Janet Brien's photos

(+10 insets!) (This is very long but hopefully entertaining! Enjoy! Photo descriptions are below under "Today's Pictures" :D) It's So Windy!! Everyone knows that coastlines tend to be windy. Growing up in San Francisco, the torrential winds and thick fog sweeping in from Ocean Beach still held a lot of bite three miles away at our family home seated at the base of the centrally-located Mount Davidson. It's easy to understand why cold wind is one of my least favorite weather conditions. As much as I adore rugged coastlines and picturesque beaches, I am not a fan of the bone-chilling, finger-freezing weather that often accompanies the breathtaking views. Up until now, our stays along the coast have included plenty of wind but it's been tolerable and no big deal, especially when we dress for a walk on the beach. However, our stay at Heceta Beach RV Park has been in a different class all-together. The winds begin at the crack of dawn with a telling 5mph breeze that rustle the bushes. By 11:00am those poor bushes are whipping around like gremlins are sitting underneath, maniacally shaking the branches with wild abandon, their howls of mirth adding to the wailing wind. All afternoon until the early evening, the wind whips through the trees, gusting to 25-30mph, shaking the trailer in vain attempts to pick it up and fling it miles away. We want to go agate hunting, confound it all! We want to wander around the area's well-known dunes and take pictures of the pristine mountains of sand there. We had a plan! A Romantic Walk on the Beach…Errr….Maybe Not Steve and I drove forty-five minutes south through Florence and down the coast to visit the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area. Fanciful ideas of how our adventure would go filled our heads… We would walk along the beach together, hand in hand. Here and there we would bend to pick up amazing agates to add to our collection of rocks to tumble when we got home. As we made our way along the beach, I would pause now and again to take pictures of the windswept dunes, and together we would ooh and ahh at the sight. We should have known better. I'd seen the forecast. Prominently positioned at the top of the page was a stern warning: "!! SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY !! Gusty winds of up to 40mph+ and steep seas could capsize or damage smaller vessels." But surely that didn't apply to us, right?! Visiting the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area Stretching nearly 40 miles down the coast, Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area is one of the world's longest temperate coastal sand dunes in the world. It is hugely popular with the off-road vehicle crowd, but there's plenty of space for nature lovers too. It's also an important nesting ground for the darling and endangered shore bird, the Western Snowy Plover . All of the dry, sandy areas of the dunes where grass grow are important breeding grounds, and all of it is strictly off-limits to people. Excellent! Arriving at the northern-most park entrance at Sitcoos Beach, we pulled over to pay the self-service parking fee. Carrying on, we passed many windswept mounds of grass-covered sand, stunted bushes and bedraggled trees and soon pulled into a space at the parking lot. We weren't alone. Lots of trucks with trailers were there too. Some had motorcycles, ATVs and other off-road vehicles in place, but most were empty, their occupants off on adventures in the dunes. The wind roared. Sand drifted across the parking lot in diagonal streaks and the grass at the tops of the dunes rippled beautifully in golden waves. We put our windbreakers over our long-sleeved shirts and sweaters and hopped out. Time for our romantic adventure! Staggering drunkenly towards a trail that went up and over a dune leading to the beach, we noticed a pair of bundled-up people standing at the trailhead. We figured they might be rangers but when we got close, they asked us if we'd been here before and if we knew about the Western Snowy Plovers. We told them we did and looking past them, we could also see there were roped-off areas to keep people off the grass-covered dunes, as this