     I like watching the seasons change!   Summer to Fall is really the only big change we see these days, because we don't notice a whole lot of difference while we're in Florida.  

 

 

Washington Park, in Portland, is home to the Portland Zoo, the Japanese Garden, an arboretum, acres of hiking and walking trails, and a beautiful rose garden (Portland is known as the City of Roses).  Although so late in the season, the blooms still put on a beautiful show for us. 

 

 

We traveled to Portland via Amtrak and stayed downtown, where we walked (a lot).   We  used the City's excellent public transportation system to get to the Park. It was surprising to us that there were so few people on the square (living room?) downtown.  Especially compared to those where we hung out on our Europe trip  (or even more recently in Seattle.) 

 

 

 Grateful to be here for all the changes that make life so interesting.

 

Thank you to the hosts of the following sites where this post is linked:

 ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;

THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  

TUESDAY TREASURES; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; 

SIGNS SIGNS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  

SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and   FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WILDLIFE BREAK

 

Taking a little  break  from our Grand Tour 

with pictures from familiar places.

(See the previous two posts for the first two chapters of our trip.)

 

 

 

 This Green Heron was perched in a bare tree at the Delta Ponds near our Eugene apartment.   It was just a short neighborhood walk during the first week we were home.  Not really even looking for birds but very glad I had taken the little camera anyway.  Nice welcome back to the neighborhood.

 

 

 

The week before that we were in Colorado with our son and daughter-in-law, our Colorado family.  Toward the end of our stay,  more-or-less recovered from jet lag and travel weariness,  we spent a day with them in one of our favorite places --  Rocky Mountain National Park.  As always, we had a great time with Geoff and Lisa -- and as always on our Colorado visits we saw beautiful scenery and wildlife.

 

 

The Moose (Mooses?  Meese?) were having a lovely splash in what was really just a large puddle.  (The background photo shows what it looked like from where we stood -- without our binoculars or zoom lens.)

 

LINKING to    WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY ,  NATURE NOTES;  SATURDAY CRITTERS, and RATHER B' BIRDING .  Thank you to the hosts.

 

 

FLYING CREATURES

 

 

 

We joined the flying people at the Eugene Airport this year, so we've been in Florida for almost two weeks now.   Our flight day was loooong .... and crowded.  I wish I could say we had as much fun as these people in our airport's iconic photo montage panels.  We didn't -- but we're here and although we're still in the process of getting re-oriented and re-organized, we're getting there.   We even had time last week for a short nature hike.

 

Roseate Spoonbill

We are more than happy to be grounded for awhile, but it was good to see some of of our favorite Florida  creatures for whom flight comes more easily.

 

 

It was already quite dry at Wild Turkey Strand Preserve.  (Winter is the dry seasons in Florida.)  So several species of  birds were congregated around the little bit of water remaining.  They were quite far away and the wind was blowing which made photography  difficult.  But it was great to be out walking.

Meanwhile, back at the Canal Cottage ... while we're getting the house into shape for the season, we have had some entertainment outside our door.  

 

 

This Marine Company has been repairing seawall damage caused by Hurricane Irma  (yeah, the one that happened a year ago last September -- we call it Florida time).  The project started before we left last season and was only completed last week.    So the company could finally move their equipment somewhere else and one morning this tugboat pulled the work barge loaded with heavy equipment right past our house.   It's not the usual Canal sighting.

 

 

The men obviously knew what they were doing and mostly stayed in the middle.  But the canal isn't real wide and I was  glad we hadn't put our boat in the water yet.  The man on the barge had to use his pole a couple of times, to push out away from some of them that were docked.

 

 

So the Canal is back to normal now and we are glad to be living on it for the season.    We look forward to more beautiful days here in the land of Winter sunshine.  

 

 

LINKING THIS WEEK to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to all of the hosts.

 

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;  SAY CHEESE; WILD BIRD Wednesday;   Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;   TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING  

 

 

 

LEFTOVERS --- AND MORE

 

 

We had two wonderful family Thanksgiving  celebrations.    (Not on the same day -- one was an early celebration to include family who wouldn't be here on the actual date).   And   I  took no pictures at all .   Because it is hard to eat and talk and enjoy the great company and still remember that I even own a camera.   This is the only Thanksgiving picture -- November's  full moon when we returned home after last Thursday's feast.  (We were full too!).

