A Letter From New England regarding the Flood

I sure miss my friends from New England but I love their letters (see below)

I thought you might like to see some pictures of Bradford--these are pics of the roads to and on the bridge across the river.The water reached the bottom of the steps up to the deck!! And you think you have it bad in Oregon!

Backyard


The road to Henniker- (the only Henniker on Earth) --bridge is almost under


The other end to Warner---some cars have passed through


The end of the road to Warner


A truck tried to go through got stuck Real smart one there lol


Man on top of truck. He told Jason that his wife is going to be pissed--Go figure--who wouldn't be you wrecked the car---duh--- I guess his wife was already yelling at him--- Harry that better not be our car in the water. A little late dont you think



Quote of the Day ~

If there comes a little thaw,
Still the air is chill and raw,
Here and there a patch of snow,
Dirtier than the ground below,
Dribbles down a marshy flood;
Ankle-deep you stick in mud In the meadows while you sing,
"This is Spring."

Christopher Pearce Cranch, A Spring Growl

Waldport (this time they are hot off the press)

Happy Mother's day to you Sharyn and to all the other mother's who have touched my life with tenderness and strength.



So we got back from Walport and I downloaded some pictures. Do they look familiar? Well these are a year older than the last blog. If you look closely you can see an extra limb on the pine tree to the right (just kidding of course. You can get a larger picture by left clicking the pictures. I made them a little larger than usual. Now I am going to pan from left to right and keep in mind these are from a spot in front of, and leaning against the Musemobile in out campsite.

I love the illusion of this bridge running into infinity.

The Alsea Bridge goes over the Alsea River and Alsea Bay so I guess the seals sunning themselves on the Alsea Memorial Sand Bar are All Sea Seals.


I watched a show a few days ago. I think it was on the History Channel ant it was about the expected Northwest Tsunami that could generate a wave 100 feet tall. Now that is the Pacific Ocean beyond the houses. The houses are at most 30 feet high. I like Ocean and River/Bay views but I don't think this choice of homesites is very safe. Just to set the record straight I'd take any one of the houses if someone wants to trade.

Here is another view of the Pacific and the homes taken from a trail about 100 yards from the campsite.


Oh an just to prove this is where we were camped and the wonderful view was the one we had all week; I took this picture from inside the Musemobile.


I like to please my friends, so Doreen, this one is for you I know the moss fascinates you even though you let no moss grow under your feet.


absolutely beautiful green grass on the side of the hill near the trail I walked.


I had to move fast to get this crow flying over.


On the way back we stopped at Cook's Chasm. This wayside is at the southern end of Cape Perpetua National Scenic Area. This is the Cook's Chasm Bridge and it has a walkway from the north side (Where the parking is located) over the Chasm to the south side.


From the middle of the bridge you can see the tidepools below. On the left bank near where the largest rock is in the creek is a Blow Hole. Unfortunately it was low tide when the were there so we didn't get to see it spouting water into the air.


I was thankful for the steel railing as I walked over the bridge but leery of the painted over rust.


Looking back to the north you can get some idea of the ruggedness of the Oregon Coast.


Scrabble - We did play tonight but in honor of Mother's day I forgot the score.

Quote of the Day ~

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

Washington Irving quotes (American writer called the first American man of letters. Best known for the short stories The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. 1783-1859) - As an aside we have been over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge on NY Route 23 crossing the Hudson River at the town of Hudson. It was honoring Washington Irving a New York Native.

If this is May we must be in Waldport

Ok So I was not organized very well when we left home. We arrived at Waldport with a thud. I hooked up outside while Scrabble Queen prepared the interior of the Musemobile. HOWEVER, when it was time to connect and align the satellite dish I realized I'd left the remote control at home. OOOOOOpppppppsssssssss.



We did convince Andrew to drive it up to us. He said the drive was very nice and we have Megan to thank for reminding him to bring the remote control (he's a chip off of the old block) with him. They arrived and visited for a short while and it was nice to see them both.

So now we have the satellite remote but a tree blocked the satellite reception so we changed campsites from 26 to 28 and have reception.

But guess what else I forgot? My USB cable used to download pictures from my camera so I can post them on the blog.

But guess what else? Last May we were in this very same campsite and I still have some pictures for the blog.

It's a nice wooded area ...........


.....on a cliff above Alsea Bay where the bay empties into the Pacific Ocean.


Ma favorite subject here is the bridge over the bay.