was a breeding habitat. The volunteers let us know what areas to avoid, though happily, they were plain to see. We thanked them for standing out there in the whipping, cold wind and really appreciated what they were doing for these birds. It's because of efforts like these that the population has risen from 30 to 400 over the past 15-20 years. We climbed slowly up the deep, sandy trail that led over the dune, sliding back half a foot for every foot we made forward. Persistence wins, so a few minutes later we got to the top and looked out to the beach below. We didn't like seeing the deep, soft sand that led down quite a ways before firming up much closer to the sea. More than that, the wind hit us full-force in the face, unobstructed by dunes or distance from the ocean. Grains of sand stung our cheeks and my eyes teared at the velocity. Steve burst out laughing, "This is insane! I've been in plenty of windy places but this has to be the windiest place ever!" I laughed in agreement as we carefully headed down the sandy slope, trying to balance against the crazy gusts of wind. I teetered and tottered, nearly losing my balance several times. Finally we got out to firmer sand and Steve turned to look at me, cackling at the ridiculousness of it all. "Your HAIR!! It's everywhere!" "What?! I can't hear you over the wind" I cried. He came closer and repeated himself. I looked at him and guffawed in return, "The wind filling your windbreaker makes you look like a Pillsbury Dough Boy!!" "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!!" Steve couldn't stop laughing and came over…not only was his windbreaker full of air, it was madly flapping in the gale-force winds. Scanning the beach, we noticed broken shells from crabs and mollusks and a smattering of rocks here and there, but it was obvious that we were in the wrong place today. Looking up at the dune that trailed off down the beach, I saw that it wasn't the pristine sand mounds I'd dreamed of and agreed: this was not the place for our happy rock-hunting walk. The wind blew me off my footing if I wasn't leaning into the wind or standing carefully at a 45-degree angle. This was no place to be! So, before we turned and hobbled back to the truck, we took funny pictures of each other to laugh at in the future. Then we made our way slowly up and over the sandy hill, stopping once so Steve could pour the beach out of his shoes. At the truck I did the same thing, pulling off my shoes and socks and smacking them against a railing to remove the sand. I even had sand between my toes, the poor dears! :) Even though we didn't have the long, romantic adventure we'd planned on, our short visit was hilarious and great fun in the end. We'll be back--and in fact, when September rolls around, we are planning to stay at a state park within the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area called Honeyman Memorial State Park , we'll have ample opportunity to appreciate the dunes then. Today's Pictures If you read this epic War & Peace-length post, you'll know that our visit to the Oregon Dunes didn't turn out quite as we'd hoped, but it was a super visit anyway. In fact, the main picture here--along with the other sand dune pictures I'm sharing--are not from the park at all! You'll laugh when you read the truth! Steve and I went grocery shopping one day and as we pulled into the parking lot, we both shrieked, "LOOK AT THE SAND DUNES!!" Just behind the store rose a magnificent wall of sand that looked like a transplant from the Sahara Desert! After we were done shopping we drove over and I took some pictures. I had no idea they would turn out so well! You can even see the sand flying off the tops! I'm so happy! The other insets show our misadventure at the Dunes: a picture of the beach and two images showing the roped off Plover nesting grounds, which stretch miles down the beach. I also included a picture of Steve impersonating the Pillsbury Dough Boy and a couple of me trying to hold my ground in the torrential wind! What fun we had! And if you've read all the way to the end here, I SALUTE YOU! :D Here's hoping you have a lovely rest of your week! :) Explored on 7/22/20; highest placement #8.

