A Full-time Life

Category: Oregon homes

WORK and (mostly) PLAY (now and then)

Except for the first two rows, this week's pictures are all from last Summer and Fall. But like the best second meals from the same day of cooking, it's not just leftovers served because there's nothing else, but rather "planned-overs." In this case, good experiences that we really want to remember.

Here are the new servings:

It was a beautiful day for the January Boat Club lunch. Above, the Captain is bringing our boat in to the dock in front of the restaurant for a passenger pickup. Bill's piloting and our friend is ready to help. I'm always happy to cede first-mate duties to someone more experienced — and we enjoyed the company during the "voyage." The spouses formerly known as first-mates were waiting at the dock. It had been a long walk to the place where we'd tied up during lunch and we were happy for the water-taxi service.

But below is what that Captain was busy with for most of the week ….

… which explains why there were few new experiences to blog about. "We" are putting in a second bathroom at one end of the Florida Room that we added a few years ago. It's in a very small space planned for this purpose — but finishing it requires not only skill but also acrobatic ability (neither of them mine, although sometimes I stop blogging and go hold something or fetch something as requested.) The addition of this bath and then renovation of the existing one are the last parts of the remodeling project begun when we bought the "Canal Cottage."

Now onward — or backward — to last season when we were in Oregon.

Late November

The picture above is a view of the Willamette River from one of the walking paths we can access easily from our apartment. Autumn is beautiful in Eugene and we are happy with our location where we have the ability to walk these natural surroundings as often as we wish.

Early November
Birds and a Bat!

All of the above critters were seen on the same day as I walked through residential areas on the way to the river. There were dozens of robins on the grass behind our apartment complex — perhaps a migration stopover (although Eugene seldom gets too cold for them — maybe this was their final stop). There are always ducks — but the center picture was a big surprise. It was taken behind our apartment complex, an area where the sun had not yet reached, on the same walk where I photographed some of the many robins. I have to admit that I didn't realize I'd taken a picture of a Bat until we downloaded the pictures — what a surprise that was.

Burney Falls, California

October

Burney Falls was the first California stop on our October Road Trip. We were in the area to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park — which is another "planned-over" for a future post.

September

This is Parker, our daughter and son-in-law's dog. He is half McNabb Terrier and half Mastiff. This big puppy thinks he's hiding behind that tree. There's a family tabby cat as well and one of my photo goals is to get a good picture of Parker and Chloe playing together. They really do like each other — and the great part of it is that the two have almost the exact same coloring. Some day I'll get that perfect picture.

August

Swallows migrated through our area in August — I caught a few of them in a very rare moment resting moment.

Auto-correct is one of my pet peeves, so I had to laugh at this sign seen in a coffee shop somewhere on our summer travels. This is dedicated to every blog friend who has ever wondered what the heck it was I meant to say when I didn't catch an error in a comment before I hit "send". We won't even talk about text messages.

October — Mt Lassen area

Beautiful blue skies from our Autumn Road Trip — and at the lower row corners, what I can fairly confidently say is the only snow we'll see this season.

Thankful for memories this week and for the new ones we're making — of both work and play — today, last season, and always!

LINKING this week to the following: Thank you to all of the generous hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

January 19, 2020
OCTOBER!

I don't care how many pumpkin-flavored lattes are being sold at Starbucks this month — to me the wonderful month of October is all about Fall color …..

… And apples. October is definitely all about the apple harvest! They are plentiful, ripe, and bursting with fresh-picked flavor.

This wheelbarrowful on our favorite back-porch (at our daughter's and son-in-law's) was just waiting for us to help ourselves. We barely made a dent in the bounty — and the trees (in the collage above) were still full and getting fuller.

The reds and golds of the season are everywhere — even an ancient and long-abandoned lawn chair echoed the color scheme of the month!

Grateful for the beauty of everyday.

Linking this week the the following: Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES;  MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; COUNTRYSCAPES;

TUESDAY TREASURES; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;

SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and   FRIDAY BLISS.

