Soft and Pink Was The Sky Tonight

Driving home tonight after a quick afternoon jaunt out of town, the sunset was so beautiful, I just had to stop and take a few pictures.

Softly the evening came /with the sunset/.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Enjoy the beauty of a sunset, nature's farewell kiss for the night."

Sharon Rene

Day 88/100 - #100dayproject

Trip Report - Day 4 - From Oregon to Washington

We were up early the next morning to head out of Coos Bay, OR on our way to Seattle, WA.  The view across from our hotel was quite striking as the early morning mist hovered over the trees.

It's always interesting how a picture can take you back to a specific and very detailed memory.  When I look at the picture below, I can remember everything about the moment when it was taken: I was standing in the parking lot of the hotel, waiting to board the bus. It was a little chilly and a little damp.  A truck full of logs drove by at the same time as a train was passing through town. I was taking pictures of the trees on the horizon and listening to the train whistle blow and the sound of the train clicking along the rails.

Lots of green along our route.

The reflections on the windows (like the one above where you can see the checkered pattern of my coat!) sometimes made for some pretty interesting photos, like this one of the face of the woman sitting behind me superimposed on the car carrier in the lane beside us.

It was another long day on the road, another 400 miles to be covered.  Part of the way, we watched a DVD about Alcatraz that one of the trip organizers had bought when we were at the Golden Gate Bridge. This particular one was kind of cheesy but also interesting.

We had a quick lunch at a truck stop in Portland.  I have several friends who live there and wished we could have stopped long enough for a visit with them but we had a game to get to!  Grabbed some food to eat on the bus and off we went again.

Lots of rain along the way, off and on all day.  And more trees, trees, trees! 

 Luckily, clearer skies awaited us as we arrived in Seattle late that afternoon.

Day 87/100 - #100dayproject

3 Bunny Night

It was a three bunny night tonight.  I was out for a walk before dinner and spotted these two little cuties down the street.  (Can you see them? Of course, it had to be the one night I forgot my camera at home, so I didn't have the benefit of the zoom lens, I only had my iPhone.)

I inched slowly closer and they stayed put.

Suddenly, with a rustle of leaves, a third bunny appeared, right between the first two!

But seconds later, with a flash of his or her white cottontail, bunny #2 headed for the hedge, leaving bunnies 1 and 3.  Who let me walk slowly closer and closer and seemed quite comfortable posing for photos!

Every day is a good day when there are bunnies involved!!

Day 86/100 - #100dayproject

Trip Report - Day 3 - From California to Oregon

After my visit to the Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA, I met the group for breakfast at the local Denny's.  They had a number of old photos in frames on the wall, including this one of the local baseball team in 1920.

After a filling meal of pancakes, eggs and bacon, we drove out of town and headed north.  There were trees, trees and more trees everywhere along the route.

An hour or two later, we found ourselves in the midst of the giant redwoods forest.  We stopped to take pictures beside the big trees.

We stopped for lunch in Eureka, CA and then headed back out on the road.  I sat on the west side of the bus, hoping for views of the coastline but once again, it was mostly trees, trees, trees.

At one point, we stopped at an elk viewing area (can't remember if it was morning or afternoon).  There were several elk in a field, munching away on the grass, generally oblivious to our presence.

I also got a picture of a swallow. We'd seen several of them flying about the Oakland stadium but I wasn't able to capture them on film. At least this one was sitting still for a moment or two!

There were occasional glimpses of the rocky shore and various beaches.

Unfortunately, I can't tell where we were or what beaches we drove past. We didn't stop at any of them and our guide didn't provide any information about what we were seeing.  I took photos out the bus window and hoped they would be in focus.

We arrived in Coos Bay, OR, just before sunset - about 400 miles from where we'd started that morning.  We were treated to a delicious beef dinner at a local restaurant and then driven to our hotel, where we all went straight to bed, in anticipation of another 6 a.m. wake up call the next day!

Day 85/100 - #100dayproject

Beware

The sign in the window very clearly read, "Beware of Dog".

In case you can't read it in the photo above, here's a closeup.

