Breaking Bad Party and More

 It has been an interesting past week.  First, we had the pleasure of meeting two friendly seniors who are active in our areas of interest. Jim is heading up a big swallow nesting box project in the Yachats River Valley, and Wally is the head of the Yachats Trails Group.  They both paid us a visit and enjoyed a tour of our place.  I plan to help out on both their efforts.  

Then last Wednesday got a little dramatic.  I started hiking up a Forest Service road with Daisy, and  Gail was riding her bike in training for the ride around Crater Lake.  After about 50 feet or so of walking up hill, I became very dizzy and weak.  I stopped and recovered. I started again several times but the same result.  I had told Gail to go on ahead, that I would catch up.  I checked my pulse, and it seemed slower than my normal resting pulse of 60.  It wouldn't increase with physical effort.  I began to think something could be seriously wrong, so I drove back to the house and took my BP and pulse.  My pulse was 54-55 and blood pressure was high normal.  I felt no pain, or numbness.  Gail came home shortly, and we decided to go to the ER in Newport and not take chances.  When you arrive at the ER with a cardiac issue, you go to the front of the line.  So...  I had tests and was observed for 8 hours while they tried to figure out what was wrong.  A liter of IV fluids, chest X-ray, bloodwork, and finally they sent my pacemaker data to the manufacturer.  When I first got there, I had explained that I was pacemaker dependent, and that I was about to be scheduled for pacemaker and battery replacement, as my current battery was at the end of its useful life.  I asked that they contact my cardiologist to keep him in the loop.  Well it turned out that my pacemaker had gone to power save mode, reducing my pulse by 10%, and not allowing it to ramp up above the new resting pulse of 54 bpm.  Why I wasn't warned about this possibility is beyond me.  I could have been at the bottom of a canyon when this happened.  The good news is that I feel fine just shuffling around, and I get my new pacemaker this Thursday.  Then, I should be back to my old self.

Yesterday was a hoot.  Gail and I had our very own Breaking Bad party in celebration of watching the final episode.  This is the third time we have watched the whole series.  It's embarrassing how much we forget before watching again.  There is something fascinating about about the characters, like watching Walter White go from high school chemistry teacher to maestro crystal meth producer, and become a lying, murderous, cartel associate.  All the characters are intriguing.  Anyway, below are a few pics from yesterday.

Important disclaimer:  We have never used or condoned the use of methamphetamine.  Breaking Bad shows a very clear picture of the horrible results of its use, the despicable crime involved, and the effects on innocent people.

I think Gail has a thing for Jesse Pinkman.

Swallows In The Yard

Every year, so far, we have had a few nesting families of Tree Swallows and Violet-green Swallows.  Below is a sequence of a Tree Swallow feeding its young.  The whole sequence of 12 photos was taken in high speed continuous mode in just 1.1 seconds.  Both parents feed the young a diet of insects they catch while swooping around the sky.  I had to put a couple extra pieces of plywood over the top of their box for shade.  They survived the 111 degree  day we had on June 27 !  Only the baby sticking his head out the furthest seemed to be getting fed over the 90 minutes or so I was watching.  

Bandits Strike!

As I was shaving one morning this week, these two banditos popped up outside the bathroom window.

Trip To Champoeg

A couple weeks ago, we reserved a cabin at Champoeg State Heritage Area on the Willamette River between Salem and Portland.  We took Daisy, kind of as an experiment to see how she would do.  This area was the site of Oregon's first provisional state government in 1843, however the town of 200 was washed away in a great flood in 1861.  The high water mark of that flood is unbelievably high above the normal water level!  The park is a combination of ecological preserve, history, and recreation.  It was very clean and quiet while we were there during the week.

Restored barn.

Pioneer garden , barn in back.

Our cabin.  We had a lovely evening walk along a paved trail that followed the river for several miles.

Heat Wave 

The weekend of June 26 -27 was a scorcher.  We spent most of the afternoon on Sunday in the river.

The temperature reached 111 degrees at the house, with high humidity.  Most folks don't have air conditioning around here because it's hardly needed - normally.

Yard Shots

Oregon Iris  (Iris tenax)

                 A gopher, one of the many critters who share our garden and like to hear me curse.