October 19, 2019
OREGON INTERLUDE

In Blog-land, we've been re-living our June trip to Europe and it isn't over yet. But in real life we've been at home in Oregon since the first of July — and it's great to be here. So this is a little break between Weeks One and Two of our trip — we need to catch up just a tiny bit on wonders that are closer to home.

Alsea Falls

Alsea Falls is a favorite place — we stopped for a walk there after a trip to the Oregon coast last month. And were surprised and happy to see this much water at the falls in July.

Flowers collected on walks around our our daughter and son-in-laws country home and on the Willamette River paths near our home here in Oregon.

There are a few newcomers in that same backyard! ….

Oregon Blues!

In that same backyard again! I picked that colander full of blueberries without moving more than 5 steps. In July, those bushes were loaded. The growth has eased off by now – but their freezer is full and we have been invited to help ourselves as needed. Those plums are just coming on. Blackberries are uninvited guests, but they are good to eat anyway. (And of course we no longer have to cut these invasive plants back every year. Many homeowners in this part of Oregon fight them constantly. But in the meantime, everybody picks and eats them.)

Oregon Scrub Jay

Scrub Jays are seen often in western Oregon — almost as common as crows and just as noisy. The funny thing is that in Florida, there is a Scrub Jay that is rather rare. I can't tell any difference — to me they look exactly alike! But I've never been able to get a good picture of one in Florida — that is one of my goals for next season there!

And here is the ultimate Oregon Blue! The Pacific Ocean near Waldport on a beautiful July day. It was a day-trip for us — we just went to make sure the Ocean was still there.

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts!

SATURDAY CRITTERS; RATHER B' BIRDING ; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; COUNTRY SCAPES; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; SAY CHEESE; WILD BIRD Wednesday; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and FRIDAY BLISS;

August 16, 2019
FLYING CREATURES

We joined the flying people at the Eugene Airport this year, so we've been in Florida for almost two weeks now. Our flight day was loooong …. and crowded. I wish I could say we had as much fun as these people in our airport's iconic photo montage panels. We didn't — but we're here and although we're still in the process of getting re-oriented and re-organized, we're getting there. We even had time last week for a short nature hike.

Roseate Spoonbill

We are more than happy to be grounded for awhile, but it was good to see some of of our favorite Florida creatures for whom flight comes more easily.

It was already quite dry at Wild Turkey Strand Preserve. (Winter is the dry seasons in Florida.) So several species of birds were congregated around the little bit of water remaining. They were quite far away and the wind was blowing which made photography difficult. But it was great to be out walking.

Meanwhile, back at the Canal Cottage … while we're getting the house into shape for the season, we have had some entertainment outside our door.

This Marine Company has been repairing seawall damage caused by Hurricane Irma (yeah, the one that happened a year ago last September — we call it Florida time). The project started before we left last season and was only completed last week. So the company could finally move their equipment somewhere else and one morning this tugboat pulled the work barge loaded with heavy equipment right past our house. It's not the usual Canal sighting.

The men obviously knew what they were doing and mostly stayed in the middle. But the canal isn't real wide and I was glad we hadn't put our boat in the water yet. The man on the barge had to use his pole a couple of times, to push out away from some of them that were docked.

So the Canal is back to normal now and we are glad to be living on it for the season. We look forward to more beautiful days here in the land of Winter sunshine.

LINKING THIS WEEK to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; SAY CHEESE; WILD BIRD Wednesday;   Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

December 16, 2018
LEFTOVERS — AND MORE

We had two wonderful family Thanksgiving celebrations. (Not on the same day — one was an early celebration to include family who wouldn't be here on the actual date). And I took no pictures at all . Because it is hard to eat and talk and enjoy the great company and still remember that I even own a camera. This is the only Thanksgiving picture — November's full moon when we returned home after last Thursday's feast. (We were full too!).

Wild Turkeys

What better week for some leftover turkey(s)? They thrive around here — each of these pictures were taken (not on Thanksgiving Day) near where our son-in-law and daughter live.