 

 

Wild Turkeys 

What better week for some leftover turkey(s)?   They thrive around here -- each of these pictures were taken (not on Thanksgiving Day) near where our son-in-law and daughter live.  

 

 

Canada Geese
 

The Canada Goose is another wild bird that loves living in this part of Oregon (most of them don't even migrate). These are contemplating going for a swim along the walking path near us.   All the turkeys and geese  are from the season's archives.  Because I took almost no pictures last week, this post was going to be all leftovers.  But then ... 

 

 

Common (red-shafted) Flicker

... as I sat at the desk this morning, I spotted this outside the sliding glass door.  The Flicker was right outside near our patio, but by the time I found shoes and camera, of course he had flown.  But once outside, I spotted him at the playground here in our complex.   It took awhile to get this picture though.

  

Oregon Junco and Red-shafted Flicker

He was a very busy flicker -- there must be lots of tasty insects hiding in that pile of leaves!  There were a lot of Juncos and other birds flying around to distract me as I waited for the flicker to lift his head.     I didn't think it was too chilly outside, but I am glad the neighborhood children all apparently thought so.  The playground area was empty, except for the birds (and me).

 

 

Yet another distraction.

 

Sharing leftovers and  new offerings with the following:  Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING 

 

 

 

GIVING THANKS

Mid-November in Eugene 

The trees are a little barer, the leaves are a little browner ....

but we still have some blue sky days  .. 

 

 

 and we still have some color.

 

 

We have new surroundings and each day brings surprises.  Last week, robins were everywhere we looked.   Maybe they think it is Spring again.  

     

 

I share the walking trails with a variety of flora and fauna. 

 

 

We are grateful for so much.

Thanksgiving Week and always.

    

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough and more.

It turns denial into acceptance,

Chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, 

A house into a home,

A stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

Brings peace for today,

And creates a vision for tomorrow. 

 

​​​John O’Donohue

 

 Linking  to the following sharing opportunities.  I'm thankful for the hosts.

 NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY;   THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  SIGNS SIGNS;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING  

 

IT'S GOLDEN!

 

There were Autumn reds in last week's post and red is beautiful, but October around here is really more about the gold and amber.  The  collage below is a combination of photos from city and country walks.   We've had bright blue skies and warm days this week in both places.

  

October seems to be the month when we spend a lot of days at regular appointments -- doctors, dentists, eye checkups, ...  all the fun stuff.     We should probably try to balance those out over the half year we spend in Eugene, but we get into a routine.  And  it is nice not to have to think about appointments during the beautiful summer months. 

  

 

 So we've been sticking pretty close to home this week.  But we always have time for a visit in the country  (and to raid the garden and vine bounty).  Their grapes are at luscious perfection right now.

  

 

Autumn flower boxes on Eugene's downtown streets. 

 

 

 

And more photos from the dahlia garden at the Fairgrounds.

 

 

It really isn't necessary to wander far from home to find gold. 

Especially this time of year.

 

LINKING THIS WEEK to: 

NATURE NOTES; MACRO MONDAY;  ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;   MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;   SIGNS SIGNS;   Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS  

 Thank you to all of the hosts.

A LITTLE BIT OF LAKE

 

October blue skies are the  best blue skies in the world.   

Knowing those bright days won't last much longer makes each perfect day even more special.

 

To celebrate the new month, our daughter and I took a walk  to Fern Ridge Lake.  It's almost exactly a mile from their home, but  it was quite a few steps more than that as we wandered through Orchard Park, on their side of the shore.   

 

 

 

When we were full-time RVers, we used to stay on the opposite side of the Lake whenever we came to Oregon to visit.  Back then, I often blogged about how the Lake is almost emptied every Fall.    (Here is a link to a post from way back when -- it explains a little more about the reservoir draw-down.)   That draw-down started earlier this year than usual because farmers needed the water -- it has been so dry here.   The above picture is looking across the Lake at the Marina -- most of the docks are already empty --  people need to haul their boats out while they still can. 

