Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Just the three of us

Rick and I took our pup and went to the coast on Sunday (Brian was at work). Rick had to work on a couple of horses, and then we drove om to Pacific City for a snack from The Grateful Bread (great scones!) and a walk on the beach.

The main beach access points were swamped with people, with no social distancing apparent. But we drove to a small state park where there fewer people, they were respectful of distance, and quite a few wore masks as well. This new park was once private property where we rode horses and hiked a couple times, observing river otters and belted kingfishers. There's a lovely long walk down a dike between tidal flats to scrub forest and dunes before you get to the beach, which was sparsely peopled. Perfect!











On point for a flying seagull


There is no better escape in the summer, when the Willamette Valley is an oven. It was 30 degrees cooler on the coast, with a bracing wind. Poppy had a great time, and dreamed of catching every seagull she saw. When one flew low over the incoming surf, she headed out to sea after it, only saved from her silly single-minded focus by the Flexi-Lead. The wind blew detritus across the sand, which also kept her busy chasing and pouncing. We walked south down the beach with the wind, then crossed the barrier dune and walked back along a more sheltered trail, stopping at a viewpoint and taking in the view on the way back.





After a cooler than average first half of July, we are having a hotter than average second half (which, when averaged out, will probably put us at . . . average). Even Poppy finds it hard to be energetic in this weather:




The garden is starting to produce a little as long as I keep watering; this afternoon I was able to harvest enough to make a pasta salad for supper.

Rick and I were awakened a couple nights ago by what sounded like a brief clatter at our bedroom door. We laid in bed trying to figure out what made the sound and heard nothing more, so drifted off to sleep again. The next morning on my way to the barn, I figured out the source. An exterior light fixture outside the basement door below our bedroom window was hanging by a wire. Blame the heat?
A fixture like this, without the wind chime

The Tour de Fleece wrapped up on Sunday; I spun every day of this event on my Jenkins spindles. I have a bit more of this fiber to spin up and then I can ply it. I think it will make a beautiful scarf!

That's it for now at . . .

12 comments:

Leigh said...

Photos like this make me feel so happy. So peaceful with a few enjoyable Poppy and Chuckie shots thrown in for smiles. Your full spindles look good too!

Retired Knitter said...

Love the landscape pictures. It looks like a wonderful walk.

Mama Pea said...

How nice that you can combine lovely outings like that with Rick's work. A win-win situation when you two (ooops, I mean three) can take some time "off" together. Good to see a couple of pictures of Chuckie, too. Gorgeous scenery all around!

Florida Farm Girl said...

Oh, what a lovely walk you had. When is Brian off to college? There will be lots of days of just the three of you then.

wyomingheart said...

Thank you for the Rock Star Chuckie pics!!!! Great walk and awesome photos!

Michelle said...

Leigh, I LOVE the Oregon coast – the "People's Coast"!

It was, Elaine!

Mama Pea, Rick would be happy if I'd ride with him on calls all day, every day. But then who would tend the garden and animals?

Sue, Brian is supposed to be on campus Sept. 8, unless the pandemic changes that again. Then he'll be back for five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years. Still, we'll get a good taste of "empty nest." He's doing his best to make sure we'll enjoy it!

You're welcome, wyomingheart. He caught a mouse and brought it to the front door this morning!

Jeanne said...

Thanks for sharing all those lovely pictures! I got a chuckle out of the ones of Poppy - always on the alert for all the things to see. She's such a cutie! I'd love to get little Rico over to the coast and see his reactions. I'm so happy for you ask, that you were able to have that wonderful time.

Your veggies are beautiful! I'll bet they were tasty!

Jeanne said...

By the way ... Your blue yarn is lovely!!! I'm anxious to see the finished product.

Michelle said...

Jeanne, the veggies turned into a very good pasta salad with some stuffed and black olives! (Don't hold your breath on a finished product; I tend to either knit or spin, and for awhile now I've been in spinning mode.)

Susan said...

What a beautiful, beautiful place. I think my favorite combination is water and woods. It's hot as heck here and not a let-up in sight. I'd be longing for fall, if it wasn't for my still-green tomatoes.

A :-) said...

You found the perfect hideaway at the coast with no one else there. :-) So perfect :-)

Jeanne said...

Oh, all right! I'll try to be patient and wait for you to get into the knitting mode!! :)