A RAINY SUNNY DAY

Requires a little clarification, huh?

When I woke up, even though I'd read in the forecast that it was coming, it was "Oh, Shoot! Rain again". Then Norm wanted to go up to Coos Bay....and I said "Oh, Shoot!" again.

But then as I was checking my email I received this daily email from The Sierra Club with one of my photos that they had selected to be The Daily Ray of Hope. Oh, Sunny Day!!!

And isn't it funny how that can happen about just almost anything. It can work either way, of course.......but it does show how we decide to look at the varous things that cause our moods to swing might just be more within our control than we realize.

So....this first photo was taken on the way home from Eugene, along the Umpqua River. I just love Scottsburg and there abouts. I'd love to have a little vacation cabin along the river.....dream on, Donna!

I loved the little early poppy that was blooming, overlooking the river. The soft focus of the river is in keeping with the mood, too.

And we always do have our gulls, don't we?

I've mentioned before that I do love the seagulls. They might be common place, but they can really set off a photo with their stark whiteness, and being fairly used to us humans, we can get close in while they're doing all kinds of great gull things. This one is another "King of the Hill".......he just chased off a flock of pigeons.......just cause he could, I think. There wasn't any food up there.......He's just looking around for another bird to bully. Well, he might also have his eyes ready to launch onto something more to eat. (Duh).

(NOT) ALL ROADS LEAD TO FLORENCE

But a few do......This first shot was taken of the Suislaw River just as this small craft boat came roaring towards the Marina. Years ago we had a commercial fishing boat that was tied to one of the outside docks....right on the river. They figure that a wake from a boat like this one, but probably larger, went whipping on up or down the river and the wake that spread out rocked against out boat...The Lucky Star. The rocking of the Star against the dock caused the chime (?) to catch under the dock and tilt sideways and allowing water to begin to fill her up. The bildge pump worked it's little heart out, but finally the water became too much and the Lucky Star wasn't so lucky and sunk. And we never even got a fish out of her!! Anyway.....little bit of personal history there for you to ponder.


This second snap was just for fun......The title that comes to mind is "Destination: Fantasy Island" De plane, Boss......De plane!!
And on to the weather.......looks like our sun is going to disappear again for a while.....darn! I got a few things done in the garden today but have so much more to do. Unseasonably cool and wet, the weather gurus call it. And just when Norm's beans were breaking ground. On Yahoo's weather report, it even showed rain/snow for Friday!! I think that's an exaggeration on their part....at least I hope it is. One of my accomplishments today was to cut away all the dead twigs and branches that were left after the cold and freeze of winter just about killed my Euryops. One, I know isn't going to make a come-back and the other.......maybe. Trouble is that there are times when the plant is so weakened that even if it lives, it's just looks pathetic in it's attempted survivial. Crazy weather patterns lately.......Have a good day!

CHARMS OF FLORENCE

Another couple of shots from Florence. I like to spend time in almost any towns "old town"......Bandon, Eugene, Coos Bay, and Florence all have old towns. They celebrate their history and life-style, the older-time enhanced into the present. This first photo shows a row of their street lights along the boardwalk of the marina. The day started off a little on the gray side but it helps the white stand out more, don't you think?

But the second shot here shows the sun out complimenting that very victorian pink color of the book store. The town has a number of cute little ole-timey shops scattered here and there. A good many were still closed for the winter, which surprised me. But, what do I know......I'm just a tourist here. Just passing through.

ON THE COASTAL RIVERS

This photo was taken in Scottsburg along the Umpqua River. We'd stopped off for lunch at Dixie's Cafe..........Norm has wanted to stop there in the past but the timing for a meal was never right....the food was very plentiful!! The man who took our order...don't know if he was the owner or not, but was the kind of man you'd just like to have a good conversation with....Norm said he was the kind of man he'd enjoy being friends if life had ever presented that opportunity....."chew the fat with" to pull up an old expression. (Wonder where THAT one ever came from!??)


As we drove along the Umpqua River there were so many lovely little (& big!) places that had recently been manicured to almost perfection in their gardens, that I felt I needed to make a step in that direction this afternoon. Weed whacker in hand I tacked the front of the house....did a little pruning and cut some sweet smelling sweet williams for the table. One beautiful bearded iris got stepped on and broke it's leaves fairly close to the bottom....so I got some blue masking tape and am trying to tape it together so the moisture will get up to the leaves and maybe I'll get a bloom from it this year. I've done that in the past but the stems was thinner and not so sharply cut. We'll see what happens.