Oregon has some wonderful bridges and this is one of my favorites.


My favorite view of the bridge is at night.


I won't have any new pictures till probably late Saturday when I have my USB Cable but I hope these were good substitutes.

No Scrabble but almost - maybe tomorrow

Quote of the Day ~

"There are three reasons for becoming a writer: the first is that you need the money; the second that you have something to say that you think the world should know; the third is that you can't think what to do with the long winter evenings." ~ Quentin Crisp (December 25, 1908 - November 21, 1999), was an English writer, artist's model, actor and raconteur known for his memorable and insightful witticisms.

Sometimes the Travel is a small Day Trip

Today was a nice day and it all started in the morning taking pictures at the house of some of our Spring flowers.

First I got this one of our first rose of the year. We have been pretty lucky with the roses so far. The two bushes in the front of the house historically have been plagued with "black spot" but so far this year we think we have controlled it pretty well with a spray. If it indeed works I'll put in a plug for the spray company.


Our Peonies are opening and we currently have three flowers in full bloom. This one is just opening after a rainy evening. I'll get a picture of one fully open later.


Here is another Peonie just about ready to open.


Ed had a Doctor's appointment so we picked him up and went to the Hilyard Professional offices. While waiting I took this picture from the parking garage.


This on is looking down on the garage from one of the hallways. I really like the Ivy and stairwell icon with a life sized person.


After we dropped off Ed and Sharyn decided to shop at Reed & Cross, a great place to shop. Being from Creswell this bumper sticker in the R&C parking lot made both of us laugh for quite a while.


I liked these little flowers also in the parking lot ....


this parking curb taken close up indicates a lot of traffic in their parking lot.


Across the street was something I am now aware of as a good subject for photography - the ubiquitous Oregon Coffee Drive Through (especially for you Doreen)



No Scrabble

Quote of the Day

“Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. The problem arise when we begin to believe literally in our own metaphors. Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical.” ~ Dan Brown author of the worldwide Best Seller "Da Vinci Code" soon to be in the Theaters

Along the Umpqua to Diamond Lake

REMEMBER YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR A LARGER VIEW

We started the day with a drive to the Winchester Dam Fish Ladder on the Umpqua River. The fish viewing facility at Winchester Dam, which was initially upgraded by local residents as part of a volunteer community development project in 1999 and 2000, has proved very popular. As many as 70,000 people come to watch migrating salmon and steelhead ascend the fish ladder and pass by the viewing window each year. There were 56,600 visitors in 2000. Currently, steelhead and chinook salmon are passing over the dam, with the best viewing in the morning hours.

The fish ladder is about 100 feet long and is made up of a series of ascending steps. The fish swim over the dam by jumping into each successive step. To work most efficiently the steps should be longer than they are wide. But the Winchester Dam fish ladder steps are square, which increases the amount of turbulence caused by the water as it flows down the ladder, making it more difficult for the migrating fish to swim through.

"When the water hits the steps, it boils," said ODFW’s Winchester Dam fish counter Fabian Carr. "The fish will jump into the boils and may jump over the wall and end up back in a lower step again. It puts extra stress on the fish." This can result in steelhead and salmon taking as long as five minutes to ascend the fish ladder when they should be able to do it in less than a minute. To remedy the situation, baffles will be installed in the steps to slow and calm the flow of water.

This Great Blue Heron knows where to look for fish just below the dam.


A closer view of the ladder.


Looking through this viewing port you can see the dam and the water running through the ladder.


Mmmmm I wonder what they see?


Looks like what Jim calls "Sucker Fish" and I don't think it's sucker as in Tootsie Roll Pop.

Identifying characteristics: (Native Fish) Single dorsal fin, sucking mouth with no barbels, long cylindrical body. The white sucker has coarser scales, the longnose has fine scales, but visually, with only one in hand, they are difficult to distinguish.

The Catostomidae, or sucker family, is closely allied with the minnow family. Suckers are soft-rayed fishes that possess a toothless, protractile mouth with distinctive thick lips. The longnose and white suckers are two of the most common representatives of this family in Michigan's Great Lakes.

Both the white and the longnose sucker are bottom feeding fish and spend most of their time in shallow, warm waters. In bays, estuaries and tributary rivers, both species make their homes in holes and areas around windfalls or other underwater obstructions. However, longnose suckers have been found as deep as 600 feet in Lake Superior.