 

 

There was even less water on the side where we were.   Great Blue Herons and Egrets have  good luck this time of year, as all of the fish in the lake swim into the  shallows.

 

 

Nobody is swimming here this time of year -- supervised or unsupervised.  When our grandchildren were small they enjoyed the empty lake as much as they did during the summer.  No swimming, but they had fun running around on the big field and, when the rains first started, getting muddy.  

Cyndi and I took their big puppy with us on this walk.  When we got back to their home, Parker was happy to get off leash and run around  his very own five-acre off-leash park (our daughter and son-in-law live there too, but I believe their dog thinks it is all his playground.)

 

 

He found a chew toy!

 

Cyndi and I sat outside for a rest after our walk.   We enjoyed watching the dog tear around the yard for a while until he too settled down for a rest.

 

 

We never seem to visit our son-in-law and daughter without going home with food!  Their picnic table was covered with several varieties of recently harvested winter squash.  We took one of each.   And a dozen eggs.  And some blueberries from the freezer.   All of the pleasure  and none of the work.

 

 

Red leaves in the City too when we got home that afternoon.  And it rained a little bit, but just as we were nearing our door.   A perfect October day!

 

SHARING with thanks to all of the hosts as well as to all the terrific bloggers  who link to the following:

 

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; MACRO MONDAY;   OUR WORLD on Tuesday;   MOSAIC MONDAY;  GOOD  RANDOM  FUN;  THROUGH MY LENS; ;   WILD BIRD Wednesday;  SIGNS SIGNS;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEPTEMBER'S END

   

 

The last of September was about enjoying  beautiful Fall flowers all around the City ....

 

 

 ... and the rich colors of Autumn in the country  ... here, on a walk to Kirk Pond.

 

  "Leaves of three, let it be."

Unfortunately, those richly colored plants included poison oak.   I paid for this macro shot with itches!  (Not the best memory of the month, but maybe posting it will help me remember next time.)   

 

Wall Signs as decoration at the home of our granddaughter and  family 

Like every month when we're home in Oregon, September included family get-togethers.  After all, that's really why we're here ...   the rest is a bonus!    For a change, I managed to remember to get a few snapshots.  I'm not very good at people photos.  It is more fun to just enjoy being together, but I like being able to look back.  

 

 

More floral beauty of the definitely non-poisonous variety.   All of the dahlia pictures were taken on the grounds of the Lane County Events Center (Fairgrounds) on the last day of September.

 

 

Out in the country again,  Mom and the youngsters were enjoying wild apples and leftover blackberries in a field near  our daughter and son-in-laws' home.

 

 

 

More flowers and below, another blue sky day.  We actually need rain and 'they' keep telling us it's coming.   But it is hard not to be grateful for beautiful Fall Days.

 

Thankful for Fall Beauty and family to enjoy it with.   And looking forward to October -- rain or shine!    Thankful also to  the hosts of the following sharing opportunities:

 

    NATURE NOTES; MACRO MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;   MOSAIC MONDAY;  GOOD  RANDOM  FUN;  THROUGH MY LENS; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  FRIDAY BLISS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS;

 

 

 

 

SKINNER BUTTE NEIGHBORHOOD WALK

 

 

Thankfully, our  summer temperatures are back down to where we like them  and so it was a great week for walking in the City.    This one was kind of my version of a penny hike.  That was something  Girl Scouts (or Brownies -- the youngest scouts) used to be able to do -- just some kind of coin toss at the corners to decide whether to turn left or right or go straight.  (I'm guessing not too many kids are able to do that these days.) 

I didn't actually toss a coin, but starting with no particular plan except to walk until I got tired,  I decided at each intersection which path looked the most interesting.   Here are some pictures from along the way:

 

 

 

This is YaPoAh Terrace, the tallest building in Eugene.  It is a senior citizen residence with 222 apartments, some of which are subsidized for  lower income seniors   Even though it is our City's closest thing to a skyscraper, the apartment is located at the edge of an 'urban forest' at the foot of Skinner Butte Park.  Next to the building on the street side are community flower gardens for the tenants.   

