Jeremy Comes To Visit Us

 My Grandson Jeremy drove from Colorado Springs to Yachats to visit us on his way to Napa.  It was quite an effort, a long detour, and we were honored he would do this.  He is an apprentice electrician and hopes to find work in the SF Bay Area.  His grandmother is generously letting him stay in her cottage behind her house.  He arrived on New Year's Eve, and left on the 5th.

On New Year's Day, we all took a hike up Gwynn Creek Trail to the tree we call "The Big Momma".

On the second, Jeremy and I drove to Waldport to get the skinny on freshwater fishing from the local bait and tackle shop.  From there, we browsed a used book store, and then went up to Seal Rock for a little beach walk.  Gail had an obligation up in Newport and couldn't bum around with us on this afternoon.

An overview of the beach at Seal Rock.  We hit it at low tide.

We had so much good food!  Black-eyed peas from Nick and Lauren with collard greens, chowder from Luna Sea, food from Taste of India, and the last night at The Drift Inn.

The friendly woman at the Bait and Tackle Shop in Waldport suggested we fish for steelhead 18 miles up the Alsea River at Mike Bauer's Plunking Shack.  The shack was occupied, so we fished in the open.  Fortunately, it didn't rain the 5 hours we were there.

From the bridge looking down at Jeremy, on the right.  You can see the roof of the plunking shack on the right, which is open in front, and has a wood burning stove.  

Fishing was slow, as it was early in the season we were told.  This woman caught a nice sized steelhead.  We saw a couple other steelhead caught, but Jeremy didn't have luck.  We learned a lot from the other fisherpersons there.  They went out of their way to help Jeremy and show him the best set-up.  We'll be better prepared the next time.

Looking down from the bridge I had a good view of a flock of Canada Geese,

I also watched a Black Phoebe catching insects.  Only recently have they been this far north as climate change seems to be expanding their range.

Sunday the fourth, we went to City Lights in Florence and saw Marty Supreme.  Timothee Chalamet's acting was superb!  

Monday the 5th, it was time to say goodbye.  We miss you, JJ !

Winchester Bay Trip

 On December 29, we headed down to Winchester Bay, just south of Reedsport, to meet Paula and her dog Iggy.  We met Paula through Lorie, as they have been long time friends.

On the way down, we stopped to look at the view of the Haceta Head Lighthouse.  We were surprised to see hundreds of sea lions on the beach right below us.  Gail had the binoculars and saw several sea lions playing with a buoy.  They were pushing it around and flinging it in the air!

We had a nice long beach walk along Winchester Bay and down the beach past the jetties.   

Unfortunately, Gail was struck by an arrow.  

On the way home, we drove down to the beach below the Haceta lighthouse keeper's house to watch the sun go down.

Gail took this shot, a fitting end to a gorgeous winter day.

Another River Video From Thursday

This is our little waterfall at Two Bench Beach on 12/18.

Things are much more sedate today, 12/20.  This is the view from the back deck.

Another River Video

This is the river by our big spruce tree.  I wouldn't want to fall in here!

Atmospheric River

We had a direct hit on Wednesday with 5.90" of rain.  The total for the month so far is 20.66".  Winds blew down trees, limbs, and branches throughout the area.  We got off without serious damage, but more rain is coming.

Our friends Jim and Ursula were not so lucky.  A large tree fell on Jim's blacksmithing studio and shop.

Recent Events

 This is the season of get-togethers made easier by not having as much yard and garden work.  

Our neighbor Catherine, on the right, turned 80.  She was pranked here with a birthday cake that was fake and impossible to cut.  The real cake came out later.

We had our 3rd annual neighborhood "For the Birds" gathering, inviting neighbors from up and down the road to come and have treats, wassail, and chit chat.  People were encouraged to bring some bird friendly decorations to hang on the little row of fir trees along the road at the fire station.  It was raining all day, so Gail and I did the decorating later.  Gail did a lot of work decorating, and our friend Andrea helped organize and send out invitations.

The hostess with the mostest! 

Daisy wondering what's happening.

Some of our guests here.  Most everyone  wanted to sit with a view out the window.  We've been seeing elk, lately, on the other side of the river.

Our newest neighbor,  little Pablo, was even more popular than Daisy.

Party's over and feeling good!

The Fungus Among Us

 By the end of summer we start anticipating fall rain which adds freshness, the plumping of moss, and the emergence of a lot of mushrooms.  The Douglas fir forest of the Northwest has the most biomass per area of anywhere in the world, including the Amazonian rainforest.  To break down all this biomass is a vast number of fungal species.  What we see above ground is just the tip of the iceberg.  From an aesthetic point, I really enjoy the beauty and variety of mushrooms.  Below is a sample of snapshots I took this fall.

Gail has been experimenting with mushroom spore prints.  She takes mushroom caps from gilled mushrooms, places them on paper, covers them with a bowl, lets them stay overnight, and if she's lucky the spores will have fallen to the paper leaving a nice pattern.