Canada Geese

The Canada Goose is another wild bird that loves living in this part of Oregon (most of them don't even migrate). These are contemplating going for a swim along the walking path near us. All the turkeys and geese are from the season's archives. Because I took almost no pictures last week, this post was going to be all leftovers. But then …

Common (red-shafted) Flicker

… as I sat at the desk this morning, I spotted this outside the sliding glass door. The Flicker was right outside near our patio, but by the time I found shoes and camera, of course he had flown. But once outside, I spotted him at the playground here in our complex.   It took awhile to get this picture though.



Oregon Junco and Red-shafted Flicker

He was a very busy flicker — there must be lots of tasty insects hiding in that pile of leaves! There were a lot of Juncos and other birds flying around to distract me as I waited for the flicker to lift his head. I didn't think it was too chilly outside, but I am glad the neighborhood children all apparently thought so. The playground area was empty, except for the birds (and me).

Yet another distraction.

Sharing leftovers and new offerings with the following: Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

November 25, 2018
GIVING THANKS

Mid-November in Eugene

The trees are a little barer, the leaves are a little browner ….

but we still have some blue sky days ..

and we still have some color.

We have new surroundings and each day brings surprises. Last week, robins were everywhere we looked. Maybe they think it is Spring again.



I share the walking trails with a variety of flora and fauna.

We are grateful for so much.

Thanksgiving Week and always.



Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough and more.

It turns denial into acceptance,

Chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast,

A house into a home,

A stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

Brings peace for today,

And creates a vision for tomorrow.

John O’Donohue

Linking to the following sharing opportunities. I'm thankful for the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY;   THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  SIGNS SIGNS;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

November 18, 2018
SCENE AROUND HOME



We are still getting organized in our new Eugene home. It does already feel like home except for the kitchen, where everything seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's a lot of storage space, just not where I want it. But we're getting there. (And by that, I mean that Bill is installing shelving where it is needed.)

So we are busy — but there is always time to walk … and there are many nearby choices. None are in the wrong place and it is never the wrong time!

Canada Geese, Mallard Ducks, and some white geese which I think are tame ones that have gone wild (or the escapees' descendants).

All of the pictures in this post were taken along the Willamette River behind Valley River Center, the largest shopping mall in Eugene. I had an errand to do in the mall, but had a lot more fun walking the river path after I had accomplished that task. The mall is about a mile and a half from where we live now — walking distance (but I drove this time and parked next to the walking path.)

Scrub Jay

One of the best parts of Eugene is the easy access to natural areas. I don't think everybody in this area even realizes how fortunate we are here. We visited a lot of shopping areas in our RV travels and I don't think I ever saw any others with these nearby views and walking paths.

The pictures were taken this weekend. Almost the middle of November and we still have blue sky and sunshine. As long as you get outside between 10 and 4. We've had freezes at night and fog in the early mornings. Bud mid-days are still beautiful.

The walk/bike bridge crosses the Willamette from Valley River to the parkway opposite, and from there is a couple miles walk to downtown Eugene, where we lived before this move. So we aren't too far from where we were when we lived right downtown, but everything about it is different.

It's good to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Autumn days — and we'll get organized indoors eventually (probably around the time we are ready to head for Florida)…. it will all come together … and after all, in the meantime …

All you need is ….

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY;  GOOD RANDOM FUN; THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  SIGNS SIGNS;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING;  and GO OUTSIDE SATURDAY

November 11, 2018
WE MOVED!





We moved last week. Not across the country to our winter home-away-from-home (not yet). Just across town — to another part of Eugene. The picture above is a view of the Willamette River from a walking path around our new complex. The mosaic below is from our backyard (which, happily for us, we are not in charge of raking).



It does seem like we are moving a lot lately. I know people who have moved so often they can't even remember all their homes. And I know at least one who has lived all her adult life in one home. We are, like most people probably, somewhere in the middle — but we used to be closer to the latter than we have been in the last few years.

I guess we are still figuring out this phase of retired life. This move gives us more living space than we had in our previous apartment. It also means the end of our experiment with living downtown. There were many things about city living that we enjoyed, but also definite downsides. As with anyplace, I'm sure there will be ups and downs about our new home as well. But we are in the right place for us right now.



