Morning cuddles.

Our interest in visiting all the Oregon lighthouses had not wavered, so we set off to explore the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, just north of Newport.

Built in 1873, the tall, stark, black and white lighthouse was originally called the Cape Foulweather Lighthouse, even though Cape Foulweather was at least 4 miles north of Yaquina Head.  At 93 meters tall, it is the tallest lighthouse in all of Oregon. We watched carefully to catch the pattern, 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off, 2 seconds on, 14 seconds off, of the Fresnal lens, casting its light out to sea.

It was a windy day and the waves were crashing on the rocks below the lighthouse. There are daily tours of the lighthouse but we didn't get to go inside as all the tours were fully booked that day. We enjoyed a blustery walk along the lighthouse trail, spotting some seals and sea lions basking on the rocks in the shelter of a hidden cove to the south of the lighthouse. 

We dropped down into a small and sheltered cove, called Cobble Beach.

Cobble Beach Cove lived up to its name. It was made up of smooth, large cobble stones infinity shades of grey  that lay evenly scattered across the beach. Not a speck of sand in sight. Kim parked himself in a  little heat trap with Ollie to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.

The cobbles were made for turning ankles, so I very carefully made my way to the nearby tide pools that had children and adults bent over in deep crouches, fingers draping into the pools, small excited outbursts declaring finds of jewel-toned treasures in the clear waters. Henry was watching me and the tide like a hawk, making sure I was safe and not about to be carried out to sea by a rogue sneaker wave, which nearly happened on our last visit to the Oregon Coast. He was genuinely concerned.

​We spent a happy couple of hours relaxing, napping and dabbling about in the tide pools.  We found glossy deep red/purple anemones, some in full flower, some curled tight inside themselves looking like large juicy wine gums. Aggregating anemones looked like delicate pink dahlias waving in the water. We saw snails, ringed limpets, periwinkles, trumpeting tube worms, hermit crabs startled in to walking sideways, striped crabs and flat bodied crabs, shiny mussels glinting blues and silvers, gooseneck barnacles, sea cucumbers, sea slugs and horned nudibranchs.  

I had two absolute favorites. The first was the huge Ochre Starfish. It was enormous! It was a rich shade of dark ochre with lots of knobbles along its fat arms. One of them almost filled a tide pool by itself. Clinging comically to the rocks with arms akimbo, I couldn't help but name him Patrick. My second favorite was the striking Giant Green  Anemone. It too was gigantic in terms of tide pool proportions. A bright, almost luminescent lime green color, you could spot them from quite far away. When fully opened, they were massive, their tentacles waving hopefully in search of algae and micro plankton.

As we were beginning to lose some heat from the sun, after having taken a gazillion photos, we headed back up the steps, out of Cobble Beach Cove and back to the truck. 

My Dad had been struggling with his mental health since moving into the Collingtree Care Home back in Northampton in the UK. Depression had set in. I made plans to fly back and visit him for his birthday in March so he could have his three daughters with him on his special day. Flying from Redmond in central Oregon to San Francisco, California, with an overnight layover, followed by the long haul flight to London Heathrow, was a long journey.

The day before I flew I learned my dad had been admitted to hospital. His oxygen levels were low, he was very wheezy and his asthma medications weren't helping. He had a high fever, all of which pointed to a bad case of the flu, or possibly pneumonia. It was very worrying.

My sister Caroline picked me up from the airport in her lovely white Tesla and drove us to her home. After a quick cuppa tea we decided to go and see Dad at the hospital straight away. I was jet lagged but had my second wind.

Dad was still in A and E which was packed, noisy and generally chaotic. Dad was in a small room and was clearly distressed and disoriented. I sat and held Dad's hand while Carrie grilled the staff to find out exactly what was wrong and if any test results had come through. His x-rays, heart and vital signs indicated he would be in hospital until he stabilized. There was a diagnosis of COPD and some additional heart issues.

We reassured Dad that he was safe and in good hands while they searched for a bed on a ward for him.

And so for the next two weeks, the entire time I was in the UK, including Dad's birthday, I visited dad in hospital every day. 

Hospitals have such a powerful energy. I felt it.

It was the same hospital where my mum passed away, where I'd had a miscarriage and where my Grandmother had been admitted many times. Painful memories.

Dad was slow to recover his health and mobility and was grumpy the entire time. He was desperate to get out. At 83 years old he worried he would never get out. A legitimate worry.

Finally, the day before I flew back to Oregon, he came out of hospital and returned, with great relief, to his room at Collingtree. He was so grateful to be back with all his carers and back to his own routines. It took another couple of months to fully recover his health.

I am so glad, honored actually, that I could be there with him and advocate for him while he was in hospital. 

Happy Birthday Dad! 

Happy 23rd Birthday Henry xxx

We finally got snow in Oregon!

For me it was dreamy, Narnia, fairy tale snow. I could watch it fall from the sky and shake off from the surrounding pine trees for hours on end. It was magical. When the sun came out the snow literally twinkled! I made snow angels, caught flakes on my tongue and made a snowman. So much fun!

For Kim the snow presented new challenges in the trailer. With nightly temperatures dipping to -22 degrees we upgraded to an insulated and electrically warmed water hose, we kept the heating on 24/7, particularly ensuring the underbelly of the trailer stayed warm and dry as the snow began to drift and pile up around and under the trailer. Kim went out every morning to clear the steps and a pathway to the car. Gas bottles needed to be filled daily. Daily inspections for leaks from potential pipes freezing and cracking were carried out. Any snow that built up on the roof or the slide outs had to be cleared so the weight didn't cause any damage. 

