Tuesday, December 17, 2013

A Coastal Christmas


      Well, it is CHRISTMAS time and our current assignment is in Cannon Beach on the North Oregon Coast . What a special time of year here! Often the beaches are sunny and empty and of course there are so many charming Coastal Christmas decorations.
                                                                               
                                                                 
                       These are two of my favorites in the town of Seaside. Arn't they cute?
I especially like the dancing starfish. We got to sit right there behind him and watch the sunset and then have a very cold beach walk. This time we even had snow on the beach that lasted for two days. That's unusual. So aside from cold beach walks and decorating "our" inn, Kirk and I get to experience some of the local Coastal Christmas fun. This year we have been to a great concert and we always try to go to the Coaster Theater for their Christmas play. This year it was "White Christmas". Perfect!!

It was a great show and really got us in the
Christmas spirit. I hope all of you are spending the Christmas season somewhere magical and that you have a wonderful holiday!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Lighthouse and Lifeboat


  It's a CRAZY COAST here in Port Orford Oregon. This is Cape Blanco with it's perfectly preserved picturesque Lighthouse. Cape Blanco  is the westernmost point in the country and stunningly beautiful. We got to take a tour of the Lighthouse and go all the way up into the light tower where you can see for miles up and down the coast. The old "Fresnel" lens is over 100 years old and still in use. Beside the Lighthouse, Cape Blanco Park  has great hiking trails, pic-nic spots and a restored farm house from the late 1800's.

                                                                       


                                 
  Port Orford also has some cool beaches with "sea stacks" that you can walk through at low tide and lots of great beach combing. But be careful because at high tide this beach almost disappears -crazy, huh? Kirk and I have spent several days walking here at low tide. It's always very interesting. There are other interesting beach towns nearby such as Bandon with  it's artistic boardwalk right by the bay. Check out my crazy seahorse...                  



 Port Orford Heads is a restored Coast Guard Lifeboat station. This lifeboat was used for marine rescue until 1970. It's very interesting to tour the old Coast Guard station and see all the memorabilia and shipwreck information. The water here is famous for it's rocks, reefs and storms. It is really a crazy part of the coast and here is how the locals tell what the weather is:




   


 Just as accurate as your computer, right??