(+5 insets!) (full-size is dreamy!) :) I haven't had much time to write so here's another entry from my trip file! Oh, the Joy of a Window-Filled Trailer! As I type, I'm glancing out at the campsite next to us. I am lounging on my perfect little bed, custom-made to fit the twin-sized space in my perfect little room. (My bed sits on a custom-made bed frame, complete with three huge drawers for storage, made beautifully by Steve!) This bed sits in a nook that is entirely filled with windows! Two tall, narrow ones on either end and a bisected, full size window on the long side! Every window in our coach is darkened so that in the daytime, people can't see in but we have a marvelous view outside. I am seated about five feet off the ground so it's like an eagle's nest! The floor of the entire coach is much higher than our old Grey Wolf trailer and we can't get over the awesomeness of the great views we have. To be honest, one of the (many) selling points of this trailer were all of the windows! The entire dining and kitchen area are completely filled with windows, with exception for the back wall where the stove/oven, coffee counter and refrigerator reside. The hallway leading up the three stairs to the master bedroom has a tall narrow window and there's also a window in the outer door. The master bedroom has a large one on one wall and the head of the bed there are a pair of tall narrow windows on each side. Even the bathroom has light streaming in through the skylight! The overall effect of this beautifully lit coach is cheery and inviting, an expansive space that's totally comfortable and homey. What an opposite to the Grey Wolf. No matter how many lights we added to that tin can cave, there was no way to make it feel homey and truly nice. It really was a "weekender" trailer and when we finally admitted defeat, one of the things on our "Won't Sacrifice" list was Lots of Windows! Our Avalanche is a dream come true! Yeah, But What About All That Light in the Morning?! You might wonder how we get any sleep when the light begins to tinge the sky at o-dark-hundred every day. Well, every window also has its own black-out blind and they work perfectly! Paired with tinted windows, it could be high noon out in the desert and still dark as a tomb inside! To be honest, some light does come in but it's totally negligible. The litmus test is our little parrot, Pumpkin. If it's getting light and she awakens, she begins a non-stop series of darling little peeps to say good morning, letting us know it's time to start the day. However, with these blackout blinds, the coach is dark until we say so…hurray! Today's Pictures I got lots of really neat pictures when we were at Humbug Mountain State Park, and my main picture is a favorite! These flowers are about 4" in diameter and simply glow in the morning light so I was delighted when I was able to get a worthy capture. I am also including an inset that shows a pair of these pretty flowers, as well as a meadow filled with Cat Ear flowers, and a Hedge Blindweed vine (an invasive flower in the morning glory family but not a true Morning Glory, which is in the ipomena genus ) wrapped around a blackberry cane. Finally, the opening bud of a Queen Anne's Lace couldn't be passed up--they are just magnificent--and last but not least, a Cat Ear plant with webs all over it! :) (I found an interesting, short, and picture-filled page about this plant and similar ones here: Invasive Vine Weeds for those who are curious!) This morning is lovely and sunny and we are hoping to drive down to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and then go agate rock hunting on the beach! Wish us luck! Sending my *virtual* hugs and love your way! Explored on 7/19/20; highest placement #4.

Lovely Little Morning Hikes! Steve and I spent several days at a wonderful place called William Tugman State Park, a spot we immediately fell in love with! Unfortunately, we couldn't be there more than three days but we are booked for four more in a week's time, so all is not lost! :D This park rates really high for me because there are hikes that leave from the campsite itself, and that means that my daily morning walk gets to be a lovely hike to start my day! How awesome is that?! Walk With Me! A fun stroll around this small campground's combined A, B, and C Loops lead me out the main road and past the pullout to the tidy garbage and RV dump area. A bit further is a beautiful, mowed and tree-studded meadow with a meandering cement walk that leads past a cute little playground, a handsome gazebo and picnic tables placed here and there in the meadow. Twinkling views of the nicely-sized Eel Lake take over and we arrive at a perfect dock for fishing, with a boat launch beside it. The water is cobalt-blue and sparkling with sunshine catching every ripple. The breeze is fragrant and just the right temperature...it's so nice. If it's early enough, walking out on the dock will reveal a host of salamanders swimming around in the water just below the surface! Incredible! Past the boat launch is a short, yet absolutely idyllic walking trail that leads about half a mile around the left side of the lake (1.1 mile total), and that is my morning walk for the three days we are here! Just before the trail disappears into the fern and fir-studded forest, we pass by an outbuilding of some sort. It is surrounded by cyclone fencing, and in front of the fence are beautiful masses of clover flowers in full bloom. Perfect for today's picture, no?! :) I'll write more about this pretty trail at my next opportunity! I got lots of wonderful pictures with my beloved macro lens when I took my favorite camera with me on one of my walks! I hope everyone is doing GREAT! Stay safe! Explored on 7/18/20; highest placement #1.

