I would guess there hasn't been a lot going on in my life lately, I blame it almost entirely on the season and the accompanying weather. When this happens it seems most of my pictures are of birds and flowers.
And, brother, the beginning of this Chapter is replete with birds and flowers. Lots of'em. Oh, and puzzles, too.
Seems to have been a lot of time spent working on puzzles, too. Oh, well, it's a life, if not well-lived, at least lived without giving too much offense.
The H-Birds were out and about at the Raines house and I took advantage of it. Unfortunately, I sorta invited myself over to make an attempt at shooting a series of H-Bird pictures. Fortunately, they were gracious enough to not point out my boorish behavior and allow me to take over their back porch.
But we did get their kids a wee bit more interested in watching the H-birds. And, ingenious as they are, the boys figured out quickly where the best seats in the house are.
So I'm clicking away like a madman with my big camera mounted on the tripod. Fixed on the feeders, it wasn't in a position to move. And then these fellows kept lighting in the tree behind me.
Carol would tell me to "Get a picture of them in the tree", and I was feeling a bit frustrated because I didn't want to move the camera and the tripod.
Well, it sounded funnier when I was thinking about it afterwards. I finally remembered the little camera and grabbed that so when Carol would yell at me about another one in the tree, I'd turn and try and find them using just the screen try to find it, frame it and get a shot.
Let me tell you, it's tough when you've been spoiled by having a viewfinder to suddenly find yourself without one. I spent most of the time trying to locate them on the screen and then zooming in on them. Most times I lost them as I zoomed in.
Fortunately, I did catch a couple of the H-Birds in the trees. And, yes, Carol was right. They did look rather handsome against the blue sky. Hahaha, the whole thing was funnier in my head.
Cabin Fever!!
noun informal irritability, listlessness and similar symptoms resulting from long confinement or isolation indoors during the winter.
There it is. I have been in the grips of a raging case of 'Cabin Fever' for a while. Oh, I've been controlling it but the listlessness, the ennui has turned my place into a pigsty. I haven't cleaned the whole place since, well, after about the first whole month of rain and damp and cold.
Spring has been teasing us. A chance day or an afternoon where the weather is as it should be. Enough, though, to cause me to yearn to do something other than sit in the house...shivering.
Hahaha, I am a Drama Queen.
Still, there was a day when we were out for something and I thought what the Hell, we haven't been anywhere in such a long time, let's go for a drive just to do something.
We drove out to Knight Park on the Salmon but we didn't get out. The day was...damp, gray, overcast, cool and crappy. But we were someplace other than the couch, we were out and we enjoyed the drive. Going back, I drove across the 101 up to the Old 101 and then took that back to LCO.
It wasn't much but it did break the routine and that's a start, isn't it? Gotta start somewhere.
I don't know if I've mentioned it already but the ducks are back!! I opened the blinds and, POW!! There they were big as life. I quickly got some bread to toss to them to welcome them back.
Hahaha, not many people can say they're the Summer Residence of a pair of Mallards.
And tiny little things, too.
But, by golly, when you get a bit closer they show a particular sort of beauty. Little tiny weeds and yet, they're really quite lovely.
There's something there, something tickling the back of my mind, that there is a life lesson tucked in there somewhere. Maybe I just want a lesson where none exists. I don't know.
Still, it strikes me, the incongruity of this small weed being so spectacular when you get close and really look.
It was a semi-sunny day...a moment when the clouds parted and the sun shone on these wet, soggy, damp grounds. And the light played off the edges of the petals and lit up the stamen.
Really quite nice. My "Stop 'N Go" photography doesn't do them justice. Hahaha, small weeds!! Who would have thought they could be so pleasing.
And, to give you an idea of just how small they are, let's back up to a regular view of them, there, on the side of the road.
There there are. Tiny little splats of color. Sometimes you do have to stop and smell the flowers, and the weeds, too. And look at them.
Carol and I have been waiting for the Old Elks Club to reopen as the Beach Club and Monday, April 2, was their grand opening.
And we were there.
They've done a nice job of redecorating the place. I never had the chance to see it when it was the Elks Club but I am told it was dark and not quite as inviting.
Whatever, they've put a lot of effort into the new look.
We decided to split an order of Nachos. What can I say? It'd be hard to mess up an order of Nachos. It was good.
The Sports Bar. On the other side is the dining room. And it is here that the Saturday Evening Finest Kind Dorchester Poker Club and Wine Tasting Club will be meeting for their first soiree outside the DH.
