Photos by Zooey
Sometimes, the color of the ocean is unbelievable. I was going through some old photos on my computer — these are from 2011 — and found these in a folder called “Jade.”
I’ve never seen the ocean look like this since then, and I feel lucky to have captured these photos that day.
This is our daily open thread — What’s your favorite color? 😉
The Zoo has learned that President Obama issued a command to the 1st Marine Corps to recapture a Federal Building over-run by enemy combatants. The combatants, 150 or so, are presumed to be heavily armed and claim to be sovereign citizens, not citizens of the United States.
Under the broad mandate given him by Congress’ Authorization to Use Military Force against all who take up arms against the United States, President Obama has declared these invaders to be unlawful alien enemy combatants. The survivors of the impending Marine assault will be rounded up and incarcerated in Guantanamo. It is unlikely that charges will ever be filed, meaning they will remain in Guantanamo for the rest of their lives with no right to a hearing or trial.
It’s getting to be cranberry season!! Everybody cheer!! Or whine, if necessary. Go ahead, we’ll wait. *looking at watch*
I luvs me some cranberries — especially since they’re grown in Oregon. Throw a handful of dried cranberries in my morning oatmeal, and I won’t get upset. Hand me a refreshing glass of cranberry juice, cut 50/50 with ice-cold soda water, and I will follow you around the rest of the evening — fair warning. How about a whole cranberry dipped in chocolate — OMG!!!!
The only cranberry thing I don’t like is that wiggly jiggly can-shaped cranberry “sauce.” It’s too sweet, and the texture makes my tongue want to slap me, and cry “Why? How could you do this to me!?” Then I have to sooth it with a large slice of pumpkin pie, because I’m nice like that.
Okay, enough of my raptures. What Fall flavors are your favorites, and what are you most looking forward to preparing/eating? Recipes are welcome!
This is our daily open thread — Mmmmm, cranberries…
Photo by Zooey
This beautiful spider has set up an abattoir on a huge web outside my kitchen window. He’s got about five of these little “packets” in his web at any given time, and just goes from one to another, stabbing in his sippy straw and chugging away.
It’s really rather disgusting, but fascinating at the same time — and as long as he stays on his side of the window, we will remain the best of friends.
This is our daily open thread — Anyone know what kind of spider this is?
I know it’s a day early, but it’s just a short video on Labor Day, from the History Channel, so take a few minutes to watch it. I’ll wait!
Hey, isn’t it AWESOME that the State of Oregon was the first to legalize Labor Day as a holiday in 1887? I’m not sure I’ve said this before, but I love Oregon!!
Labor unions fought hard for the workers, and we can thank them for the eight-hour work day, weekends, better wages, safer working conditions, pensions, and more.
Unfortunately, corporate America/the ruling class/the 1% succeeded in making “union” a dirty word, and pitted workers against one another to help them forget that unions protect the workers themselves, and severely diminished unions in this country.
So enjoy your day off on Monday, even if you have to hit the mall for back to school supplies, but while you’re there, spare a thought for those who worked so hard to get you that day off — and all your other days off.
This is our daily open thread — Talk among yourselves.
The day started a bit hazy…but cleared up nicely. My eldest likes to take the Otter Crest Loop byway, and in the few minutes it took to get there, the day became crystal clear.
Photos by Zooey
So it was another beautiful day on the Oregon coast — and there were FAR too many people who agreed with me.
This is our daily open thread — Hey look! I didn’t forget and posted on time!
I don’t partake, because I’m a total weenie about inhaling smoke into my lungs, but I thought I’d take note of the day, because of the upcoming legalized recreational use of pot in Oregon.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I kind of remember that if you bought the “Up in Smoke” album, you also received a ginormous Zig Zag paper, so you could roll your own massive joint. Anyone else remember that?
Here’s a fun fact form the 420 Wiki page:
In Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation replaced the frequently stolen Mile Marker 420 sign on I-70 east of Denver with one reading 419.99 in an attempt to stop the thievery.
Hilarious!!
This is our daily open thread — Don’t bogart that joint! Whatever that means…
Lounging…
Swimming…
Vocalizing…and more lounging…
Blowing bubbles…napping…maybe waving?
Photos by Zooey
I definitely waved back, just in case. 😉
Sea Lions, I like ’em. Some people hate ’em. Whatareyagonnado?
This is our daily open thread — Get on with it!