(+6 insets!) Serenity Amidst Virus Insanity…Aren't We Lucky! The news continues to boggle our minds but we are keeping our fingers crossed that we're able to camp as we wish! This is our third week out now and we're enjoying every precious moment! I've changed the way I do my posts…now I am just writing whatever and whenever I like, and when it's time to post a picture, I'll grab a topic I wrote and add it to my post! This makes my uploads less of a time-intensive task and more in keeping with relaxing and not being too serious about everything. It's nice! So, here you go! My Morning Walk When I'm at home, I like to start my morning (after my shower, coffee, cider drink + vitamins, of course) with a 30+ minute tromp up and down our driveway. The grade is steep enough to promise good exercise and it's wonderful to listen to the birds and perhaps get the chance to watch our resident turkeys and deer wandering by. When we're out camping though, I get the marvelous opportunity to go on a walk around the entire campground! Every one is different in appearance, size and number of areas to visit. It's such a great way to begin the day! Walking around each loop, I get to see everyone's RV (recreational vehicle) and see how they set up their individual campsite. There are plenty of traditional tent campers too and every single arrangement is interesting and fun to look at as I stroll by. Another nice thing about visiting the whole campground is the added sense of community I get. As I make my way around, I say good morning to everyone I pass by or to whomever notices me. The cheerful exchange is so bright and happy--what's better than exchanging big smiles with others in this natural place?! Steve and I don't have kids so, it's very interesting to see the variety of families and how they experience a vacation away from home. Sitting at picnic tables and eating meals, parents chat and cook, clean and relax. Kids play with their dogs, ride bikes around the loops and play games together. The situations are endless and such fun to take a peek at. It is so enjoyable to have these small glimpses into family life out on the road! A couple of days ago I saw such a sweet exchange. A man was couched down in front of his beautiful liver-and-white spotted Springer Spaniel. The dog, who appeared to be glowing with health and happiness, was laying on its chest with feet out in front. The man gently hand-fed kibble from a gleaming metal bowl with such a tender look on his face, his dog taking each mouthful with great satisfaction. Unnoticed, I stood and watched with a beaming smile on my face, my hands clasped behind my back. I didn't want to disturb their dear story so after about 30 seconds I walked on, sighing happily that I got to see this love shared between two best friends. Today's Pictures With time to relax, I'm doing macro photography like crazy and getting so many satisfying images. I've gotten some insect pictures too, including today's bumble bee and hoverfly pictures! I'm also including a pair of pictures that show a mama spider with her babies clinging to the hairs on her back! What a marvelous surprise that was! I'd gone on a walk down to the beach at Humbug Mountain State Park when I noticed a spider racing across the sand. I couldn't resist taking pictures when it stopped nearby, but I had no idea how special these photos would be. When I transferred my pictures over and took a closer look, I almost fell over! Why, she had babies all over her back, all clinging to her hairs like little troopers! Aren't they cute?! I must admit my great luck with these rare sights…my last inset is a picture I took last year when we were camping at Diamond Lake. I found a mama spider carrying her egg sac with her as she ran along! Thank You All!! You've all been so wonderful with your lavish comments, stars, and warm messages…talk about making a person feel great! *hugs all around* Here's hoping everyone is doing well and having a nice time too! Explored on 7/16/20; highest placement #2.