I took some photos this morning at the Kid's Art Program. Today's artist study was Grandma Moses. It sounded like a very well taught and inspirational class for the kids.

This second snap was again along the Suislaw River in Florence. I love the bright blue color along with the burnished red posts.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!!

FLORENCE ON THE RIVER

OK...for those of you who read what I wrote last night about Lucy.....she was in the Aquacades in the World's Fair back in, maybe 1941. It was a very

big deal. She

remained life-long friends with Esther Williams and enjoyed swimming throughout most of her life.

....on with todays posted photos. This first one is, obviously, of one of the many boats they have moored at the lovely Florence marina. Funny how when you take a close up like this at a slightly different angle instead of the entire boat.....what might have looked like an old boat in need of a paint job, etc., it looks "arty". Those little smudges of rust, peeling paint and the over-all weathered look become some point of eye-catching attractions to the overall look of the photograph.

This second snap is of the beautiful Suislaw River and the lovely bridge that crosses over it via Hwy. 101.

It was late in the afternoon when I took this and the sun was already casting a softer, golden look to the bridge and the dunes before it....which I'll show another day. And I love old pier pilings, snags and other river things.

I hadn't realized until I started a little editing tonight just how many shots I took. Over 440, I think, although not all of them were keepers....in fact I tossed most. I usually snap 2 or 3 just to hope that if one doesn't make the grade there might be a backup. It was a pretty busy day for me so I haven't edited most of them yet. If any of you have been by Siren's Coffee Cafe and have seen my hung photos, I changed a few. I had no idea how stuck or enamored I saw with taking sunsets early in my photography. So, I replaced a few with some more recent snaps I don't think any of you have seen, unless you follow this blog. And they generally look different when in a mat and frame, I think. One more good piece of news from this corner. There is a professional photographer whose work I greatly admire, although nothing anywhere near what I do. Some of you photographers might recognize his name and I probably sent on one or two of his newsletters......His name is Cole Thompson. A very nice approachable man. I believe his father was military careerman and Cole spent sometime living on Beale AFB in California. Anyway, he has a monthly contest and the prize is a package of 10 of his photos in greeting card form. (Norm said "Just what you need!!) And I won this month!! He kidded me about my strange meeting many years ago with Chuck Yeager and I was so surprised that Cole remembered

that story.......So! Pretty soon I'll have another series of photos besides my own to frame and hang in my own house.

And with that, good night!

AHHHH.......HOME

I don't know how 'jet setters' do it. We've been on the go and full steam ahead for a couple of days.....actually longer for me cause I'm the packer, etc. It was fun, though. We stayed in Florence and I don't get there often so everything is new again. The weather was a little windy and cold yesterday, but warmed up a little by late afternoon. Of course, I took a lot of photos.....and managed to post two here since it's going to take awhile to edit the rest. I love the bright colors in the gumball machine.....and the reflections of some of the town in the glass.
Norm's sister was celebrating her 90th birthday today!! She's amazing in how independent and capable she's been for years. Has had some health problems lately, but still as sharp as a tack. For any of you that might remember Johnnie Weismuller and Esther Williams....well, Lucy used to swim in some water shows with them. I'll have to get back with the correct name, which eludes me right now.....and I just went in to ask Norm and he's fast asleep in his chair. LOL..



Well, the day grows to an end, and I'm going to take the advice of this second snap I took in Florence. How did they know that this is exactly what I needed???

FINISHING UP AT THE DOCK

What a full day. Up to CB so Norm could buy some tools that he needed.....gotta' catch those sales while they're hot, right? We had lunch at one of our favorites, Dos Amigos at Pony Village. They know us well there and Carlos, the manager, doesn't even ask and just brings us our coffee with cream for Norm, black for me. Over the last few years I've decided I like cream, too. But we never tell Carlos since he brings us what we've always had before we can tell him differently. So, Norm slyly slides one of his creams over to me. I dump it in quickly and slide the empty container back over to Norm. Carlos is so proud of his remberance of what we like, that we don't want to let on that it's not correct anymore....don't want to embarress him.... Just a little game we play, I guess. We all mean well, anyway.