The building is 50 years old and according to our local paper, the owners plan an extensive remodeling process later this year.  The paper said that the owners plan to move tenants to temporary housing on a floor-by-floor basis while new windows and other upgrades are completed.   It said that no current residents would be displaced permanently.   But I imagine there is a certain amount of anxiety on the part of the tenants.

 

 

 

My next turn took me just a few blocks further up the hill to the Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House, locally known as the Castle on the Hill.  This  Victorian style home is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.   It was built in 1888 for the first owner and deeded to Lane County by the third.  It is now owned by the City of Eugene and kept open to the public by a non-profit organization.  I'd like to see the inside of the house and plan to take the tour this summer.  (I've had this goal ever since we moved downtown -- this year I am really going to do it!)

 

 

 

I strolled past  a few cute little smaller homes  that made me smile .  I'd be more at home in them than either a 22-story building or a 'Castle'. 

And then as I walked further on a quiet block of older homes with no particular interesting features, I spied what I was sure was a statue of a deer in an overgrown garden ....  

 

 

 

... until the statue noticed me!      

 (I'm not sure which of us was the most startled.)

 

\

And then I saw the rest of the little family!   I checked my step-counter and this home was less than two miles from our apartment -- which makes it even closer than that to the middle of downtown Eugene.     Gotta' love this kind of City life!

 

 

 

A little further on  was  a block of  mostly historical homes.  The architectural details on these homes are always interesting.  If I owned a two-story historical home, I would definitely plant a window box of geraniums!

 

 

All of the  historic homes in that neighborhood are currently occupied; these are some of the signs near their front doors.  In Oregon, there are certain tax advantages for owners who put their qualifying homes into the historic places registry (more information here).  The small print on  the Pironi House sign says 'Craftsman Bungalow.'

 

   

 

This street dead-ended near Skinner Butte Park and I walked along the Willamette River Path in the general direction of home.

 

 

A step-counter check back on our own little corner of downtown Eugene showed I hadn't quite made that elusive 10,000 step goal, but it was close enough to deserve a treat at a nearby bakery.   It was a good morning in the City.

 

LINKING TO: 

NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; TUESDAY TREASURES; ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS; WEDNESDAY AROUND THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and SATURDAY CRITTERS.   

 Thank you to all of the hosts.

 

 

AUTUMN CATCH-ALL

  

 It's a catch-all post today, because last week was just that kind of week. 

 

     

The sign above made us laugh.   This high-rise student apartment sits across a very busy street on the edge of  the University of Oregon campus.  Some of those students have been working hard emptying those window decorations.   (There's an excellent brewpub on the other side of the street, which was why we walked to that neighborhood.  It serves better brew than comes in those cans.  But we are old and can appreciate the difference.)

 

 

 

Another beautiful day, another beautiful walk.  The Fifth Street Public Market always does a nice job of seasonal decorations.

 

 

 

 

Taken from a third-story window while waiting at the  Doctor's office.  Just there for a routine checkup -- and for the view.  

 

  

 

We went for a drive to the Mountains last Monday  and took a short easy hike to Salt Creek Falls.  It's the second highest waterfall in Oregon.  That is snow in the bottom left picture!!  The roads were completely clear, but the rain we had in the valley the previous week was snow up there.  It was a beautiful walk.  And the mountain drive was lovely too ... although we found that there is more color down here than up there.  The native deciduous trees are mostly all yellow in this part of the country, so all the reds we see in the neighborhoods are from decorative trees. 

   

 

On still another day, we have a turkey stare down.   Daughter and I were driving down her road on the way to have lunch and we had to stop the car to let a flock of these birds cross the street.  They pretty much owned the road there for a while.   Apparently they aren't too worried (yet anyway) about becoming someone's Thanksgiving dinner.

 

 

 

 These  are some more shots from our son-in-law and daughter's place.

 

 We are grateful for beautiful Autumn color  and beautiful  blue-sky  days ...

 and for time to enjoy them!

