Sweet Creek

Last Saturday, we took Daisy down to do do a little hiking on Sweet Creek, southwest of Mapleton (east of Florence).  In a 1.5 mile stretch, there are a series of mostly low waterfalls over black basalt.  The vine maples, big leaf maples, and alders, are  also showing their red and yellow fall colors.

We passed by this scary place on the 101. 

Sweet Creek.

Nurse stumps.

Mad Men Party Comes to Yachats

 Gail and I have been watching the TV series Mad Men, which wrapped up about 7 years ago, and celebrated our completion of the first season with a Mad Men Party.  The year was 1960, and the action centers around the employees of a New York City advertising agency and their families.  The characters are almost always seen with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, unless they're grabbing booty.

Gail has a vast selection of era wardrobe to chose from. Me, not so much.  I went for the casual party look.   I learned to make Don Draper's favorite drink, old fashions.  Gail heated up some fish sticks, mashed potatoes, and frozen peas.  We had strawberry Jello with some kind of spray can whipped cream.  Oh, and we did the twist again, like we did last summer.

The Mad Men life style is a deadly one that I wouldn't want to copy on a daily basis.  Maybe by the end of season two, they will all be vegetarians practicing yoga and chastity. Ha!

Otters In Our Waters

 This morning, around 8:00, Gail came up from the river with Daisy to say, "Grab your camera, the otters are here!"  Since it was a heavily overcast morning, and still early, the pictures aren't great, but they're the first ones I've gotten of these fast moving elusive mammals in our river.

 

It was a small family group of two parents and a juvenile, the best I could tell.

They always seem to be in close contact.  They look like they're getting plenty to eat!

They love the crayfish in the river.

How many otters do you see?

Indian Summer

 Friday, we hit the road early with our beast of a canoe.  It was one of those extra warm fall days that you don't want to miss out on. In fact, it was in the 80's on the coast with no wind.

We went to our usual Beaver Creek and were in the water around 8:15.

We were the first up the Creek, which made it very peaceful.  

We observed a nutria, great blue herons, garter snakes, red-tailed hawks, ducks, and vultures.  They all seemed to be enjoying the warmth of the sun.

A garter snake making a crossing.

A family of mallard ducks not too concerned.  We spent about 4 hours paddling up to the end of the navigable end of the creek and back.  Today, it is raining, which is also pleasant.

Bonus Shot

This is a fish ladder about 1 1/2 miles down the road from our house that is on a side stream of the river.  It leads up to a tunnel under the road.

Amazing Tree

 On Friday, we decided to put on our knee boots and pick our way up the river.  The river was very low, but heavy rain was predicted in a few hours. This was our last chance to work our way up through a practically inaccessible section of the river.

Walking up the river, I'm standing about where our property ends.  Due to the vertical basalt bank on the left, we normally can't access this area without getting wet.

Walking further upstream, we could see the cool tree bridge up ahead.

It's hard to capture in a photograph, but years ago this large cedar tree fell across the river, but had enough roots still in the ground to send up a row of cedar branches that look like small trees.  It is up high enough to avoid high water.

Large Big leaf maples tower over the river in places.  Can you imagine the force on the base of those trunks as they lean out at extreme angles?

This bobcat track was one of many various tracks we saw - mostly raccoon and deer.  

Someone lost his brakes years ago!

Gail enjoyed sitting on this elephant trunk.  

We later worked our way down the river below our house.  It was a fun morning of exploring.  The next day, after two inches of rain, the river came back to life.  We would have needed hip boots to repeat this!

The Past Four Weeks

 The past four weeks have seen a transition towards fall, without any rain until last night.  In the past 22 hours it has rained over two inches, the river has about quadrupled in flow, dust has been washed off, and once again we hear the song of the river from within our home.  The following will once again be kind of a mishmash of photos.  

Going back to early August's visit from friends, Gail snapped this one of me. Mary, and Daisy.

September 6th was Daisy's 5th birthday.  Gail baked her some homemade dog biscuits, which to me seemed like perfect backpacking food - much better than Clif Bars I bet!

Gail's homemade dog biscuits.

The next day, we took Daisy out to lunch at the Drift Inn (thank you Andria!).  Daisy was well behaved, and the patio was a the perfect dog spot.

It was also Andria's birthday, in August, and I made her this birdhouse for her garden.  It is designed specifically for swallows, but bluebirds are also welcome.

We couldn't resist buying these quail eggs from Blossomwood Farmstead down the road.  Gail turned them into wonderful appetizers!

Meanwhile, our farmstead has been plugging along.

Early Girl tomatoes finally ripening in August.

The Helda pole beans behind that 7 ft. ladder clambered up anything they could.  We ate beans, beans, and more beans as well as froze a lot.  

I made a table to sell extra produce out on the road.  I made a few dollars, but now I have to figure out how to launder the money 😕.

Penelope, here, appreciating the catnip I planted for her.

Our Asian pear tree is loaded this year.  There should be plenty for us and the bears!

While on a hike, we saw what appeared to be a male garter snake following the scent of a female garter snake.  The female looks very fat already! 

We have a number of different hydrangeas.  I love the blue color on this one.  The color blue is supposed to be relatively rare in nature.

I planted 3 different salvias in the planter boxes I rebuilt last winter.  Maybe I'll try dahlias next year.

I couldn't believe my eyes!  There has been a ban throughout the county on all outdoor fires including campfires, beach fires, debris burning, and even in the fire pits at state parks.  I went to check our mail box and I saw this fire burning away at the fire station with no one tending it.  I called the main station to report this.  Apparently a volunteer thought this was ok.  

Gail in the morning fog.

Sadly, a 30 ft. juvenile gray whale washed up the mouth of the Yachats River.  Biologists thought it had been killed by orcas judging by its wounds.  That is the Highway 101 bridge in the background.

Down at our big spruce, one of our favorite meditation spots.

                                        Our almost resident doe and fawn enjoying our apples.

A screenshot of an owl, probably a barred owl, caught on my trail camera.

Well, that wraps it up.  

Tease:  yesterday, Gail and I took advantage of the low river to plod upstream and then downstream to places people never get to.  Photos coming soon!