The days go by and life is lived not so much as a plan but as a series of events that loosely tie together. One bumps into an event that leads to another and then it seems the day is over.
Hahaha, can you guess I'm feeling a bit melancholy? Not a bad thing in its gentler forms and one I visit often these twilight days.
Whew, getting deep there.
But that was the day. It had no plan and grew of its own accord bouncing from one place to another until at the end I suddenly realized the day had been lived and it was time to put paid to that particular bill and prepare to move on.
The mood and the day bring to mind the song by The Beatles, In My Life.
There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone...and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all.
The Beatles
Hahaha, and there you have it. All these places have their moments I still can recall.
And, yeah, I've loved them all.
And today was no exception.
To begin with it, it wasn't raining. Huge plus here in LCO. I'm learning that rain here is much more a presence than in Seattle. It inserts itself into your life more than it ever did living in The Emerald City.
And it wasn't raining today. So even when it isn't raining it is affecting life. Rain, it's a reality here. Not a drizzly nuisance like it was once before.
And so, going by my unofficial motto, Carpe El Diem, Y'all, I suited up and moved out early to get a project done that I'd started a while back.
Cleaning up the front and getting those doggone rocks into some semblance of order.
And they wuz big rocks, too!! I'm sure when they were first introduced to Gull House, they had some utile purpose; some scheme they were fulfilling. Unfortunately, that plan has been lost in antiquity.
In other words, it was a semi-mess out front. And so I resolved to do something positive about it.
And so I did. Mind, it is still a work in progress but, as you can see, progress has been made.
And progress got a little slower as the morning wore on and the back wore out. Them things ain't light, y'know. There's still a lot to do but I am feeling that satisfaction one gets when you've done something not easy but definitely positive.
And my back held up. Oh, I tried to use my brain in addition to my meager brawn. I got that hand-cart out, the one I got for the move, and used that to move the larger rocks from Spot A to Spot B. I'd never have done that as a younger man, but I have to say, it worked well here.
And so, with a smug smile of satisfaction, let's just say this is a work-in-progress.
More to come.
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It's coming together. There's not much there anyway but we're gonna make it look better.
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A glass float with some of the newer versions of the glass float, in plastic.
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And, since I had one large stone left over, I carted it over near the telephone pole, dug a hole in the ground and positioned it as a table of sorts for the water bowl we've put out for the many, many dogs that pass our place on their way to and from the beach.
We've noted the great number of dogs that visit the beach and so we thought it'd be nice, since they don't have a watering station on the beach, to give the pups a chance to rehydrate after some serious fun on their way home.
What the heck, it doesn't cost much.
Next up is some kind of rain-proof container for some doggie biscuits.
While I was still mobile and not yet laid up with a broken back, I thought it'd be a good day to take Saving Mr. Banks back to the library.
Remember Carol had bought me a kite a couple of days ago and in the blog I wrote about the new kite, I included the song Let's Go Fly a Kite, by the Sherman Brothers. It sparked a renewed interest in the movie and that led me to check it out from our local library.
Fun Facts: As America grew so did its desire and need for knowledge, entertainment and education and this led to public support for free libraries. Most libraries then were Subscription Libraries where you paid a small fee to finance the library and the membership was restricted.
The very first modern public library in the world supported by taxes was the Peterborough Town Library in Peterborough, New Hampshire. It was established in 1833 and was a small public library. The first large public library supported by taxes in the U.S. was the Boston Public Library which was established in 1848 but didn't open to the public until 1854.
Libraries are such a part of everyday life now that it is hard to imagine a time without them.
Hahaha, and now you can check out movies and all other kinds of stuff at your library. Oh, I've got the movie Fury, on hold now. Ain't these libraries a marvel?
And here's our library...The Driftwood Public Library.
It's on the second floor of the City Hall. It serves over 13,000 Lincolnians and has all the modern, hi-tech crap you could ever want.
Including some lo-tech stuff as well. Like this chair that is completely covered in multi-colored duct tape.
Don't ask.
I don't know.
And just to make sure you don't have an accident rounding a corner they even have these convex mirrors so you can see what's coming.
Or you can take a selfie.
Which we did.
Hahaha, any port in a storm!!
And City Hall was on the third floor.
