A Full-time Life

HOPE

 

 Still in that holding pattern here and this may remain true for the foreseeable future.  But there is always hope.  

 

River Walk, January 2021

At the very least there is certainly hope that Spring is somewhere on the horizon.   (And I know we are fortunate to have this kind of weather this time of year.)

This is the first time in years  we've spent a Winter season here in Oregon so we may have forgotten -- but it seems like the second week in January is kind of early for this flowering tree to be blossoming.   I hope there isn't a February surprise to freeze its little buds.   

 

This pair of crows  was having a noisy argument.   They ended up ignoring each other, but still occupying the same branch.  Too much togetherness lately?

We are doing OK with our togetherness (so far) but do have hope that the Covid 19 vaccine will be available within the next month or two.  Oregon seems to be lagging behind in receiving the allotment from the Federal Government, but perhaps that will improve soon.  Right now our tier (old folks) is not slated  to receive  the first dose until  February.  

 

 

 Skies are changeable here this time of year.   We  remember  that from all those years we lived in Oregon (in our former life, pre-retirement).   The above pictures are all from last week.  If you don't like the weather, just hope for change and wait a little while -- it will happen soon.   

 

 

We also remember that camellias were very early bloomers.   (I would have thought early February, but here they are at their prettiest  last week.)   One reason why we remember  them  is that the second winter year we lived in Oregon (in 1972 I think) we lost two  beautiful bushes to a February freeze.    Let us hope that this one does not meet that fate.   At least it isn't our responsibility this time  though -- this is another beautiful flower I "stole" from the neighborhood.  (via photography only of course .)

 

A walk to the river, January 12. 2021

 It felt like Spring, it looked like Autumn, but it was a Winter Day.   Since we're home a lot more with very few appointments on the calendar, it's hard sometimes  to remember what day it is.  And with weather like this, I'm not even sure about the season.  But  it's OK to be confused because I'm so grateful   for every winter day that isn't freezing cold.  

 

Peace Rose (from June 2o20, Owen Rose Garden)

 

We continue to hope for peace and calm for our country.  

 

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

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

Holding Pattern

 

Last week was a terrible one here in this country.   And it really does feel as if we're in a holding pattern  -- at least until after January 20, when, I hope, the USA will begin the return to some semblance of normality.  We have a long way  to go. 

 

It's actually hard to think about anything else, but life goes on and above is a pattern of a different sort.   This sapsucker (?) has been at work drilling it right here in our own backyard.    

Tree watch, January 2021

And here is the black walnut tree in our son-in-law's and daughter's yard on the 9th of January. Under a cold but blue sky.  I'm grateful this past week for mostly dry days in this part of Oregon.    It really does help to go outside and play.

 

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

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS  

WINTER COLOR

It was almost the end of December but there was still Autumn-like weather on our last  "Covid-country-drive" of the infamous year just  over.  Sunshine turned the willows to amber and the blue sky made a beautiful backdrop for hundreds and hundreds of Canada Geese.

 

And we spotted the handsome raptor below while we were admiring the fields.  

 

 

 My extensive research  comparison with pictures on the Internet leads me to think this may be an immature Cooper's Hawk.  ( It has a yellow eye.)   But as always I am open to  help. 

I have learned so much  from fellow bloggers who are real birders and I am so grateful.  Back in September I posted the pictures below without any idea of what these little acrobats were.  Thank you so much to all of the bloggers who told me in their comments that they were Bushtits.  

 

Bushtits 2020, our daughters and son-in-laws' backyard.

 So this was new bird for me -- and one I hope to see again so that maybe I can identify it "all by myself."   I'm pretty sure they were just migrating through the area when we spotted them.

Coming back now to the present day (or at least closer to it), the gray backdrop on the  collage below is more typical of what our skies have been like since that day in the country at the start of this post.

 

 

All of these birds (and more) were spotted along what I call the path to the path -- it's a neighborhood walkway behind our apartment complex that meets the river-bank path I show quite often.     Since the trees and bushes are bare now, I  see more small birds along this section -- house finches, chickadees, juncos, and towhees (not pictured).   And the neighborhood pair of mallards is hanging out in the back channel almost every time.  

 

 

It's a different Winter season for us, but there is still a little color in our world and still some closer-to-home explorations waiting to happen.   We are grateful.

 

LINKING to the following sharing opportunities with thanks to the hosts.

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

CHRISTMAS (and a New Year)

 It is going to be a different Christmas this year and not only because it will be wet and gray here in Oregon.   But there will be rainbows.

 

Cyndi's photo

Christmas Health Love and Cheer be in your hearts throughout the year  

(Picture and Message from our daughter -- taken and sent to us last week)

 

And there will be birds to watch -- and maybe photograph if I'm lucky.

 

 

Seen on a walk to the river last Friday.

 

And there will be Christmas memories.  Below are some of the most recent.  

 

St Augustine, December 2019

 

Thank you to all who visit this blog and especially to those who leave comments.    And thank you all for writing your own blogs.  They are a year-long gift.   Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.   

 

LINKING TO the following with extra gratitude to the hosts of all of these sharing opportunities:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TUESDAY TREASURES;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD ;   WILD BIRD Wednesday;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

 

 

A QUIET WEEK

 

    Quiet and uneventful this week, yes, but given all the alternatives these days, that is nothing to complain about.

 

 

Especially when skies are mostly blue and even the winter trees look golden in the sun (and it is December in Oregon after all.)

 

 

 Christmasy colors in nature .  The three center pictures are from our Coast trip, the rest from a blue sky walk around our home neighborhood early last week.

 

 

The Willamette River --  my usual neighborhood walk destination.

 

 

On the way to the river path.  The Canada Geese on  the left look like they're in a zoo, but it is a private yard.  Side view of the same geese from the river path which borders one side of this house.  The sign on the right, that I wish I hadn't cut off, says  "private property, keep out".  The geese can't read.   The flock of mallards were in the back-channel that is behind our apartment complex.                      

 

There were a couple of rainy days mid week.  On Saturday, the sky was blue and so we  drove out to the farm.    

 

 

Tree watch, December 12.   

The sky stayed blue, but a cold blue.  I took a very brisk nature walk.  

 

 

 Mushrooms ranging from little button sized to gigantic ones (that is my definitely-not-tiny-foot for perspective.  

 

 

Before my fingers froze, I was able to snap a  few  winter birds around the property.  (Must find winter hats and gloves.  We haven't needed them for years.)   That's our daughter's  and son-in-law's cat and dog.  She's waiting for the door to magically open, even though there is a cat-door on the other side of the house.  

 

Grateful for blue sky -- even a little bit of it this time of year.

 

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

 

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

THE MANY MOODS OF THE PACIFIC

The quick shot below -- taken  as we headed west to the Oregon Coast Highway -- made us think we might be heading into one of the most common coastal moods this time of year -- fog and mist (Oregon rain). 

 

 

 And indeed, when we arrived at our destination, that is exactly what we experienced, although the rain mist let up a bit as we pulled into our campsite.   The misty afternoon was fine with us -- we were warm and cozy inside the tiny trailer and ready to relax.   

The rain let up completely soon enough though and that evening (late afternoon really these days) there was time for  a short  sunset walk along the beach.    On  misty days here, the sun often makes a last-ditch effort to show up just as it is quitting time.  

 

 

We had a little of everything weather-wise on this getaway.  Some blue sky days, some of that mist, and only on our last day did a big storm roll in.  But it was not yet raining  as we hooked up ready to head for home.    It was light jacket temperature every day, rain or shine.  Perfect Autumn days at the Oregon Coast.

 

 

 

One of the blue-sky days as we explored the area around Brookings-Harbor, where we were camped.   

 

 

And another perfect day.   These sea-stacks are a feature of Harris State Park, near Brookings.   They are part of the  Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.   For navigation purposes, each rock island has a name.

 

 

I could hear and barely see Oyster Catchers and some other sea birds.  But for pictures, I had to settle for nearer birds.  This California Gull posed perfectly backlit by the setting sun.

 

 

The sunset from our beach looked a little different on our last evening.  From the same spot just a few steps outside our trailer we watched the setting sun on the west and turning around spied the rising moon.  Contrary to the old saying, this red sky at night heralded a coming day of warning for sea-going folks in this area.

The two pictures below show the weather we woke up to that next day, our last morning.

 

The sky was still blue, but the waves, which had been calm until then were crashing and rolling.   The bar, the most dangerous one on the lower coast, was closed.  Flags were out, but two Coast Guard boats were also  out guarding the entrance.  We had a great view of the boats from right in front of our spot.  

 

 

This boat totally disappeared under that wave just after this picture.    Although I know perfectly well that these guardians of the sea  know what they are doing, my heart was still in my throat.  I think the men and women of the Coast Guard are happy for the chance to put their  skills to use though.  They do such good work.  

 

 

We were so lucky in our weather and that we were able to safely socially distance while experiencing different and beautiful scenery .    Most people we met as we walked were wearing masks and it was always easy to socially distance.   Our beaches here in Oregon never seem to be over-crowded even in the summer.    I'm grateful for that and, as always, grateful to "the travel planner" for finding the perfect Autumn getaway spot.  

 

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

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

PICTURES and PONDERS

Pretty pictures and  pandemic ponders.   

 

"It is a serious thing  just to be alive on this fresh morning  in this broken world” – Mary Oliver

 Like many bloggers these days, I'm reaching back for memories of sunny mornings.   But they will  come again.  

 

 

 

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather" - John Ruskin

The  picture above is from the last time we spent the winter in Oregon -- over a dozen years ago.    We had a fireplace in  the fifth-wheel RV that we lived and  traveled in back then.   There was a little bit of a hiccup in our plans that season -- we weren't planning to spend the winter here, but health- and  healing-related events changed that.   At least this winter we are mentally prepared (more or less) for cozy winter months.     After all, like everybody else, we've been thinking up ways to keep from being bored at home ever since April.   Below is what we did one day:

 

 

Bill worked on the computer and  I got a new pet.  (I learned how to do this from someone's blog and sadly I've forgotten who it was as well as how to do it.)  This day happened when we were totally self-isolating for two weeks when we were first back in Oregon.  

 

Although we still do stay at home more than usual, we are now able to go outside and play some.    I'm grateful for that.

 

The pictures below are from one of those times -- one of what I call our Covid country drives.  

 

Leftover pictures from a recent country drive 

Scarecrow doesn't seem like the right word for the two fashionably-dressed ladies in the top row, but I think they're meant to serve the same purpose.   We pulled over so I could take their  picture and at  first neither of us  noticed the real-live-human woman plowing her garden.   She waved at us and her protective dog never even barked, but he was sure ready to act had we stepped onto his property (as he should have).  

We have another, slightly longer, getaway planned this week as we spend a few socially-distanced days in our tiny trailer. 

 

Gold Beach Oregon 2017

We're looking forward to this year's version of the Thanksgiving holiday --  camping on Oregon's south coast.    

 

THANK YOU to the hosts of the following, where I'm linking this week:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS

 

 

 

 

 

THE LEAVES ARE LEAVING

 

 

Want to buy a post office?    Yep, the  Lorane post office building, the second smallest we've ever seen, can be yours for only $99,000.     We saw the "for sale" sign  and looked it up when we got home.  The ad said the "iconic building" is leased to the USPO for the next four years -- so there's a guaranteed source of income.

The post-office sighting was on one of our recent "covid drives" out in the country,    All of the rest of the  pictures are from  last week, even closer to home.

 

Saturday, November 7

 To be perfectly honest, the picture above is from a week ago yesterday.  That's the Black Walnut Tree at our D and SIL's that I've been watching since April.   We spent part of that Saturday out at the farm visiting and admiring the Fall colors,  a lot of which appeared in last week's post.  It was perfectly beautiful blue-sky Autumn weather. 

But the next day it turned cool and windy.  

 

 

On Monday, Cyndi texted that it was "snowing leaves" at their house. She included a  quick movie from her phone but sadly I can't figure out how to embed a video so it's a screen shot. 

 

Friday, November 13

And this is my picture of the same tree from our latest visit a couple of days ago.  What a difference a week makes.

 

 

Cyndi also texted this picture. How lucky that they had some help with the raking!   That is their grandson (our great), who was visiting them for the day.  You can tell from my latest picture above that there are a lot more leaves to come down.  Enough to keep this little guy busy the next time he spends the day with his grandparents. 

 

 

I didn't help with the raking when we visited on Friday.  But I did collect some of the last of the Autumn  color from the back pasture.  I'm grateful to enjoy the beauty and have none of the work.  Sometimes growing older is not a bad thing at all! 

 

 

While we were there, the sky kept  changing from gray to blue.  So Cyndi and I kept moving our lawn chairs around  from sunny spots to dry ones as we visited.    Beautiful Autumn color is just about gone, but I hope this  rainbow is an omen of a manageable winter and brighter things to come in non-weather related matters.  (Rainbow shot through the car window the same day, as we drove home.) 

