Oregon Rain, Roves and Visitors

Our first 2 weeks of beautiful weather were a gift we can appreciate now.  The last 7 days have given us only one beautiful day and 2 days in my winter snow jacket to protect me from the biting wind and blowing rain.  On the cold wet days I hide in the Oil House and talk to visitors there with a few peeks from the door at the sea crashing on the rocks below and the waves rooster-tailing their way to shore.  The sea is absolutely beautiful in its strength and power on these days!  I feel so lucky to be washed in sea spray as we climb the trail up and down on the cliffs that follow the coastline.

On our days off we have traveled to tour Umpqua River Lighthouse about 40 miles south.  You can climb up into the lens there as it revolves around.  Very cool!  It is a dizzying experience!  We also went over to Eugene, about 70 miles east, for a little shopping and were surprised by all the lakes and rivers in the area.  We hope to go north to Newport one day soon.

We had a great visit with my sister, Jane, Kevin, Leland and Pat last weekend for the Rhododendron Festival in Florence. We had a lovely campfire evening on Friday.  On Saturday Jane and I got together at the flower show which included rhodie blooms from dime size to desert plate and every color, combo, blotch and freckle you could ever imagine.  It was truly awesome!   I had already spotted not one but two Quilt Shops in Florence and we shopped at both.  On Sunday Jane, Kevin and Leland visited with us as we worked at the Lighthouse.  It was great to share one of the most photographed lighthouses in the US with them.  Can you guess the other two?

Greg and Jennie, from our Great Basin family, spent Sat. evening and Sun. morn with us.  We enjoyed Oregon microbrews around the campfire with a light supper and lots of memories, laughs and adventures since we were last together at their lovely place in Corvalis.  Here are a few photos of their new home, an awesome woodland retreat!

It is great to be neighbors with Greg and Jennie here in Oregon and we look forward to seeing more of them before we head north next month!

We can't believe our first month here is nearly over!  We have already made great friends here and it will be hard to say goodbye to them and this incredible coastal beauty.

Our Work? day Duties

Our workday starts with a 2 mile drive to the beach below the lighthouse.  We park at the beach in the cove below and pick up trash in the parking lot and picnic area and then start the 1/2 mile walk up to the Lighthouse.

The climb is through a beautiful coastal forest.

The trail winds up to the front of the original Assistant Keepers' duplex.

The House was built in 1892 and is now a B&B managed by a Forest Service concession contract.  Isn't it a beaut?

The view from the Keeper's House shows the Lighthouse up a little higher.

After a short climb we arrive to open up the oil houses next to the Lighthouse.  One is a work room for us and the other a small museum with a video of the restoration that is still in progress.  Our jobs have included helping with the landscaping.  Terry spent a day hauling topsoil and gravel to fill spots on the road and around the Light.  We now help each day watering the grass seeds that have been planted.  I love chatting with folks in the Oil House about the historical photos and items that fill the museum.  We have had delightful fellow hosts who have worked there 4 years and share all their knowledge with us.

This week we had 2 additional hosts from National Fish and Wildlife who set up spotting scopes for the breeding Comorants and Murres on the rocks below.  We also have spotted whales several days.  On one day we saw 9 whales as they headed north around the rocks below.  The weather has been sunny and bright all but one day of the 8 we have worked.  We have enjoyed many pleasant chats with visitors and look forward to our workdays each week.

Wildflowers and Whales for my Birthday

I started year number 66 with a dream come true!  We watched whales from Cape Perpetua Visitor Center and the summit of the Cape (734 ft.) for almost 2 hours.  I watched one whale blow 7 times in a row.

We went to the Visitor Center to copy the names and uses of about 20 blooming native plant samples on display.  I had questions about plants I had seen there earlier from visitors at the lighthouse.  Just as I finished the Ranger shouted, "Look at the whales out there!"  We rushed to the wall of floor to ceiling windows and in minutes the whales blew again.

The Visitor Center is the roof seen to the far left of the photo. After an hour at the Center Terry wanted to try some radioing from the summit about a mile away, (mostly straight up).
 While Terry was connecting with his Noon Net on the radio, I found the sunny overlook was a fantastic spot to see that the whale blows we had seen below were from not 1 but 2 whales.  I  had another wonderful hour to look down and watch them both.  Here's my viewpoint.

Look closely and you'll see 2 little ripples on this enhanced photo.  The whales are just breaking the surface.  My little camera did it's best.  As you can see above I am far away!

After this awesome experience we went to a lovely oceanfront restaurant that had been recommended for my birthday lunch.  As we waited for our order and gazed at the pounding waves below, another whale just swam right by only about 30 feet from the shore.  After lunch we walked the beach path among bright sea pink blooms that I saw last in North Ireland with Gwen and Darrell.

It was one sweet day!

Our New Place

We got to Carl G. Washburne State Park on Sunday and had our pick of sites for our new home.  The campground is a quarter mile from the beach and in a dense, moss draped forest crammed with shrubs including rhododendron that is just opening up.  A creek gurgles just behind us and birds squawk through the forest.  Here's our spot.

The beach is just across the highway by car or under the creek bridge on a 1/2 mile trail to the beach.  It is a beautiful sand beach.  On our first visit the sea mist was just rolling in as I walked toward the lapping waves.  Hello Pacific!!

Tomorrow we start work with an orientation here at 10am.  Our work days will be Thursday to Sunday and we have 3 days off  (Mon.- Weds).    How nice is that!  Yesterday we had a delicious seafood lunch in Florence, 12 miles south and today we are enjoying the little town of Yachats ("Yah-hots") 11 miles north and it's fantastic library (200 yds from the beach), and next door to the Presbyterian Church!  Since we work on Sunday mornings I won't get to services there as I had hoped.  Here's a view of our new workplace.

The lighthouse is still closed for repairs so we won't be giving tours except for the oil house.  There's  a video there and we will answer questions too.  More later about our other duties.  It will be fun to finally start our volunteer work!