(+2 insets!) (Bigger is even better!) :) I want to make sure I have time to post this so I'm just posting a quick note to go with my pictures today! We are about to leave our wonderful campground, Bullard's Beach State Park and we had a wonderful stay! We will be heading about an hour north for a three day-stay at our next campsite. Unfortunately, that was the longest we could get for the time slot, but after another four days at a different place, we'll be back for another four days. Heh, I know that's not the same thing as seven uninterrupted days but sometimes you don't have a choice in these things! Today's Pictures I had a very nice time creeping around with my macro lens and got bunches of really neat pictures. Along the way I found these marvelous bushes covered with red-cloaked, round black berries. I thought it was very interesting that the berries grew in pairs…and so when I discovered the name of this plant was Twinberry, I had to laugh! Perfect! While I took photos, I couldn't help focusing on my favorite part--the beautifully shaped, red bracts surrounding the berries. Upon investigating online, I learned they are called involucre , and is part of the botany name of Black Twinberry, "Lonicera involucrata" . (These plants also have a red version, naturally called Red Twinberry ) I was also fascinated to learn that these berries are a kind of honeysuckle! The plant grows like a bush, which threw me off because I thought all honeysuckles are vines. However, when I learned it was in the honeysuckle family it all made sense do me. The honeysuckle that grows on our property has the very same berries, except that they are red. The leaves are the same too, and looking at pictures of the flowers, they are also quite similar. It's so fascinating to see the various species of a plant group, isn't it? So, as I took pictures, I took turns concentrating on the berries and then the lovely red bracts. Then I saw a lovely red flash…and gasped in surprise! Would you just look at that? Bracts that appeared to be a lovely red butterfly with perfectly shaped berries to represent a thorax and head! Seriously, what are the odds?! :D This picture just HAD to be my main image today! I'm also including some other views of these pretty berries--a pair to admire and a folded-over bract that looks like a red bat! :) I hope you like them! I wanted to give everyone hugs for all of the attention you've been giving my pictures, and for the lovely comments and stars. I appreciate you all so much. I was able to visit some of you finally and it was great to see what you've been sharing with us here on ipernity! Here's hoping everyone stays safe and healthy in these crazy days! Here's more information about these berries that I found very interesting: Twinberry, also called bearberry honeysuckle, is in the honeysuckle family. Twinberries are very common in the Cape Lookout State Park at the base of Netarts Spit. Unlike their cousins, the climbing and pink honeysuckles which are twining vines and can occur in our area, the twinberry is an erect shrub that may grow to more than twelve feet high. Its paired yellow flowers each have a five-lobed, tubular corolla. The flowers are subtended by a pair of large, green bracts that turn red as the fruits mature into pairs of shiny black berries. These berries are bitter and considered inedible, but their juice has been used as a dye. Its leaves are opposite, they have petioles, and they are rather shiny on top. They drop off in the winter. There are two varieties of twinberries, the coastal Lonicera var. ledebourii, occurring in coastal Oregon and California, and the mountain Lonicera var. involucrata, found in all western and the lake states. From Netarts Bay Today Explored on 7/14/20; highest placement #1.

Twinberry, also called bearberry honeysuckle, is in the honeysuckle family. Twinberries are very common in the Cape Lookout State Park at the base of Netarts Spit. Unlike their cousins, the climbing and pink honeysuckles which are twining vines and can occur in our area, the twinberry is an erect shrub that may grow to more than twelve feet high. Its paired yellow flowers each have a five-lobed, tubular corolla. The flowers are subtended by a pair of large, green bracts that turn red as the fruits mature into pairs of shiny black berries. These berries are bitter and considered inedible, but their juice has been used as a dye. Its leaves are opposite, they have petioles, and they are rather shiny on top. They drop off in the winter. There are two varieties of twinberries, the coastal Lonicera var. ledebourii, occurring in coastal Oregon and California, and the mountain Lonicera var. involucrata, found in all western and the lake states. From www.netartsbaytoday.org/Yellowish_Flowers.html

