padded posts

padded posts, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

mossiness abounds at Niagara Park along the North Santiam River. On our way back home Sunday afternoon

fencejumpers

IMG_68211, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

first we had to go around the gate to get in the park in the first place. Then we had to jump the fence to get down by the water. closed for no explicable reason. I was the last one back over the fence. photo by elaine

santiam teal

santiam teal, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

crazy colored water in the Santiam River at Niagara Park. On our way home Sunday afternoon

e on the santiam

e on the santiam, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

We pulled over along the Santiam River to get out of the car for just a bit.

treasures in the Santiam

treasures in the Santiam, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

The Santiam River in Central Oregon is a luminous river; the rocks looks like jewels.

curves and sticks

curves and sticks, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

lovely scenery coming over the Santiam Pass in the Cascades in Central Oregon

This area was devasted by a massive wildfire (sparked by a lightning strike)a couple summers ago.

snow and sun

snow and sun, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

I was a very happy girl on my vacation in Sunriver, Oregon.

sunday was sunny!

lounge

lounge, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Saturday night ended with Dave playing some music in the living room.

Sunriver, Oregon

neither president nor asshole

neither president nor asshole, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

terry and I sort the damn cards so we can play President, also called Asshole. a classic drinking game.

Sunriver, Oregon

birthday girl

birthday girl, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Erin turned 30! Rather than "Happy Birthday" her candles spelled out "Dirty Papa" and some gibberish. It was a long, wonderful weekend.

queen of the hot tub

queen of the hot tub, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Erin turned 30. We celebrated in Sunriver, Oregon. Hot tub, snow, keg of amber ale, tons o food, good good times.

Elaine made the lovely tin foil tiara for the birthday girl. It was the best she could do without daisies available. fine work e!

my shot

my shot, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

terry missed his shot but I got mine. Playing pool in our vacation house in Sunriver, Oregon

girl time

girl time, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Melissa, Elaine & birthday girl Erin stayed in the hot tub for a crazy long time Saturday night. We kept checking on them and they finally emerged to join us for cards after the card game had ended.

hot tub happiness

hot tub happiness, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

it's a good weekend when you lose track of how many times you went in the hot tub.

Sitting in a hot tub while it snows upon your head is beyond heavenly.

sunriver saturday

sunriver saturday, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

evening view from the deck at our home for the weekend in Sunriver, Oregon

birthday helmet

birthday helmet, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

We spent the weekend in snowy Sunriver, Oregon to celebrate Erin's 30th birthday. Her helmet was later replace with a tin foil tiara.

snowpack

snowpack, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Elaine's birthday gift to Erin, a keg of Hound's Tooth Amber Ale from the Silver Moon Brewery in Bend, Oregon. yummmm

ahhhhhhh

ahhhhhhh, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

melissa & dave enjoy a morning soak in the hot tub. Sunriver, Oregon

the game of chimney

the game of chimney, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

the object is to get the snowball down the chimney. other weekend games were Green Box (hit the green box with your snowball) and cork in the cup (the cup placed on the second level banister in the living room). We're easily amused. Elaine threw so many snow balls her pectorals were sore.

bacon scented morning

bacon scented morning, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

I woke up Saturday morning to the smell of bacon cooking. A lovely way to wake up! I was very happy to see many inches of new, wet snow on the ground, on the trees, everywhere.

e about to drive

e about to drive, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

she was ecstatic to get in a short game of golf before driving the final distance to Sunriver

hole one view

hole one view, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

View of Mt Bachelor from hole one at the frisbee golf course at Central Oregon Community College. We stopped in Bend to buy a keg. We tapped it in the parking lot before our short game of golf. a fine start to vacation...

Sunriver snowiness and Sankaran love

Hello everyone!