 

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

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TUESDAY TREASURES; THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SIGNS SIGNS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

    

 

DAWN OF A NEW DAY

 

 We woke up Saturday morning to a beautiful golden  day.    And not only because of the perfect Autumn weather.

 

This isn't a current news blog by any means, but as I have said often, it is my happy place.   And because the news on Saturday made me  happy, I can't just ignore it here.   I will be even happier on January 20  (and hope we survive until then), but it feels like our country has taken the first step back to sanity.  

 

"We are in a battle for the soul of the nation. It’s a battle to uphold and honor the values that we hold dear, values like empathy, and dignity, and respect for truth. These are our values and they are the values we need for a better future."   Joe Biden.

 

 

 

 Of course we still have problems and they won't magically go away now or in January.  But there is hope.  And there are beautiful Autumn colors.      The pictures above are all from Saturday at our son-in-law and daughters.  Our Covid-pod.   And we are more than OK with that.

"Introverts were social distancing before social distancing was cool"  -  Don Kahle, Register-Guard (Eugene)  October 30

In addition to visiting the lovely people in our pod on Saturday, we  took a couple of day-drives earlier in the week.     The weather really has been perfect and Autumn color is wonderful.  Getting out there is something we like to do and my favorite form of stress relief.  Fortunately Bill enjoys it just as much.

 

 

A random drive-by shot of typical scenery in our part of the world.  I love the layered look of the hills.

 

 

 

Oakland Oregon is a small and historic town in the next county to ours.  (Historic for this part of this country.)   It's only about an hour from home on the freeway, but longer for us because we explored backroads on our way there and back.    We are fortunate to have our  camper van because public "rest stops" are few and far between these days.  We wouldn't be nearly as comfortable on a day drive with just a car (or at least I wouldn't).     

 

 

Oakland was pretty much completely shut down on the week-day when we were there.    The downtown is mostly antique and souvenir stores and wineries that had opened in repurposed historic buildings.  I wonder if many of these small businesses will survive Covid. 

Leisurely heading back home after our walk around Oakland, we stopped for a while in the even tinier town of Drain.  The town wants to make sure people know why it  has that odd name.

 

 

I remember the days when almost every outing, whether for errands or pleasure, included finding a fun restaurant.     Many of our old favorites have re-opened at home (in the Eugene area) , but we haven't patronized any this year except for a few takeout meals.  We wouldn't have found much at all on this outing, even if we'd been planning to "eat out."  

 

 

 Things change, but life is good  -- and hopefully getting better.

 

Thank you to the hosts of these sharing opportunities:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;    TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS ;  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TUESDAY TREASURES;   SIGNS SIGNS;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

INSPIRED BY FALL COLOR

 

It wasn't a terribly inspiring week.   Boring appointments and other routine unbloggable stuff took up a lot of what ought to be all the time in the world, but somehow is not. 

The weather cooled down quite suddenly with some sunny days and no rain.   Whether gray or sunny though, this time of year there is always glorious color.      

 

There were beautiful Autumn leaves to admire  ...

 

 

... and to shuffle through.

Kicking fallen leaves makes me feel like a child again.  I hope no one was watching.   I have reached  the age where there is a fine line between childlike and one's second childhood.  

 

 

The usual suspects were still out and about on walks to the river.  Great Blue Herons (above), Great Egrets (below), gulls, and Canada Geese are always around.  The Winters are usually mild enough here that I don't think they'll migrate.  

 

 

I hope the mild part is true this year, because we ourselves will not be migrating to our Florida cottage.  It's just too far away under the present circumstances.  Instead,  we will emulate the (other?)  geese here in Oregon that migrate only from one field to another.   (We hope to take some shorter camping trips.) 

 

 

 

 Meanwhile, skies last week were not very dramatic.   The days were either all blue or all gray.  But at least every day wasn't all gray   (yet).    

 

 

 

I'm always grateful that we live within walking distance of our River.  Especially on weeks like this one.

 

 

It's not really cold yet --  light jacket weather by the time I usually get outside.  But it does seem like only yesterday when I walked fast to get to the shaded parts of the path.  Now I head quickly for the sunny spots.    

 

 

I like Autumn!  

(Not too crazy about the season that comes next, but we haven't really had Winter for years, so we will try to look at it as a new experience and learn from it.)

 

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

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

 

SUNDAY SMILES

 

A collection of smiles -- all pictures from last week here in the Willamette Valley.  

 

 

Happy Halloween .... 

 

Don't Forget to Wear Your Mask  

(I'm not lion)

 

 

 Is this a good buy?  Have you ever bought a pound of wine?  

 (Still trying to figure out exactly how much wine that is.  My math skills are poor, but I have the soul of a proof-reader.)

 

Hot Lips

Funny name for a beautiful plant 

 

Just Hanging on By a Thread

(There's a metaphor in there somewhere.)

 

 

And some genuine smiles from out at the country place last week.  That's our oldest great-grandson with the new family puppy (a very big puppy).   And beautiful blue skies and October sunshine.   Thankful for every beautiful Autumn day.

 

LINKING this week to these sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:

 

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

 

The BEAUTIFUL and the BAD

It was perfect  October weather last week -- just about as perfect as perfect can be.  Not too hot, not too cold.   No rain, but it has rained recently so it's no longer  too dry!  

 

All the colors of Autumn with blue sky -- from a Saturday morning walk around our neighborhood.   Earlier in the week, we took a drive up the McKenzie River.  The Highway is open again after being closed because of the Holiday Farm fire.       

 

 

Goodpasture Bridge, McKenzie River -- built 1938

 

Oregon has more covered bridges than any other state west of the Mississippi.   Back when bridges were built of wooden timbers, the roofs were protection from the Oregon rain.  Quite a few of them have been preserved and some like this one are still in limited use.  

   

 

We stopped at the bridge above and this stretch of the river just after leaving the urban area of Eugene/Springfield.    The sun was shining, the river flowed, the trees were green.   Over the years, we've had so many happy times along  the McKenzie and at first, the drive-by views  looked just like old times.   Because of last month's fire, we knew to expect  damage further along  but felt like we needed to see it for ourselves.     

 

 

We didn't have to drive too much further before seeing blackened trees and crews removing dangerously damaged ones .  Along here, we were surprised to see places where one home would be severely burned and the one on the next property still standing apparently unharmed.  In our travels, we've been in areas where we've seen the aftermath of hurricanes and tornados, but didn't expect fire damage to be so sporadic.   But this fire was exacerbated by a severe windstorm, so it was wind patterns here as well.   

 

 

We began to see signs thanking the fire crews for the amazing job they did stopping the fire where they did.  But soon we reached the towns of Finn Rock and Blue River.  Those towns are near where the fire started.  They are pretty much completely destroyed.

 

 

There used to be a store and cafe where the structure at the top left and center were taken.  Small vacation cottages lined the portion of the river where some owners are still sifting through the remains.   The three pictures on the bottom are from what was once the town of Blue River.  Firefighters saved the district school building, but the town is just gone.

 At first as we drove through the remains of the town it somehow  felt wrong that the sun was shining and the sky was blue.   I suppose it is a sign of hope.   It was so very sad, but I was still glad we took the drive.  We don't watch the news and  nothing I had read had quite prepared me for this.  It will be a long time before things are anywhere near back to normal in this part of our county.

Rather than re-trace our route  along the McKenzie River, we made it  a circle drive by going home over the Santiam Highway.  

 

 

 We were traveling a portion of this aptly named scenic byway.    Here is a brief bit of info from "America's Scenic Byways."

This 66-mile route begins in the rich farmland of the Willamette Valley, and then winds along rushing streams, and through dense forests as it climbs into the Cascades to join the West Cascades and McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass National Scenic Byways.

Along the way travelers will pass through some of Oregon's oldest settlements, while experiencing the geographic diversity of five western Oregon ecosystems. With access to rivers, reservoirs, parks and campgrounds, many trails and winter sports access areas, this byway offers a wide range of scenic wonders and recreational activities.  

 

 

Short Bridge, Santiam River , Built 1945 to replace an earlier one built in 1920

 

Short Bridge crosses the South fork of the Santiam River.   Like the Goodpasture Bridge at the beginning of the post, this one is also named for a pioneer Oregon settler.  The name is not meant as a description, but it could be -- it really isn't very long.   (I think it is shorter than this blogpost is.)    If you've read this far, thank you!!    Even though I usually try to keep this blog "my happy space", another purpose of it is to keep memories.  And I don't want to forget this fire (which I can only hope will be a rare happening).    

 

LINKING this week to the following, with thanks to the hosts.  

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;  SIGNS SIGNS;  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

 

EARLY OCTOBER -- A COLLECTION

 Here in Eugene this year, we have only half as much Fall Color as usual. 

 

 

The proof is in the picture!  

 

 

Above  is my  collection from last week of what color there was.     All  pictures  taken in between much needed rain showers.   

Not a lot  from last week -- partly because of that rain.  So the  rest of this post is a random selection from past Octobers.    

 

 

Custer State Park, South Dakota  October 2013

 

Custer State Park is one of our favorite places.  The wildlife viewing there  is outstanding.   In October 2013 we visited when driving from Oregon to Florida.   Although you couldn't tell it from this picture, we also saw quite a bit of snow that time.   Our youngest son had driven from Colorado to spend some of his vacation time with us.    We were glad to take him up on the offer to drive us around on our scenic tours.  That way Bill was able to admire the scenery more than usual.  We were all even happier that the roads were clear by the time we left the area.    (In truth,  I was the only one of the three of us who worried about the weather -- and I was the only one who was not driving.)  

 

Fern Ridge Lake October 2012

 

We spent many summer/fall seasons at Fern Ridge Lake here in Lane County Oregon.   In early October the Lake, which is really a reservoir,  is  beginning to recede.  That makes it a good month for birding.    I have taken tons of pictures of Great Blue Herons from here in Oregon, from Florida and from points in between.  This is one of my favorites.

 

 Booth Bay Harbor Maine October 2010

 

We were looking at a different body of water in October 2010 when we were close to winding up our  tour of the Eastern Seaboard States.   That whole trip was wonderful, full of new places and new experiences.  We had some prior knowledge of Booth Bay Harbor because years earlier our oldest son had been stationed there on his first Coast Guard posting.  He liked it very much and we did too.  

 

Fern Ridge Lake October 2014

Back to the Lake for another between-showers picture.  In fact "Between Showers"  was the title of the October 2014 post where I found this picture.  A typical Oregon October.   I am thankful for the rain, because we need it so much this year.  And thankful that I have this blog to jog my memory because memories are much needed this year too. 

 

Linking this week to the following, with thanks to the hosts:

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

THE WEEK THAT WAS ....

What a week!    Even in 2020, the one just past stands out as one of the strangest -- nationally.  Everybody knows that already, so  I'll just say that since we are still in semi-isolation, we probably have way too much time to follow the news.  Sometimes I think it would be nice to live on a deserted island with no contact with the outside world! 

 

 

 But  then I wouldn't be able to blog!  This pretty Stellar's Jay showed off for me exactly at the point where the path behind our  apartment complex reaches the river path.  

 

 

Nature walks are, as always, a refuge.  These pictures however are from out in the country on our daughter's and son-in-law's acreage.   I guess those are nature walks for me.  I walk around the edge of their property taking pictures while everybody else in the family is busy working on projects or  on-line school.   (Then I sit under the big tree watching birds and reading.)  

 

 

Back to the earlier walk in our own neighborhood.   Some days when I walk the River Paths I don't see a single bird.  On this walk, I  saw the Great Blue Heron standing in the shadows of the trees where the Jay was perched.

 

 

 

After our weeks of smoke, we don't take blue skies for granted.    And the weather has been beautiful.  Most years, October is a good month here in Oregon.    There isn't a lot of  color so far -- and there may not be.  I think it might have been too dry during the summer.  But even without vivid Autumn color, it is good to have perfect walking temperatures -- and of course blue sky.  I am thankful for that.

 

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

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

 

FALL

We had rain off and on and wind last week --  the first official week of Fall in the USA.  One windy afternoon we were reading quietly when there was a strange and loud noise outside our window.   Here's what we saw:

 

FALL  (two definitions) 2020

 

My first thought was that this poor old tree just gave up on 2020 (because why not? -- It really feels as if we're all just waiting for the other shoe to drop.)   In reality, saturated ground and sudden wind may have had something to do with the tree's demise.    No buildings or people were hurt  and we were happy that it was "not our problem."  That is the head of maintenance for our complex surveying the damage.    I grow fond of trees and it was sad to see whenever I looked out our windows.  This weekend a crew came in and chain-sawed it all away.    

 

 Below are some more conventional (and happier) pictures of Fall around our neighborhood:

 

Weekday walks, Eugene  -- first week of Fall 2020

 

September is such a nostalgic month -- I think because it brings back memories of starting school.   My archives don't  go back quite  as far as those boxes of crayons and new workbooks, but because I didn't have many new pictures for the week I did comb through them.  