So it comes down to this: either these cats (1) can't read; (2) think they're dogs; (3) have already disposed of the dog and taken over; or (4) just don't give a darn! :)

Day 84/100 - #100dayproject

Trip Report - Day 3 - Fort Bragg (Continued)

Further to Friday's post, I just had to share a few more photos of the Glass Beach at Fort Bragg, CA.

Here's where it is located on the map, in case you want to plan your own visit.

It is quite a beautiful spot.

As you walk toward the water, there is a sign identifying various elements of nature you might find in the area, including osprey.

I was thrilled to see this osprey hunting nearby. He would hover in the air in one spot for several minutes at a time, looking for prey, no doubt. I don't think he found any, as he never actually dove down towards the ground, but I really enjoyed watching him in the sky.

The coastline is quite rocky, not at all what I am used to seeing at a "beach".

But it has a rugged beauty that is quite appealing to me all the same.

It was a grey and rainy morning but there was still a bit of a view, looking rather mysterious in the early morning fog and mist, far off in the distance.

Day 83/100 - #100dayproject

Celebrating Grandma's Birthday

Today is the 107th anniversary of my grandmother Laurella's birth.  I celebrated the occasion by doing something she would have enjoyed doing, taking a calligraphy class.  When I came home, I had a look through some of her class notes and pens from when she explored the various techniques involved in this method of "beautiful writing"; it was an interest we shared in days gone by.

Here's one of my favourite pictures of her, taken in 1930 when she was a young woman of just twenty years old.

Happy Birthday, Grandma! xo


Day 82/100 - #100dayproject

Trip Report - Day 3 - Fort Bragg

I've always been a beachcomber at heart. So when I received the itinerary for this trip and saw that we were staying overnight in Fort Bragg, California (not to be confused with Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a major military base), I knew right away that this was the location of the famous "sea glass beach".  This beach gets its fame from the fact that it is covered in sea glass pieces, the result of years of garbage dumping near the coastline in the past (described best in this Wikipedia entry).

Usually when you're walking on a beach, you find the occasional piece of glass.  As you can see from the photo below, there are several pieces of glass within a very small area.  It is very easy to find!

We had arrived in Fort Bragg after dark the night before and we were leaving immediately after breakfast the next morning.  As a result, I got myself up at 5 a.m. and was packed and out the door by 5:45, leaving my suitcase near the bus and walking 10 minutes or so to the beach.

There were a few other humans around, a couple of joggers waved as they went past, but I pretty much had the place to myself at that early hour of the morning.  I had checked the tide schedule and knew it was just after low tide, so no worries on that score. It is a very rocky coastline and it was a grey morning, with rain approaching. 

Some of the glass pieces were quite large, as you can see from the photo below, and worn smooth from the waves.

The rocks were quite interesting as well, especially this one, with its unusual indentations and colouring.

I was delighted to find this heart-shaped rock.

And almost immediately after, a heart-shaped piece of glass!

You're not allowed to remove the glass. The beach is part of a national park and it's against the law.  I found this collection of pieces on a rock, someone else had left it behind.

I only got to see a tiny bit of the area as my time was limited, I had to get back to meet the group for breakfast before the bus left town.  I would definitely like to go back to Fort Bragg and spend more time exploring this coastline.  Hopefully some day soon!

Day 81/100 - #100dayproject

Trip Report - Day 2 - Sea Lions

While we were exploring Pier 39 on our day in San Francisco, we came across a whole bunch of sea lions lying on a number of docks.

The story we were told is that a few sea lions first appeared on these docks back in October of 1989, soon after a major earthquake hit San Francisco.  More and more kept arriving and they've kept coming back ever since.

They were fascinating to watch. Most of them were sleeping but some were falling or being knocked into the water and taking turns jumping back up on the docks.

There were frequent yawns.

And many very sleepy-looking sea lions!

And the occasional reminder that the sea lions are meant to be safe in this area, even if they weren't exactly welcomed when they first arrived.

What's the difference between a seal and a sea lion? Sea lions have external ear flaps. If you look closely at the following two photos, you can see them.

They really were fascinating to watch!

Day 80/100 - #100dayproject