View from Above

I climbed the hill behind the lighthouse for an alternate point of view.

Shoreline

 

Rocky Oregon Coast

Rock Island

I edited a few more photos from our trip to the Oregon coast. I'll share some over the next few days.

Friday Fieldtrip: Keeping Ships Safe

Heceta Head Lighthouse, doing its job.

The Lighthouse
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The rocky ledge runs far into the sea,

And on its outer point, some miles away,

The Lighthouse lifts its massive masonry,

A pillar of fire by night, of cloud by day.

Even at this distance I can see the tides,

Upheaving, break unheard along its base,

A speechless wrath, that rises and subsides

In the white lip and tremor of the face.

And as the evening darkens, lo! how bright,

Through the deep purple of the twilight air,

Beams forth the sudden radiance of its light

With strange, unearthly splendor in the glare!

Not one alone; from each projecting cape

And perilous reef along the ocean's verge,

Starts into life a dim, gigantic shape,

Holding its lantern o'er the restless surge.

Like the great giant Christopher it stands

Upon the brink of the tempestuous wave,

Wading far out among the rocks and sands,

The night-o'ertaken mariner to save.

And the great ships sail outward and return,

Bending and bowing o'er the billowy swells,

And ever joyful, as they see it burn,

They wave their silent welcomes and farewells.

They come forth from the darkness, and their sails

Gleam for a moment only in the blaze,

And eager faces, as the light unveils,

Gaze at the tower, and vanish while they gaze.

The mariner remembers when a child,

On his first voyage, he saw it fade and sink;

And when, returning from adventures wild,

He saw it rise again o'er ocean's brink.

Steadfast, serene, immovable, the same

Year after year, through all the silent night

Burns on forevermore that quenchless flame,

Shines on that inextinguishable light!

It sees the ocean to its bosom clasp

The rocks and sea-sand with the kiss of peace;

It sees the wild winds lift it in their grasp,

And hold it up, and shake it like a fleece.

The startled waves leap over it; the storm

Smites it with all the scourges of the rain,

And steadily against its solid form

Press the great shoulders of the hurricane.

The sea-bird wheeling round it, with the din

Of wings and winds and solitary cries,

Blinded and maddened by the light within,

Dashes himself against the glare, and dies.

A new Prometheus, chained upon the rock,

Still grasping in his hand the fire of Jove,

It does not hear the cry, nor heed the shock,

But hails the mariner with words of love.

"Sail on!" it says, "sail on, ye stately ships!

And with your floating bridge the ocean span;

Be mine to guard this light from all eclipse,

Be yours to bring man nearer unto man!"

Friday Fieldtrip: Hangin' Out on the Dock

Keeping an eye on the crab fishermen and kids

Florence, Oregon

Friday Fieldtrip: Cape Creek Bridge

The impressive bridge with stunning strong architectural lines near Heceta Head Lighthouse

Friday Fieldtrip: Heceta Head Lighthouse

Up close and personal.

I climbed to the top of the hill to get this view.

Friday Fieldtrip: Oregon Coast

Right before Thanksgiving, Dale and I took a day trip to the Oregon coast. Glorious.

That's Heceta Head Lighthouse on the point.

Isn't It Grand!

Dale and I had the distinct privilege of spending the holiday weekend with these two beauties. Their parents, Julie (daughter) and Jeff (son-in-law) celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. (Already!)

We also celebrated Miss Melody's 8th birthday

while little sister Annalee did her best to be a good sport.

Dale and I got to have the kids all to ourselves at the park where I consented to climb the playground equipment with them - and went head first on my back down the slide. Going down was easy. But I was a bit like a turtle resting on its shell as I tried to get myself upright again. The kids thought that was pretty funny.

Along the Clearwater

Earlier this month Dale and I traveled back to Idaho for our granddaughter Annalee's birthday. We stayed in my old college town, Lewiston. To get in a little exercise after the long car ride, we took a short walk on the Lewiston Levee Parkway Trail along the Clearwater River. We walked from the downtown area down to the confluence of the Clearwater River with the Snake River.

Looking west at the confluence.
The Snake River is on the left; the Clearwater River on the right.
From here, the Snake River flows west through the valley.

Where the two rivers meet, an interpretive center highlighting the Lewis and Clark Expedition has been built. It includes this bronze sculpture that depicts the legends and creatures of the Nez Perce Nation. 

We sat on a bench facing the sculpture ... and found a geocache.

Walking back upriver, this railroad bridge.

A bit further on the path, this marmot poked her head up out of the rocks.