I had a wonderful long weekend in Sunriver to celebrate Erin's 30th birthday. I worked a half day and piled in the car with Dave and Elaine to leave for Central Oregon. We made it over the Santiam Pass just as it was really starting to snow heavily. Coming down the eastern side into Bend it was sunny and beautiful. We stopped at Dave's former brother in law's house and he took us in to Bend to pick up a keg a beer. This was Elaine's birthday gift for Erin! The four of us then drove to Central Oregon Community College where we met up with another old friend of Dave's, Pat, for a quick and short game of frisbee golf. The course starts out dramatically with a steep drop off and a view to Mt Bachelor to the west. The course is dry and dusty, typical high desert terrain, quite different from the greengreengreen we're used to on our side of the Cascades. My whole day was made when I got in a crazy long putt, it was so far I wasn't even using my putter. We all whooped and cheered and I was satisfied.

The course has just nine holes and we finished just as the light was fading away. We said goodbye to Charlie and Pat and drove the short way to Sunriver. Already at the house were Erin & Terry, Melissa & Jay and Gabe. The house we had rented had 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a huge dining room table perfect for big dinners and games, a pool table, a fireplace, giant wrap around decks and a hot tub. We all ate dinner of caesar salad & lasagna. Some of us jumped in the hot tub where we relished the warm, warm water as the snow fell down upon our heads. Amazing stuff!

I woke up Saturday morning to the smell of bacon cooking, truly a lovely way to wake up. Elaine was downstairs preparing her stupendous egg bake for breakfast. I had some coffee and grabbed my camera to take some pictures of the new snow. Overnight at least six inches of wet, sticky snow had fallen and it would continue to snow for most of the morning. After breakfast I took a dip in the hot tub, so nice with my morning coffee! I then showered and spent the rest of the day just hanging out. We played lots of card games and made up games such as Chimney & Green Box (both involving throwing snowballs at said objects) and Cork and Cup which involved throwing a cork to a cup sitting on the 2nd floor banister. We're easily amused. Elaine made sandwiches for lunch and the keg was seeing plenty of attention. There was some afternoon napping followed by the lighting of the birthday candles on Erin's cake and some singing. Elaine made her a tin foil tiara to wear for the rest of the night.

Us ladies got in the hot tub again. We got out to eat some barbecued chicken legs that Jay had grilled up as an appetizer and we all felt much better for the sustenance. The girls then piled back into the hot tub. I lasted for about an hour than felt much too warm. I got out and took pictures of the guys playing pool and then we played a game of President. Elaine, Erin & Melissa stayed in the hot tub this whole time with Dave periodically checking up on them. They finally emerged and we ate the burgers that Jay had grilled up for dinner.

Sunday morning we woke up to blue skies and sun with the snow melting fast. We all had some coffee and muffins and began packing up our stuff. Erin & Melissa were going to the Sunriver resort spa for some treatments (massage, facial, wrap) but we were heading back to Portland. We loaded up the Dave's car, this time with Gabe riding back with us. The roads over the pass were clear. We continued our game of "Name that Artist" from the Ipod on shuffle. Bonus points for naming the album and song title. Dave guesses Modest Mouse each time since Elaine has probably 7 Modest Mouse albums on her Ipod. We pulled over along the Santiam River to get out of the car for just a bit. The sun was shining and the river is amazingly clear. Elaine and Dave played Rocks, the goal of which was to throw your rock onto a big rock in the river and have the rock not be knocked off by the current. We can make a game out of anything. We piled back in the car and kept driving until hunger forced us to stop in Salem where we ate at Pietro's Pizza. From there it was just a short shot north to Portland. We dropped off Gabe at his car at Erin & Terry's house & went to Elaine & Dave's house. I loaded my stuff into my car and went inside to get my pictures off my camera.

I checked my email and found out some very sad news. Nandita's father, Narayan passed away early Saturday morning. He had been quite ill recently with several medical problems, congestive heart failure being the main factor. He had been moved to hospice care in the last few weeks and Nandita & the rest of her family had been staying with him day and night. They were all with him when he died. I checked plane tickets and found nothing that could even get me to Madison in time for today's service. I went home and called Nandita. We talked for a while and I told her how much I loved her, how I loved her dad. Mostly I just listened. I wish so badly I could be home to see her, to give her a big hug, to see my own parents, to celebrate Narayan with the entire Sankaran family. He loved his family exuberantly. He loved his daughters passionately. He had a great smile and gave wonderful hugs.

so that was my weekend. The good and the bad...I suppose that's how life goes.