June Haps

 The biggest news over the past two weeks was Gail's birthday on June 3.  The big Six O!  We shall be celebrating over the next few weeks with dinners out, little trips, and whatever catches Gail's fancy. She certainly deserves all this for all she does to make our home look artistic and cared for, inside and out.  Her pet project of keeping 8 miles of our road litter free also merits praise and some good take-out food!

Per Gail's request, on June 3, we picked up gourmet sandwiches at Le Maison in Newport and then drove the climb to Horse Creek Trailhead in the Drift Creek Wilderness.  It was a gorgeous day for a hike, being cool, but sunny.  

The Girls resting at the base of a capsized tree.

We descended about 1,100 feet to Drift Creek for our picnic.  There were crayfish by the dozens!

Three days earlier, we were walking down the 5300 when Gail spotted this Barred Owl.  I'm not sure if this owl is keeping his right eye closed or if it is injured.  We saw one in the same area 2 years ago with his right eye closed and we thought it was injured at the time.  I'm not sure now.

                                    He blends in very well with the trunk of this Douglas Fir.

                          The next day it was 85 degrees and time for our first float on the river.

The day after that we did a beach walk at Ocean Beach.  It was a crackup trying to get the 3 of us in a selfie!

Two years ago, Nick collected seeds from a columbine plant on our backpack trip outside of Durango.  He started a few plants and gave us a little one last September which I planted in our front garden.  It flowered a few days ago!  Thanks, Nick!

This week I took Daisy for a run at Ocean Beach and saw these tracks.  I was baffled and thought maybe sea turtle, even though I knew that would be a rare occurrence.  Upon checking my tracking books at home it proved to be a harbor seal.  They have claws on their front flippers.

A Week of Family Fun

 Andria, Nora, Soren, and Susanna departed back to Colorado Springs yesterday (Sunday) after a week here at River Song.  Nick, who came a day earlier, had to leave on Wednesday.  We had a blast catching up, hanging out, and going on little adventures.  It had been a year and a half since Nick and I had seen Andria and the kids, and quite a bit longer for Gail.  Andria's husband Dave couldn't come as he is currently deployed to Bahrain for the year doing USN intel.  He will get to come home in July for 3 weeks.

Soren was immediately drawn to the binoculars.

Susanna adds scale to our big Sitka Spruce.

Susanna was thrilled to find snails in the wild, as snails don't thrive in Colorado.  Back home she has a pet snail and has successfully bred thousands of the mollusks. 

Nora and Daisy checking out the pond.

Badminton was a big hit for all ages.

On Tuesday afternoon, we met Lorie and her dog Juno at the beach.  On the left is Nora, who is wearing a full wetsuit - she came prepared!

Daisy and Juno get along very well and make an amusing couple.

Juno embodies little dog personality and is a bundle of energy.

Susanna loved modeling Gail's hats.

On Nick's last night, Andria graciously treated us to dinner at The Drift Inn.

Gail taught Susanna how to make earrings.  She picked it up quickly and made several pairs.

We gathered around Snuffleupagus for some photo fun.

Susanna chillin' down at the cabana.

Nora enjoyed taking some hikes on her own for the peace and solitude of Yachats Valley.

Susanna and Gail made a couple delicious blackberry pies.

Lorie and Brian (and Juno) joined us for a barbecue on the back deck.  

Brian and Susanna hitting it off. 

The hot tub made a big splash with the kids.

Susanna, Daisy, and I on a walk down the road to see the llamas, alpacas, and peacocks at Starshine Ranch.

Hello Mr. banana slug.

Nick made a lasting impression on these two!

On Friday we all took a hike at Cape Perpetua.  Susanna poses on an awesome stump.

Gail and Susanna had an elegant tea party on Saturday morning.

Andria, Susanna, Gail, and I went to Ocean Beach on Saturday morning to catch one of the lowest tides of the year.  Susanna found several agates, and touched a sea star.

Soren helped out by splitting some logs.

Susanna split a couple, also.

Getting ready to leave on Sunday morning.  Daisy was rewarded with a new "squirrel" for her gentle and calm behavior throughout the week.