Some sort of duck in a pond
Fields, farm & hills, Cougar Ridge area, ID
Awesome canoe sculpture, Lewiston, Idaho
View of the rolling hills of the Palouse, from Steptoe Butte, WA
Dried thistles, Steptoe Butte, WA
Basalt formation, Columbia River Gorge, Biggs, OR
Photos by Zooey
So it was a good trip, with beautiful sunny days and cold nights, visits with friends and family, and lower gas prices than Oregon. It’s the little things that count. 🙂
This is our daily open thread — Did you turn your clock back or forward?
A quiet Christmas morning on the Columbia River, Sauvie Island
Bald Eagle hanging out in a tree near the river
Lots and lots of Snow Geese, making all kinds of noise — wish I could have gotten closer
Sandhill Cranes
Lining up with the Cormorants
Belted Kingfisher — He didn’t want to stay still!
Photos by Zooey
This is our daily open thread — The last Sunday Roast of 2014!
Photos by Zooey
My oldest boy wanted to see Brown Pelicans, so we went to the Devil’s Punch Bowl and saw some damn pelicans. Bam.
What did you do with your first Saturday in November?
This is our daily open thread — You know what to do.
Photos by Zooey
I’ve posted enough photos of Sauvie Island, that you must have figured out I like the place. 🙂
This is our daily open thread — You know what to do.
This gallery contains 10 photos.
Photos by Zooey Click on a photo to get a slideshow. It’s Friday, what do you want from me? 😉 This is our daily open thread — TGIF!
Photo by Zooey
Okay folks, this is your late, late, super late, open thread. 🙂
I took this photo on a trip to the Oregon coast in 2008, and I’m standing above the top of Devil’s Churn. It’s pretty damn awesome!
This is our daily open thread — let the abuse flow.
Sand dunes, Florence, Oregon
Ocean through the evergreens, near Yachats, Oregon
Photos by Zooey
Here’s the thing: I love the coast; it’s so beautiful and calming. But I really dislike sand.
The top photo is the dunes of Florence, OR, and LOTS of people flock there to drive their four-wheel things in the sand. Apparently, it’s supposed to be fun, but I don’t see the point. Besides, it’s loose sand! You can’t walk on it, and it gets into EVERYTHING. Ugh!
Give me a rocky beach with hard wet sand any day of the week. Walking without staggering, no sand in my shoes….nice. 🙂
This is our daily open thread, and that was my daily grumpfest.
Photo by Zooey
Our Cats dipping her feet into the ocean at on a gorgeous day at Nye Beach, Newport, Oregon.
This is our daily open thread — Enjoy life!
Mmmmmm, Hood strawberries from Sauvie Island. I bet you wish you had some!!
I wish I had a tiny eraser for that superfluous apostrophe — while I’m eating Hood strawberries for breakfast. 😉
This is our daily open thread — what summer fruits are you eating?
Photo by Zooey
My son and I took a tour of the covered bridges around Cottage Grove, Oregon. This covered bridge is the Dorena Bridge:
Constructed in 1949 and restored in 1996, this bridge was built after the construction of Dorena Dam on the Row River…
It’s a popular wedding site, which is easy to understand!
This is our daily open thread — Get on with it!
Yesterday, it was such a beautiful day that Cats and I decided to take a spur of the moment day trip. We made a loop from Eugene, down past Cottage Grove, over to Reedsport, then up to Florence, and back to Eugene.
The scenery was AMAZING, and here are just a few of the things we saw:
Canada Geese having a rest on their journey home.
Roosevelt Elk, looking a bit raggedy and having lunch of fresh green grass.
More Roosevelt Elk having a lie down.
Stunning pink rhododendrons.
Dunes in Florence.
It was a perfectly lovely day, and, as you might imagine, we discussed all the issues of the day, and solved every single one of them — if only people would listen to us. 😉
This is our daily open thread — Get on with it!
Lichens on basalt, Skinner Butter, Eugene, OR
Photo by Zooey
From the Wikipedia:
Lichens occur in some of the most extreme environments on Earth—arctic tundra, hot deserts, rocky coasts, and toxic slag heaps. However, they are also abundant as epiphytes on leaves and branches in rain forests and temperate woodland, on bare rock, including walls and gravestones, and on exposed soil surfaces (e.g., Collema) in otherwise mesic habitats. The roofs of many buildings have lichens growing on them. Lichens are widespread and may be long-lived; however, many are also vulnerable to environmental disturbance, and may be useful to scientists in assessing the effects of air pollution, ozone depletion, and metal contamination. Lichens have also been used in making dyes and perfumes, as well as in traditional medicines. It has been estimated that 6% of Earth’s land surface is covered by lichen.