 

LINKING this week to:  ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL Thursday;  SKYWATCH Friday; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING. 

And I'm grateful for the hosts of each of these great sharing opportunities.  Thank you.

 

 

SYMPHONY OF COLOR

 

 

It's a symphony of Autumn color everywhere these days --

IF you can get outside to enjoy it between rain showers.

 

 This week's pictures are from two different days last week -- one in the country (around  our daughter and son-in-law's 'backyard') and the other on a two-mile loop around our downtown home.    

  

Country Gold 

 

Though you might not guess it from the blue sky above their barn, it had poured down rain the night before and it rained again later in the afternoon the same day I took this picture out at Cyndi and Jeff's.    

 

 

 

 (I'm not sure what this sweet flower is, but it is so perfect even this late in the season that it almost doesn't seem real.)  

 

Earlier in the week, on a day when we stayed home, it rained hard all morning but cleared off just in time for a late afternoon walk. 

 

 

 City Gold

 

The sun had come out for its last hurrah --   brushing everything it touched with gold.  

 

I am grateful to have the flexibility to choose my walking time -- especially this time of year -- you never know  when the sun will shine. 

 

 

 Country red

Out in the country again for the picture above --  jumping around for the sake of arranging everything by color tone.   Those are a couple of the blueberry bushes that were so prolific during the summer months.  And are still  beautiful without requiring daily picking.

 

 

 

City pink -- and purple 

 

Some of the home gardens  that I walk past seem to specialize.    One has fall crocuses (croci?) everywhere, one still has roses blooming, and another has a riot of pink and lavender.   The golden flowers in the first collage are both in another yard.  

 

 Even the weeds  are beautiful in Autumn color.   This is a wild blackberry bush.   

 

 Linking this week to:   ALL SEASONS; THE BARN COLLECTIVE; NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; THROUGH MY LENS;  FLORAL BLISS;  MACRO MONDAY; Wednesday AROUND the WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

 

THANK YOU to all of the hosts.

 

 

 

SATURDAY MARKET

  

We're still transitioning between Summer and Fall here in the Eugene area.  And  that transition is most colorfully showcased at the Eugene Saturday Market.

 

 

   The flower stalls are at least as lush as they were in July.   

 

 

Market produce is a multi-seasonal riot of color and taste.  Tomatoes next to squash, pumpkins next to corn; melons next to peppers, apples next to summer berries.   It's all here this month... and will be until the first freeze (or the middle of November, whichever comes first).   

The fellow in the middle picture is roasting hot or mild peppers which he and his wife sell in freezer bags.... it smells amazing when you walk by .... and they taste wonderful.

 

   

 

 

The Farmer's Market occupies one square block; the craft market across the street is even larger.  I don't often take pictures of the craft booths because it kind of seems like stealing the artisan's ideas.  But I thought the purposefully simple sign on this tie-dyed wares booth was so appropriate I just had to snap.   Real hippies started the market in 1970 and there are still a lot of booths honoring those beginnings.  (And  still a lot of real hippies around here for that matter.)

 

 

 

There is planned entertainment every hour or so on the Market Stage and street corner entertainment everywhere as you approach the Market blocks.   Quality varies, but it's all fun.

 

 

 

 

If you get hungry as you wander around, there are at least two dozen food carts and booths.  Ritta's has been there since the 1970 beginning.

 

  

 

Let's end with a few more flowers, because I have a feeling these may not last too much longer.   This weekend was partly sunny (chilly in the mornings), but the weather report says that cold rains are coming back later this week.  I feel like the flowers may be the first to go --  I'll certainly miss bringing home weekly bouquets. 

 

 

 LINKING to:  ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  FLORAL BLISS; WEDNESDAY AROUND THE WORLD; and SIGNS SIGNS. 

 

 Thank you to all of the hosts.

WILD IN THE CITY

    

We're starting to get a little Autumn color here in Eugene -- even if part of it is reddish algae on the Delta Ponds.

 

 

 

 Delta Ponds is a 150-acre waterway, consisting of  ponds, channels, and wetlands.  The whole area is owned by the City of Eugene and  is just downstream from the area's largest shopping mall.    

