Wheeeee for the Wii

Yes I have joined the Wii generation. I didn't think I would have enough room to do Wii sports, but I do. I bowled and boxed this morning. I had no idea I had a flair for boxing. I'm not a violent person, but I won all three rounds. I didn't do well on the tennis thing. This is soooooo much fun. I got mine for $194 at Costco. What a deal. I've seen them for $199, but saving $5 was pretty good too. Oh and no tax. Yeah. Haven't been blogging much lately, but keeping up with folks on FB. Not my fave, but it's good to see what folks are up to. Get up and play when you have the chance.

The Tuba Christmas

I was kind of bummed. I couldn't get any good photos of the tuba players. There were two bass tubas and two euphoniums. I'm always amazed how well these guys can play some very complicated tunes on these things. It was a very lively and upbeat performance. We have a group here called Water Music Festival Society. They put on many good concert performances during the year. The Tuba Christmass is one of these events. They do jazz, opera, swing and other musical events. I've not been to that many of them, but always enjoy the tuba performance. What a delightful way to spend an afternoon.

This guy is a retired stockbroker from LA. He retired to Astoria. He has done the tuba performance that I know about for several years. He is playing one of the two euphoniums. The seating and the way the venue was set up made it hard to get good photos, but he was right in my line of vision as I was peering over a tall persons shoulder. I'm going to a couple of concerts in January too, I think. One is free and one is not. But hey you have support the local talent, right?

New portable generator is installed....whew!

Well yesterday was interesting. We drove and got the new portable generator. It's a 7000 watt portable generator. I had several options I wanted. It had to be easy to start so electric. It had to have wheels so I could move it. I didn't want a used one. We got it unloaded from my friend Chris and Bills van and on to the garage floor. Step 2. Step 1 was getting it purchased. That's a whole 'nother story.

Bill brought down loads of tools and pieces parts for the install. I had no idea what this project was going to take, but as it progressed I was totally amazed.

Chris (former contractor) was excited about cutting holes in the sheet rock, figuring out where the transfer box was going to go and just in all around good spirits. She was in her element working with her husband Bill.

This little house was built in the mid 70's. So I wasn't sure what Bill was going to find. But he was very diligent about the work. He got it all wired up and discovered some of it was not quite right, but fixed it quickly. His line of electrical work right now is doing ship to shore power for cruise lines, but he said he was really enjoying this project. This kind of stuff makes me nervous.

The work continued until late afternoon. We simulated a power outage so I could go through the steps to get us up and running. We have enough breakers to run the fridge, lights, TV, computers, microwave, and not put much drain on the generator. Yeah. I'm so excited about having this equipment. I am so thankful to Chris and Bill for coming down and helping us with this. That kind of friendship is priceless.

I woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise. I love it when the sky is pink in the morning. It was cold and crisp, but guess what.....not raining. Yeah! I don't think folks who are unfamiliar with the Pacific Northwest really know how much it does rain here. I really wanted to be out of here for the winter for a few months and go get some sun. I mean real sun. Warm sun. A little heat. A friend of mine just sent me an email from Yuma, AZ and she said she was running around in tank tops and shorts. Mind you she is 65 years old, but is in really great shape. I don't do shorts anymore or tank tops, but just the thought of it sounded so good. I had to build a little fire in the little wood stove this morning. A hot drink, a wood fire, a comfy blanket....it was nice but a little natural heat where you could walk outside would have been nice.

I bought this wreath the other day. It was kind of plain. I got it for $9.98 and then bought the red ribbons to embellish it a bit. I think it turned out kind of nice. This will be the extent of my holiday decorations. There is not room for a tree and I don't do gifts. Haven't done gifts for a really long time. Don't bake goodies, don't do much. However, there is a little concert here on the peninsula that is kind of cool. It is called a "Tuba Christmas". There are 4 guys who put on a nice little program with several types of tubas. It is really really good. I went last year and it was good enough to make me decide I wanted to do it again this year. I also have some friends that are singing out at the Oysterville church on the 12th that will be kind of fun to go to. I think on Monday I will get busy and send out the cards. I always want to wait a bit, but then if I wait to long I end up not doing it. Too funny. Our tap dance group is having our holiday luncheon on Wednesday the 9th. We always have a good time when we gather. Enjoy whatever your holiday preparations are.

without power for 49 hours and 36 minutes...