(+2 insets) This is the Life! We are nearly through our second full-week of camping now and life is great! Everything we'd hoped this trailer would be for us has been realized. It's spacious, well-made (ok, within reason…heh…trailers = shoddy builds), totally comfortable and has more storage that we need so we aren't having to repack everything when we are getting an item we're after. Happy Animal Family! Our animal family is doing great! Pumpkin, our darling parrot, is as happy as a clam with mom and dad usually close by whenever we're in the trailer. One way to tell that she's at ease is the amount of food she eats. Perhaps she needs a piggy tail as she's chowing like a 700-pound porker, yay! :) Meanwhile, our near-20-yr old frogs are content enough that they are hooting at one another and eating crickets with wild abandon. We are joyfully amused that they take turns soaking in the little pool we have for them, it's such a cute sight! And last but not least, Snakey McSnakerton started the trip in pre-shed condition with a gray sheen and opaqued eyes. We offered him a mouse a few days ago but as we expected, he didn't eat it--he rarely eats just before he sheds but we wanted to give him the opportunity. Yesterday Steve turned Snakey's light on and found a bunched-up shed up against the glass--for the next while he stood cooing beautiful, gleaming sentiments at our lovely boy. Snakey really is extra pretty just after he sheds! At lunchtime I got a mouse ready for him (they are frozen so I thaw and warm one for him before offering) and after dancing it around in front of him and placing it nearby, I was happy to find him swallowing the last of it when I checked in a bit later. So it's official--all of our animals think the RV lifestyle is fantastic, just like we do! :) Steve's Injured Leg is Nearly 100% Better! I didn't mention that just before we left on our trip, Steve seriously hurt himself. A ladder he was on shifted and fell in the gravel driveway and he sustained a terrible sprained ankle and badly-twisted knee. For the entire week at Humbug Mountain State Park, Steve was barely able to walk around without being in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things he needed to do which kept him from resting his leg, all of which prolonged the injuries. However, as he was able to rest and elevate his leg, it very slowly began to get better. In the past few days the rate of recovery has really sped up. In fact, for the first time this trip, we went on a bike ride a couple of days ago! It was such a gentle trip around the three campground loops that Steve added another mile down one of the bike paths! And last night he was able to walk up and down the three stairs inside our coach without using the handrail or going down one step at a time. We lit up the coach with our beaming smiles of relief and happiness, isn't it just wonderful?! Time to Relax and Enjoy our Stay We learned last year that short stays at a campground are a bummer. Just when you've really relaxed and begun to feel at home, it's time to pack up and leave for the next spot. These 2-4-day stays made us feel hurried, unhappy and stressed-out. We decided that the perfect length of stay would be a full week if possible, with five days being a preferred minimum. So, for this trip, we've aimed at 7-day stays at our chosen campgrounds and the result has been fantastic! We have time to do what we want to without feeling like we must plan our days carefully to fit everything in. We just enjoy ourselves and whatever happens, happens! Time to be lazy and take naps, swing in the hammock or sit in our lounge chairs just watching folks walk or ride by. Time to read, do crosswords or cruise the 'net (if it's available). Time to go on my daily morning walk, or go out later with my macro lens and creep around for cool shots. Time to listen to the birds singing or maybe even watch them doing their thing. Time to cuddle Chicken (Pumpkin) and look at our frogs and snake. Time to go on bike rides or go on hikes. There's even time to play video games if we want! Finally, Steve and I can stay in these beautiful places and really relax and soak up all they have to offer. We are at peace. Today's Pictures I've got piles of processed pictures building up but today I've decided to share the blue jay pictures I captured last week. One day when we were at Humbug Mountain State Park, Steve saw a flash of blue and looked out to see that a Steller's Jay had landed next to the trailer. He called to me so I could see and then exclaimed, "Oh wow! It's sunning itself!" I looked out and we stood watching the beautiful bird warming its wings, a second bird landing nearby a moment later. I didn't think I'd be able to get pictures before the birds flew away but Steve reminded me that it's worth a try. I'm so glad I got my Sony because I was able to get a whole bunch of pictures before finally the pair flew away. I'm sharing two insets as well--one shows a nice side view and the other is a feather close-up! ENJOY! I hope everyone is doing well!! I'll be posting again in the next few days with some really neat finds! *BIG HUGS ALL AROUND* Explored on 7/12/20; highest placement #1.