 

Fern Ridge Lake Oregon                                              2012

 

I looked for September pictures  that would work for the sharing sites that I like to join.   We spent part of the summer/fall season at the Lake for several years when we were full-time RVers.  (We traveled the rest of the year.)

 

Mergansers, Bald Eagles, and a Bear ---   Haines Alaska 2014

We spent almost four months in Alaska in 2014 -- the trip actually ended in mid-September,  so these pictures would have been taken earlier in the summer.  But I was still blogging about that trip for weeks after it ended.      There was so much to see and do there!   

 

 

 

Vermont  2001

 

I used the above picture in the first FullTime-Life blog post I ever made in September 2007  (and have repeated it every few years to mark the start of the season.)   But it was taken several years before that on our first RV trip out of the western states.  We loved this trip, loved that part of the country,  and loved being leaf-peepers.   

 

 

And here we are back home in the neighborhood in September 2020 --  one of the paths we walk along the Willamette River.  A lovely place for dreaming of the past and planning for the future!  We are grateful for time to do both.

 

Thank you to the hosts of the following  --- for the sharing opportunities they provide and also this week for the impetus to do a search through "the olden days" of the blog so that I'd have pictures that would fit all of the themes! 

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

 

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

It rained hard last Thursday night! 

 

 

 The storm cleared the air enough so that on Friday we were able to go grocery shopping, even to the Farm Market.    And on Saturday afternoon, the sun came out for a little while and the sky was blue.  I even went for a neighborhood walk around the loop.  The picture above is from earlier in the summer, but the sky was almost this blue on Saturday.   I didn't take pictures because I was too busy appreciating the fact that I could breath fresh air.  

 

River Road near Junction City

In fact, all pictures in today's post are from the archives.  The little abandoned outbuilding is on a farm near the market where we shop for produce.   

 

From the archives

I'm so grateful for the rain.   I swear I won't ever fuss about gray days again as long as they are caused by rain, not smoke and ash.   (Especially if there are rainbows after.)

 

Delta Ponds Pedestrian Bridge, near our neighborhood 

Of course all is not sunshine and lollipops yet -- over 700 structures were burned in the Holiday Farm fire which is still only about 10% contained.   This fire, the closest one to us, is just one of the climate fires burning in Oregon.  This one alone has burned (is burning) over 170,000 acres.    The Red Cross has housed evacuees from the area   in Eugene/Springfield hotels.  (Some had other places to go, so the number of displaced people isn't known.)

And of course even if the skies are smoke-free we still need masks whenever we leave the house.  

 

For that reason -- and for many others -- we can all use some spots of sunshine.    Yellow flowers always brighten my day.  Even when they are pictures from the archives.   May these spots of sunshine on the ground brighten yours.

 

 

RIP,  RBG.  

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

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OREGON ON FIRE

 We are safe at home, but the State of Oregon is burning up.  Government authorities have reported over a million acres have burned.   It is hard to believe that a week ago today (Sunday) my weekly blog post talked about how dry and hot it was, but we had spent that last week doing our usual things.  Usual in the age of Covid anyway -- we took walks, we visited outdoors with family,  went to the grocery store and Farm Market.... just the normal.   

 

 

 But that was last Sunday and I was blogging about the previous week.   On Monday night (September 7), the Holiday Farm Fire started up the McKenzie River -- in an area about  50 miles east of  us.  It has now burned to about 15 miles from us, as well as further north and south.  Conditions were hot and dry and there was a strong 40 mph wind (very unusual for here) -- it fanned the fire out of control very suddenly.   People who lived up the river  got no warning  -- some of them  awoke to flames against their house.  Several small communities were destroyed.   It is not yet known how many lives have been lost.  People have been evacuated to high schools in Springfield, the twin city to Eugene where we live.  Fire fighting conditions improved Friday, and the fire has slowed, though still is not controlled.

 These two pictures were taken from  our front door on Tuesday morning, September 8 -- the  only time all week I've stepped out of the house.   We, and our Oregon family, are not near the flames and in no danger of having to evacuate, but air quality is at a dangerous level.   

 

 

 The Holiday Farm Fire is just one of several climate fires that are burning out of control in our State, all caused by the same conditions. But it is the closest one to us. The Upper McKenzie River has been our mountain playground for years. I made the collage below from the last time we camped there.

 

Memory of Blue River -- from last April.

We stayed at the Blue River RV Park on the last night of our trip home from Florida.  It is practically certain that this beautiful little RV park has been destroyed.   We have so many memories of staying along the River in years back.  This was just the latest time.  We used to go  camping with our kids up there, we often took carloads of Boy Scouts and supplies to camp, and every summer we have taken at least a day trip  up the river to walk or hike.  It will be a while before anyone is able to do that again -- and it will never be the same.   

 

 

 

Sun on Tuesday morning  

Climate change has come home.    It is heartbreaking to think of the people who have lost everything in these fires.       We hope for happier times and better days to come... and soon.

 

LINKING this week to:  MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; and  SKYWATCH FRIDAY .   

Thank you to the hosts.

HOT WEATHER OREGON

It was HOT last week!  Oregonians aren't used to 90 degree temperatures --  It's really not even fun to go for a walk when it's that warm.  One morning we took a drive up into the hills East of us just to get away.   It was a little bit cooler and a  whole lot greener.  We drove rather aimlessly around the back roads, sometimes on  logging roads, stopping now and then to admire the views.  And to take pictures  or to figure out where we were  (depending on which half of us we're talking about.)

  

 

Layered hills are my favorite.  This view was on Bill's side and he stopped the car before I even saw it.  He knew I'd want this picture and I'm actually glad he can read my mind.    

 

 

Views nearer to the roads. 

The green really was refreshing -- it really is dry and hot in the valley and sometimes smoky.  Several wildfires are burning in Western Oregon -- one in our county, on the way to the Coast.  We need rain.

Saturday was the coolest day of the week -- still in the 80s (F) but more manageable.  We went out to the country to say hi to whoever was home. And to work on a project  or to take pictures (once again, depending which half ....).

 

One 

I wandered out to the back-of-beyond part of their property.   This little guy caught my eye.  His perch on a  blackberry cane did not look real comfortable.  I took the picture mostly so I could try to identify what it was ... it didn't look like the small birds I usually see in their  yard.

 

 

Two 

 

Before I even moved there were suddenly two birds on the same bushes.   -- I'm not sure if they're even the same kind of bird as the first one I saw -- but they were also enjoying whatever was left on those dead branches.   

 

Three 

 

And then there were three.  One definitely showing off athletic skill.

 

 Four 

 

 Five!  

 

By the time the whole flock flew away all at once,  it was feeling as if  I were in the middle of a children's counting book.   One, two, three..... how many little birds do you see?        I'm wondering if these are some kind of recent fledglings.  (ID help is always welcome.)  

 

 

I'm still surprised that those birds chose the bare branches when there was this colorful tangle of ripe berries and rose-hips nearby.   I picked a cup or two of blackberries for our cereal the next day.   Before we went home we also picked a big basket of those wonderful cherry tomatoes and our daughter gave us a dozen of those green and brown eggs. (see here).    Good company, good food, fresh air  -- can't be beat.  

 

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

 

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

 

 

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?

 

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?  

 

 

 

  It all depends on which way you're going.  Let's pretend we're all coming out of the dark into the sunshine. It could happen that way.  

 

 

 

The best walk of the  week was at Eugene's Delta Ponds.  This bit of nature in the middle of the City is a peaceful -- and hopeful -- place.  It's a City Park reclaimed from gravel pits.   Gravel extraction during the 1950s and 60s  provided much of the material for construction of local roadways, including Interstate 105.  

 

 

The City purchased the land from the gravel company in the late 1970s, but it remained wild and unclaimed until 2003.      

 

 

 

Work to restore the Delta Pond System and reconnect it to the River  has been ongoing since then.   It's a wonderful resource for the community and one for which I'm grateful!  

 

 

More usual suspects -- the white duck must be an escapee who decided to join his wild cousins.   The female Mallard at the top left has a feather on her beak.  I kept expecting her to sneeze.   Also seen, but not photographed (even badly) were a few darting songbirds and a Kingfisher.

The next two pictures are from last week's visit to our daughter and son-in-law's.  

 

 

 A few mid-summer flowers are still hanging in there. 

 

 

The Black Walnut tree is magnificent in all its fully leafed out glory.   It is too bad that it couldn't stay at this stage for longer!   The leaves will probably start to fall just about the time the rainy season arrives, which (according to our children) makes a big messy job.     I've taken so many spring and summer pictures of this beautiful tree this year, the least I can probably do is pick up a rake in the fall.   Or not.  (Maybe I will just take some more tree-watch pictures instead. )  

 

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

 

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

 

 

A TRIP TO THE OREGON COAST

 

We stayed at the coast for a couple of nights last week.  It was our first out-of-town trip since we arrived back home in early April.  We have always loved the fact that  the Eugene-Springfield area is so close to the ocean.    We can be in Florence, the closest town on the coast  in about an hour.  On this trip however, we headed south from Florence to Winchester Bay, one of our old favorite places to camp.

 

The Pacific Ocean at Yachats 

It was a perfect getaway.   The kind of short trip we used to take almost regularly.    We're thankful it felt safe to go again.    We took the RoadTrek (camper van).    On the second day we drove along the coast south to Coos Bay and the next we went north to Waldport before heading inland and home.    The pictures in this post are not necessarily in chronological order, but they are all from this trip.  

 

 

Windy Bay Campground, Winchester Bay

This white-crowned sparrow welcomed us to   our Winchester Bay camp site.

 

Highway 101  -- just South of Winchester Bay 

Driving between Winchester Bay and Coos Bay we pass rolling sand dunes and five minutes or less later our road takes us past green evergreen forest and rhododendron undergrowth.   It is an interesting contrast.  Driving along this part of the Coast Highway, you don't really see the ocean until nearly Coos Bay.  I didn't take pictures of the ocean then because we knew we'd have better views later.   Just outside of Coos Bay we visited Shore Acres State Park, one of our favorite places to walk.

 

 

 The  gardens at Shore Acres are beautiful in any season.

 

 

This time of year, dahlias are the star of the show.   It's hard to believe Autumn flowers are already blooming when this was our first summer trip.  It's been a different sort of year.  

 

Shore Acres State Park

 

Still a bit between seasons  --  we  enjoyed seeing both the last of the summer roses and the earliest Fall flowers.   And  as always the lovely ponds and greenery.

 

Perfection!  

 

 

Fuschia plants made  lovely reflections in this pond.

 

 

Almost all the while we walked in Shore Acres we could hear sea lions barking on the reefs below, but the day was (blessedly) a bit overcast and we couldn't really see them from there.  After we walked around the park for a while we drove south a little ways to Simpson Reef where we watched hundreds of them enjoying the warm rocks.    

 

Back to blue skies (and heat)  when driving inland from Waldport

The next morning we checked out of  our campsite and drove north to the pretty little coastal town of Yachats where I walked along the rocky beach (and where I took the first picture in this post.)  That first  picture looks as if it was taken in black and white but it is straight out of the camera.  Although it looks misty and overcast in the picture, it really was a perfect two days at the coast -- in the mid- 70s F.     But that coastal weather seldom makes for beautiful sky pictures.  We had to wait until we were well inland  before we saw brilliant blue sky and fluffy white clouds.   Beautiful.  But we were grateful to have enjoyed two days of perfectly comfortable cooler temperatures.   The Oregon Coast is the place to go for that!  

 

LINKING this week to the following with thanks to all of the hosts:

NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS; and  SATURDAY CRITTERS

 

LATE SUMMER IN THE CITY and COUNTRY

It's been hot -- for here in western Oregon -- reaching the high 90s on a couple of days last week.  It doesn't even reach those temperatures until mid-afternoon; mornings have only been in the mid-70s at the highest.   That's not bad compared to most other places in the country.    It's all relative.  Still, I'm grateful for our air-conditioner.    A/C isn't necessarily a given around here.    

 

 

 I walked the path along the top of Fern Ridge Dam one morning.   You can tell we haven't had rain for a while.  It's dry out there.   Bill is working on a project at "the barn" (our daughter and son-in-law's).  The dam road is in walking distance of their house, so he let me out at the far end and I got a nice morning walk with different scenery before spending a few hours visiting.

 

We never seem to leave their house without something from the garden.   On this day, it was a huge bucket of cherry tomatoes -- as sweet as candy.    It would be more than enough just to have the time to visit, but these were a lovely bonus.  Nothing tastes as good as a homegrown tomato!  

 

 

 

Their young hens have started to produce.  Cyndi says the first few times the eggs they lay are small.  I guess they have to practice.  I'm  fascinated by the natural  Easter Egg colors.

 

This is from the normal, every-day walk in our neighborhood. Apparently Eugene has gypsy moths again -- There are insect traps in a few yards and along the river paths.    Summer flowers are just about gone and I didn't see many of the Autumn ones  yet -- it's kind of an in-between season.    The tree with the sign is on the parking strip in a residential neighborhood.  

