Feeling Lucky to Live Here

Like many states, Oregon is on a stay-at-home order, which means the same thing here as it does in other states, I'm sure.  All our state and county parks are closed because too many people proved they didn't know how to NOT congregate in unsafe numbers.  Tourists flocked to our chilly beaches until, weirdly, we looked like spring break in Florida.

So now everything is shut down... however, local folk who enjoy the outdoors still know where to go.  It was a beautiful day for a walk in the woods.

All this space and not a soul in sight.

Hurry up, Mom!

Off we go.

Everything is different for the time being, but all our days and moments are precious, aren't they?  I'm glad to be with my family, even though I'm pretty sure we won't see our son for Easter or his birthday next month.  We do what we have to do.  It's temporary.  Thank goodness for The Great Outdoors.

Sheltering in our Golden Retriever Bubble

Hello, there!  Staying safe and sheltered here on the southern Oregon coast, we stick mostly to our comfortable home and yard/garden where we stay plenty busy, but that doesn't mean we can't also get out for some fresh air and exercise and a friendly visit with the neighbors (at a safe distance).  Today's pictures are from our Monday evening walk.  We ran into one of our favorite four-legged neighbors and her humans.

Here's Rich and -- left to right -- LuLu, Wally, and neighbor Lilo:

Those faces, their smiles, all that fluff... it's hard to not feel happy in their presence.

One of Lilo's humans took the pics with her phone and sent them to me.  The first pic was clear, but the next two were a bit blurry by the time they got to my computer, so I doctored them up with a painterly effect.  Pictured below is me, Rich, and LuLu.  Always when we turn the corner onto our street we let them off the leash and LuLu is very proud to carry hers the rest of the way home.

And then there's Wally:

I have to say I really do love this photo.   Believe it or not, it actually was too out of focus to keep before I went to work on it.

Well, folks, I hope you and your loved ones are okay and will remain so.  If you smiled for even a minute here, then Wally and LuLu would be very happy.  Sending love and hugs to all!

Little Helper LuLu

LuLu always helps carry in the groceries.  I didn't have a bag small enough for her so I let her carry the cookies.  She's so dang cute and such a good helper!

Isn't that an adorable puppy face?  Eight years old.  She melts my heart!  Love.

My Beautiful Sweet Boy

They say the eyes are a window to the soul.

Love.

Great Day in the Morning

This photo opportunity happens only occasionally and those occasions are always in the wintertime when the sky is clear and the sun is at a certain angle in the morning.  The moment passes so quickly there's not much time to react.  I opened my craft room window and leaned out with my phone to snap this pic.  If I'd taken the time to grab my DSLR camera and go outside for a better view I may have missed the shot.  It's not too bad, considering.

It was the start of a beautiful day.

Take care and be well!

A Break in the Weather

Picking up after more than a month since my last post... Winter doesn't necessarily mean we don't get out and about, but lately we've had a lot of wet and dark weather.  Not complaining; that's a good and natural thing for the Oregon coast, but we do take advantage of those rain breaks.

This past weekend we had some record high tides, so we planned a day to see if they were "all that".  The news reports were making much of it, but I guess after living on the coast all our lives it didn't seem too unusual.  Nevertheless, it turned out to be a rather nice day.

We're surrounded by water.  Drive straight in any direction and you'll end up in some part of the bay.

A little further on we stopped at the boatyard.  Most of these salty old vessels are under repair, but it's hard to picture some of them as ever being seaworthy again.  They're wonderful to photograph.

Wally and LuLu were ecstatic for the chance to run around and explore some new territory.

Color and character:

A bold claim for this tiny fishing boat.

See the name of this boat... I tried to get a better picture of it with Wally, but the day was too fun for standing still.

Here's one that's looking good:

From the boatyard to a pleasant little stretch of beach where the ocean meets the bay.  This place is called Tunnel Cliff, about 23 ft tall.

There's a walkway along the top of the piled up rocks in the foreground, but you have to keep away on a day like this, and never turn your back.  Miles north of us there were, sadly, two children swept out to sea this day.  They did not survive.

In the photo below you can see what appears to be a cave, but it's actually a tunnel that goes all the way through to the other side.  That's why they call it Tunnel Cliff.  At low tide there's no water here at all.

 And that was our Saturday on the southern Oregon coast.  I should play tourist in our own back yard more often.  It's a pretty nice place!  Wishing you a happy day!

Raking Leaves

I did not get a chance to share this before... too much posting on the stamping blog... but popping in now with a Saturday post.  Rich, Wally, and LuLu raking leaves on a late November day.

I've been spotted...  See the bald spot on Wally's side?  Just a small, benign tumor removed.  No worries.

It always turns into this -- below:

Eight and ten years old and still just a couple of kids.  We love them.  Smile!

Our Neighborhood Friend

Linus lives down the street with his person and another Golden Doodle. They're all great friends.  The other Doodle went to get stitches out, and that's why Linus was here on his own.

It was a beautiful day to play in the back yard.

Love these guys.  Hope they gave you a smile!  Have a beautiful day!

Back Home in the Garden (Between trips)

This summer's garden photos are just now making it to the blog.  Only a few...

Lace Cap Hydrangea and Feverfew:

Hydrangea and garden gate:

Lots of impatiens and wax begonias are still blooming.  I sneaked a shot of Wally with his favorite bush.  One might think he's simply having a scratch, but he seems to enjoy wallowing his face in the leaves, too.  He smiles and makes happy noises.  There's no doubt Wally is a happy dog, period.

It's the little things.  Enjoy your day!

Traveling the West, Part Four: Utah and Back to Oregon

Welcome to Utah!  It's a beautiful state with so much to see.  We've been to its National Parks and Monuments a few times and that's what I imagined we'd be doing this trip.  Not so.  We skirted the edges, staying one night just outside of Zion, and a few more nights outside of Bryce.  Have mercy, if you get a chance, do visit those parks.

By the time we got to Utah we were ready for cool water and green shade.  Pictured below is a quick roadside stop on the edge of Lake Powell.  It's not a good view and we couldn't get to the water without going into a park.  You can Google Lake Powell.  It's phenomenal.  We did one busy tourist destination this trip (Grand Canyon), and that was enough for Wally and LuLu.  After all, they are why we travel in a motorhome.

Just because you see water doesn't mean you can get to it.  It flows through a farmer's field or the occasional crowded park or it's at the bottom of a canyon.  It's not for passers by.  An accessible skiff of water is an oasis.

Ahhhh... it feels so good to get wet.

Oh, happy day, we found a small park with cool water and green shade!

And a place where the dogs could actually swim.

After a three day rest stop we had to think about heading toward home (insert sad face), but we made the most of it and drove Utah's scenic Hwy 14.

After all that glorious scenery we crossed the Nevada desert again.  Here's LuLu.  She was the prettiest sight on that leg of the trip.

We re-entered Oregon by way of Doherty Slide, which is considered one of the scariest stretches of highway in the US.  Really?  We didn't learn that fact until afterward.  We were awestruck when we reached this point, but you really must be there to grasp the stunning vastness of the landscape.  There's a hang glider launch up here.

We camped one night in southern Oregon.  Every time Rich did the auto-leveling of the motorhome Wally went to his safe place in the front seat.

Oregon's Hwy 140 has become one of my favorite routes.

Hopped onto the interstate for a quick route back to the coast.

All wrapped up with quite a few photos left out.  I've been so busy working on the photo book and blog posts I haven't taken any new photos since we've been home.  However, I will stop in for a visit here next Saturday.  Take care and see you then!