Although white and longnose suckers both lay their eggs among pebble and gravel beds in lake and river shallows during the spring, longnose suckers spawn several days before white suckers. Sexual maturity arrives at five to nine years of age for the longnose while the white species matures at three to eight years. In addition, white sucker females grow faster, get larger and live longer than males. Maximum life expectancy for white suckers appears to be 17 years; it can be as long as 22-24 years for the longnose. Whites usually grow to be 12-20 inches long, while the longnoses grow to 15-25 inches.

As youngsters under 12 inches in length, suckers are eaten by northern pike, muskellunge, bass, walleyes and burbot. Sucker fry are preyed on by Atlantic Salmon and fish-eating birds. Sea lampreys damage sucker populations in areas where lake trout are scarce. As bottom feeders, both species dine exclusively on aquatic plants, algae, and small invertebrate animals - especially worms and crustaceans. White suckers have been accused of consuming large quantities of eggs from more desirable fish species, but there is no conclusive evidence to support this contention. The longnose sucker is not a serious predator of fish eggs.

Economically, suckers are at present a potentially valuable by underused sport fish. Their bony flesh has a fine, sweet flavor and is often fried in butter, smoked or used in soups and chowders. Commercially, it is often marketed under the name "freshwater mullet." Commercial "deboning" machines have been developed, so minced mullet products may one day be available in your local store. Also, suckers have great value as bait (usually for pike or muskie), and are often fed to sport fish in hatcheries. Theses versatile fish are commanding increasing respect from commercial and sport fishermen alike.

The white sucker goes by a number of other names, like common sucker, coarse-scaled sucker, brook sucker, gray sucker, mud sucker, sucker, mullet, black mullet, slender sucker, June sucker and white horse.

Just a quick shot of the Umpqua River and the "Old Bridge" pilings still standing in the river


Here is the new bridge over the Umpqua. The bridge is interstate 5.

Next, following along the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, we went to Colliding Rivers Lookout. This is the site of a unique geologic phenomenon that causes the North Umpqua River and the Little River to meet head-on, the only place in the world where this happens. Views are most spectacular with higher river flows during the wet season. The newly reconstructed interpretive and rest area includes a short accessible nature trail. A historic Civilian Conservation Corps structure built in 1938 is used as a Visitors Center and open May through October.

It is always a beautiful sight and from the sounds of it it's also sometimes a dangerous place to be.


I took a shot through one of the drainage ports in the wall at the lookout.


Doreen saw something unusual in this tree - looked like a snake - but it was only a piece of rope. It even looks real in this picture.


Jim, having taken several pictures and Doreen on their way back to the mini-musemobile.


I don't remember the names of the waysides we stopped along the drive but this was the first. We hada great picinc lunch and Jim and Doreen walked a trail to some falls. See if you can find the stone face complete with a Bob Marley hairdo.


Sharyn went ot follow and took the camera and got this great shot of what we think was a Jack-in-the-Pulpit but I'm not sure. This was a rare beauty.


Just the peak of a rock formation on the drive.


And another no names to attach to them.


Clear water - Wait! is that a fish or a rock?


Sharyn and Doreen enjoyed the sunny day.


Jim and I enjoyed the sights and phorography especially of the running water.


and more of a similar nature.


Then came Diamond Lake and Mount Bailey....


...and the cute pine tree cutouts on the lodge....


... and the assembled cleanup tools for getting the new season ready to go.


Diamond Lake is a great place for both Summer and winter fun.




Right now they are getting ready for the thaw at the boat pier.


And this young man is trying to thaw the ice with a yard water sprinkler.

Mount Thielsen looks a lot like.........

.......


On the way back just out of Roseburg is a hill with a barn and the perfect pastoral look.


There was even some beauty left in the parking lot of Ray's Place the local food store.


Quote of the Day

"We found Matisse living in a small house, with a magnificent, sweeping view beyond his vegetable garden. In one room there was a cage with a lot of fluttering birds. The place was covered with paintings, most of them obviously new ones. I marveled at his production and I asked him, "What is your inspiration? "I grow artichokes, he said. His eyes smiled at my surprise and he went on to explain: "Every morning I go into the garden and watch these plants. I see the play of light and shade on the leaves and I discover new combinations of colors and fantastic patterns. I study them. They inspire me. Then I go back to the studio and paint." ~ Andre Kostelanetz
US pianist, conductor, b. Russia, focused on semiclassical & simplified classical works