 

 

It's a notice that the City is going to remove the tree because it is diseased.  It says they are going to replace it.   Interesting to know that they won't just come in and chop down trees  -- they will let you know first and, apparently, in plenty of time.    (It says it will be removed after July 28 -- I took this picture earlier, but the sign was still there yesterday.)  

 

 

The birds were just the usual suspects.    I see mallards every time I walk in the neighborhood.  The Western Grebes, the scruffy scrub jay, and the ever-present Canada geese were on the dam walk.

 

 

This was on a different day out at the farm.   It was an informal family gathering and a gender reveal party -- these three (our great-grandsons)  now know they are expecting a sister!  The "smoke" (some kind of powder) in the middle picture came out of a baseball hit by one of the big boys.  It looked pinker in real life -- that's how the announcement was made to all of us.    The family is excited and we are happy for them.  (Our family leans toward boys.  We have three sons and one daughter; four grandsons and two granddaughters, and  five great-grandsons (two others are cousins to this bunch!)  So pink was kind of exciting.)   

 

 

Even if it's hot, Fall is definitely in the air!  The smell of apples ripening on the trees always makes me think of back to school and canning and making jam -- all the Autumn stuff we don't do any more. (I'm not actually sure if anybody is going to do the back-to-school thing here this Fall.)    In any case, all those things are fun to remember.    And I like seeing the seasons change.   It's a different world and a new normal, but life is still  good!

 

Thank you to the hosts  of the following sharing opportunities:

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

 

 

 

AT-HOME DISTRACTIONS

 

We stayed pretty close to home most of last week.   There was a (socially-distant) visit with our middle son who rode his bike to our house one afternoon; some time spent with family in the country;  a few groceries from the farm store on the way home; ordinary neighborhood walks; and the usual distractions of which there are many, but mostly not blog-worthy.  This one might be:  

 

 

Probably I should save this collection  to brighten up a future rainy week.  We still have sunshine and blue skies mostly, but there was one rainy day last week -- a reminder of days to come.   We need the rain so I will try to remember to be grateful for it when it comes.

 

 

 

This is near the place where I began a walk on the West Bank Path.  Eugene has an extensive trail system.  From behind the shopping mall where the trails started I turned the opposite direction from the walk to the Rose Gardens that I blogged about last month.    

 

 

 

This section is less-used and  much of it was "wilder" looking.    The river was only visible in glimpses because of heavy foliage, but I appreciated the partial shade.

 

 

On the other side of this trail there are acres of undeveloped land.   Several years ago , someone wanted to build a resort-style hotel here.  It was controversial.  People in the neighborhood bordering the land either wanted to keep it undeveloped or else build what they described as low-income, low-impact housing.   As far as we could learn, all those plans have been put on hold if not abandoned, although the signs that were posted seemed to show that the neighborhood people don't want their hopes forgotten.  

 

 

 There is no sign of any building, but there were a couple of fairly large homeless camps along the path.  Sadly, there are many un-homed people in our area.       

 

Can't imagine who could argue with this one.

 

  

 

This is what people  who haven't taken enough new pictures do when they have lots of extra time.  (Because they weren't out taking new pictures.) I’m thankful for new experiences and old memories, and a home where we can enjoy them.

 

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

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  SIGNS SIGNS;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

BIRDS AND BEES ....

... AND other interesting things.  It's a bit of a potpourri because that's the kind of week it was.

 

 

Here's a view of the Willamette from the West Bank Trail on a perfect walking day.  Some days last week were  too hot.  I've been enjoying slow mornings because until very recently we've had all-day-long pleasant summer weather.  It's time to re-adjust and take a walk earlier before the temperatures get uncomfortable.  I don't want to waste the rest of summer by staying indoors!

 

The pictures above are Camas Plants  -- taken in April on a walk to the Lake with our daughter.  I had a lot of Spring flowers to post back then and I wanted to do so some research before writing about this interesting plant.  Then I kind of forgot about them until our visit to Finley Wildlife Refuge a couple of weeks ago (last week's post).   How lucky  ...  the  sign shown below not only reminded me of my spring pictures but also did the research for me:  

 

 

You can click the sign picture to enlarge, but here's a summary of the interesting information: 

Kalapuya people occupied the Willamette Valley over 4500 years ago.  They hunted deer and elk and gathered camas and hazelnuts.   Tools used for grinding have been found in excavations in this area, as well as pit ovens used for roasting .    They harvested camas in the Spring.  This bright blue lily flourishes along streams and in seasonally flooded marshes.  Slow roasting transforms the starchy bulbs into sweet delicacies.   

The seasonal marsh near this sign was of course completely dry when we viewed it a couple of weeks ago.   The Kalapuya would have completed their camas harvest months ago both here and at the seasonal marsh where I took the pictures.  

It's very dry now at that seasonal marsh and in the fields that are also near our "kids" country home.   But there's water in their backyard and look who was enjoying it last week:

 

 

Never in my life have I seen so many honey bees gathered in one spot  (outside of hives we've seen in exhibits).  They love this bird-bath.  

 

Our son-in-law  fills the bowl every morning and by every evening he says the bees have emptied it.   

 

 

 I know about planting certain flowers to encourage bees, but had never really thought about how necessary a water source was for them.   Just like for backyard birds.     And here's one of those:   

 

This birdhouse is where the swallows live.  The other birdhouse that I showed a few weeks ago has house sparrows.   Our daughter and I watched this one for quite a while as we chatted -- the mother swallow flew in and out at least ten  times.  On each visit, she made a quick drop into the baby's beak -- each visit lasting approximately two and a half seconds.  Way faster than my camera would snap.   Baby looks he's eating well (and from the looks of the birdhouse, all bodily functions working perfectly as well.)  

It was a good week.    We are not yet bored with our Covid life.   When we are home indoors, we do the things we've always done at home -- just maybe more of them.   We cook and we read (we are grateful for Kindle books from the Library), and we play on our computers.  Time goes by much faster than I would have thought possible had I known in advance that we would be spending this much time at home.

Below are some rosy memories from this Spring and early summer (a result of my computer play):  

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

FINLEY WILDLIFE REFUGE

 

We took a "not-a-Sunday Drive"  to Finley Wildlife Refuge one day last week.   I think it was Tuesday -- or Wednesday --- who knows these days?   They do all tend to blend together.

 

 

The Finley is a diverse natural area originally created to provide winter habitat for Dusky Canada Geese.  The refuge also protects habitats of the Willamette Valley, including wet prairie, white oak savannah, bottomland creeks, old growth forest, and native prairie.

 

(click to enlarge)

 We've visited Finley in other years, but never really paid attention to this sign.  Who knew that there were so many subspecies of Canada Geese?  Unlike the rest, Duskies have limited ranges.  They nest in Alaska on the Copper River and winter almost exclusively here in Oregon's Willamette Valley.   

 

 

 We saw this  old shed along the back country road we drove to get to the Refuge.

 

 

 This modern version of a barn sign was just a little further along River Road.  At this point we were still in Lane County, where we live.  The Wildlife Refuge is near the town of Corvallis in Benton County, Oregon.      

 

(Addendum:  It's a Juvenile  Western (probably)  Grebe.  Thank you to all the *real* birders who helped.)

I can't identify this guy that we saw in a river channel.     But at this point in my life, I  take a picture of pretty much any bird I see.   And blog them, even if they aren't very good.   Especially if it is the bird in the pictures below:

 

 

I could not believe I spotted a Kingfisher out in the middle of this prairie area.   Nor that it sat still long enough for me to take a bunch of pictures.  They never do that for me!  Usually if I spot one, it will fly the minute I point the binoculars or camera.     

 

 

It was a good day-trip on a beautiful blue-sky day.   We learned something new, got some fresh air and a little outdoor exercise,  and a few pictures.  For all of that, I am grateful.  

 

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

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TUESDAY TREASURES; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  SIGNS SIGNS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

A FOUR-GENERATION VISIT IN THE COUNTRY

 

Bill keeps a shop out in the country at our daughter and son-in-law's and our  travel vehicles are stored there, so sometimes when we go from our city apartment out to the country, it is because  one of us has a goal in mind, besides the chance to say hello.    There is always something involving vehicles and/or tools that needs to be done .

 

 

In other years, I've said that I've said facetiously that I only go along to take pictures.   But of course the main reason was always the chance to say hello.  I still take lots of pictures out in the country.   This year, we both agree that "saying hello" to family is no longer to be taken for granted.  

 

 

 

It is a joy that many people in our age demographic are not able to experience at this time.     Last week, our visit to the country was a planned one -- we got to meet our youngest great-grandson and see his parents in person for the first time this season.    It was a socially distant visit for four generations.  (Social distance is easier to maintain when the weather is beautiful and where there is lots of outdoor  space.)

 

 

An even-more-joyful reason to visit.   

 

 

The  petunia pictures were taken on a stop at our favorite Farm Market after this visit.  The market isn't  exactly on the way home from our daughter's but we pretend it is.  Whatever produce we don't take home from our son-in-law's garden, we pick up there.   (I'll just say that the last couple of weeks we definitely didn't need to buy zuchinni.  Or blueberries!)  Kidding aside, we are grateful to have both sources of farm-fresh food.   

 

 

The above mosaic  is a left-over from last month.   This is one of the fields we drive past on our way to visit family.  In May and June, it looked like an ocean of white flowers.   In other years, these fields were  planted in grass (grass seed is major crop in this area)  but this year they are  in clover.   We wondered then whether it was being grown  as a ground cover or for seed.    Last week, the fields have almost all already gone to seed, so I guess that is the answer.  

 

 

So some summer crops are already at an end -- and there were already a couple of color spots like the above in the yard.   Just a couple of reminders to  make the most of the rest of the summer -- it never lasts as long as we think it will.   Grateful to be here to enjoy it.    

 

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

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

LOOPY ?

Actually, this post is really about walking the loop trails near our Eugene home.   It's one way of not going loopy during the time of Covid 19.  

 

 

We live on a Loop Street -- the above flowers are from yards on that half circle. This loop, all on city sidewalks, is about a two-mile walk.  Last week, the photo-ops were all about the lilies.

 

 

Sidewalk artists have been at work. 

 

 

About a quarter of the way around the big loop there's a path to one of the trails along the Willamette River Banks.  On another day last week I walked this trail to the Owosso Bridge.  Then I looped  through a different path back into our neighborhood for a slightly longer walk.  

  

 

I see songbirds and butterflies along the river often, but only the ducks cooperate for pictures.  Partly this is because I'm still not  comfortable stopping for very long.      People I see are almost all wearing masks and careful about distancing, but somehow it feels like staying still in one place would be risky.    I didn't  used to be so paranoid ... in fact, I quite miss chatting with perfect strangers.   But I don't want to invite that now.  Times have changed, at least for now.  

 

 

There's another loop walk that starts behind our apartment community.  It is a straight, shady paved path that ends directly at the river.   On the other side, this path is bordered by overgrown blackberry bushes and weeds  ...  dozens of squirrels and songbirds make their home in those tangles.  Beyond that a busy highway is visible (and audible).   Plans are for a noise barrier wall to be built eventually.    I suppose I'd  be glad for such a wall if our home bordered the path (we are on the other side of the complex) but right now I hope it takes a while for the plans to be completed.    At the river, I  walk as far along the trail as I feel like going before looping back through a neighborhood path.  

 

These young chalk artists had the right idea.

 

And then of course one of my favorite loop walks isn't in our neighborhood at all --  the one around our son-in-law's and daughter's backyard:

 

Suddenly Blueberries!

 

In one week, their blueberries went from not ripe to Ready! Right! Now!  Apples are ripening and tiny green grapes are just starting to peep out among the leaves.   

 

 

Grateful to be able to walk outside -- in the city or the country.

 

And grateful for the Zoom family reunion we had yesterday  -- all of our "kids" (including the ones who joined the family as grown-ups!) some of our grands, one great-grandson, four dogs, and one cat -- all  together right here on our IPAD screens.   Good to know that great-grandparents can still learn new tricks and so much fun to see everybody all at once.   Thanks to our youngest  who set it all up and to everyone who arranged their schedules.   

 

 

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

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

 

TO HONOR OUR AMERICA ...

 

... as our America should be.

 

 

One of quite a few yards in our area displaying this sign
 

(A helicopter would have been necessary to get the full effect of this mural in one picture)

 

While we were downtown  last month we went to see the Black Lives Matter street mural.  With the City's blessing, it was painted   the day after a peaceful protest march.   The next night  some idiot skidded  his car  across the still-wet paint (the street had been temporarily closed and barricaded).  The artists were able to rescue their work by painting multi-colored hand-prints on the skid marks, making them a part of the sign.   

Not too far from where the mural is, there is a dedicated Historical Site which was the home of Mr and Mrs Mims, Eugene pioneers in an age when institutionalized discrimination  was an accepted part of life.

 

 

This historical site was dedicated in 2016.    That was already years late to acknowledge the past history and express regret.  And yet  we are still fighting the same battles. 

 

 

We first moved to Eugene in 1971 and I really didn't understand, until we visited this site shortly after the dedication, that such discrimination existed here in Eugene up until the 1960s.          