This is our very, very, very, very late daily open thread — I blame DST!!
An interesting vote is going to take place next year in Oregon. A group called “Oregon United For Marriage” is close to collecting enough signatures for a ballot initiative making marriage equality the law of the land there. This past week they announced they were about 1,200 signatures short of the number needed, and Nike announced they were donating $280,000 to help them collect more, in case any of the signatures are ruled invalid. They aren’t the only ones collecting signatures. The group Oregon Family Council, conservative Christians (an oxymoron, as there is nothing conservative about Christ’s teachings), filed a ballot initiative to “guarantee the right of people and businesses to refrain from participating in or supporting ceremonies for same-sex civil unions, domestic partnerships or marriages, if those violate their religious beliefs.” Actually, the proposal specifically says “deeply held religious beliefs.” And that leads to an important question. Does the freedom of religion equal the freedom to discriminate?
The First Amendment (the one that comes before the one about guns) begins, Continue reading
Cape Perpetua
Photo by Zooey
When you think of Oregon, this is what you think of, right? Well, it’s true. The entire state looks just like this, and that’s why I need to live there.
Nah, I’m just full of crap, as per usual (but not about the ‘living there’ part). 😉
Oregon has all sorts of geography types: Oregon Coast (my fav), Willamette Valley, Rogue Valley, Cascade Range, Klamath Mountains, Columbia Plateau, Oregon Outback, and Blue Mountains (which are visible from my area). All of them beautiful in their own ways, of course.
Another favorite place is the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, in the middle of the state. Beautiful lakes and evergreens, right next to volcanic flows on the surface, located between the high desert and the Cascade Range. The juxtaposition is a little startling!
Anyhoo, I’m off to Glacier National Park today, with my youngest in tow. Another gorgeous place in our beautiful country!!
This is our daily open thread — You know what to do.
Photo by Zooey
The world is going crazy, and there’s far too much we can’t do anything about — even if we can’t or won’t admit it.
So, instead of all that, enjoy this pretty picture I took on Sauvie Island, outside Portland.
Do you feel the calm washing over you?
This is our daily open thread — Relax!
Blackberries
Geese!
The trail to the glacial erratic.
Mossy trees.
The erratic!
The view from the erratic.
Another view from the erratic.
Photos by Charles Meier
My eldest and I recently took a trip to the Oregon coast to celebrate his 31st birthday, and we stopped by Erratic Rock State Natural Site, in the Willamette Valley near Sheridan. I gave him my camera, and found that he’s another member of our little family with a great eye for photos.
A glacial erratic is rock that is different from the type of rock normally found in the area where it has been found, having been carried to its present location by glacial ice.
This particular erratic is a bit different, in that it was carried to this place encased in an iceberg let loose by the Missoula Floods.
The pre-historic Missoula floods began in western Montana fifteen to twenty-thousand years ago. These large floods altered the landscape of the Columbia River valley and flooded the Willamette Valley. Many rocks were transported down the Columbia encased in icebergs and deposited from Montana through Idaho,Washington, and Oregon when the flood waters receded and the ice melted.
The really cool thing about this rock — other than the fact that it’s a friggin’ glacial erratic — is that it comes from Canada, and it’s the only rock of its type outside of Canada.
Geologically, the rock comes from Canada and is the largest glacial erratic rock in the Willamette Valley. The rock is argillite believed to be 600 million years old and originally part of the sea-floor.
This geology geek just went all tingly. Coolness!!!
This is our daily open thread — Geekify!
Photo by Zooey
Finally!! I made a trip to Portland, and the mountain is visible! Woo hoo!
Being a geology geek, I was going to write about the type of volcano Mount Hood is, and the subduction zone of the Pacific coast, but this post is really late, so here’s one of the legends of Mount Hood, Mount St Helens, and Mount Adams, according the Multnomah people, via Wikipedia:
The Multnomah name for Mount Hood is Wy’east. In one version of the legend the two sons of the Great Spirit Sahale fell in love with the beautiful maiden Loowit who could not decide which to choose. The two braves, Wy’east and Klickitat, burned forests and villages in their battle over her. Sahale became enraged and smote the three lovers. Seeing what he had done he erected three mountain peaks to mark where each fell. He made beautiful Mount St. Helens for Loowit, proud and erect Mount Hood for Wy’east, and the somber Mount Adams for the mourning Klickitat.
Cool, huh?
This is our daily open thread — Go ahead, visit!
TheZoo 