Please let me know how you are and what you've been doing.

xoxoxo,
carolyn

invisible waves of words

invisible waves of words, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Elaine took me on a random little tour of Portland today. This is the KGON tower in the West Hills of Portland which of course I've seen a million times but never stood below.

1018 feet tall...couldn't fit it all in my viewfinder

forgotten sunglasses

forgotten sunglasses, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

I left mine in my car, many miles away. No matter. A lovely afternoon at Council Crest Park, the highest point in Portland.

dining al fresco

dining al fresco, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Elaine & I took advantage of the Sunday sunshine. sandwiches from the Lovejoy Market, a shared 22 oz. of Rogue Dead Guy and a great view. At Council Crest Park, the highest point in Portland

I love it at night

I love it at night, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

the Made in Oregon sign at the west end of the Burnside Bridge.

steel bridge

steel bridge, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

downtown Portland

a very unusual bridge. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical lift bridge in North America, with the Hawthorne Bridge just down the river being the oldest.

waterfront park

waterfront park, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

view from upper deck of Steel Bridge looking south up the Willamette River in Portland

going over

going over, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

after walking across the Steel Bridge to the East Bank Esplanade in Portlnad

the color of steel

the color of steel, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

walking across the lower level of the Steel Bridge in Portland. From a distance it looks like a huge black monstrosity. Up close, it was suprisingly colorful!

450 tons

450 tons, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

The counterweights on the Hawthorne Bridge each weigh 450 tons. The bridge was built in 1910 and is the oldest vertical lift bridge in operation in the US. A lovely bridge to walk over on a sunny Sunday morning

bridgecity

bridgecity, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

looking south down the Willamette River from the Hawthorne Bridge to the Marquam Bridge then the Ross Island Bridge. Portland is a city bound by it's bridges, not divided by the river.

vegas in portland

vegas in portland, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

a little bit of vegas tackiness on Interstate Avenue in North Portland. A tiki karaoke bar where we celebrated Mark's birthday Saturday night. giant mai tais. omigod

dodgeball playoffs

dodgeball playoffs, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Elaine, front & center with the brown shirt, is about to get out. Dodgeball finals in North Portland. It's all fun until someone gets a ball to the face, someone that's not even playing mind you!

the party's always in the kitchen

the party's always in the kitchen, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

me & the birthday girl, Eva & Mike. Mark flashes his pearly whites just out of frame. Friday night party. late, late night. Eva is from the Czech Republic & her birthday is on St Patrick's Day. beers for everyone!

photo by some guy

on the phone with mom

on the phone with mom, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

rainbow while I talked on the phone with my mom on Friday evening. Happy Birthday Mama!

Note the crazy, fiery light on the trees on the right.

Portland is truly the land of rainbows. I saw more in my first 6 months of living here than in the rest of my life combined!

spring for me! spring for you! spring for us!

Hello everyone! Happy First Day of Spring!

I had a really nice weekend. Friday evening I talked on the phone with my mom for a long time as it was her birthday. I was outside chatting on the phone with her & weeding my garden when it started raining on me just as the sun was setting. Oh Portland how I love you! The sky to the west was a peachy blaze while to the east a huge rainbow formed. I snapped a few pictures and promised to send them to my mom.