 

 

This sign  and the dedication stones on the path (enlarged in the mosaic above)  provide a good overview of the history.

 

 

The restored Mims home is now designated as a Eugene Historical Site and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

 

Peace Rose, Owen Garden

 

For us as for many others, and for many reasons,  this was not the best year to celebrate America's July 4 birthday.    I am thankful we still (so far) live where we can say that.  And I remain hopeful that our country will someday soon learn to remember history and yet be willing to move forward. 

 

LINKING  this week to the following with thanks to all of the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY ;   THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TUESDAY TREASURES;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  SIGNS SIGNS;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  and  FRIDAY  BLISS 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OWEN ROSE GARDEN

 We tend to stay home on weekends -- letting the people who have to work during the week have their space!  We can always go outside to play.  But Saturday was so beautiful, I couldn't resist.  It was a perfect day for a visit to the Rose Garden.

 

 

 

  We've had a mix of rainy and super-hot days lately,  so I was  pleased  that there were still  many perfect blooms.

 

 

 

I started the walk from the Greenway Bike Bridge over the Willamette River.   This is kind of in our neighborhood -- just a couple of miles -- so could have walked here from home, but I'm a little out of shape lately from not doing much of anything.  I didn't want to be too tired to continue to the Rose Garden on the foot path.

 

 

 

This foot and bike bridge starts just behind the parking lot for Valley River Center, the  largest shopping mall in our county.   The mall has re-opened,  but from the looks of the parking lot  it did not appear to be very busy on Saturday morning.   (I had no intention of checking it out for myself.)

 

 

 

I turned left at the end of the bridge and meandered along the walking/bike path.   The River is on one side of the path and on the other it goes by open space, a couple of community gardens and a Park and Recreation building (where River sports are taught in better times).  There were  more people out and about on this lovely day than I've  seen  on neighborhood walks for a while.  I'd say about half were masked and everyone seemed to be maintaining social distance.  It felt completely safe.

 

 

The bike path continues but I veered off at the Rose Garden.  (My phone app told me I'd walked a little fewer than 2000 steps at this point.) Paths within the Garden are for walking only ...

 

 

 

...which is a good thing, as I wasn't the only one who kept stopping suddenly to take a picture -- or just to ooh and aah.   It's not a place to hurry through. 

 

 

The Owen Cherry Tree is a centerpiece of the Gardens.  It was planted in  1847 by Eugene Skinner, the City's founder.   George Owen, for whom the park is named,  later acquired the property and eventually donated it to the City.    

 

 

I walked  further on the bike path after a couple of circuits around the Gardens and then back-tracked to the bridge, certainly more than doubling the number of steps it took to get there.     

The  partial picture of a map at the bridge shows a few of the trails that start in our neighborhood.  I'm grateful for the many beautiful and accessible parks and walking paths in our City and County.   

 

 

Here's a whole bouquet of perfection from the Garden.

 

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

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  SIGNS SIGNS;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

I thought that NOT MUCH HAPPENED last week ....

 

 Then we downloaded the camera.   And I remembered.  This was one time when I was grateful to be proven wrong.  All pictures are from two different days out at our daughter and son-in-law's.  

 

 There were changeable skies.

 

The four sky pictures were taken on the same day.    The center picture -- a puddle in their driveway -- was from a heavy storm the day before.  Alternating rain and sunny skies were the order of the week as well as of the day.

 

 

Roses began to fade ...

but were were still beautiful wearing teardrops of rain.

 

Tiger lilies thrived.

Cyndi says a new bloom opens every day.

 

Coming attractions at the mini-farm 

The first of a bumper crop of blueberries are nearly ripe.  And a new flock of chickens are nearly ready to lay eggs.   The center picture is the chicken condo. 

There was much activity at one of the tiny houses in the backyard: 

 

 

 

All bird-house pictures taken from far across the yard and highly cropped.  I wasn't positive what was there until we looked at the down-loads.   I assume  that the mom finally brought them something to eat, but  I missed that picture.

 

Black walnut tree picture of the week.

 

We are still pretty much socially isolating.  I am not really minding our time at home -- the hours go by surprisingly fast.  We work and play on our computers and IPads.  We read and are grateful for our Kindles.   I sort pictures.  Like everybody else these days, we cook a lot and we're having fun trying more new and different recipes.   But because I take mostly nature photos, I'm doubly grateful to be able to spend time in the country as a change from walks around our own neighborhood.  Not only is there good (if distant) company in a rural setting, but also I have something new to blog about.   

 

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

 

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

LOOKING FOR SUNSHINE

 

It  was a bit rainy last week and I've been combing through old pictures.  (Hasn't everybody lately?)    It's a multi-purpose review -- trying to weed and sort and at the same time looking for pictures suitable to put on canvas or otherwise frame. 

 

 

We need decoration for a very empty white wall here in our Oregon home.   My goal is to find a sunny photo.  I love the one above,  from the walking path near where our Colorado "kids" live.  But I think it is too pink for our wall -- there are a lot of reds in that living space.  So I'll keep looking.  

 

 

 

Here's a bit of sunshine on the ground ... 

 

 

... and here's some more.

Some of you didn't know these were California Poppies when I blogged them earlier.   It is the state flower of California and appears on their State welcome signs.  One time years ago we traveled to California with one of our major goals being to see the poppy fields at their peak -- and they were beautiful.   At that time, we really didn't see this flower in Oregon.  But in the last couple of years it seems to bloom everywhere here -- on roadside verges, in vacant lots, and in yards.  Wiki says it grows easily from seed .. I guess migrating birds may have brought it up north of the state border.  Yellow flowers always bring a smile -- and the poppies are  no less beautiful for being easy to see.   

 

 

 

I mis-identified this Common White-tailed Dragonfly  as a moth in last week's post.  For those who missed my later correction, here's a rerun with thanks again to those whose comments  furthered my education.    And now that I look at it again , it is obviously a dragonfly.  Look at those lacy wings -- how could I ever have thought otherwise?  But I would never ever have  known it was a white tailed variety!     I really wish it  weren't called "common"  -- since it obviously wasn't for me!    I think the same thing about birds and flowers with that word in their names.    Oh well, when nothing is "common" it is much easier to be enthusiastic.

The  mosaic below is going back to our shortened stay in Florida (and is a total change of subject matter) :

 

Less than amateur pour painting samples.   

All snowbird resorts offer various classes and activities "at home."   Some friends have  compared the life to summer camp (for grandparents.)   We've always spent a lot of time on our own  -- nature hiking and city exploring -- and don't do even half of what is offered at our resort, but I have enjoyed taking part in some arts and craft classes.  This mosaic is made from phone shots at a short series of pour-painting classes last season.  The  final class was the last  activity sponsored by the resort before Covid regulations put a stop to anything else.     I had more  fun than I've ever had at any 'artsy/craftsy" resort activity and hope I have a chance to do more pour painting sometime. Really, at this point I hope we all have a chance  to get together with friends to do  pretty much anything. 

 

 

One more sun/sky picture.  It's red and it conjures up great memories of a few nights we spent camping near Everglades City.  But I'm still not sure it's good enough to make the wall cut.   

I'm grateful for all our sunny memories -- as well as for the forecast of a few less rainy days.  And always thankful to the hosts of these sharing opportunities where this post is linked:

 MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; ;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and FRIDAY  BLISS.   

EARLY JUNE IN THE COUNTRY

 

These days it seems as if I only remember I have a camera about once a week.    

 

 

Honeysuckle

 

Last week, once again, it was the day we went out to the country.  While Bill worked on a project, I walked around the perimeter of the five acres.   The front-yard fence has climbing honeysuckle just beginning to come into bloom.  The scent is wonderful -- and I'm surprised none of my pictures caught the multitude of bees who think so too.

 

 

 

 The background of this mosaic is the very back of their property -- where the mowed grass was waiting to be picked up,  the field reminded me of walking a maze or labyrinth.

 

 

 

A hint of blue sky.  It was a perfect June day.   

 

 

 

I took a lot of pictures of Parker, the Big Dog.  But it should have been a video to catch the splashing.  He was having a very good time playing in his pool.  I think he's outgrowing it though.

 

 

 

 I saw this interesting Moth Dragonfly  on a blackberry bush branch.

(Correcting my error ---  Thank you to all who commented; I appreciate learning!   Here's a link that Wally provided:  Common White-tail Dragonfly  

 

When we got to their property, Cyndi and Jeff were busy with their girls (they are foster-parents) and, as for all parents of school-aged children, these days that involves more hours of hands-on care (and home-schooling) every day.    Because of this, we usually try to time our visits well for a visit, but on this day Bill wanted to work in the barn/shop, so I just went along for the ride (and the walk in the country).  It feels like home out there, in that we don't have to be invited formally to visit.  We're grateful for that.

But after a while, (as the girls held what I think was a pogo-stick tournament in the side yard), Cyndi came outside to sit and chat ... and not too much later,  she and Jeff had a surprise visitor ....

 

(L) Our granddaughter and daughter who is holding our great-grandson.                                     (R)  Baby and his grandmother (our daughter)

Our granddaughter and her youngest dropped in for a visit.      I hope they were as happy as I was that we (the great-grands)  were there too!   It wasn't  hard to maintain safe social distancing because (nobody will be surprised to know), this active boy wasn't very interested in sitting and chatting with the grownups. 

As soon as he spent two and a half minutes in his grandmother's lap, he was off running -- with her following closely behind!   This is the first time we've actually seen E since he started walking, so that was fun.  What  a busy boy.    

 

 

Some nature bloggers join a "Watch a Tree"  group (they post the same tree once a month or so to show how it changes over the seasons).   I've always enjoyed those posts, but have never been able to even think about doing it since we don't spend a whole year in one place these days.  But since we got home earlier this year, I have been able to keep an eye on C&J's black walnut tree since its Spring bloom.  So this year, I too am watching a tree.   

 

Linking our day in the country with the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts.

 

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

I'M NOT REALLY A POLLYANNA ...

..... but I play one on this blog.    I do try to stay positive and  part of that is keeping this blog my "happy place."   That's harder to do some weeks than in others.

 

 

One thing I can do is  focus on is finding joy in the small ordinary beauty that can easily be  overlooked.   

 

 

 

 We are fortunate to live where we can walk safely in our own neighborhood (which has been OK since the beginning of "lockdown") and where we can see at least some of our family at a safe distance.   

 

 

But last week was one of those when maintaining my happy place really does feel very Pollyanna-ish.    (Does anyone else these days even know where that term comes from?)   Pollyanna was the ever-cheerful  title heroine of an old book -- written in 1911 (that was when my mother was a year old).    She was a happy girl through all her many travails.  She was meant to be someone to be admired, but because of her never-changing optimism, today the word has come to mean somebody who sees the good in everybody and everything--no matter what. That's not a good thing these days. We have to be aware of what's going on (and  do whatever we can to change it for the better, including voting!)  --

 

 

 

 

--   but still I do want to try to see the good in this world.   This picture is a screen-shot from a web-cam our oldest grandson and his wife have set up.  The robins have decided the top of their garage door is a great place to live.   So until the babies arrive, he says the garage door is currently off-limits for humans.  It delights me that my grandchildren care. 

 

 

Grateful that we are together in a safe place -- that we can get out in nature  and that we can  keep  in touch with family, if not in person then through texts, phone calls and pictures ...

... especially photos of the great-grandsons who are at the age where we're really missing a lot of changes.  Here is one of them texted by his mom, our older granddaughter.  

 

 

 Here's a picture of the Oregon coast from our younger granddaughter.  She writes that they are social distancing at the beach during some time off.  I was especially happy to receive this today (as I put this post together)  because I didn't get any of my own pictures of the sky last week.  

 

SHARING this week with the following:  Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS;   

UNDER -- AND AROUND -- THE OREGON SUN

 

Something new under around the sun this week!   

 

Well, new to us anyway!    Bill spotted this halo around the sun  while we were sitting outside talking to our daughter and son-in-law.   Then we all saw it  -- but were careful not to stare  directly. 

Here's a link to the Wiki article --  after we looked at the real thing, we all immediately went to our phones to learn more.    (I'm old enough to still marvel at the ability to do just that!)

    

 

It was a lovely week.   Light rain on and off, but lots of sun too.    We   had a wonderful time on the day we drove out to the country -- doing nothing much but the four of us sitting outside chatting.    The kind of thing that would have been an ordinary good day last year (or a few months ago, for that matter) -- but the kind I don't think I'll ever take for granted again.     

 

The main color scheme in their yard this week was centered around red. The pink dogwood I showed a couple of weeks ago is completely bare of flowers now  -- the petals on the ground have even disappeared.    

 

There was at least one stunning pastel rhododendron still in perfect full bloom!   Many of the rhodies around town have already lost their blossoms, making us again grateful that we got to tour Hendricks park while they were at their peak.   In C & J's yard, right next to this perfect one there was a bush that had completely faded:

 

We once met some people who moved to this part of Oregon from Southern California in late summer.  They asked us why every single yard here seemed to have  these big rather ungainly bushes.    We just told them to wait for next Spring!    They agreed later -- definitely worth the wait.   