For Henry it meant lots of snowy walks with Ollie. To see them both playing in the snow was heart melting. Ollie loved the snow and enjoyed playing off the leash in the little dog park on site. Henry began to train Ollie with some simple commands like sit, spin, shake hands. Treats and poo bags were in his pockets at all times. Days in the powdery snow with family and a beloved puppy bounding about with pure joy is a winter gift I will remember forever.

​So much love!

Our first Christmas in the trailer!

​After a trip into Sisters to see what decorations I could acquire at the thrift store and the dollar store, I found these amazing Christmas Nutcrackers, some fairy lights, candles, a tiny but real Christmas tree and other Christmassy bits and bobs. All for under twenty bucks! Win! I dried out slices of orange for festive tree decorations.

Christmas lunch was very traditional. Prawn cocktail followed by roast turkey and all the trimmings followed by Christmas pud, mince pies and ice cream. Considering we only had a small convection oven and three burners on the stove, it was a triumph. We had our bottles of Mexican Coca Cola and some Asti for the table. With our Santa hats and fun Christmas jumpers, we pulled the crackers, shared the silly jokes and of course retold the joke from the Vicar of Dibley;

What do you do if you see a spaceman?
I don't know, know, know, know.
​Park in it, man.

We toasted absent family and friends, particularly our mums, and tucked in to our delicious Christmas dinner.

It was Ollie's first Christmas with us and she had some special treats and was very well behaved. What a gift she is! Best. Ever.

We spent some precious time with Dawn and her husband over the next few days. Including a brief walk at the Trail of the Molten Lands that showcased the volcanic geography of the area with fabulous views all the way to Mount Bachelor and the Three Sisters Mountains topped with snow, a lovely, leisurely stroll along the Deschutes River, just a few steps from their gorgeous home, we had a lunch of memorably delicious tacos, Henry's favorites, and then, the cherry on top of the parfait, I took a bath in her deep tub. Heavenly!

Thank you so much Dawn xxxx

 As we approached the end of our stay in Florence, the dense sea mist continued to rise and mingle with the grey drizzle, draping a big wet blanket over us. We were forced to acknowledge that we were in the midst of the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, and of course the endless rain, making it a typical Autumn in Oregon. We embraced it. It made a happy change from the beating heat of the Arizona desert that we had endured for two decades and more.

The colors of Fall were all around us. The leaves fell from the skeletal branches of the trees surrounding us at the campsite, bright, burnt oranges, sunny yellows, mottled greens and chestnut browns carpeting the ground. If we were lucky enough to catch a leaf as it danced and helicoptered to the ground, we held it close to our hearts and made a wish. We could smell the campfires of our neighbors and it prompted us to make our own fire. . We stood with glazed eyes watching the blaze glow in the half light, listening to the spitting flames lick at the wet logs, watching our breath make its own morning mist with every deep sigh, sinking our hands into the pouches of our hoodies. We started thinking about soups and stews for dinner. Every season has its own treasures.

With Henry settled for the day sorting out his latest Pokemon cards that he had picked up at Fred Mayer, Kim and I set out to find Sweet Creek Falls, a famed local beauty spot, recommended to us by the locals in town.

We followed the twists and turns of the Siuslaw River, eerie in the mist. We spied a fairy tale Hansel and Gretel wooden cottage, smoke rising from a stone chimney, a wrap around porch with weathered adirondack chairs positioned for the best view of the river, and a little jetty with a gently bobbing boat, with oars at the ready, at the bottom of the garden. We spotted an elk or two raise their heads as we drove by, lazily watching us from the grassy banks of the river. There was hardly any traffic and we drove in silence enjoying the stillness of the day.

We made a sharp right turn and drove about ten miles or so following Sweet Creek to reach the signposted trailhead.

Well, words cannot adequately describe the quintessential Autumnal scene before us. The colors of the leaves carpeting the path, the waters of the creek with the swirling pools and gentle falls, the surrounding woodlands, dark and deep with promises to keep, was simply idyllic. 

I hope the photos convey the beauty of the scene. We really need Willy Wonka smell-o-vision so we can close our eyes and fully inhale the woodsy smells of the dripping, damp ferns, the tiny lichens and impossibly green mosses, fallen branches, leaves mulched into the muddy ground and the fresh scent of the sweet creek. A true sensory experience.

We walked a five mile round trip on leaf littered pathways, zig-zagging wooden bridges and slick river banks. It was heavenly!

​Breathe it in!

I'm sneaking this in as I am pretty confident they're not reading my blog 😜

​Also, this is my milestone 100th blog post.

After we visited the Sea Lion Caves earlier in the week, we stopped at a roadside pull off so we could take some shots of the Heceta Lighthouse. 

As soon as we got out of the truck we could hear them!

The noise was cacophonous!

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Stellar Sea Lions were lying on the beach, jostling for position, front flippers flapping, whiskers twitching, lots of territorial teeth baring, snarky barking, honking, snorting, posturing, nudging for comfort and simply flobbing their bellies down on the sand to relax and bask in the late Autumn sunshine.

Many others were splashing about in the bay, surfing the waves, playing games and just joyfully mucking about in the water as if they were teens on Spring Break.   

It certainly made up for not being able to see the sea lions in the massive sea cave.

We stopped and watched for a good hour or so.

​It felt like such a privilege to observe these beautiful marine mammals in their natural habitat.

I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again, we love these unexpected animal encounters.