I've been semi-concerned about the traffic in front of Gull House. It's at the bottom of a small hill and cars come down that hill a bit faster than they should. The beach access is right there at the bottom of that small hill. A lot of pedestrian traffic moves in and out of the beach access and so I thought it'd be a prime location for a speed bump.
There's maybe 7 or 8 speed bumps along The Jetty and I'm thinking one more wouldn't hurt and, possibly, might help.
Anyway, I was thinking about that and so we wandered on up to the third floor and found our way down to the Public Projects Department only to find that everyone was out to lunch. Hahaha, no, I'm not using a metaphor to express my opinion of government. Hahaha, they were, literally, out to lunch. Bad timing. But I got the website and the date the City Council meets...April 27th at 1800.
And while we were there wandering around, we found these posters in the hallways.
OK, let's see:
Library? Check!!
Lunch? Let's go to Burger King!!
Hahaha, they gave out a coupon for a buy one Whopper and get one free today. In honor of Tax Day. I don't need much of an excuse to eat out and so I grabbed this one quickly. My rationale is that I was actually saving money by eating there. Plus those $1.49 Chicken Nuggets.
I know, I know. It is disgusting to watch the nuggets being made. That's why I don't watch those videos anymore. I just eat'em.
It was a semi-sunny day. Remember, we decided that whenever it is not raining we'd try and get out and enjoy this rare phenomena. And so since we were out and about we decided to head down to the Taft Neighborhood and take a walk around after lunch.
Carol wants to make a glass float and we've passed this place that let's you make your own float several times and so today we thought we'd stop in and see what was what.
Kind of a neat idea. You can go in and make your own float or paperweight or bowl or...
Here's their flyer.
And they were fired up!!
There was a couple there making a...something. I guess it would be appropriate to mention that you get to participate in making whatever it is your going to make. It's a bit dangerous to just let anyone walk in off the street and start shaping their glass. That stuff is H*O*T!!
Hahaha, they tell you that you might finish your glass float today but you can't pick it up until tomorrow...because it needs the time to cool off.
So when you sign up, you get a pro there to help you and walk you through the process. And here she is...shaping a glass float in a special bowl. Kinda neat, they take the super-heated glass and roll it inside this bowl to make it round, like a ball. Or a glass float.
There he is. He's the guy getting the lesson on glass-making. That's his girlfriend watching what's going on. Notice he has on the heavy leather gloves and the Pro doesn't have any gloves on at all.
He has a tool that helps to smooth out and shape the glass in the bowl as the Pro is spinning it.
And I guess, if you're not happy with the shape, you can go back, reheat the glass and start all over again with a new shape. Hahaha, if only life were as easy as that.
Into the crucible again.
He's using a tool to shape the molten glass as the Pro turns the rod.
At this point I was wondering what it was that he was trying to make.
Carol asked him as he was leaving and he told her he had made a paperweight. Hahahaha, a paperweight. Well, he had fun. Now he just has to wait until tomorrow to pick it up.
We took a stroll through the showroom. There is some seriously good work on display here.
This is a detail of...
...this. I think this is an example of Fusion Glass Art.
Fun Facts: I'm not sure I am completely understanding this. But Fusion Glass is a method where you stack, or layer thin sheets of glass using different colors to create patterns or simple images. Then the stack is put into a kiln, heated through a series of ramps (rapid heating cycles) until you get the desired effect. Then it has to cool slowly at a certain temp to prevent uneven cooling and breakage.
Uh, OK.
Paperweight? Or table art?
They have a large collection of glass art to choose from. The big seller in this area is the glass float.
And things nautical. I particularly liked this piece.
They've taken the glass float and made it into a real money maker. I don't think I've ever heard of them before I got to LCO.
Fun Facts: What would happen is they would string large groups of fishnets together, sometimes 50 miles long and set them adrift in the ocean. These nets would be supported near the surface by hollow glass balls.
These glass floats are no longer being used but many of them are still afloat in the world's oceans, primarily the Pacific. They've become a popular collectors' item for beachcombers and decorators.
This one is kinda cool.
And a parrot from a Stephen King Novel.
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| Redrum, redrum. |
More Fun Facts: Norway is credited as the first country to use glass fishing floats. Christopher Faye, a Norwegian merchant is acknowledged as the inventor of the glass float. The first time these glass fishing floats are mentioned is in the production registry for Headelands Glassverk in 1842.