 

Besides strolling around the acreage out in the country,  walks were in our own neighborhood.

 

 

This is actually the name of a development  in the neighborhood but it's an appropriate sign because unless we get rained out before we get there all our walking paths eventually lead to the Willamette River trails.

 

 

 

 This time of year, the walks along the trails TO the river are actually more scenic than the river itself.   

 

 

 

But it's good to have a goal on an everyday wander and getting to the river provides a good one.    I'm grateful to have these neighborhood trails close to the water.   And always happy for sunny spring days. 

 

And as always thankful to the hosts of these sharing opportunities where I'm linking this week:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  SIGNS SIGNS;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and FRIDAY  BLISS   

RAINY WEEK IN OREGON

 

 

Both May showers and May flowers this week in Eugene.  Walks have been in the neighborhood.   Not even all the way down to the River.

Sticking to the city sidewalks is better in this weather -- fewer puddles  (and closer to home if -- when you get caught in a shower.

 

    Lots of purple and gold going on in our neighborhood --- 

 

Cyndi's photo

 

--- and out in the country.  The golden chain tree above is in our daughter and SIL's yard -- she texted it to us; we haven't tried to visit  recently because of the weather.  It will be nice when it warms up (and dries out)  so we can go talk to them outside and still maintain distancing.   

 

 

It was so wet around our neighborhood that this Mallard pair didn't even need to stay near the water.   Honestly when I saw them just off the sidewalk (top right photo) I thought they were yard ornaments.   As I got closer, the male raised his head to check me out.  I returned the gesture and got a portrait before walking on.   Neither bird even moved.   

Changing the subject completely below to a recent indoor activity:

 

 

 

Because of the recent press and controversy  about Vote By Mail, I thought I'd share a picture of our "voting booth" for Oregon's primary election this Tuesday.      Oregon has voted exclusively by mail since  1998, but  since 1981 at the discretion of each county.  HERE is the Wiki article with the history and a lot of other good information (it saves the state money, for one thing .)    I've never heard a thing about fraud.    I won't get into politics here any deeper than to say I have trouble understanding  why this system should not be OK in every state especially now when it could be a choice between voting or becoming ill.   Grateful to live here where we don’t have to make that choice,

 

VOTE! 

 

When they were ready to go, I put our ballots  under a magnet so we wouldn't forget to go to the box with them.    I was suddenly struck by the juxtaposition of the magnet's message and our ballots.   

Back to our usual programming for this final nature shot also from our daughter:

 

 

She sent  a picture of the birdhouse, with a resident!  ...
(one of these days .....)  

 

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

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  SIGNS SIGNS;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS; 

 

 

 

 

 

ccc

 

 

SERVING LEFT-OVERS THIS WEEK

 

We stayed at home last week.  But thankfully our photo archives have some fairly decent leftovers to fill up a post.   Or maybe I could call them planned-overs.  (That always sounds better when I'm talking about filling up with what remains in the refrigerator.)  

 

Hendricks Park, earlier this month

Although City Parks are open, the Parks Department has asked families to forgo the Eugene tradition of visiting Hendricks Park on Mother's Day.  They have a virtual tour on line.  We didn't even know it was a Mother's Day tradition and were glad we visited during an earlier and quieter week.   Since it is the height of the season, in normal times it would certainly be a perfect spot for  the day however.  So this turned out to be a  pretty good week to serve up the rest of our rhody tour.  Happy Mother's Day!  

Below are some leftovers from last month -- still good to go I think:  

 

Along a Missouri highway, April 2020 Road-trip

This Road Sign seemed appropriate not only for our April road-trip, but also for the times in general.  

There's actually more than just a street -- Peculiar is a City in Missouri.   The town motto is "Peculiar, where the 'odds' are with you."   I like it -- and its too bad that our peculiar circumstances didn't allow us to explore the area a little more!  

 

Burns RV Park, Eastern Oregon

A large covey of quail kept us entertained at one of our overnight stops on our April trip.     It's always nice when there are natural areas right near an RV Park.  We didn't even have to walk out of the Park to visit  this brambly area, where we saw (and heard) quail and   songbirds.    A relaxing way to end a day of driving.  

Now back to earlier this month: 

 

I thought that all the "not-rhododendron" pictures I took at Hendricks were  from the Native Plant Garden, but I wonder now about the top left picture!  Those look like Japanese Iris to me.   They do grow wild around here though -- there are some in the Pond area near our daughter's and also in their yard.   

 

 

I did take a lot of pictures of yellow rhody shrubs  -- because I had never seen them in that color before.  And because yellow flowers are always favorites for me.  Like spots of sunshine!!  

But who could ever grow tired of rhododendrons in their more traditional color palette:  

 

 

The glory of Spring  in Eugene!

 

 

 A paler shade of yellow

 

 

A  little blue sky peeking through behind this home in our daughter and son-in-law's neighborhood (really their backyard).    These neighbors were social-distancing last time I was there because they didn't even poke their heads out.  I'll try again next time!  

 

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

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS 

TWO GREAT WALKS IN ONE WEEK!

We certainly don't take simple things for granted these days!  Nature walks have always been a pleasure, but now just getting outside and away from home seems like a small miracle.  

We  took advantage of a couple pleasant days last week.   Wednesday (or maybe Tuesday -- they all kind of blend together) Bill and I drove to  Hendricks Park -- a  City Park that is famous (at least here in Eugene)  for its Rhododendron Gardens.   The Park is in the City's South Hills.  The picture below is looking down on the University of Oregon campus from a viewpoint in the park.

 

 

I played around a little with this picture because it was the kind of day where the hills and the sky all kind of blended together.  And I wanted to highlight the way our City is surrounded by hills.    I couldn't stop taking pictures of the beautiful flowers in the park -- here are a couple of them:

 

 

April and May are the best months for these showy flowers.  It was special to visit the Park during the peak season.  (We haven't been home this early in years and couldn't remember when we last visited the Rhododendron Gardens.)  

 

 

 

Most people in this area who garden have at least one Rhodie bush in their yard.  But the Park has varieties I don't ever remember seeing -- and it's beautiful to see so many of them in one place.       

   

 

There is also a Native Plant Garden and I have pictures from there as well as more Rhododendrons for another post.  But today I also want to remember last week's second "expedition" outside of our own neighborhood:               

 

The close-up of pink Dogwood blossoms above and the rest of today's post are from a walk out in the country.  Since we'd been self-isolating for three weeks (plus the time in the car/trailer on the way back to Oregon), our daughter said she thought it would be safe for me to go with her for a walk in the country.  I wore a mask (as both Bill and I did on our walk in the park earlier in the week).  And on this walk, my daughter and I practiced acceptable social distancing.   

 

 

I stayed outside in their yard and snapped pictures while I waited for Cyndi to get ready to go on our walk.   This is another view of their black walnut tree which, on this blog anyway, is becoming as famous as Eugene's rhododendrons.   

 

 

 More flowers from their yard --- wisteria, white tulips, the same Dogwood tree (which is actually in the neighbor's yard at the end of the driveway, but close enough to be in theirs for picture purposes.)   I think the wild growing bleeding heart and the wild iris are from later in the walk. 

 

 

We walked  to Kirk Pond on Fern Ridge Lake and on the paths through the wild area.   Lots of Spring wildflowers ...

 

 -- and  when we got to the Lake I spotted Grebes, Canada Geese (not shown), and this pair of Redhead Ducks.    The lower center picture is Cyndi with  Parker going into what looks like a longer tunnel than it is.  

 

 

It felt more natural to maintain acceptable distance while walking than it did when we talked to the kids from a distance back when we parked the trailer.     And it was even easier to maintain that distance toward the end of this five-mile walk.   I was lagging further behind than absolutely necessary by that time.   

 

 

The last part of the walk was along the top of Fern Ridge Dam and then back to their house (and the car to go home to mine).     We used to spend summers on Fern Ridge Lake but it has been a while since I took a "Dam Walk".    As always I enjoyed it.   

 

I'm so grateful that both these Parks are open -- and that the few other people we saw were also being careful.   And of course I'm always thankful for beautiful Spring days.    

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MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  MACRO MONDAY ;   NATURE NOTES;    THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;   SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;   and   SATURDAY CRITTERS 

I FORGOT ABOUT OREGON RAIN

 

Spring rains in Oregon are different.   You KNOW when it's raining in Florida -- its noisy and the sky  darkens dramatically.  Here at home in Oregon the sky may still be light and, from inside, you might not even hear or see the rain.  

So you might step outside and get halfway down the block before you realize that the gentle sprinkle  has completely soaked through your light jacket and, worse,  your camera is in danger of drowning.

 

 

Another difference:  That dramatic rain in Florida will be over and done in a shortish  time (at least during the part of the year when we're there) and the sun will come out.  But -- as you walk  through the "Oregon Mist" you remember, from all the years you lived here,  that the rain here can last for hours and hours.  Maybe days.   And you need the walk, so you go on.                                       

 

 

And you remember that it's the rain that makes everything green and beautiful.  

 

 

There's a unique and wonderful special Spring Rain aroma that I'd almost forgotten about.   

 

I'd noticed the interesting blue flowering shrub above and the  perfect Bleeding Heart plant below when I took quick evening walks earlier in the week -- without a camera.  (And when it wasn't raining -- as it was on Saturday morning when I'd planned a long "photo-hunt" walk.)   Reminder to self:   take advantage of sunny hours whenever they arrive.

 

 

I  played with various zoom positions  focusing on this beautiful Bleeding Heart.  It's always been one of my favorite flowers.  It took a while because I was trying to shelter the camera and not leave it out for too long at a time.    I wondered if the person in the house would look out and wonder about the masked person standing in the rain staring at his/her home.  But nobody seemed to be there.   ....   well, no human anyway.  Because all of a sudden, I noticed a little motion :  

 

 

 A Hummingbird makes everything worthwhile!  

 

 

Flowering Plum Trees are out, but the bloom won't last much longer.   As soon as it rains, the ground all around the trees  is carpeted with the fallen blossoms.

It really was a great walk, in spite of the misty day.  My camera survived (although my paper CV mask was a little worse for wear).   I got some decent pictures -- and I remembered that rainy days are definitely not all bad!     

 

It's good to be home!

 

(Admittedly though, interesting skies  were a little scarce last week.  The above picture with a glimpse of blue is from our first day back -- two weeks ago now -- and was taken at our daughter and son-in-law's.  )

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ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN A PANDEMIC

Last morning walk of the season in Florida

We traveled 3,359 miles pulling a 13-foot travel trailer to get home to Oregon this month.  We did it in 12 nights -- the fastest we've ever driven across country.   It could have been a risky thing to do, but we thought it was our safest bet during this pandemic (and ultimately our decision turned out well.)

Getting from one place to another as quickly as possible is really not our thing -- we'd rather take time to smell the roses.  But taking our time was not an option this year. Fortunately we both like road trips, even just the 'on-the-road' part of them.  And this time, the trip itself at least gave us some challenges and new things to talk about during this time of isolation.      

 

(click to enlarge)

 

We drove from North Fort Myers Florida with these overnight stops: 

Ocala Florida, Elko Georgia, Jasper Alabama, Jonesboro Arkansas, Harrisonville Missouri, York Nebraska, Sidney Nebraska, Rawlins Wyoming, Declo Idaho, Burns Oregon, Blue River Oregon, and  then HOME!   

"We" didn't drive long days (Bill did all the driving) -- The longest driving day was 426 miles (going from Wyoming to Idaho).  The shortest was  the last -- 54 miles just because we didn't want to arrive home tired after a long day,  (The trailer had food in it!   And dirty clothes!  We had to unload it as soon as we got home.) 

  Here are some of the places where we stayed overnight:                                    .

 I don't usually take pictures of the RV Parks where we stay, but some days, especially toward the beginning of the trip, we didn't really  see anything else that was picture-worthy.   We had almost no problem finding open RV Parks and mostly saw nobody else while we were parked.  (This is unusual for RVers who are a friendly bunch as a rule.  We were glad it was different this time.)   Most of the parks handled registration  completely over the telephone.     

 

 

We didn't do any sightseeing, other than what we saw from the car window.  And we were on major highways all the time on this trip.  (In a normal travel year, we like to go off freeway as much as possible  --   the trip might take longer, but you see more.)   Some of the time it was just us and the truckers on the road!  Lots of trucks.  We are grateful that they are out doing their job  -- it is certainly an essential one now as always.

We did see interesting things through the windows sometimes though -- and occasionally I was even able to get a quick picture.   

 

Car window picture somewhere in Wyoming.

Wyoming was hard on both of us because we usually drive through it on our way to or from visiting our son and daughter-in-law in Colorado.   That was not to be this year, since at that time none of us knew for sure if we were virus-free.   We did appreciate the blue skies -- and that the roads were clear of ice and snow (we were lucky in our weather) -- and were glad that we were getting closer to home.