Oh, I've learned that certain residents of the Dorchester House refer to it, slyly, as "The Dork House."
I can appreciate the sentiment and, at times, even add to it with my presence.
He was at the very top of the tower. Couldn't get any higher than that.
Passing the time, Old Man Style.
Hahaha, working the easy puzzles. I've found that I don't need the challenge of a 1,000 piece puzzle. I am a simple man and so if they're around 300-750 pieces I'm a happy guy. Plus, all the loose pieces fit on my table while I put the puzzle together.
And I've also found I am a sucker for nostalgia. At least nostalgic pictures to put together in my puzzles.
You'll see more evidence of this later on.
They like to peck the ground underneath the bird feeders. When they're startled they retreat to the stream running next to my place.
I finally got enough of a break to let the grass dry enough that I was able to mow it. I moved the KIA across the street so I could move the Mini and mow that area.
Gotta admit, while I am not a big fan of sedans, I do sorta like this one. It's not anywhere as easy or convenient to climb into and out of as the Mini. The interior isn't as roomy or comfortable as the Minis.
But, damn, the gas mileage is fantastic. On the trip to Bandon, I got 49.5 mpg. Right now, on my second tank, I am averaging around 45 mpg. That's a helluva lot better than the Mini's 20-24 mpg.
Carol and I had a Flag Committee Meeting the other day and so I combined it with a couple of other errands. My timing was off and we arrived early for the meeting so, rather than drop in too early, we went for a walk.
And we got to hear the Song Sparrows and other birds. And even see one or two.
We even spotted this Towhee. Tubby little chunk, right.
Carol told me this was a Warbler.
She'll correct me if I am wrong.
And another White-Crowned Sparrow.
And when we finished the walk I went over to put away the camera and saw this interesting tableau where the KIAs rear window framed a resting Carol sitting on the curb waiting for me. I couldn't resist snapping a couple pictures.
Hahaha, one of my thoughts on seeing this picture was "Hmmmmm, is there a theme in here? Life through a car window."
Don't panic. I don't think I'll pursue this one. Not for a while, at least.
Whup!!
Got the puzzle bug and, BAM!! I knocked this sucker out quick time.
Another nostalgic, pastoral picture. Good colors.
And because this one was so much fun, (Yeah, I said fun as in: providing pleasure and amusement), I jumped right into another one.
And, with this one, I went back to my old ways and semi-documented the process.
Hahahaha, do you see anything familiar about this puzzle so far? You should.
Ta-Da!!
Another pastoral farming scene evoking waves of nostalgia. I am not any kind of an art connoisseur. Nope!! I am, no big surprise here, quite illiterate about art and the genres or styles used.
But, doggone it, I do enjoy this style, these kinds of paintings...the ones where they're painted sorta one-dimensional. Not life-like with a definite lack of depth.
Anyone know what this style of painting is called? Let me know.
I know for an iron-clad fact that I'd have the weebie-jeebies walking past this scarecrow on my way home during the dark of night. I'd be whistling up a storm to keep the demons away.
Except for this small nightmare, the rest of the picture is pleasant and gentle.
Here he goes again!!
I've been busy with puzzles. Here it is in the early stages.
I know, you can see it, too.
And the final piece.
There is a definite pleasure in placing in the last piece of a puzzle. A sense of melancholy, too. A small sense, but the pleasure definitely outweighs it.
I enjoy, in a small way, the ability to see the finish of a project. I started it and I finished it. There's something to that even with a mundane exercise such as putting together a puzzle.
Ah, what the Hell, I enjoy it.
'Nuff said.
Here's the finished puzzle. It was fun and it held, within it, a small treat. I saw it as I was putting it together and particularly enjoyed it when I had the whole thing put together. It consists of a series of five signs along the side of the road.
They're hard to see here so let's go in for a closer look, shall we?
There's the first sign, there to the left of the women talking on a pleasant summer day.
The sign says, "Dewhiskered"
Stay with me. It gets better.
As we follow the road moving north past the Mill, we come to a second sign.
This one says, "Kisses"
Following the road, as we near the curve, we find the third sign in our series, "Defrost"
Traveling on we come to the last sign in this little rhyme.
"The Misses"
Can you see it?
I'm of a generation that remembers reading, and enjoying, the Burma-Shave signs along the side of the road. When I realized the signs were a Burma-Shave series, I couldn't help but smile.