The earliest evidence of glass floats being used also comes from Norway in 1844 where glass floats were on gill nets in the great cod fisheries in Lofoten. By the 1940s, glass had replaced wood or cork throughout much of Europe, Russia, North America and Japan. Japan started using the glass floats as early as 1910. Most of the remaining glass floats originated in Japan because of its large deep see fishing industry. Today the glass float has been replaced by aluminum, plastic or styrofoam floats.
Not as cool but more utilitarian.
The next big thing in the glass world here are eggs. Lots of eggs. And an ugly Hammerhead Shark.
Before we left, we took another look into the workshop and this young lady was making...something.
I figured out that you can tell the student because they're always the ones wearing the gloves.
And you can tell the pros because they're always the ones never wearing gloves.
I'm sure she has a definite end result or design in mind.
Cookin' it up, Boss.
We got the prices and some good advice as we were leaving. In the summer it gets a lot busier and you need to call and schedule a session to make your glass thingie. I'm pretty sure Carol is going to make a glass float. Like these.
Carol met an artist named Flanagan at the Farmer's Market this past weekend and she wanted to visit his shop and talk with him about making a glass float. So we set out looking for his shop.
We saw this place across the street from the Glass Art Studio. It sorta fit into the expectations Carol had in mind for the kind of store Flanagan might have.
First impressions count.
It was the 101 Coastal Creations shop. As we went in, we asked if this was Flanagan's shop and learned it wasn't.
Then we got to talk with Marie and learned she and Tim had opened the store about a year and a half ago. It's an eclectic collection of artwork, curios, walking sticks, collectibles and glass. It was a fun store to walk through and it was even more fun meeting and talking with Marie and Tim.
They were super friendly and took the time to tell us a bit about their store and then Marie sorta gave us a guided tour.
They had a number of glass floats for sale. They don't make them but they do get them from local artists and put them up for sale here. They even have some of Flanagan's stuff.
Part retail and part antique and part thrift shop...the ambiance is very casual and very friendly.
They represent local artists and besides glass, they also have photographs and paintings.
I saw this and immediately thought of Munch's The Scream. That's the popular name most people know it by.
Fun Facts: There are four versions of this composition created as both paintings and pastels by the Expressionist Edvard Munch between 1893 and 1910.
Der Schrei der Natur (The Scream of Nature) is the title Munch gave to these works, all of which show a figure with an agonized expression against a landscape with a tumultuous orange sky. The Scream has been described as an icon of modern art, a Mona Lisa for our time. Whoopy-Doo!!
This I did not know, but Munch created four versions of this same theme in various media. The National Gallery in Oslo holds one of two painted versions, shown below. This one was painted in 1893.
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| National Gallery, Oslo, Norway |
The Munch Museum holds the other painted version (1910) and a pastel version from 1893.
The fourth version, a pastel created in 1893, was sold for $119,922,600 at a Sotheby's Auction in 2012, the second highest nominal price paid for a painting at auction.
The Scream has been the target of several high-profile art thefts. In 1994, the version in the National Gallerys (Oops!!) was stolen. It was recovered several months later. In 2004, both The Scream and Madonna were stolen from the Munch Museum and were both recovered two years later.
Well, that was an interesting side trip. Let's get back on track, shall we?
Here's Carol getting the tour. I really liked this shop. It has a Flea Market kind of feel to it. In a good way. Marie and Tim have certainly used their limited space to its best advantage using all the space they have. Oh, and they have a lot of sports gear there, too.
I kinda like the pelican.
And a fishing boat. I'm definitely gonna get me some kind of sailing ship for the mantle. It'd have to be a bit bigger than this one, I think. Still, I like the clunky, wooden boats like this.
Evidently Marie knows Flanigan. She pointed out his shop which was right across the street from hers. Carol was a bit surprised. She said it was a bit more fancy than she had thought his store would be. He's doing well by himself if his shop is any indicator.
Marie told us that he was closed on Wednesdays. He works in his studio on Wednesdays.
Hola, Flanigan's. We'll be back.
Next stop on our walk-around was the North Lincoln County Historical Museum.
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Which is a very nice museum. They've done a good job presenting the history of the county.