 

 

We were back in Oregon before I was able to get my 'first-mountain-of-the-season' picture.  Taking that picture is an annual tradition when we return to the West from the flatlands of Florida.   (In most years, that picture has  been taken in Colorado.)  On this trip, we began to see nice elevation on the horizon well before we hit the Oregon border, but this lonely road between Burns and Bend Oregon was the first good opportunity for a decent picture.   I don't think about missing mountains while we're in Florida -- but as soon as I see them when we come back I realize that I did!

The Mountains are always there whenever we return, but Spring flowers are usually gone by the time we get here.  So seeing them is one good thing about this year: 

 

All these lovely flowering trees and bushes were in the little RV Park where we stayed on the last night of the trip --- Blue River Oregon.  

And here's the first picture I took after we got home:

 

One of the gardens in Cyndi and Jeff's yard 

 

We'd already unloaded everything out of the trailer at home and then driven it out to the country to stash it on our gracious kids' property.    We talked to them at the prescribed safe distance and of course haven't yet been back as we're just ending our first week of self-isolating at home.     So we're communicating electronically just as if we were over 3,000 miles away instead of 20!    But at least we can do that. 

It's good to be home.

 

Linking this week to the following -- thank you to the hosts:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and FRIDAY  BLISS;   

HOME

We arrived home safely early Saturday afternoon.   The rest of the tiny-trailer-trip went well.  We were careful and feel well and are now self-isolating in our town-house-type apartment, which feels quite large after the trip.  

Internet's not hooked up at home yet, so this will be short as I'm eating up data minutes using the phone as a hot-spot.

 

 

 

We had this view on the last night of our trip.  It is only a little over an hour from home on the McKenzie River, but we didn't want to arrive on Friday evening all tired out from too much traveling.    Especially because we had to unload the trailer at home before taking it empty out to the "storage space" our son-in-law and daughter kindly let us have at the back of their place in the country.   

It was good to see them as we unloaded -- and to talk to them at a safe distance with our masks on.   (Well, it would of course have been nicer to have been able to hug them hello, but under the circumstances I am grateful for what we got.)   

Now we'll keep busy for a few days sorting out all the stuff we unloaded -- and doing laundry.  Wow does that pile up in a couple of weeks!  

I look forward to having time to catch up with blogging soon and don't expect to be bored at all staying home - - at least for a while. 

 

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  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY  and  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD   

The Journey Home

The long long shakedown cruise with the short short trailer is proceeding without any problems that really matter (we forgot a few things, but we improvise).

 

Social distancing for sure ...  I haven’t spoken to anyone in person (besides Bill) since we left the Canal Cottage.   He wears mask and gloves when getting fuel.  We haven’t needed anything else (yet)

We’ve been able to walk around at RV parks without even seeng anyone else.  Most registrations have been handled by phone.  If not, Bill masks up.  

Some of the slow-to-accept-reality States are “shutting down”  behind us as we go .... Florida, Georgia, Arkansas and Missouri all just as we left (heard on local radio as we drove).   We are in Nebraska tonight.  

We are traveling faster than we ever have, but still not overdoing.  We reminisce as we drive past places we enjoyed years ago —  back in the days when we full-time RVed .  We are happy this time just to be getting home.

 

Comments are closed for this post.

 

 

HOPE and GRATITUDE

 

We have decided to head for home (in Oregon) a couple of months early, practicing social distancing while on the road.    It's actually hard to know what the best thing to do is under the current circumstances -- but when we weighed the options, this is what came out on top.   So we've been getting ready to close up the Canal Cottage -- a routine we go through every season, but usually not this early and usually not working this quickly.   Obviously, none of the pictures in this post are new.    

 

 

The sign is on a back-road in Big Cypress National Wildlife area.  We did NOT turn around then and I hope we will not wish we had on this trip.     Usually just keeping on works out pretty well for us.   

 

These Spring Flowers are blooming in yards here in the Florida resort where we spend the Winter/Spring season.  The pictures are from another year, but the same flowers (even the same potted plant) are blooming right now.     Spring is different here, but we enjoy it.  Most snowbirds go home  in late March or early April.  We enjoy the people, but also (in better years) the quiet after they leave.   We'll miss that, but it will be good to be closer to family after this trip.  I'm grateful we are able to travel between states.

 

 

These were  two neighborhood baby eagles a couple of years ago.   Actually, I guess, teenage eagles by this stage -- shortly after I took this pictures, they flew the nest never to return.   This year, the adult pair lost their first hatch and they now are incubating a second pair of eggs.    If the first hatch had been successful, the young ones would be flying away right now.  This pair has never had a second hatch before and like approximately a million other people worldwide, I'll be watching the webcam and hoping for success.  

 

 

We usually do some Florida exploring in April and May.  These are some of the birds we've seen on those trips in other years and were looking forward to seeing next month.    I'm quite sure the lack of audience won't bother the birds one bit .  Still,  I hope we get to be among their fans again -- in person --  next year.

 

Sunset over the wetlands that border our neighborhood 

 We'll be practicing  social distancing while on the road with our new (and very small)  travel trailer.    I hope to be able to keep in touch with other bloggers as we travel.   It is comforting in the midst of all this to touch base.   And to see the beauty that still exists in nature no matter what.  And to read about  how everybody is dealing with the social isolation and all the changes.   Reading your blogs makes everything more "real" than the news stories. 

(not my picture, not our trailer)

 

 I'm grateful that we have a relatively safe way to cover the distance  between here and Oregon (3,184 miles).  And, as always, I'm beyond grateful to "the travel planner" for making it possible.)  

 

And I'll really be grateful if that planner and I are still speaking to  each other by the time we get the Canal Cottage closed up and hit the road!   (We're definitely not practicing social distancing from each other right now as we work together  in two small spaces! ) 

***

 

THANK YOU to all bloggers for keeping in touch with posts and comments -- and as always thank you to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities (which I hope to be able to link to on the appropriate days):

 

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

 

 

KEEPING IN TOUCH ...

... in the time of Corona Virus

 

The first day of Spring in this hemisphere happened last week -- but it was kind of overshadowed by all that other news.   I hope everybody was able to go outside for at least a breath of fresh air.  

 

 

We are using technology to keep in touch during the isolation  -- but for us that really isn't all that different than ever, since we are so far away from family.     Just that it is even more important these days.    

The Blue Jay pictures above are mine -- taken near home (the Florida one) on the first day of Spring.    The rest of the pictures were texted to me from further away  ---   also on the first day of Spring.   I'm grateful that all of our families are well and able to go outside and breath some fresh air.    

The first two below are from Oregon:

 

A Rhododendron  blossom from our daughter and son-in-law's yard.

(in Oregon)

We didn't venture far from home last week.   Nature parks and beaches (and restaurants) are closed here.   We kept busy  -- working on the Canal Cottage project and spending some time assessing our various traveling options in light of the current situation. (Traveling back to our home in Oregon -- nothing more exotic than that needless to say.)

 

 

Cyndi and Jeff's beautiful Black Walnut Tree and the Spring garden under it 

 

The next picture came from our son in Colorado.  Their back yard (taken on, may I remind you, the first day of spring).  It's definitely an outlier among the blue skies and spring flowers:

 

 

 

Colorado people are strong and healthy and happy in all kinds of weather though (aren't they?) --   and anyway, by now, it's highly possible that the snow has melted and the sun is shining.    

My sister sent the next picture from a walk in the park near her Seattle home.    Our oldest son who lives in that corner of Washington State also texted that he  spent the weekend working in their yard.   

 

  

Perfect Spring Days in the Pacific Northwest!  (except for the you-know-what).       As the old song said "The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle" --  it should have added "when it's not raining."    (That is also true for our corner of Oregon .)    

 

(from Oregon) 

Don't forget to keep in touch with those you love. 

And go outside to play as often and as long as you can.

Thank you to our family for essentially writing this post. It would have been a boring blog with just one picture of a Blue Jay.   

 

Linking to the following:  Thank you 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;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING 

BURROWING OWLS OF CAPE CORAL 2020

 

Like probably just about everybody else in the world, especially those in our age demographic, we spent a lot of time last week trying to make sense of the corona virus news and thinking about our options.   And touching base with everybody we love.     As always, in good times or not-so-good, being outside improves my mood.  (And it's an approved activity as long as it's done only in small groups.))

 

 

 

Our neighbor friends told us they had never seen any of Cape Coral's burrowing owls, so we took them on a photo safari around the Cape's maze of streets and canals to some of our favorite places to find these adorable ground-nesters.

 

 

 

Burrowing owls are diurnal -- that is that unlike most owl species they are out and about in the daytime.   It's a little bit early in the season -- by the end of April or May, we will see whole families out by the burrows.   Here's a LINK to one of my posts from another year that provides more information.

 

 

 

We need a little color too -- so from the archives here are some typical Florida Spring flowers.   Gardens are  showier and more flamboyant here in the subtropics than what we remember (fondly) from our gardening days in Oregon.    Oddly, I found these in the same photo file as some owls from a few years ago -- I was searching to see what month it was when I got wonderful pictures of the owl babies.  (It was May).  And sorting my photo files  is obviously something I need to do (and maybe I will  --  if we end up being quarantined and I get seriously bored.)

 

 

Beautiful Florida sky -- this one is also from the archives.

 

I'm grateful this week for weather that allows us get outside -- and I'm especially grateful for cell phones and texting -- technology that allows us to stay in close and instant touch even though we're far away from family.

 

 Sweet Dreams!

May we all sleep as easily and well as this little guy.

 

 

Linking this week to the following:

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

 

THANK YOU to all of the hosts!  

 

 

 

 

 

TARPON BAY and LOCAL EAGLES

Drove to Sanibel Island one day this week  -- battling heavy in-season traffic all the way!  Everybody wants to go to the beach.  We forget that fact at least once a year.   This time, we also forgot that the wildlife drive in Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge is closed on Friday.   (We go to the Island to see birds, not to lie around on the beach).   

 

 

Royal Tern

 

So our outing plans took a small "tern" and we hopped on one of the Refuge's pontoon boats for a Tarpon Bay nature cruise.  

 

 

The Tarpon Bay Estuary is also part of the Wildlife Refuge -- we boated past several Rookery Islands (where the birds looked like white flowers from the distance -- that's all the closer the boat got, for the safety of the boat and even more important for the welfare of the birds.)   The Mangrove trees are important for so many reasons.  They provide habitat for wildlife and a natural barrier against wind and storms for animals and people on land.   

 

 

 

Brown Pelican

While the Royal Tern  claimed Mile Marker 15, Post #21 belonged to this napping Brown Pelican.  We saw other terns, gulls, cormorants, egrets, ospreys,  and pelicans on  posts and on the edges of the water --- it was a windy day though and with the motion of the boat (and shaky hands on the photographer) , pictures were hard to come by.

 

 

I took the above picture on the causeway  as we headed off the Island toward home.  Note the blowing palm tree at the bottom ... it was a a good day for the wind-surfers!   

We're fortunate to have a variety of natural places that are easy to get to for day trips.   Some are even closer -- on another  day at home last week,  I stopped at the Eagle Pasture on the way to do errands:

 

 

 I saw at least 50 Cattle Egrets, plenty of small birds, and several very pretty horses.  And only a tiny glimpse of an Eagle's head peeking out of the nest.  (The nest tree is the skinny slash pine in the center picture (center of the center picture).   No Eagle pictures this time, but as always, it is a nice little nature stop on a day otherwise dedicated to mundane activities.  The pasture is right across the street from a supermarket shopping center and on the way to just about every other place we have to go to routinely.  

The pictures below are from the archives.  Two years ago I had much better photographer's luck with these neighbors.

Our Eagle nest -- 2018

And our pair of Eagles had better luck also that year, successfully raising a pair of Eaglets.   The lower three pictures are that year's  "babies"  -- just ready to fledge and (in the center) actually flying away for the first time.    

This year, sadly,  only one of the pair's eggs hatched and that baby died from what  was later discovered to be from ingesting rat poison. Adult Bald Eagles will take both living and dead prey -- fish, birds, small mammals).   Now,  at about the time their nestlings would usually be fledging, the pair are incubating a second hatch -- two more eggs.   This is very late for this climate, so it remains to be seen what happens.    There is a very active webcam site for this pair, so you can watch the progress  from wherever you live!  There are a lot of ads on the site, but the camera angles are good and there are links to several informative sites.    Just google Southwest Florida Eagle cam.    It's a good and easy way to learn about these iconic birds.

 

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HARNS MARSH

 

 

Little Blue Heron

 

We went to Harns Marsh Nature Preserve one day last week.  It's a good place to walk but definitely not to do  the"Forest Bathing" that I mentioned in last week's post.   Harns is flat land that the County has reclaimed for flood control.   It is marshy during the rainy season, but here in SW Florida, that is during the summer.   Trails this time of year are easily accessible.  