"Dewhiskered Kisses Defrost the Misses"
Burma-Shave.
A small detail from the puzzle.
A lot of fun.
The Pack is growing. It's growing so fast it's sometimes hard to keep up with it. We've been working without a calendar for a while now and the Cub Master, Hannah, decided that, with all the Dens and Leaders and such, we needed a roadmap to help us get on down the road.
So we had a meeting to throw together the Pack's Calendar. There's Hannah, on the left. Barb, with her Princess, is next to her and then Marie, the Assistant Cub Master. Finally there's Carol. I'm behind the camera.
We're making it happen and the Pack is growing.
Another day, and we spotted another Osprey up on the communications tower over by the Grocery Outlet. Not as nice a day as the first time we saw the Osprey in the other tower.
It's a kick to be walking or driving through town and see these large raptors casually hanging around.
Laurel, a friend of ours, is going into the hospital in Portland to have two tumors removed from her head. We drove up on Sunday to visit with her before she goes into the hospital on Monday. There will be tests on Monday and then surgery on Tuesday.
We enjoyed the visit and I'm sure Laurel appreciated the break in the routine. We went to eat at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican Restaurant. Honestly, it should have been the Taco Bus.
But the food was good.
Driving back to LCO, I stopped at the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge. It wasn't a good day for visiting but I needed a stop to stretch my leg and ease the discomfort.
A gray and ugly day, we didn't see any wildlife but we did stumble onto this art display by Oregon Elementary and High School artists.
Wow!! Some of these were very impressive.
Carol and I saw dozens of these waterfowl at the Talking Water Gardens in Albany but for the life of us, while we were there, neither of us could remember their name.
When I downloaded the pictures and came across this picture, the name just leapt into my brain. It's a widgeon. A doggone widgeon.
Hahaha, I must have written that 5-6 times in a prior blog Chapter.
And another puzzle, or, as we say in Espanol, un rompecabezas. Gotta tell you it's great that the library has several shelves full of free puzzles to take. These things are pricey little devils when you buy them new but they don't hold their resale value.
And free is the right price for me.
OK, the last one. At least for this chapter.
We were over at Hannah's for an early morning meeting to finalize the Pack Bylaws and Letter of Introduction. There was a lull in the meeting and I dashed outside to get some pictures of the H-Birds.
I was thinking this time. I brought a monopod but, more importantly, I set it on Tv and adjusted the shutter speed to 1/1250. I thought that would be fast enough to catch the wings and freeze them but, no. Even at that speed, there is still a blur to their wings.
But I got a couple of nice pictures.
Hahaha, I'll be back. As long as Hannah and Mike can stand me. There must have been 10-15 H-birds there.
Recognizing the horrible physical shape I am in after a winter of nothing, I've determined I must walk more often. Even when I don't feel like it. And that is most days.
But I've been working at it...at getting out. And having the camera makes it easier to rouse myself into action. The camera works for me in two ways. First, it provides enough enjoyment, challenge whatever to get me out. That's very important because I am, by nature and by choice, a very lazy person.
Second, it provides me an excuse to stop every so often. I mean, thats what I tell myself, I'm just stopping to take a picture or consider some scene for a possible picture...and I get the added benefit of having a bit of a rest while I snap or consider.
Hooah!!
I was walking back from the Hansen Gardens and coming up to The Bird House when I saw this fellow enjoying his dinner. I stopped across the street and carefully unlimbered the camera and, in the fading light of the day, caught this one picture that was sharp enough to keep.
A Red-Shafted Northern Flicker. A woodpecker.
Totally cool.
I just had the thought that these puzzles, these pictures, are a lot like those of Grandma Moses in style. The same kind of perspective...flat and primitive.
An amazing woman, Grandma Moses didn't begin painting until the age of 78. She dabbled in arts all her life but was too busy making a living and being a wife and mother to really get into it.
She would sell her paintings for $2 or $3 until an art dealer saw them in the window of a drug store and bought out all they had.
I grabbed this detail from a picture of Grandma Moses that appeared on the September, 1948 cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Titled Christmas Homecoming and painted by Norman Rockwell, you can see Grandma Moses on the left side.
That's Rockwell there, just right of center, smoking a pipe. His wife is the mother hugging their son upon his return home for Christmas. There are several other friends and family members scattered throughout this painting. Grandma Moses was 85 at the time.
She lived to be 101 years old and passed on in 1961. She had a lot to be satisfied with.
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