And this history includes a lot of logging.
And agriculture.
And, of course, glass floats. Here's what they actually look like when they're being used. Secured with rope, they are used to buoy up the fishing nets.
Not as flashy as the floats in the stores but they get the job done.
They did a good job of representing day-to-day life for the early settlers in this area. Like these instruments. Music was a huge diversion back then and since they hadn't yet invented the iPad so they couldn't download their music, they had to make it themselves.
You can tell a lot of thought and effort went into this quilt. Can you imagine the joy this gift brought during Christmas way back in 1900?
I know I could do it, live as they did back then, if I had to but I can't imagine how much effort would have to go into just surviving. But I can't help but think they had some joy and beauty in their lives even if it seems incomprehensible to me now.
And think of all the skills these folks had!! Oh, they couldn't work a computer or hook up a home entertainment system (neither can I for that matter), but they could build a house, skin a deer, repair almost anything and get by, happily, with just what was needed to survive.
Hahaha, you'll be seeing more of these old pictures.
A homemade milking stool. Ingenious.
The thing is, most of these tools, at least the wooden parts, were probably made by the settler's hand. I'm not complaining, but in today's world, if the handle to the shovel broke I'd just drive down to Ace's and get another. Not these guys. They'd whittle them up a new handle and keep on a-diggin'.
I wonder where this traveled to and from. As a defense against the hard and difficult life they lived, they took every opportunity to make things more pleasing to the eye. Like this common chest. Look at the metal work on it.
Hahaha, I'm thinking someone, somewhere, sometime, lost the keys to this bad boy.
That hole looks like a Jackie solution.
Ahoy, the Pelican.
Flagship of Sir Francis Drake.
Again, I marvel at what these men accomplished. Using a small tool like this, they sailed around the world. Amazing!!
Fun Facts: This is a sextant. It's used to measure the angle between any two visible objects. The primary use of a sextant is to determine the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celestial navigation. The determination of this angle, the altitude, is known as sighting the object or, taking a sight. The angle, and the time it was measured, can be used to calculate a position line on a nautical chart.
They would use it sighting the solar sun at solar noon or polaris at night to determine latitude. Then they would use it to measure the lunar distance between the moon and another celestial object in order to determine Greenwich Mean Time and, hence, longitude.
Wow!!
They also had displays from the Native Americans in the area.
I would not want to string all those beads together.
Nope.
OK, downstairs is the early history of the area. Upstairs they get into the 20th Century.
I was wondering if Taft was named after the President. And it was. And it was done by the first postmaster, Mr. John W. Bones. They established a post office in his store in 1906 and required that he have an official name for the town. He was a great admirer of William Howard Taft, then Secretary of War, and named it after him.
The Fire Department for the cities of Taft, Nelscott and Delake. It wouldn't be until 1965 that all the small towns along the beach united into Lincoln City. The small towns just couldn't afford to pay for adequate police and fire protection or to raise the money to improve the waterworks system.
Haha, I bet this was fun.
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Who could resist?
The first annual Redhead Roundup, originated by Taft Resident Manville Robison, a redhead himself, was held on August 23, 1931 and the event lasted into the 1940s. The beauty pageant culminated each year in the crowing of a Redhead Queen and King Eric the Red.
Hahaha, who said they didn't know how to have fun and market themselves back then? Not me!!
Camping was evidently a major source of tourist income back then.
And the original Farmer's Market.
Hahaha, who needs a paved road when you have big white balloons on your car!?!?!
A car repair garage. Looks pretty authentic except for the floor.
They knew what sold, even back then.
I can remember seeing gas pumps like this along the Old Route 66. Oh, and the machine for pumping oil, too. They'd keep the oil in there and then pump the handle to get the oil for the oil change in your car or just bring the level up. High tech!!
The National Guard?
Love the helmet #15 is holding.
Yeah, that'll do the trick, alright.
Fifteen kids. Hard to stay on the bench for the whole game on this team.
The B-Ball Team from 1935.
They have a children's play area in the museum and in it is this giant kaleidoscope.
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Looks home-made.
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Still works.
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The Dorchester House was a big deal when it was finally finished in 1935. Construction was started in 1929 but the Depression delayed the opening.