 

 

 

 A Snowy Egret (Yellow Slippers) waited patiently for a fish to show up.  The middle picture is the same Little Blue as above, not zoomed or cropped.  And showing the odd place it perched -- nowhere near the water.    The bird is perched on some of the flood control equipment.        

 

Great Egret

 

A Great Egret amidst blooming Bidens Alba.    We didn't see as many birds at Harns as we have on previous visits.   Last time, we watched Limpkins eating their meals of apple snails (pretty much their entire diet).  The pictures below are from that visit.

 

Limpkins

All we saw this time was empty snail shells (like in the middle picture).    So we know the Limpkins had been there, but on this day they were somewhere else.

 

 

 

 Bald Eagles

 

These two are also from our last visit to the Marsh -- these are not the ones that live down the street from us who have their own webcam.  It's been a bit sad at that nest this year and so I haven't stopped by to take pictures.   (Update in a future post I hope.)

 

 

 

 

It was a pretty day for a walk even if we didn't see a great many birds.   I definitely think the concept of "Forest Bathing" should be re-titled to something that includes Marshes, Sloughs, River Banks, and Deserts.   The important thing is to get outside and enjoy nature. 

 I'm grateful to be able to do exactly that wherever we are.

 

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OUTSIDE AGAIN -- on land and water

  

 

Morning at the Caloosahatchie Nature Preserve. 

  This County Park is next door to the snowbird resort where we live here in Florida.  This majestic Live Oak tree marks the start of a walking path  through the Preserve.     Live Oaks are fairly common in this part of the country  --  its  acorns are great food for wildlife.  

 

 

 I have read a little recently about "Forest Bathing", the concept of immersing yourself in quiet natural surroundings.   I agree that a walk in nature brings calm and joy.   It's a different kind of forest here in SW Florida -- foliage is low and except for the few Live Oaks on the edge of this preserve, the trees are thin and sparse compared to the forests of the Pacific Northwest.    But it is green and quiet.   (And certainly  warmer here this time of year.)   So it works for me.

 

 

 Mocking Bird

 

Although this mockingbird posed beautifully along the path, on this walk I heard many more songbirds than I saw -- and certainly more than I could photograph. Some I didn't even try to take pictures of were the dozens and dozens of robins I saw and heard in a clearing.      Robins are extremely common where we're from in Oregon, but those were the first ones I'd seen here in Fort Myers.  It's migration time  -- I guess they were headed back "up North."  

 

 

 Even though I've walked the paths in this preserve many times, there is always something new to see.  Like those robins or these interesting fungi growing on a fallen tree along the pathway.      In past seasons, I walked here more often because the park could be accessed from the back of our resort via a short path.  This year, apparently for security reasons, the gateway to the path has been locked off.   This makes it pretty far to walk to the park from home and would mean a walk along the busy street in front of the resort.   So now we have to drive to the visitor parking area like everybody else, which is kind of a bummer after years of feeling like the Preserve was part of our own  backyard.   But it is still close enough to do often.

On another day last week, we took part in the Boat Club's February outing and lunch.   It was nice to get out on the River again.

 

 

The picture above is our Canal, taken from the back of our boat just as we got out into the Caloosahatchie.   Our Boat hasn't gotten a whole lot of use yet this season -- either because of stormy weather, projects keeping the Captain busy, or being sick.  Or all of the above.   It was a lovely day for this event and nice to get back outside.  

 

 

 

The next day was stormy again -- heavy wind and some rain.  We were lucky that Thursday, the scheduled date  for the boating event,  was such a good one!   It's nice weather again this weekend.  We are thankful for that and looking forward to more playing outside -- on land or water  -- in the weeks to come.

 

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THE JOY OF ORDINARY DAYS

 

Skies are blue, the sun is shining, and my cold is gone!  

 

 

Sky view from our front yard Sunday morning.

 A bit of "off" time is a good reminder to be grateful for  the joys of every-day life.   

 

 

 Lots of Vitamin C at the local Farm Market.  No wonder I feel better!    All of these crops are growing here right now.  Hard to remember sometimes that  it is still Winter.   

 

 

Bill's about a week behind me in getting over that summer Winter cold, so we didn't go far from home at all last week.   I stopped by Butterfly Garden on my way to the Farm Market.  Lots of butterflies, but it was too late in the day (too warm) to get good photographs. They were too flitty -- you have to go before it warms up to get them when they're sitting still.  

 

 

All of these flowers are good food for the butterflies.    Most are native plants for this area.  

 

 

Dune Sunflower

 

The demonstration garden is meant to encourage people to plant to provide habitat for butterflies and bees.  It's a part of Manatee Park on the Orange River.  Manatees gather here when the weather is cooler, because the river water here is warmed by output from the nearby power plant.

 

 

 

Blanket Flower

This time of year, the Manatees are out in the Rivers at least during the day.   The water there is warm enough for them now.   

 

 

Blue Mist Flower

I try  to learn the names of  wildflowers, but I have a long ways to go.

 

Orange River at Manatee Park

Our River water is coffee or tea colored.  This is from the mangroves, which are an important part of the ecological system.

 

 

February's snow moon -- certainly mis-named for this part of the country.  The pictures are from our porch.  I was still under-the-weather the week the moon was full and that was about as far as I got.   I was happy to have the view and the warmth then, but am even more grateful to be well for it!  

 

 

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THE WEEK THAT WAS ...

It was one of those weeks --  full of the petty little annoyances that seem to come in bunches (my mother always said things come in threes.)   However we word it, I hope we are finished with that run for  little while.    Here's an old but happy picture that cheers me up just by looking at it:   

 

Butterfly Park, Fort Myers, from the archives
(taken in January a couple of years ago)

It would have been a great week to go for a nice long walk or two, but one of the annoyances was a bad head cold.   That coupled with windy and changeable weather kept me indoors.  I was going to post  all archived photos this week (as the one above is).  But this morning we got a taste of early Spring in a text from our daughter.  She said I could share the joy.

 

Oregon morning

I haven't been waking up nearly as early as I used to -- whether here in Florida or when we were in Oregon.   So this Oregon sunrise from Cyndi was a real gift.    

 

 

The first crocus in Cyndi and Jeff's backyard.   We don't see early Spring flowers (or really any typical Spring flowers) here in subtropical SW Florida.  

 

 I do miss the flowers.  But the frequent chilly, rainy February days, not so much.

 

Violets

 

Their violets are remnants from  years ago when our "kids" first bought their home in the country and we too still lived "full-time" in Oregon.  Bill and I  cut our own firewood back then and after one expedition wild violet plants came home on some of our logs.   Cyndi and Jeff were happy to get new plants then (as you do when you buy a home on five acres where the yard had been completely neglected by the previous owner.)  We transplanted the violets, gave them several bunches and planted some in our own flower beds too.  Before long, parts of both our lawns were more violet than grass.   

I'm glad I had those colorful Spring pictures to share because below are the archived ones I was going to share -- pretty much the only color in them is a fluke of photography.  Both mosaics are from last summer's trip to Washington State.

 

 

These pictures are from the Dismal Nitch rest stop near Astoria.     All three are straight out of the camera with no editing (except to put them in the mosaic of course).  I almost always take too many pictures of everything and once in a great while, my camera puts some of them into different shades.  I honestly have no idea how it happens,  but this one time I didn't throw the fakes away, because it was kind of interesting to see some color instead of ... well ... the true dismal gray.  

 

The Lewis and Clark expedition was stuck here in November 1805 by a perfect storm.   

We stop at Dismal Nitch Safety Rest Area whenever we drive that route.   It is always windy and cold, even in the summer.  That and the excerpts from the 1805 expedition journals  make you grateful for warm clothes and transportation fast enough to mean you will never have to spend a week camping out in that kind of weather.

Thank you to Cyndi for all of the cheer from Oregon!  And for the memories.   Grateful for my archives too.  And grateful that the small glitches were solved by Bill before he caught my cold.  (I'm better and sorry that I generously shared the germs.)  

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LASSEN NATIONAL PARK

On our Autumn roadtrip we spent a full day in California's Lassen Volcanic National Park with a short stop on our way  at nearby Burney Falls State Park.  

 

Burney Falls State Park (California)

The Fall colors at the State park were beautiful and Burney Falls itself is spectacular.   We had the Roadtrek Camper Van and had planned to spend the night there, but the Park was absolutely deserted, with all camping areas roped off.   The visitor center was closed.   We never did find out why -- mid-October seemed early for the season to be over.    We had a little walk around the area, took lots of pictures and then found an unexceptional motel near the National Park.  

 

 One of the informational signs at Burney Falls.  I've always loved waterfalls but at seeing this sign realized I had never even given a thought to how they are formed.  Science and Geography were not my best subjects in school. They say it is good for aging brains to learn new things -- and that is easier to do when you missed a lot of learning earlier in life.

 

 Summit Lake, Mt Lassen National Park

This view looks calm and peaceful, but Lassen Park is an active volcanic site and is home to all four types of volcano -- plug dome, cinder cone, shield, and stratovolcano.  Scientists continually monitor the area, especially since Mount Saint Helens (also part of the Cascade Mountain chain) blew up in 1980.   The National Park Service has developed an emergency plan to protect the public in case an eruption threatens.

 

Bumpass Hell Trail and  Sulfur Works

 

Hydrothermal sulfur mud pots boil along the trails in the park.   In appearance (and "aroma") they  rival those in the more well known Yellowstone National Park.   Lassen is one of the least visited National Parks -- it gets around 500,000 visitors annually, compared to Yellowstone's over 4 million.   

 

Rocks "painted"  by sulfur and other deposits 

 

Brokeoff Mountain (Mt Tehama)

 

Brokeoff  Mountain was an active stratovolcano around 400,000 years ago.  It would have been 11,000 feet high.   After the volcano stopped erupting the mountain slowly eroded and crumbled.   These are remnants.  Volcanic activity in the area shifted toward the present Mt Lassen.

 

 

 We are honored to have visited 41 of the 60 National Parks in the US and are grateful to the dedicated people who work for the NP Service.  I can only hope that these parks (and other natural wonders here in this country)  will still exist by the time our great-grandchildren are old enough to visit them.

 

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FLORIDA WINTER

 

Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Fort Myers

 

It was a beautiful day for walking Friday at Six-Mile Cypress Preserve.      Birds were a little scarce, but I had fun chasing woodpeckers around their trees (with my camera, from a good distance).  I saw red-bellies (the one above)  and downies.   Also lots of warblers flitting about including a very nice sighting of a black-and-white (but no pictures), and a hawk or two.  

So, yes, Friday was a good walking day -- but it was cold (for Florida) earlier last week.  How cold was it, you ask?  It was so cold ....  

 

Obviously not my picture.  I (virtually) clipped it from a website

 

.... that the Iguanas fell out of the trees.    Iguanas become cold-stunned when the temperature drops into near-freezing.  Their breathing slows and they enter a state of torpor which causes them to lose muscle control.  They live in trees and when that happens to them, they fall.    People are reminded not to pick them up or move them  -- they are not dead and when it warms up, they'll be off and running -- well, moving anyway.)

 

This is an original -- from my Florida archives --an  Agama lizard, not an Iguana

But it wasn't really quite that cold here -- we live in NW Florida  and although we woke up to temperatures in the low 40s on a couple of days, it never actually got down to freezing here on the Canal.    Still a little chilly in the mornings, but the sun warms things up during the day.  I don't think our lizards had much to complain about.  Neither did we.

 

Wood Duck Pond, Six-Mile

 

Like all reptiles, alligators don't generate their own heat.  When it gets below 70 (F)  they've already slowed down and stopped feeding.  In really cold weather, they will burrow into a den in the bank and go  dormant until it warms up.  They can even live under ice while in a dormant state (according to Google -- I've never seen an alligator where there was ice.  And don't want to.)

 

 

Wood Duck Pond

 

The Alligator on Wood Duck Pond was sharing the same log with other critters -- quite a group of turtles and an Anahinga drying its wings at the other end.  (It was just a little above 70 degrees -- all critters were safe!)

 

 

Brown Anole at Six-Mile

 

It's rather reptile-heavy around the blog today, isn't it?  Apologies to those who think they're a little creepy.  Personally  I find them  fascinating in all their prehistoric glory.  But I wouldn't get real close to the larger ones.     This brown anole is definitely not one of the large variety.

Through the magic of a zoom lens, it's possible to get better pictures -- but it can also distort  our perception of size.  This guy is very tiny -- about the size of my little finger.    That Alligator above was around eight feet long.       The Agama Lizard in my archival shot was probably around a foot.

 

Cypress Knees in the Slough

 

There was a lot of water in the slough -- and that's a good thing.   The Cypress Knee families were happy.  (They look to me like hobbit people.)

 

 

Six-Mile is one of my favorite places.   It's part of the reason we have been happy to come back for all these years -- the natural beauty of this State (so green) is not what people who have never been here usually think of when they think of Florida.    We certainly learned quickly that the Pacific Northwest doesn't have an exclusive corner on emerald green nature.  

 

The same patch of sky -- looking down and looking up.

 

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

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