Without power for a couple of days makes me crazy. I can't believe what an energy vampire I am. I didn't think I watched that much TV, but I do. I didn't think I would miss my computer that much, but I did. I was able to cook 6 meals on the wood stove. All vegan meals. Interesting. I got a little crazed yesterday because I couldn't get the auto garage door open. You are supposed to be able to pull on this lever and use the cord to pull it back. I'm a wimp, I tugged, I pulled, I tried to just lift the door manually. Nope, no way, no how. Discouraged. My neighbor took me up to the local market to pick up some bananas and a couple of other things. Everyone around us north and south had power, but not us here in the Klipsan Beach area. I saw the utility folks working out on the main road yesterday at about 2pm and thought surely we would have power soon. No another night without power. The little wood stove in the little purple house is good, but I started to get disappointed about the slow return to service. Can't wait for the hot water tank to heat up, because I'm going to take me a good refreshing shower. Oh yeah, baby. Well off to make a pot of coffee, but maybe I should have some Zen tea (green tea). No I want coffee. LOL

I need big rain boots

Okay, it's been rainy and stormy for days on end. It just started raining really hard....again. I wanted to make sure the rain gutters were pouring some of the water off the roof. They tend to get clogged with pine needles periodically. I couldn't get a good photo out the front door, but I did see the water was running. However it is raining so hard that the water is coming over the top of the gutters too. That is just too much water to have the devices handle it all. I need big rain boots. I think I'm trapped in the house most of the day today. That's okay. The wind is howling too. There are supposed to be sustained winds from 35-40mph and gust to 60. Last night I heard a really howling wind and a huge gust and it felt like the whole house shook. I was thinking about getting out of here for a while, but decided to ride it out because I want to go back to Oklahoma in May and June and do some spring travelling. Oh well. We haven't even got to the snow yet. Fortunetly it may snow a day or two then it''s usually gone. Let hope this year will be usual. Yep, I looked again and I need......

REALLY BIG RAIN BOOTS......LOL

High wind warnings.....

Not really my favorite time of year. The winter storms here at the coast can be quite treacherous. Trees fall down, roads get closed and power goes away. So if you don't hear from me for a couple of days, it's because we are without power.This is a bit early in the year for this to be happening, but there are high wind warnings for the coast. We will probably lose power for a couple of days or more. I've got wood stocked up for the little wood burning stove, I've got the hurricane lanterns fueled and ready to go and I've got extra batteries for the flashlights and emergency radio (NOAA). The wind was howling this morning, but it's calmed down a bit for now. You really can feel the "lull" before the storm. But when those 90mph winds start up during late evening and during the night it can be unsettling. Especially if you hear branches or trees crack and snap and can't tell where they are coming from. The above photo is from the 2008 storm where we were without power for a week. Some of the major roads were closed and we were basically trapped. I also filled the car up with gasoline. I had been talking about getting a generator, but didn't get around to it. I have a friend who is an electrician who offered to do a proper hookup, but we thought we had some time. This stuff usually happens in December or January. Oh well the best laid plans.....or something like that. Everything will be okay. Hey maybe we won't lose power.....right?