At the afterschool program down at Doug Jamison's church, they were supposed to be having a sheep shearing that the kids could watch. Unfortunately, the sheep arrived late I guess and I couldn't wait around. But the time I was there waiting, the kids were running off the world's supply of energy and calories. They were bouncing balls, hula-hooping, hiding in closets, running and chasing, eating their snacks, and when they saw the camera a good many of them were hamming it up. I got some of their very, very best smiles as they tried to break their faces showing as many teeth as possible. The hula-hoop was pretty serious business and the concentration so fierce that no smile was anywhere to be seen. Two boys about 10 or so wanted their pictures taken together as "best buds". But when the camera clicked a few times, the first shot, one boy was trying to choke the other, 2nd....goofy faces and kung-foo hand motions, and finally just plain hand-to-hand combat.......with big silly grins on their faces as they enjoyed their own company is a way that the fairer sex will never understand!!

In finishing up at the dock......these photos are #1 is the SEAFARER.......#2 THE SENTINEL and

lastly #3 is LOSING OF THE JETTY. And that's it for today. I will be away for a few days so you all be good and enjoy that spring weather, no matter what it is........

RETURN TO THE DOCK

Today the rain has returned but remember the gorgeous weather of a couple of days ago. That was when I took these two snaps. The first one is Tichenor Cove.......mistakenly called Nellie's Cove by me at least a couple of times. The green grass on the hills, for as long as it stays green really shows off the ruts and grooves, doesn't it?
The second photo also has that beautiful laying down sea. It's really amazing to see what's left of the jetty wall. That big hole in the middle I wouldn't think will last too many more years. What happens after that goes, I have no idea.

Hope you all enjoyed Mother's Day yesterday. There will be a couple of days this week where I'll be unable to post on this blog. I'll be back and hopefully with neat new photos to share.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY--TO ALL WOMEN

Many times in a woman's life we play the role of mother whether we have children of our own or not. I think all women know that there are times when we need some emotional nurturing, caring, acceptance, forgiveness, or just something from the heart for no apparent reason. I know whenever I'm sick, flu or whatever, I very much miss my mother and the way she used to make me some toast and would cut it into four pieces and always cut from point to point. Only when I was sick did she do this. Years ago my sister-in-law heard this when I was laid up for some medical reason, and she got right up and to my surprise came back with a plate of toast with jam, cut from point to point. An act of mothering and extending love. It was an act to remember.

This weekend we had one of my step-daughter's with one grandson come for a visit. Her first son died about a year and a half ago and of course, her pain is still pretty acute. She came bearing gifts for ME, though. A bouquet of flowers......a couple of packages of dried mushrooms, and the sweetest gift.....some of my grandson's ashes. At his memorial, a year and a half ago, we all watched as Jorma's brother's and some close friends, scattered some of his ashes off of Battle Rock. This year I gave her one of my photos of rough seas off of Battle Rock. That photo will join the photos she has on her wall at home of Jorma. I hope I continued the tradition of offering a piece of toast cut from point to point with a good dollop of jam.

WINDLESS & SUN AT THE DOCK

It was a beautiful day! I went down to Griff's for lunch with some friends and of course had my camera. The ocean had that sort of milky blue look to it and although the wave action lacked much drama the relatively smooth water and reflections were magnificant. A bright orange kayaker (had to look that word up again!!) stood out against the water and naturally deserved a couple of pics which I might post some other time.

The crabbing season is obviously over and there were various lines of pulled crab pots like the ones above all along the north side of the dock. I really like the way I was able to see "The Gate" through the lines of pots. I'm thinking of maybe having this one printed to be framed, I like it that well.

This second shot I took on the road down to the dock. I like it fairly well, too. I have another one that takes a wider view and shows more of the dock itself. I choose this one because I love the new spring green showing up on the hill in the background.

Lunch was great! Got to see three good friends who had all been off and away visiting other states. It was good to see them again and hear all about their happenings. I like everyone back home where they're supposed to be, though..... Life just seems more settled that way.