 

 

Great Blue Heron on the hunt

All of it used to be part of the Willamette River floodplain, but the present ponds and channels were formed by gravel extraction in the 1950s and 60s.  (The gravel was used to build the Lane County portion of the  I-5 Freeway and other roadways in the area.)  The City bought the area from the gravel company in the late 1970s and has been actively restoring and reclaiming it since 2004.

 

  

 

Maybe this guy was tired from building the beaver lodge we saw across the pond.  He appears to be napping.

 

Great Blue stare-down.

 

 

I'd taken the bus  to meet a friend  at Valley River Center (the mall mentioned above) .    It was way too pretty a day to stay indoors, so after lunch we headed for the path around the ponds.   (It's good to have friends who would rather take a nature walk near the mall than shop inside it!)

 

In fact, the weather was so lovely, I decided to walk  all the way home.   (We live a little over three miles from the mall.)    Every year I think I'll take this walk oftener and every year I  almost forget.   

  

 

 

Just a slight detour on the way home took me through the City's Rose Garden.  Again,  I should have visited in July when the roses were at their prime.  But there were still lots of beautiful flowers. 

 

 

 

Pretty much every stage in the life of a rose here on this one bush.

 

 

 

LINKING my urban walk to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to all of the hosts for providing them:

 

OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; FLORAL BLISS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SIGNS SIGNS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

 

 

HAPPY FALL 2017

     

Because this is the blog's 10th Anniversary year and the picture is so appropriate for the season, here is a re-run photo used in our very first Full-Time Life post around this time of  year in 2007.    

It was taken  on  our first RV trip to the East Coast (in 2003).  So it was already old when I  used it in that first post.         (We first blogged to keep in touch with family and friends when we spent Spring 2007 in  London.  A while after we came home, I  decided to start another blog about our adventures in this country.)   

     

 

 In most parts of the USA, 'Fall' is the word for the season between Summer and Winter.   I actually prefer to use 'Autumn' .... but 'Fall' is funnier.  

 

   

 

The next two pictures are also old  because we don't have much Autumn color here yet.  The one above is in the Ozark Mountains, on a different trip.

Instead of beautiful colors, the last week of summer here in Eugene brought rain and for that we are beyond grateful.  The moisture has cleared the air of wildfire smoke that permeated the Willamette Valley for much of September.  We hope for continued rain and snow in the mountains because it is needed to  put out all of the fires completely.   I will not even think of complaining about rain this year!   

 

 

 

The marigolds and matching butterfly are also from the Vermont trip.    I could pretend it was more recent, because it could be from an Oregon flower bed -- or lots of other  places -- but we don't believe in fake news or fake pictures around here.

 

Meanwhile,  some  current pictures from here  in Oregon  --  (more current than the above pictures, but not from last week ... because ...   did I mention it's been raining?):

  

 

Out in the country while visiting  our daughter and son-in-law, I took some pictures of Parker -- their big puppy (half  McNab and half Mastiff).    (When we left for Florida in November a year ago, he was a tiny ball of fur.... now at not quite a year old and still growing it's a different story.)    

 

We are  easy to entertain --  the dog and the house birds always provide a show.       (Two different house birds here   -- a couple of house wrens and a house sparrow.)

 

And, in between showers, late summer is great in downtown Eugene:

 

 

The sculpture of Rosa Parks waiting for the bus (and for her place in history) is appropriately situated on the plaza in front  of the Lane Transit District terminal,  just a few blocks from our apartment.  People love to give her flowers -- she is almost always holding a fresh bouquet.  The pictures on the right are flowers (and a few things to eat) purchased at the Saturday Farmer's Market.  

 

 

 

 We don't have to worry about parking,  because the Market is also within very easy walking distance.

 

LINKING  this week to:  

 

OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; TUESDAY TREASURES; FLORAL BLISS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SIGNS SIGNS;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS;    RATHER B' BIRDING and THE BARN COLLECTIVE.

 

 

Thank you to all of the hosts!

