A Glorious Morning

Mom, Candy and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather on Saturday before Mom & Candy headed back to the coast. We drove to the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge near my home and saw a variety of things that brought us joy and satisfaction!

The first thing we encountered was this Bald Eagle in the top of a tree on the side of the road. We expected it to take flight as soon as we got out of the car, but it stayed in the tree and posed for us.

It looked like a young eagle because of some of the darker markings on its head.

I have an application on my phone that allows me to look up birds and their songs. I played an eagle call and this bird perked right up!


Look at these aerodynamics!




Pretty magnificent!














Of course the fields were full of Canada Geese...
and the ponds were full of ducks.


A female and male Shoveler...


Male Ruddy Duck...





Red-tailed Hawk












We stopped near a beautiful Weeping Willow...one of Mom's favorite trees.


Candy was very intently photographing something on the ground.














I had to go over and see what she was looking at. It was some thistles, for heaven's sake! However, look at the beautiful markings...



Mom and Candy were examining a tree that was beginning to bud. You can see where we learned to take such an interest in nature!










These little Fox Sparrows were enjoying their blackberry perch...not for me!


We saw several Yellow-Rumped Warblers.

















Lambing season! Is that sweet, or what?






Awwwwwwwwwww...




Some trees were in full bloom...spring really is just around the corner!















High above our heads an Osprey soared.














If you could see this up close, you would know the Romans did not invent public baths! The water was really flying. Our morning was truly a "gift." Is doesn't get any better than this...does it?

Eating Raw

It's always interesting when my sister Candy visits because I get to try new yummy things! She focuses on "eating raw" which is very healthy and tasty. I enjoyed these spring rolls which consisted of a variety of vegetables, herbs and sprouts rolled into a moistened rice wrapper. We dipped the spring rolls in sweet pepper sauce and peanut sauce. The flavors and textures were wonderful! I made fried rice for those who wanted something cooked as well.

Picture Perfect Day at the Beach!

Bill and I could not stay away from the beach on such as beautiful day as today. We drove south on I-5 and headed toward Corvallis and then Newport. From there we drove to Waldport. We saw this nest with two Bald Eagles just before Waldport.

























The Waldport Bridge is always an impressive sight. It used to have 3 arches before this new bridge was built. My sister and I recently learned from our Mom that she crept up and over one of the arches as a teenager!

The seals in the bay are always curious.



We stopped at the Rock Creek viewpoint to enjoy the sun and to watch the waves.





It is difficult to capture the beauty and power of the ocean!


The colors today were spectacular!




Bill enjoyed a little
R & R.











We stopped in Depot Bay as we continued north, and I tried to capture some more waves.



Before leaving Lincoln City, we stopped at the beach at Road's End.







I couldn't resist capturing a few more waves. The light was lower in the sky, so the colors were less vibrant.


You have to click on this picture to see it larger in order to really appreciate it :-).


Our last stop before returning home was Neskowin. We stopped at this marsh on the right side of the road just before entering the town. The reflections were like a painting!

We had dinner in Neskowin which was a nice end to a perfect day.

Valentine Dinner

After seeing the cards on my daughter Anne's blog, I decided to make some as well. I recently converted one of our upstairs bedrooms into an art studio, and it was a real joy to spread everything out and leave it there for a couple of days! I really had a good time.


I gave most of the cards to my family members at a Valentine Dinner I cooked for all of them. Anne and Matt came down from Portland with Megan and our grandson Jesse. Andy had to work. Kristin and Paul came and brought a good friend, Kayla. We also invited a young adult from California who was visiting Willamette University to audition for a music scholarship. It was a fun evening.

I had fun setting and decorating the table.


We started with a nice green salad, and I made a different lasagna than I've made before. It was made with an Italian sausage meat sauce, a creamy garlic sauce, and a homemade three cheese pesto. Everyone seemed to like it.


Everyone also enjoyed the homemade Italian Olive Bread that I made. We had chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert :-).