After taking these photos, we saw her baby. So cute! So small! And too quick for me to get a decent picture.

It's odd how many old stories and memories and emotions bubble to the surface when I'm back in Lewiston. I've not lived there for 42 years!

Throwback Thursday: Going to School

 Out of my depth

Fish whirlpool at the acquarium in 2012.

#throwbackthursday

Macro Monday: Sea Urchin

Browsing through my old photos, I found this sea creature. I don't know that I've ever edited or posted it before. I played with highlighting the textures and bringing out the contrast. 

I took the photo of this sea urchin at an aquarium in Southern California twelve years ago.

I gave it a dramatic edit. To the naked eye, it's mostly white - bleached out.

Here's the unedited version:

#macromonday

A Walk in the Park: Day Eight

Dale and I visited Palouse Falls State Park way back in May 2023. We were driving home from Idaho where we'd just celebrated our eldest grandchild's birthday. We took our time that magical day, driving side roads, avoiding a wildfire, and taking in Mother Nature.

You can read all about Palouse Falls on the website, if you want to know more. I want to present it here as we saw it. Magnificent!

 

Shell Game

Earlier this summer I did some cat sitting and garden watering for our neighbors. They enjoyed some family time at the shore. They brought me some beautiful gifts-of-the-ocean when they returned.

This one reminds me of a dinosaur.

I love exploring the subtle color changes, the textures and the details.

Check out the spine!

Oh, so sleek and beautifully formed.

An arrow to the center of the ocean.

I listened hard, but couldn't hear the waves inside the shells. Guess I'll need to visit the Oregon Coast myself in the near future to take in the salt, the smells, and the pulse of the ocean.

See the Sea

Summer of P: Past

From 2012: Lighthouse

The eye of the spiral staircase

Early Embroidery

Summer of P: Past

1980 (ish):  Embroidered Pillowcase

This is one of the first large surface embroidery projects I ever stitched. The pre-printed pillowcases were bought in 1976 in Chicago, Illinois. My family took a cross-country trip during the country's bicentennial. Among other things, we swam in the Atlantic Ocean, saw Niagara Falls, toured Carlsbad Cavern, had our first Canadian and Texas experiences, got to know a whole lot of shirttail relatives, and visited the towns where my parents grew up.

When Mom was young, her parents owned a Ben Franklin five-and-dime store in Chicago. The store they owned was gone, but Mom took us to see a more modern version. That's where I bought the pillowcases. It was Mom who taught me to embroider backstitch, lazy daisy, chain stitch, satin stitch, and French knots. Most of those stitches are seen in this sample. I picked the vivid floss colors (a little bit 'Yikes!')

Can you tell? This photo shows the top right hump of a heart shape. Even back then, I guess hearts were a 'thing' for me.

Melody Turns Six

 A month after Annie's birthday, we returned to Idaho to celebrate her big sister's birthday. It was a whirlwind! We forgot to take photos, except when she was opening her big pile of gifts. Thanks to Papa, we have these images.

She loves her new heart box filled with 24 rings, and can't wait to try out her new, shiny, colorful gymnastics outfit.

She received about a dozen "new reader" books. That includes all the "Dick and Jane" books I used when I learned to read.

Melody loves puzzles and mazes and drawing, so she got activity books to encourage those interests. The two drawing books say, "Happy Birthday, Melody" on the cover. It blew her mind that someone knew her name and printed it on books for her.

Aunt Jodie and Uncle Kenny got her a big fluffy Cam the Calico Cat Squishmallow. Cats are her favorite animal ... well, that and bats.

Grandma Jean gave Melody a Lego set. Goodness! This girl has a very studious and scientific mind. She sat in the middle of the chaos, and read through the instruction book. A girl after my own heart.

That Lego set had bags full of tiny pieces. By the time we left the following morning, she'd constructed the entire set.

Annalee Turns Four

In mid-April, Dale and I traveled to Idaho to celebrate our granddaughter Annie's 4th birthday with her family. 

Let the shenanigans begin!

On Your Mark ...

Get set ...

A pile of birthday presents

A hill of luggage

A fresh haircut and teeth cleaning. (Silly grin to show them off).

GO!

Off to see a very special 4 year old.

And look what I left behind at the dentist's office for someone to find.  :: teehee ::

A Favorite

From the Rodin museum in Philadelphia, PA in 2017. Oh, I loved getting to visit that museum!

This image popped up on my "this day in photos" app and I had to share. It brings up feelings of well-being inside me.

I'd love to return sometime.