Star gazing and Sea Lions

Wow, I have two weeks worth of things to catch up on. Let's see if I can make it the abbreviated version. I will start with this past weekend, since it is fresh on my mind. Drove to the coast Friday night to Bandon. Stayed in a cute little inn that overlooks the Coquille River flowing into the ocean and "Old Town Bandon". Walked down into this cute little Sea side town with tons of character and charm and started off Saturday with breakfast at the Minute Cafe. Walked around for a while and explored the many shops. Particularly enjoyed the hand-made candy and chocolate store...free samples, yum. Even the beer candy was good. That's right beer candy. Anyway, their specialty involves cranberries. For those trivia buffs, Bandon and the Oregon coast produce the majority of cranberries in the US. Ocean Spray has contracts with most of the farmers. So learned about the bogs and sampled berries. Also, visited an art gallery and finally did what I have been saying I was going to. I purchased some art painted by a local. And of course, I bought an ornament. For those of you that don't know it, I buy Christmas ornaments from every place that I visit. The only thing is, it has to be something representative of that area or something that I did. I hope to one day have a Christmas tree full of ornaments from all of my travels.

That afternoon, went to the West Coast Game Park Safari. There are free-roaming wildlife that you can pet and feed. In total there are 450 animals representing 75 species. A little stinky and tricky to walk around (watch where you step)....but fun and interesting. Drove along the coast and reached Face Rock. There are tons of off shore rocks and rocks near the shore with caves that you can explore. Absolutely beautiful!! After playing on the beach and taking a little siesta, headed back to the boat launch in Bandon for a little kayaking in the Coquille. Wasn't brave enough to head out into the ocean, but did make it far enough to see the lighthouse. Paddling was difficult with all the currents and totally made me exhausted. Luckily, had enough left in me to eat at the Wild Rose which had scrumptious, fresh seafood in a cozy atmosphere.

Sunday was rainy but ended being my favorite exploration. Kept driving up the coastline to a little town called Charleston. Visited Sunset State Park which had amazing views of the cliffs, seascapes, and crashing waves. A little farther up, at Simpson Reef and Shell Island, from the overlook you could see and hear endless numbers of Seals and Sea Lions. I have never seen anything like that. At the tip of the Cape, Cape Arago, was another great place to view the rocks and crashing waves. Spotted a humpback whale making its migration. Also visited Shore Acres State Park. I truly cannot describe this view...was what I call a "go God moment". Walked around the botanical gardens (formally a private estate in 1921) and marveled at the displays of floral and scenic beauty. Not wanting to get home late, started heading back. Just when I thought my adventure was over, spotted a sign for Elk viewing. Little did I know how much viewing there would be. The first field had about 8-9 elk just sitting there. Down the road, another field had about 20 or so. Overall, a great weekend!

So I won't bore you, I will make the rest short. I just have to mention the star gazing. Last week went with a large group of people to the top of Mt. Ashland to view the Perseid Meteor Shower. I don't think I have been closer to the sky nor had that view. The meteors sailed across and lit up the sky as their tails faded. One actually looked like it exploded. Everything was so clear up there. Also played in the park one day with a group of people. We were celebrating Julie's half birthday. It was complete with relay races and singing half of the birthday song...you would just have to be there. Went rafting again on the Rogue which was fun and visited an art festival in Shady Cove. Walked around Ashland and sat in the shade of the trees in Lithia park listening to Blue Grass music. Still having a blast and loving the West Coast. Whew...I think that is it, give or take a few details. Hope you are all doing great.

Wow is it hot!

Finally made it home for a much needed vacation. I have become quite accustomed to working three months and then taking a month off. So, extending this contract and not having my month off has been difficult. Traveling back home across the country was an all day affair. All of my flights were delayed but I managed to arrived only 30 minutes behind schedule. As I walked out of the airport in New Orleans, I suddenly remembered something...heat and humidity. I instantly felt that sticky, hot feeling. My hair screamed and frizzed out. Ah, to be back in the south.

Anyway, moving along. Visiting with my family and friends was wonderful. I just needed some more time. You don't realize how much you miss everyone until you are around them. My niece and nephews are growing like weeds but are so much fun. My dad is up to his nose in tomatoes right now. My mom is enjoying her new dining room table which is so big my nephew designated the chairs at each end as the "king and queen" chairs. My brother is all geared up for football (he is a coach). Life as we all know it, stops during football season. My sister is busy with the boys, and they are a handful-cute-but a handful.

Life in the south is just as I remember it, except for one thing. I cannot forget to mention my house. I have a new tenant in my house that I am currently renting out. So, I wanted to do a walk through to make sure that she was taking care of things. When I left my house a year and a half ago, it was cute, manicured, and one of the nicest houses on the block. Let's just say that I was very disappointed when I did my first drive by. The house is hiding behind all of the over grown plants. The yard needs to be mowed. There is a basketball goal just sitting in the front yard. There are some metal things laying up against the side of the house. And I most certainly cannot leave out the large cement lion statues that are sitting in front of the house at the edge of the sidewalk, my ranch style house. The lions are very out of place. Hopefully my chat with the tenant and the rental company will correct all of that. The real bummer of my whole trip was the gaping hole in my house from rotting wood that now has to be repaired. Oh the joys of owning a home.