 

SMOKE and MEMORIES

 

The picture below is an un-edited photo of the sun near our apartment last Tuesday evening  -- around 6 p.m.   While it makes a rather pretty sky picture,  the reason  is not at all good because the dramatic tones are due to smoke from wildfires... and it has severely socked in our valley.  

 

 

According to an article in our local paper (The Register-Guard, Thursday, August 31), wildfires in Oregon are burning an area equivalent to half the State of Rhode Island, affecting air quality throughout the state.  There are two dozen fires in southern, eastern, and central parts of the state that have scorched a total of 571 square miles.  

Because of the bad air quality, we have done no playing outside this week --  the rest of today's pictures are 'look-backs' and memories.

Our  weather/climate problems are of course as nothing compared to last week's devastating hurricane and unending heavy rains on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.    Damages are horrendous and the aftermath continues.     

During our RV travel years, we spent several winter seasons in that part of Texas.  The collage below shows just a few of our memories of those stays: 

 

 

We stayed twice in Port Aransas and once in Fulton/Rockport, where Hurricane Harvey first made landfall.  (The coastal towns are on opposite shores of  North Padre Island, near Corpus Christie.)    From what we have seen and read, it looks as if both  are completely devastated and will take years to rebuild.

 

 

Our traveling home at Water's Edge RV Park, Fulton Texas, Winter 2006-07

 

As full-time RVers, whenever we stayed in an area for three or four months, we always considered ourselves to be residents.  Of course, it isn't the same as it is for people who have spent their whole lives in an area, but it was long enough that we  would felt at home and get to know the community far better than one would just passing through.   North Padre  was one of our all-time favorite areas and we have wonderful memories of both towns.  

Travel certainly taught us a lot about our country and brought  much joy  -- but it also makes losses such as the one from this horrible storm more vivid as we recognize places  being destroyed and remember them and the people we met.    

Our thoughts are with all those in the affected area.    

   Our current road-trip vehicle

 

The bird below is a more recent memory, but was also on the Gulf Coast -- of Alabama .  We saw this bird on our road trip home to Oregon this past June.    I included it then in a collage of pictures from an evening walk we took where we stayed (Gulf Shores State Park).  And I didn't even try to ID it ... but Eileen, our Saturday Critters host and my (blogland) resident bird expert  told me in a comment on that post that it was a shrike!    Thank you Eileen.   (Most will know already, but Eileen's blog is VIEWING NATURE and it is HERE.) 

 

Loggerhead shrike

 

Many years ago on a camping trip  Bill showed me  evidence of the way shrikes impale their prey, and I probably saw the bird too -- but that was long before I became really interested in birding -- so I'm definitely calling this sighting a first.  

 

 

The flowers below came from a walk around  town that we took when my sister and brother-in-law were visiting last week (after Eclipse Day)... they're part of a wall of hanging baskets in front of a Nursery.

 

 

We are hoping for more dramatic flowers and fewer dramatic smoky skies in September.    

 

 

Thank you for visiting --  and special thanks to the hosts of 

 the following sharing opportunities:

 LINKING THIS WEEK TO:   SATURDAY CRITTERS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;   MOSAIC MONDAY;   NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; FLORAL BLISS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

SIGNS OF SUMMER

   

 

Either the priest or the gardener at this  beautifully landscaped church in Salem has a good sense of humor.   We were there to attend the funeral for Bill's Aunt Rosemary.  This lovely lady, who lived to her late 90s,  was the last remaining member of our parents' generation (on both sides).  Not that there was much doubt before, but we're certainly officially members of the senior generation now.

All of the rest of the pictures in this post are  from walks around the neighborhood here in Eugene.

 

 

  I love hydrangeas in all their colors and all their stages.  It's hard not to stop for pictures when I'm out walking. These are some I've "collected" from different yards all through my walking area

 

 

But even these lush blue bushes can't rescue this poor old house.   I first noticed it when I walked past when we were still here last October.  And at first I thought it was decorated for the Halloween season (the bushes of course were brown and withered then, adding to the haunted appearance). There have been no apparent changes to the structure since last Fall.   Abandoned homes always make me wonder about the story behind them.