Later that night Mark and William picked me up and we went to the Horse Brass Pub on Belmont to meet up with Eva, the birthday girl, and a bunch of friends. It was freaky smoky there and packed with people. St Patrick's Day on a Friday! It doesn't even matter that the Horse Brass is an English pub not Irish. Every bar was packed. From there we went to a house party in Ladd's Addition hosted by Toni & John. It was Toni's birthday also and she's from Dublin! The party was lots of fun with a big international turnout. In our group William is from Ireland, Cubic is from Scotland and Eva is from the Czech Republic. There were several girls from the Netherlands, another woman from Ireland besides the host, a couple from Germany and a British woman. It was pretty amusing to talk with the German girl who didn't like beer. hahaha! I would dance in the living room whenever some good funk music was played (Parliament, James Brown) but the host was a little short on the attention span so he was constantly changing the music even stopping in the middle of songs. booooo! We stayed until very late then decided to walk the 20 or so blocks back to Mike & Eva's house where we stayed in their guest room.

Saturday morning Mark & I walked back to Ladd's Addition to retrieve his car and go home. He dropped me off and I showered and read my book for a bit before driving to North Portland to meet up with Elaine. Elaine plays on a dodgeball team and the league playoffs were Saturday afternoon. I was sitting the bleachers talking with Elaine & Kami or maybe it was Karli? I'm not sure. They're identical twins. Which one was it? Anywhooo, Elaine had warned me to watch out for flying balls since the bleachers are right behind the court where people play. I was being mindful when for a brief moment I wasn't. I turned to say something to Elaine when a ball came flying, ricocheted off a bleacher and nailed me in the side of the face. OUCH! Tears welled up in my eyes & I moved up several sets of bleachers to a safer zone. The man that had thrown the ball was definitely the hugest dude in the entire league. He looked like an NFL linebacker and boy could he throw a ball hard. ouch! His team lost. haha! I sort of lost my enthusiasm for the whole event after that. I watched Elaine's team, the Flamethrowers play but unfortunately they lost.

After that I decided to head home. I read for a long time then watched Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. I own the movie but haven't watched it in over a year as it made me cry every time I watched it. No tears this time! Still one of my favorite movies! Later that night I drove over to Mark's house and gave him his birthday gift. His birthday is actually tomorrow but he's left for a work trip to San Francisco so we celebrated on Saturday. We drove to the Alibi in North Portland, a tiki karaoke bar. We crowded into a table and had some drinks (giant mai tais for Mark) and laughed & cheered the karaoke singers. It was lots of fun but I left early as I was supposed to volunteer at the museum on Sunday morning.

Sunday morning I woke up early amazed to see blue, blue sky. I showered then went to my local coffee shop for some breakfast. I drank my mocha and finished my book A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami. It was a very good book. I left the coffee shop and drove downtown and parked near the waterfront. I walked to the Hawthorne Bridge and went part way over the bridge taking some photos. I then walked north along Waterfront Park, underneath the Morrison Bridge, the Burnside Bridge and finally crossing the Steel Bridge on the lower pedestrian bridge to the east side of the river and the East Bank Esplanade. I was really wishing I had my bike as it was a gorgeous sunny day. I took lots of pictures and came to the conclusion that it was way too nice for me to spend three hours in the museum so I bailed on my volunteer shift. This is why I don't volunteer in summer because I'm not willing to give up sunny days.

I called Elaine and we decided to meet up and go play in the sun together. We left her house and drove to NW Portland where we stopped at the Lovejoy Market for veggie sandwiches and a 22 of Rogue Dead Guy Ale to share. We then drove up to Council Crest Park, the highest point in Portland. We found an empty bench just waiting for us. We sat in the sun and shared our beer and ate our yummy sandwiches while looking out over the blue hills to the west of Portland. When we were done eating we walked up to the very top and looked out to the east of the city. The view of the mountains here is incredible but there just a few too many clouds on the horizon for them to be seen clearly. There was lots of snow still hanging on to the foothills though.

We left Council Crest and Elaine drove me to the KGON tower just because I'd never been there before. It is a HUGE radio tower in the West Hills of the city so of course I'd seen it many times before. I had never stood beneath it though. It's 1018 feet tall and surrounded by other strange radio towers transmitting mysterious signals. We left the West Hills and took the Fremont Bridge to Northeast Portland. We didn't realize how lucky we were to take that route as we later found out there had been a huge protest in downtown Portland (10,000 people can slow down traffic!). Another reason why I love Portland though. People still protest! I despise George and his administration with my heart and soul. But I digress...