I finally made it back to Oregon but only after rescheduling my flights about five different times. Flying across the country is no easy task. I am not looking forward to returning to work but I am looking forward to more exploring. I already miss my family and friends from back home and I am looking forward to returning again in October. Hope everyone is doing well.

Flying Kites and Spinning Rides

The weather is beautiful again and was perfect for a Saturday afternoon ride into the Applegate Valley for a little wine tasting. I had already been to three of the larger vineyards, so Karen and I decided to try out the small vineyards. The first was wonderful. A breeze was blowing, a man was playing a guitar and singing, and the view of rows of grape vines with the mountains in the background was beautiful. Each wine had a story behind it and the owner gladly shared this with us. I was not crazy about the second vineyard but the third had tons of charm as it was small and family owned. This owner also shared many fascinating details about the history of the vineyard. I was informed that in late September, during harvesting of the grapes, I could possibly stomp some grapes. Lucy looked like she had fun doing it, why not?


Saturday night would not be a bore either. I was somehow talked into going to the county fair. While listening to Joan Jet sing "I love rockin' roll" was a highlight, the "people watching" was far better. Why is that county fairs bring out the cream of the crop? I felt special to have all of my teeth and not one tattoo on my body. I also learned that apparently as you age, you do not tolerate fast, spinning rides that flip you upside down. I felt nauseated more than once that night...or maybe it was the fair food.

Sunday had to be my favorite day. Several of us went to the coast to Brookings (pop. 6,000) for the Annual Kite Festival. I really didn't know what to expect as I had never been to a kite festival, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed myself. There is something very relaxing about sitting and watching these beautiful kites sore through the air. The fact that the ocean was right behind us didn't hurt either. The amazing thing is the passion that these people had about their kites. Met a man named Rob Craw who has traveled around the world to International kite festivals, and he was very kind to let me fly one of his kites. Who knew this was so popular. They also had people performing to choreographed music. It was actually quite fascinating to watch this group of four men make formations and trails with their kites. My favorite was "Big Bear" a forty foot kite that took a lot manuevering to get into the air.


After the kite festival we all went to the beach. The Oregon coast is absolutely gorgeous. You really need to see it for yourself. The water was warm enough to play in and the beach had plenty of shells and rocks to comb through. We had all worked up an appetite and of course had to have some seafood before we left.


After a long weekend of fun, I was exhausted and crashed very quickly. It is finally time to go home. I am very excited. This will be a much needed vacation. I have become quite accustomed to working for three months and taking a break. Hope to see some of you soon!!

House of Mystery

So my last weekend started off low key. Went to a chic flick with the girls on Friday night. Saturday, I set out on an adventure (since I haven't been on one lately and was itching to do so). Found the House of Mystery at the Oregon Vortex. Let me try to explain...supposedly it is a spherical field of force, half above the ground and half below. There are certain spots that you can't stand erect due to the magnetic fields. You could roll a golf ball on a downward slope and it would roll right back up. Brooms stood upright. Although I witnessed some of these things myself, I am a little sceptical or maybe just a realist. Maybe there is something to it. Anyway, traveled on and drove up a curvy but scenic road to reach the Oregon Caves. This is a national monument, designated by President William Howard Taft in 1909. As soon as you stepped in front of the entrance, the temperature dropped to 40 degrees, and it stays that way inside the cave year round. The caves were cold, wet, and in many spots the narrow passages and low ceilings required you to bend and squat down while you walked. The caves are made of marble but are mostly covered with calcite, which creates fascinating sculptures. At one point, we were standing there after we had walked deep into the cave, and the dim lights that helped guide our steps along the way were turned off. Total darkness...really couldn't see the hand in front of my face. Very eerie. I think it is safe to say that I will never be a spelunker. Returned home, took a power nap, and headed out to eat with some friends.


Sunday was full of adventure too. Drove up past Crater Lake to discover some waterfalls. The first was Toketee Falls. What it lacked in height (90 ft) it made up in beauty. From the top the water cascades into a small pool which continues on and falls into a much larger pool of clear green water. Will post a picture. The second waterfall, Watson Falls, is the tallest fall in Southern Oregon. While not as impressive as Toketee, it was very majestic and mysterious as the mist from the water crashing onto the rocks below floated through the air. Was going to try to go view and possibly take a dip in the hot springs. However, after over-hearing a family (that was also viewing the waterfall) make the statement that they were going to go get in the hot springs, I quickly decided against it. It was not that I was concerned about overcrowding but more about what I would consider an extremely excessive case of "grocery store feet". The whole family was filthy. Maybe another day.


Things have cooled down this past week. The sky is a still bit hazy from all the forest fires. Thought our concert was going to get rained out, but it didn't. Went back to Britt Festival Wednesday night with some friends and listened to Lyle Lovette and k.d. lang. Both were excellent. I don't ever think that the setting and venue will ever get old. I know I have described it before, but the sun setting and then the lights from the city appearing from the valley are beautiful. While the music was good, I will not soon forget our cherry pit spitting competition. Yes, that is correct. We had a spitting competition (mom I know you are proud). Sad to say that even with my competitive nature, I lost by one. You truly had to be there to understand.

Heading home next weekend. Can't wait to see everyone!!!!