I got a new toy....well it's a TV

Okay, I've been watching a 19" screen TV for about 15 years. So one day I see this advertisement on the internet for a one day only sale at Walmart. Well, I call two Walmart's to see if they will have this advertised item. It seemed like a really good buy. A big ol' 42" LCD flat panel TV with 1080p. I'm thinking it has to be a good picture. Oh my gosh. What it took for me to purchase this was really really funny. The electronics folks at the Walmart in St. Helen's, OR couldn't really tell me how many TV's they would have available when I called. So I'm thinking I just gotta try to secure one of these. I find out that the store opens at 7am, but they won't sell electronics until 8am. St. Helen's, OR is almost all the way to Portland, OR. I leave the house at 5:30am hoping I can get to St. Helen's by 7am. Yep, I did make it. So I go back to the electronics department and they have 4 TV's, one guy is loading his up in a basket and two other ladies have their coats and purses on two of the TV's. I see one more just sitting there so I politely ask if anyone has laid claim to it. Everyone says no. So I place my hand on it and say "it's claimed now". LOL Two youngs ladies come over and help me get it in to the basket. Mind you a 42" TV is bigger than a Walmart shopping cart, but they got it in. One of the girls comes over and says go to Jewelry and you will be the first one to check out. Wink, wink. Man, did I queue up for that quickly. So I was the very first person to get to check out. Yeah! I was out of the store by 8:20am. They sent two folks out to the car to help me load it in the car. I heard that one lady had been waiting at the door at 3:50am to get an Xbox and another lady was there at 4am to get a laptop that was on sell too. I paid $498 for the TV and paid no sales tax. Amazing. It did cost a bit in gas to make the drive, but when I have a trip like that I stock up on other items too. So I was able to pick up a few other items to make the trip worthwhile. I'm so excited. My friends Chris and Bill came down from Sequim, WA and helped unload and set up the TV. Bill is an electrician. They didn't come down for the TV setup, just a visit, but it sure was handy. So now I have this really huge TV in my little tiny house. So everything watched on TV now feels like movie theater quality. So now I'm ready for my next adventure. Don't know what it's going to be, but I'm sure it will be exciting.

The vest prototype is done....think I could change a few things

Not a great photo of me and I should have cleaned up the sewing mess before the photo. What? Clean it up, how odd. LOL

The reversible vest for prototype performance wear. I took a photo of the red side, but it just didn't photo very well.

Well it was a good idea when I started, but there are a couple of things I would change. Our tap dance group needs some sort of costume for Christmas, but nothing to elaborate. We usually wear a white blouse, black pants and decorate our shirts with Christmasy things. I put red package bows on my blouse last year. I had this not so bright idea to get some themed material and make a vest. I found both fabrics at JoAnns over in Astoria, OR. Kind of goofy on the blue side. I really like the red side I did on the reverse, but it didn't photograph too well. Both lengths I bought have sparkly in the material, but that didn't show up at all in the photos.

On the red side of the reversible I put pockets in the seams. I love things that have pockets in them. But you really would not need them for a performance. However the red side is the one I like best. I think I just like red.

Sewing Projects....

I'm in the process of making a really cute vest...trying to make a reversable one for our annual Christmas tap dance program at the local assisted living center. I've got most of it done, but I forgot to take photos as I was laying out the pattern, pinning, cutting, and sewing. When I get it finished I'll probably take a photo or two. I got some funky material from JoAnns across the river in Astoria. The pattern was kind of expensive but it had 4 different vest patterns. I would kind of like to make a faux fur one, but they always look kind of cheesy. LOL We will see what the next few days bring.

It's still all about the birds....

Was going to take some of my tapper friends over to the beach and show them how to rescue birds. But got a call about the need to transport over to the Wildlife Rescue Center. So we organized a small caravan and loaded up some more birds and headed over to Oregon. For me this was the second trip. This containers really are quite large. That actually is a damp flannel sheet covering one of the cages. These are Pacific Loons. This cage really wasn't that good for transport, but we managed. The Loons were really noisy when we first started out, but they settled down after a bit. We loaded up more cases in right behind the front seat. I wanted to get at least some photos this time, since I missed taking my camera last time.

The photo below is me and one of the tapper ladies. This is Debbie. Between the vehicles that caravaned over we probably totted about 50 birds. This was my second trip over with a load. They have reported that about 600 birds have been rescued.