Elaine & I drove to her friend Tami's house. Tami is a new mother and this was the first time I'd met her 3 month old son Thomas. We went for a walk around the huge park by her house. We were happy for the continued sunshine and amazed by the number of activities happening in the park. We counted one baseball game, one soccer game and two dodgeball games. Elaine knew a bunch of the kickballers as they're people that are also in her dodgeball league. After our walk we left to drive back to Elaine's house where I got all my pictures off my camera.

For dinner I met up with Jess at Ichidai for some yummy, yummy sushi. It was so good and we had a great time talking. We're trying to plan a trip to Seattle together in the next few weeks. yeah!

So that was my weekend. Please let me know how you are and what you've been up to. I hope all is well!

xoxo,
carolyn

Mt Tabor depths

Mt Tabor depths, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

One of my favorite places in Portland, Mt Tabor Park, home to some of the reservoirs of the city's drinking water.

spindly spring

spindly spring, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

forsythia & flowering quince blooming in Mt Tabor Park. Yeah to Mom for identifying the pink plant!

where I wanna be

where I wanna be, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

underneath my favorite giant sequoia tree at Mt Tabor Park. There's a great view of the lower reservoir and of downtown Portland & the West Hills. The sky is huge from this vantage point. A great place to read a book then watch the sunset.

yonder

yonder, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

john traverses a gigantic fallen tree on the back 9 of the east frisbee golf course at Rooster Rock State Park in the Columbia River Gorge

unlikely

unlikely, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

on a day like today...

Rooster Rock State Park in the Columbia River Gorge has a "clothing optional" beach. A bit chilly for such things today but a perfect day for frisbee golf. We played the 18 hole course here.

underfoot

underfoot, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

moss & lichen growing near the parking lot at Rooster Rock State Park

upward bound

upward bound, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

along the banks of the Columbia River at Rooster Rock State Park

crumplybump

crumplybump, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

bizarre trees in Laurelhurst Park

colorless on a chilly morning

colorless on a chilly morning, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

walking through Laurelhurst Park on Saturday morning. when the colors cannot be saved...b&w it is.

chanticleer point

chanticleer point, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

amazing evening light looking east up the Gorge. You can see bits of snow on the high cliffs on both sides of the river

going up

going up, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

My after-work adventure on Friday...

On Larch Mountain (not even a real mountain at 4000 feet) it's crazy winter. In Portland (a mere 30 minutes away) the azaleas & flowering plum trees are blooming.

The BLOOMING has begun!

Hello everyone!

I had a really wonderful weekend! My weekend started with a little adventure after work. Last week saw some very strange weather in Portland with temperatures far below normal and some periods of snow though it only stuck at the higher elevations. As I was leaving work Friday afternoon I could see the foothills to the Cascades were plastered with snow. I wanted to find that snow. I drove into the Gorge & headed up Larch Mountain road. The road climbed into the snow zone pretty quickly. The towering trees were caked in snow. I drove until the road was no longer plowed as I am without tire chains and looking for an easy adventure not a nightmare. I walked around a bit and took some photos. It smelled wonderfully piney and cold. It was really amazing up there. I headed down & stopped at Chanticleer Point to watch some crazy light in the Gorge before heading home to Portland.

I went to Elaine & Gina's to get my photos off my camera and they invited me to dinner at Bewon, a really great Korean restaurant on NW 23rd. It was Elaine & Dave, John & Gina & me. We ordered family style and shared everything. There was a zillion little round dishes like a nicely organized galaxy filled with kim chee(two varieties), spinach, mysterious little beans, calamari, radishes and bean sprouts. The meat entrees were really wonderful and the rice perfectly sticky. We should have asked for the extra hot sauce. We're a bunch of spice freaks. After dinner Elaine & Dave & I went back to our neighborhood to have a few beers at Thatchers. We talked and laughed and were baffled by the unknown songs that everyone else seemed to be singing along with.