NATURE LOOKOUT IN BANDON

This photo was taken this afternoon and I don't know if I've seen the tide so low. That's all river bottom that you're looking at instead of what is usually full of water. I thought I might see some kind of water bird but the only bird I saw was one lone crow flying overhead. The sky is pretty interesting though. When I first looked at it through the viewfinder of the camera, I thought the blue was actually dark clouds moving in. It seems like one of those pictures that you can look at one way....and see dark clouds or look at the white and realize THOSE are the clouds. Sort of like those small dotted prints that were popular a number of years ago where you have to look for the picture hidden in there somewhere. Just so long as the sun stays with us for awhile........maybe I can get some gardening done in the next few days.

Hope you can all get out and enjoy the sun, too.

SIREN'S COVE COFFEE & CHOCOLATE

OK, Port Orford.....it's officially open again. The new and improved Siren's Cove Coffee Cafe is in working mode.
We went in this morning for a delicious mocha and the photos here are just a couple of the temptations to ogle over. There were various pastries and muffins. There will be a pretty large assortment of ice cream and I think Dianne said that around Memorial Day the lunches will be offered also. That's May 31st if anyone besides me had to look at the calendar. Everything was so clean, pretty and inviting I just know it's going to be the new place to go in town. They also carry some greeting cards, some of which were done by 'moi'........excuse the little personal plug there, guys. So, when you're out and about running errands or just getting out of the house or taking a break from work.......stop by Siren's and say 'HI' to Dianne or Carrie and just sit and enjoy the sights. It's right on Highway 101........you can't miss it.

OPPPS!

I can't believe that I forgot to post last night!! Preoccupied with other things, I guess.

This photo is funny, I think. I was at the Bandon marina looking around for something to Wow! me, when I heard this gull overhead making all these silly little noises. He looked like he thought he was King of the Sky up there.......so I call this one "I Am High and Mighty".

The new Siren's Coffee Cafe is re-opening today and I'm heading on down to take in the new look. Hope you all can do the same.

LOTS OF PELICANS

After the seagull feeder left and all the gulls disappeared with her, I got out of the car and started taking more snaps. In the distance, over Facerock I think, I saw what looked like a flock of pelicans. Because of their angle and distance they looked like they were just suspended, unmoving and floating over the rock. Gradually I could see that they were coming towards the jetty where we were. I got a number of good shots and have had fun experiementing with different effects....black and white, very light, etc. This first one is actually very sharp when enlarged. I love to watch the way they fly almost in formation. The second photo here is as they were heading out to sea where the Coquille River meets the Pacific. It's sort of an unusual shot, I think, and I like it.....course I like pelicans!

I think I've mentioned it before, but if you haven't seen the Pelican Exhibit up at the Bandon Hospital, try to take it in. There are some wonderful photographs there and pelicans in every possible pose you can think of and then some. The show runs until the end of June, I believe.

OK......wishing you all a Happy Tuesday!

ACROSS THE COQUILLE

Norm and I drove up to Bandon yesterday, got some fish and chips, slaw and coffee and drove out the the south jetty. While parked there eating and taking in the view, a woman came and sat on a log not too far from us. She had a bag. Guess what was in it? All the seagulls for miles around knew........FOOD. We had to roll up the window for the "just-in-case-possibility-of-you-know-what!"! The sky was just filled with every kind and color of gull you can imagine........I thought about getting my camera out, putting my food aside and getting out to take a snap........but decided against the idea as the "just-in-case-possibility-of-you-know-what" happening. I think she's a regular at this and was just so surprised that she wore a BLACK sweater! Eventually she ran out of bread or whatever she was throwing out to them and they all disappeared. Just vanished.

A while later I did get out and scout around for some appealing photo-ops........Somewhere I remember seeing a photo of something similar to this above scene. I really liked it and thought I'd try my hand at copying. I think the original photo I admired so must have had the lighthouse enlarged through layering because I seem to remember that the lighthouse didn't look quite so small and distant. But as it is, I like grasses and rocks so I'm fairly content with the results. I wish the water had not been quite so muddy but isn't the sky beautiful as the storm that had come through, was breaking up.

This afternoon I hung some of my photos down at Siren's Coffee and Chocolate. I think Dianne will be opening this week but the date is still up in the air. It sure is coming together nicely, though. Watch for the re-opening date.........then pop on by. You'll be happy you did.