 

 

The old house is about six blocks away one direction from our  apartment -- we are right on the edge of an older Eugene neighborhood (mostly with well-kept homes -- the one above is an exception).  

But when we walk the other way, we are in the middle of downtown.    We strolled around on the  First Friday Art Walk, listening to music and looking at some of the street art.  

 

 

It was hot though, so we spent most of the evening in an air-conditioned theater watching an Instant Ballet (the dancers, members of the Eugene Ballet Company,  take suggestions from the audience to put together a ballet based on a pre-determined theme and music.  

 

 

 

 The City installed this colorful piano in the middle of one downtown block.   It gets a lot of use.   Sometimes you get a concert.  And then there are the other times  ....    

 

 

 

 Eugene might be the only place in the world that would have this sign on the front of a City Bus.    We like it!

 

 

 Linking this week  to:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;  MACRO MONDAY; FLORAL BLISS; TUESDAY TREASURES; and SIGNS SIGNS 

 THANK YOU to all of the hosts.

THE END OF THE TRIP AND HOME AGAIN

      

Yes, our annual summer migration is over.... in real life we've been home since the very end of June and, with this early August post, the trip will be over even in blog-land.    (It was a long trip, but not quite as long as it's been here on the blog.)

 

 

 

 Since our ultimate destination (our Northwest home) was Eugene Oregon  ....

 

 

.... I'm tempted to say, in the words of local icon and world-famous  author Ken Kesey "What a long, strange trip it's been." 

 

But although our home city might be a little  different -- "left of normal" (and we're all proud of that), our trip itself was actually a great one, with nothing strange about it.   We explored new places and favorite old ones, had not a speck of trouble on the road, and arrived safely.

 The above pictures are from around town, close to our apartment.   The Eugene Parade was held about a week after we got home ...  we were watching on a street corner less than a block away from our upstairs terrace apartment  -- where the street noise doesn't reach,  but the street excitement is  close by. 

  

 

 

Here is the road-map for the last part of our trip -- from Longmont Colorado  (where we stayed with our son and daughter-in-law) to Eugene Oregon.   The map for the first part of the journey (from our winter home in Florida to Colorado) is HERE.    Because we always break up the trip with a lovely stay with our Colorado family, I've called that our half-way point, but  that's not at all accurate.    (We drove 2,159 miles from Fort Myers to Longmont and then 1,222 miles from there to home.  A total of 3,381 road miles -- not counting side-trips  (mostly in Colorado and Utah).   

 

Abandoned -- along a back-road somewhere  --- Wyoming or Utah or Idaho  -- but the poppies don't know or care.

 

We did not necessarily take the shortest possible route on either 'half' of the journey  and we do not drive long days.  We never have enjoyed that kind of travel -- even when we were younger.    We also took a little longer on the second part of the trip because, while we were in Idaho, we read that temperatures of over 100 F were happening in Eugene.  So we decided to play on the road a bit until it cooled down some at home.

 

Onion seed field somewhere in Idaho

 

Temperatures in the triple digits do not make for good moving-back-in-weather.    And we knew that, this being western Oregon, the extreme heat would not last for long.   Happily it did soon cool down a bit and we arrived in good time for the family picnic on the Fourth of July:

   

  

 

Here are two members of the clan who do not mind having their pictures taken one bit.   We were in the "woods" .... the far back part of the boys' grandparents place.   (Their grandparents are our daughter and son-in-law. We are proud to be the 'GGs' ... the great-grandparents.)  

I took the bird pictures below a couple of days before the Holiday, also in our daughter's yard (closer to their house.)    I was meant to be unpacking our travel van, which we leave out there (we have a small generic car for city use) -- but it was more fun to sit and chat with the family while watching the birds.

 

 

I'm not having any luck identifying this amusing 'little brown job'.  We used to call all our brown feeder birds "LBJs" but that was years ago .   Now it bothers me not to be able to name all the birds we see and I'd love any help I can get with a name for this one.

 

 

Seen in many yards in Eugene 

 

It's good to be home on the West Coast.  We like it here!

   

LINKING this week to:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SIGNS SIGNS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

Thanks to all of the hosts for providing these sharing opportunities.