Above is one of the upsides — On our first walk on the now nearby river paths I actually got a picture of this Kingfisher. I'm pretty sure I've written before (or at least commented on other blogs) that this bird has for years refused to allow me to get a picture. We see them fairly often, but they always fly as soon as I even think of taking their picture. This one actually posed long enough — a welcoming omen!

Here are some snaps from almost the first day we were in our new home. At that point, we weren't yet sure where everything should go (or what we needed to buy to fill the extra space). There were still boxes to be unpacked and we couldn't find anything in the kitchen (the last is pretty much still true). But most of what I need for daily smiles was in place– my laptop, some of our books, a pretty window view and a few bird-themed accessories. The rest of life's necessities will follow in time!



Grateful for our successful move and for a few more beautiful Autumn days in between the much needed rainy ones and glad to be organized enough to be back to blogging.

#

LINKING to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY;  GOOD RANDOM FUN; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD Wednesday;   Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

November 4, 2018
IT’S GOLDEN!

There were Autumn reds in last week's post and red is beautiful, but October around here is really more about the gold and amber. The collage below is a combination of photos from city and country walks. We've had bright blue skies and warm days this week in both places.



October seems to be the month when we spend a lot of days at regular appointments — doctors, dentists, eye checkups, … all the fun stuff. We should probably try to balance those out over the half year we spend in Eugene, but we get into a routine. And it is nice not to have to think about appointments during the beautiful summer months.



So we've been sticking pretty close to home this week. But we always have time for a visit in the country (and to raid the garden and vine bounty). Their grapes are at luscious perfection right now.



Autumn flower boxes on Eugene's downtown streets.

And more photos from the dahlia garden at the Fairgrounds.

It really isn't necessary to wander far from home to find gold.

Especially this time of year.

LINKING THIS WEEK to:

NATURE NOTES; MACRO MONDAY;  ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;   MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; SIGNS SIGNS; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY BLISS

Thank you to all of the hosts.

October 14, 2018
A LITTLE BIT OF LAKE

October blue skies are the best blue skies in the world.

Knowing those bright days won't last much longer makes each perfect day even more special.

To celebrate the new month, our daughter and I took a walk to Fern Ridge Lake. It's almost exactly a mile from their home, but it was quite a few steps more than that as we wandered through Orchard Park, on their side of the shore.

When we were full-time RVers, we used to stay on the opposite side of the Lake whenever we came to Oregon to visit. Back then, I often blogged about how the Lake is almost emptied every Fall. (Here is a link to a post from way back when — it explains a little more about the reservoir draw-down.) That draw-down started earlier this year than usual because farmers needed the water — it has been so dry here. The above picture is looking across the Lake at the Marina — most of the docks are already empty – people need to haul their boats out while they still can.

There was even less water on the side where we were. Great Blue Herons and Egrets have good luck this time of year, as all of the fish in the lake swim into the shallows.

Nobody is swimming here this time of year — supervised or unsupervised. When our grandchildren were small they enjoyed the empty lake as much as they did during the summer. No swimming, but they had fun running around on the big field and, when the rains first started, getting muddy.

Cyndi and I took their big puppy with us on this walk. When we got back to their home, Parker was happy to get off leash and run around his very own five-acre off-leash park (our daughter and son-in-law live there too, but I believe their dog thinks it is all his playground.)

He found a chew toy!

Cyndi and I sat outside for a rest after our walk. We enjoyed watching the dog tear around the yard for a while until he too settled down for a rest.

We never seem to visit our son-in-law and daughter without going home with food! Their picnic table was covered with several varieties of recently harvested winter squash. We took one of each. And a dozen eggs. And some blueberries from the freezer. All of the pleasure and none of the work.

Red leaves in the City too when we got home that afternoon. And it rained a little bit, but just as we were nearing our door. A perfect October day!

SHARING with thanks to all of the hosts as well as to all the terrific bloggers who link to the following:

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; MACRO MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; GOOD RANDOM FUN; THROUGH MY LENS; ; WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

October 7, 2018