This is the wildlife rescue hospital. It is located pretty close to Olney, OR. That is east of Astoria, OR. The center is really filled to capacity. They now are in need of funds to feed all of the birds that have been brought to the center. I think I will focus my effort to try and raise funds here locally to help out. Don't know how that will go, but I'm willing to give it a go.

It's been an interesting week to say the least. I got a call on Tuesday morning. Went and counted dead birds on Wedsnesday. Took about 30 birds to the center on Thursday. And now on Saturday, participated in the transport again. Whew!!!!!! What a week.

Update on the beached birds

Not many photos today. I just haven't had time. I took 9 boxes of birds over to the Wildlife Rescue Center of the North Coast in Oregon yesterday. I had a little over $50 buck in my back pocket so I dropped that off too. There were 30 birds in the boxes. And that was just one load. I was driving along thinking my load was very secure, but out pops a Pacific Loon. It decided to come up to the front seat and help me drive. I had to pull over for sure. Loons are very territorial and feisty. I had to open up the passenger door, it dropped down to the pavement. I then put on my leather gloves and captured the bird. I then went around to the back of the car and put the bird back in the box. I only had duct tape in the car, but I was able to make the container more secure and leave some breathing room for the bird. WOW oh WOW! Some exciting stuff, eh? I had to clean out the car really good when I got home. There are now about 500 birds at the rescue center and of course the resources and space are being taxed to the limit. It was really dishearting to see so many birds in distress. I guess I really am now officially the bird lady of Klipsan Beach. I'm amazed by what I've been able to do. Measuring, identifying, labeling dead birds. I did not think I would ever be able to do that. My new favorite bird is the Common Murre. They are kind of social when you see lots of them together. I hope most of the birds can be re-habed and put back in the wild. Time will tell.

Beached Birds

I know the photo is pretty gross, but I spent part of my day yesterday seeing to lots of beached birds. Not sure what the cause is yet, but it's pretty gruesome. We had hundreds of beached birds here. I belong to an organiztion called COASST. The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team does a lot here on the shoreline. We survey for dead birds and send the data off to the University of Washington to be analyzed to see what the cause might be. We got two organiztion involved yesterday, because we had dead birds and live birds. So the North Coast Wildlife Rescue Center of Oregon got their volunteers together and collected about 40 birds they thought could be re-habed. Today someone is coming down from the UW and we are going to go out and see how many dead birds are on the beach after the tide came in and out. We will count, identify, measure, take feather samples, location data and walk for quite a while on the beach. Oh yes, and of course it will be raining most of the day. There is a 90% chance of rain all day. Most of the birds were Common Murres and Pacific Loons. Beautiful birds, but not when they are in this state. Makes me really sad. I started to post a photo of another one that showed location, measurements and other data that I did, but it was pretty gross. It had started to be chewed on by the local gulls. So I'll leave that out. It's pretty interesting to be doing this kind of volunteer work.

The Cranberry bogs were sooooo pretty this year

I'm not sure but I think it was the 88th Annual Cranberrian Faire. Cranberry harvest around here is a really big deal. Folks get out and tour various cranberry bogs and buy things made of or about cranberries. The bogs look so pretty when they are flooded and the berries float up. We didn't make it out early enough to catch it when the most berries were available, but still saw a good bit of berry harvesting going on. It really makes it feel like fall. Oh yeah, the weather was very decent.
This field was just flooded but the machinery had not come through to get the berries to the top.

This photo was a good shot of the equipment and the flooding. It's quite a process, isn't it?

Ocean Spray has a cold storage facility here. The local growers co-op their berries to Ocean Spray and then they are shipped from here to be sorted/made in to fresh berries or frozen or juiced up. They also make Craisins from some of them. The box below was at a roadside stand next to one of the bigger bogs. They were selling a gallon bag of berries for $5. Good stuff. Cranberries are good for you, but they can also be quite tart too.

