Recent Yard Attractions

 We've had a number of wet days the past few weeks and we are deep into fall.  The apples and pears are dropping, and large mammals are dropping by.

This bear came through, but oddly, didn't seem interested in our very perfect apples.

We've had a number of deer each night coming for apples, including at least two large bucks.

Shaggy Mane mushrooms are edible but finnicky.  We haven't experimented with them yet.

The upturned scales are a key identifier.

A not so dead log.

Mad Men Season Two Finale

 Well, we finished season two of Mad Men, and used that as an excuse to have a little Mad Men party, AGAIN!

Gail's sister Diane gave me this bowling shirt she found at a thrift store a few years ago.

Garrity Dodge was a dealership in Hamtramck, Michigan, just outside of Detroit.

Gail seductively presents hoerderves in her mid century finest.

We didn't forget Daisy!  I learned the recipe for Betty Draper's favorite drink, vodka gimlets.

Daisy joins us for another episode by the fire.

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!