Saturday I woke up early and was happy to see blue skies. I showered and made coffee before heading to Laurelhurst Park. I walked around the park and marvelled at the huge camellia blossoms and the baby wood ducks with their dramatic white and black coloring, always quickly diving under water each time I focused on them. I then drove out into the Gorge to Rooster Rock State Park. I walked along the Columbia for a while and filled my pocket with smooth stones and other found treasures. A little after 10 AM Dave, Terry, Gina & John showed up with two black labs. We were excited to play the frisbee golf course there as it had been awhile, almost a year for me. The front 9 and the back 9 are totally different and both interesting to play. Dave lost one disc in the drink and then threw in another one that he was thankfully able to recover with the help of a big stick.

We then drove down to the east end of the park to play the back 9 which after the first hole are entireley in a dense, mossy forest. There are some really crazy shots including one where you drive off a huge cliff. I, along with several others, were able to land right below the basket though I inexplicably missed my putt (damn this game!) so I blew my shot at 2! Curses while smiling! It was lots of fun but by the end we were all hungry and the clouds had thickened and it was just beginning to sprinkle. We made a big run at Burgerville and ate at Elaine & Gina's house. I then went home where I happily napped having been lured from my bed much too early by the now hidden sun & blue skies. I woke up and read for a while before going over to Elaine & Gina's. Elaine was working, working, working (also why she had to miss morning golf :( booooo!). Gina & I watched the movie Proof where Gwyneth Paltrow & Jake Gyllenhael are both math freaks. It was a pretty good movie, not amazing, but Jake is oh so cute. Gina especially has a thing for him. I went home and read for a while before going to sleep.

Sunday morning found me reading the paper while curled up on the floor register with a down blanket loving the warm, warm air from the furnace. I drank coffee and read my book for a while before showering. I watched a documentary about a crazy outbreak of syphilis outside Atlanta among 200 affluent teenagers. Whoa! Yes I watch documentaries on random subjects but it was a Frontline episode and you can never go wrong with that. Later in the afternoon I went up to Mt Tabor Park where amazingly enough the sun came out. The BLOOMING as definitely begun! I walked around the reservoirs (upper & lower). I sat below my favorite sequoia and looked out over the city. I read my book in the warm sunshine and took some pictures. Eventually the clouds took over, causing the temperature to drop dramatically so I left. After stopping at Elaine's to get my photos of my camera I went home and read for a while.

Later that evening I went to Mark's house. His friend Mike and his brother Matt who was in town visiting from the east coast cooked an amazing meal. Eva & I enjoyed sitting at the counter, sipping our wine and eating the appetizers while watching the two of them put together a fantastic dinner: fresh fettucine with alfredo sauce (from scratch baby) with red peppers, spinach & assorted italian meats (salumi & prosciutto). It was a really great meal & I'm excited to eat it again for my lunch a few moments from now. After dinner we had dessert: samplings from Mark's impressive collection of scotch & bourbon. mmmmm! We talked around the dining room table and cleaned up a bit before the 9 o'clock start of the new episode of The Sopranos. I've seen all of them but always on Netflix so it was pretty cool to see the new episode on HBO. Entertaining stuff as always. Afterwards we finished picking up the kitchen then Mike, Eva & Matt called it a night. Mark and I watched the season finale of Flavor of Love, a hysterical reality show where Flavor Flav, formerly of Public Enemy, tries to find love. He shouts out "Flavor Flav!" at random moments and is often seen with a giant clock around his neck (still after all these years). A very entertaining conclusion to my weekend.

So that's what I've been up to. Please let me know how you are & what you've been doing! I hope all is well!

xoxox,
carolyn

I really must be going

dreamy, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

Sunday afternoon it was so hard to pull myself away from the beach at Lincoln City to drive home to Portland.

fly by

fly by, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

looking over Beverly Beach on the Oregon coast. The seagulls were flying right along the cliffs.

so it blows

so it blows, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.

very breezy on the beach Sunday morning. just north of Yaquina Bay in Newport