Goodbye Friends, Goodbye Oregon Coast

The day we left the beach I was up early and decided to go for a walk alone on the beach.  I took my new book, "Ceramic Jewelry" by Joy Bosworth but I did not really read much.  I sat on a log and listened to the ocean, I watched the sand crabs(maybe they are called sand flees) jump and walk around on the sand.  I was deep in my head and deep in the vastness of the ocean.

I walked all the way down to the jetty and watched the water come up to the rocks and fill the tide pools.  I stayed for a long time and listened to the rocks move. 

I found the sound to be these barnacles.  I also saw some Gooseneck Barnacles...

I know they were Goooseneck Barnacles because while flying home I realized that there was an article in my copy of National Geographic on the "Brimming Pools" of the Pacific northwest.  Lucky me!

I was sad to leave and not ready to come back to work and family.  I really enjoyed my freeness.  My friends don't have children and I enjoyed being able to come and go and do whatever we pleased.

I know.... I love my kids, I often say that I have the 2 best jobs and the best bosses that I could possibly have, but I could not help but feel tinges of jealousy for my friends who are free to pack up and move often, and not be so scheduled and responsible as I have become in my life as a parent and wife and home owner and business owner....At the time, I could have stayed on vacation for at least another month.

It's a grass is always greener situation.  I know some of them wish they had children to worry about and husbands and wives....    I am young and I had a family young.  They are getting older and hope not to miss their chance for children.

On our way back to Eugene, we drove up the coast and checked out the coastal towns.  We stopped at the Tsunami Gallery on HWY 101... This lady seemed to be struggling in the wind.

with her pile of books....

one last look at the ocean... at "The Driftwood"

And then shopping for souvenirs for my 2 darling daughters.  A dog whistle for my Sunshine.  Hair feathers and a belly dancing belt for my Starshine.

I am almost back to normal again. I am trying to get the rebellion out of my spirit. I did have to run off to see some live music and laugh til I cried with one of my favorite girl friends on Friday night and then go to the Philly Art Museum on Sunday.  Today is Monday and I am back to the things I need to do.  Give the dog a haircut, make buttons, schedule trunk shows (through September), plan for the last Girl Scout meeting of the year, rehab the veggie garden from my absence, and it turns out a few friends signed me up for a show on the 18th.....

It was a good trip.  I do deserve time off. 

My ambition is usually a little out of control and my friends often shout at me to relax more.

Then again.... a trip to any art museum usually sets off the ambition again...but I love what I do, and I have the 2 best bosses ever... ;-)

Spelunking

Rumor was that we could get in the cave in the distance. The instructions were to walk around the old naval base and find a path cut out of the cliff and there it would be.  People told us that the navy used to use the cave for submarines.  We were sceptical.

This is us.  Debra, Kurbis and myself. (Kurbis is all fancy and working on a sculpture show in Paris this January--and Deb and something like 4 other friends are going to hang around southern Europe for a month and a half while this is going on. I am seriously jealous about the vacationing part.  I wish I could tag along)

We walked up and around and then there it was, the path down the cliff.  It was all wooded and zig zagged and then we came upon this ledge full of  sea birds.

Turn hard to the left and there it was!

I kind of thought we wouldn't find it for some reason.

It was really great!  It was carved into the cliff.... everyone said it was to launch submarines, but it was pretty small for Subs.

It was long and dark and we used our flashlights while inside.

And climbed down a rope on the other side.

And then we decided to walk across slippery sea weed covered rocks to get to the next cove......2/3's of us went down twice each..... and got themselves very wet and slightly hurt..... maybe it was 2 miles back to camp....But we were in a good place and we almost wet out pants laughing at ourselves.

OK-- I didn't fall in.  But they did think I was pretty funny for using all my limbs while climbing the wet rocks. 
What an awesome time!  To laugh like that!  To hike for hours!  It was great!

What a trip

We both worked a little bit on Saturday and then we packed up the car to the brim and headed to the coast.  Bastendorf County park was home for the next few days.

I'm not sure how I feel about what I did to this photo.....

The hat is for the rain every 2 hours..... every day....it is oregon after all

moss in the trees

Hello Pacific

Land of giant slugs

Home sweet home