I'm hoping to get out and get some photos of the weekly clam diggers that are here for the weekend. I probably shouldn't wait to long to post photos. I tend to forget about them.

My outting to Radar Ridge

It is easy to see why this is called Radar Ridge. However, the site was originally a Radar Communication site that was built during WWII. It now is home for several cell companies, the electric company and a couple of other companies. It's about 28 miles from the house and boy what an interesting place. Want to know what I was doing up there? Well the local public utilities district is thinking about wind turbines. This is a place where they have found to be a viable place for such turbines. Problem....old growth forest are nearby and the Marbled Murrelet nest in old growth forests. Well the local Audubon wanted to take a look at the proposed site so that is how I got involved. You will be able to see in the following photos that there are no old growth trees at the Radar Ridge site. It's been logged for a long time. I think I heard 50 or 60 years. Not much left on top.

So here is some of the group that went. It's actually pretty bald on top where they are proposing the wind turbine site. A guy explained how many turbines and where they would be place and what the benefit would be. Hey I'm for alternative energy sources if they don't have adverse effects on the environment. Not quite a "tree hugger", but I probably could turn in to one pretty quick. Especially when you see all of the forest that have been clear cut.

This is looking back toward the east. You can see how much has been clear cut and what's left. I didn't want to get any closer to the edge of this hill.

This photo is south and east and you really can see large areas of clear cut here. These are mostly managed forest, but there are private logging companies mixed in with commercial loggers. Anyway this was a very educational outting. I enjoyed it very much. Makes you think about where you wood furniture pieces come from.

the Boardwalk in Long Beach, WA

This is one of my favorite times of the year here at the beach. The summer crowds are gone, the place is quiet and the weather gets to be pretty awesome. Everyone wants or likes summers at the beach, but early fall is my favorite. I've been walking the boardwalk in the morning. It only runs 3/4 of a mile, but out and back is a nice little walk. Believe it or not the temperature will be in the low to mid 80's. Thats hotter than it was all summer. Got out early for this little walk. It was pretty breezy this morning, but it was a warm breeze. That is just unusual here.

When the breeze kicks up it causes the waves to have this beautiful spray that crest at the top of the wave. Yep, it was really nice and warm.

The dune grasses can be a bit dry this time of year. We've not had a whole lot of rain. Though one day last week you would have thought the cats and dogs were coming down in buckets. It didn't last long. I think I'm going to try and get out there and get some more walks done on the boardwalk. Good stuff.

I do not look good in a baseball hat....UGH!!!!!!

Leadbetter State Park. Yep, that is really me under the cap. I do not carry that look off very well at all. But hey I got out there for a really good hike today. The trails out at Leadbetter State Park are really cool. You walk through some forested areas and come out at the ocean. You walk about 1/2 mile and head back in. It's a great hike. Uh, when it isn't mosquito-y. Today was not at all mosquito-y. Yeah.

The ladies hiking group I walk with is really a lot of fun. I feel like one of the young-uns. There was a lot of talk about Medicare, Lifelift, and stuff like that. I won't qualify for Medicare for a couple more years. These ladies seem to know the ins and outs. LOL Couldn't have asked for a better day at the beach. I went in to town a bit ago and the bank said it was 73 degrees. That is practically a heat wave around here. What a glorious day.

These are some of the ladies I walked with. This is just a little trail side break. Everyone was well jacketed or fleeced up, but I walked in shirtsleeves and was perfectly comfortable.

This part of the trail cuts through some pristeen dune grasses. It was just so nice. The group usually has between 8-14 for the hikes. Some are smaller. Today we had 14 sign up for the hike. It was really really great. I would have liked to stayed at the beach for a bit longer, but it was so nice to walk those trails again. It's been a couple of years since I last completed this walk. Yep, tis good to get out and walk. I need to find a better hat though. Got to have one. At my age, the skin doesn't need any additional aging help.

I love to go exploring

I've been to Cape Disappointment State Park many times, but I went again this morning. I just love this place. I saw Caspian Terns, Brown Pelicans, Juncos, and Sparrows in a very short amount of time. I love this place. This little cove is called Waikiki Beach. There was an old man playing fetch with his dog. I know its not a good idea to take a picture in the direction of the sun, but it just looked so inviting. These big old logs have washed up during winter storms from years past. I love walking around this place. It's very cool.

Doesn't this just capture how beautiful the morning was. Believe it or not, there were probably 50-60 fishing boats just around the corner from this cove, but not close enough to get a good photo. The right side of this photo is where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean.

No this isn't near the ocean. This is a place called Loomis Lake. I think it would be just the perfect place to put in a kayak or a canoe. One of these days I hope to do just that. This road to the lake will be closed for the seaon in a couple of week, so I thought it best to go check it out before the season is over. Yes, just out exploring things I've seen before, but needed to explore again. Very good to go out and explore. I must try to do that more often.

Tap Dance get together

I wish I had taken a group photos earlier. We have a couple of members missing. My timing was a bit off. Anyway, we had some fun. The Undecided Tappers met for pu'pu's and drinks last Saturday. It was also Leah's birthday too.

The potluck was held as Milda's lovely home. This is Milda starting to set stuff out. Her home is really really nice and she did a fabu job as hostess.

This is on Milda's second deck. You can see the ocean from the third story deck, but we mostly hung out on the second story deck. The only photo I got of MaryEvelyn was goofy, so I left it out. Sorry MaryEvelo.

We shared stories, food, and generally good times. This is Leah opening gifts and talking with Lone and Malia.

I like to catch folks in action, but it doesn't always make for the best photos. But all of the ladies are so lovely. Laughter is good for us.

Oh I just thought I would throw this photo in. My friend Chris came for a visit on Friday and she brought her two dogs. This is a photo of me and Cody just lounging around. I didn't get a good photo of (Toro) her Daschaund/Jack Russell mix. When Chris came in she started throwing flannel sheets over everything. Cody sheds just a bit. LOL It's always good to be with a pet.

Old Growth Forest

Okay here are a few photos as promised. This is me at the Smokey Hollow campground entrance on Long Island. Named so because it is a long island in the great Willapa Bay on the east side of the Long Beach Peninsula. The island sits just west of Hwy 101 but east of the north'ish end of the peninsula. Grab a map of the peninsula at www.funbeach.com and you can find it easily. Not a very flattering photo of moi, but it's okay. All of my clothes are getting to big for me, but I'm going to wear them as long as I can. These are my favorite hiking clothes.

This is the entrance to the old growth forest. You walk up a hill a bit from the campground and make a right turn and follow an old logging road to this sign. It's mostly ferns and not very big trees. But after you make the turn in to the cedar grove everything changes.

It was a gorgeous day, but back in the cedar grove it can be a lot darker so it's kind of hard to get good photos with a point and shoot camera. There were a couple of women that had tons of 35mm equipment, lenses, filters and other goodies. But I did okay with the little point and shoot. You can't really tell, but this tree stump is about 15 feet tall. The things you see that look like holes are where loggers cut in so they could stand on the tree to cut it down. Ouch. Poor tree. There was logging on this island up until about 1982 or so. Sad....I'm glad it's all preserve now. Oh I did mention that this island has bear, deer, elk, raccoon, slugs, and all sorts of animal life on it.

This guy was a naturalist who gave a really good talk about tree rings and the impact that tsunamis and earthquakes have had on the forest. He was really good. They found one set of tree rings that dated to the year 991 and the impact a tsunami had on the area. Cool.

I was walking along the trail and there was a tree that had fallen over and when I looked in I saw all of the lichen growing there. When I looked in it looked like emeralds. The photo didn't quite capture how it really was, but I thought it was still very interesting.

I have more photos, but they are not very discriptive so I'm going to leave them out for now. It's a good thing to get out and take a hike.