This was the fancy hotel and did real well until the tourism industry dried up during WWII. The Dorchester House never quite fully recovered. Today it is an elegant retirement home.
Ah, breakfast for .70 cents. Dinner for a $1.50.
And a room for two for just $5 a night.
Inflation is a butt-kicker, eh!?!
Hahaha, I bet they didn't charge extra for the pets, either.
They still drive cars along the beach here but I don't think they leave them parked as long as they did this one.
Hahaha, those silly old people.
Whoa!! Nothing says the early sixties like a transistor radio, a pair of bongo drums, a coconut, a Hawaiian Shirt and a surfboard.
Early in the morning we'll be startin' out
Some honeys will be comin' along
We're loading up our Woody
With our boards inside
And headin' out singing our song.
Let's go surfin' now
Everybody's learning how
Come on and safari with me
The Beach Boys
Hahaha, I'm always learning. I thought he said, Come on a surf safari with me, at least that's how I've been singing it for the last 53 years.
Now this was fun. On the beach with some guy and his ukulele. Wearing long pants and shoes.
Oh, yeah!! They knew how to live!!
What the well dressed and demure young lady would wear to the beach.
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The Pixie Kitchen.
Fun Facts: This was a very popular tourist stop. It's slogan was, Heavenly Food on the Oregon Coast. Opened in 1948, it was then called Pixie Pot Pies. Located in Wecoma Beach, it was primarily a take-home pie service.
On May 21, 1953, the enlarged and redecorated restaurant opened as the Pixie Kitchen. they really catered to the children as customers, with specially-trained waitresses, children's portions, place mats that folded into pixie hats and surprise candy gifts.
Seems the were ahead of their time.
Looks like a lot of fun for a kid. OK, for me, too.
They tried opening a PixieLand but it failed after four years. Didn't anybody mention to them that it rains around here so an outdoor park might not be a great idea?
A warped mirror selfie. We are so totally shameless. Anything can be used.
Anything!!
Mrs. Hazel Lacey collected dolls. A lot of dolls. Over 2,500 dolls. She even opened a doll museum here. When she died in 1990 her collection went to the Shriner's Hospital in Portland and they auctioned off the dolls to raise money for the hospital.
Here are just a few of the dolls Mrs. Lacey collected.
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
When Rhett uttered those words in 1939 he shocked the American public. My goodness!!
Fun Facts: The word, damn had been prohibited by the Motion Picture Association's (MPA) Production Code beginning in July, 1934. Surprisingly, before then the word damn had been relatively common in films. Legend has it that the producer, Selznick, was fined $5,000 for using that word but the MPA passed an amendment a month and a half before the film's release that allowed use of the words hell and damn when their use would be integral to the picture. So the MPA had no objection to Rhett's closing line. It is actually the second use of damn in the film. The term, damn Yankees, can be heard during the parlor scene at Twelve Oaks.
Which reminds me...Two fish are swimming along when they run into a concrete wall. One looks to the other and says, Dam.
Hahaha, it's better when I tell it. All jokes are better when I tell them. Just ask my kids!!
Here's the questions Scarlett asked that prompted Rhett's statement.
Where shall I go? What shall I do?
I don't know. She was just interesting. A Russian Cabbage Patch Kid?
Certainly not a princess...
...Like this one.
For a long time I've wondered just what in the heck the 20 Miracle Miles were.
Now I know. It's the 20 miles from Cascade Head to Depoe Bay.
Mystery solved.
Hahaha, I remember!!
Good grief!! Can you see kids today having to dial a phone number? Hahaha, they'd have to remember the number and then rotate that dial maybe ten times to make one call.
Madness!!
This guy obviously has something going for himself here. Look!! Four girls in the soda shop!?!
Must be the hat. Gotta be the hat.
Whammy think?
I think they're having fun, at least he's smiling.
Maybe these guys were Coasties. There were patrols, paranoia and blackouts all along the coast in the early years of the war.
Master bread.
You vill enjoy it!!!
Downstairs we stopped in the gift shop. I always do. Stop in the gift shop.
This fine fellow was retailing for just $325.
Rrrrrrright.
This is so cool. Remember the bird walk we went on a couple days ago? Well, as you look down here you can see where Mo's Restaurant will be, just beyond the pier. There's the bridge over the Siletz River in the distance. It's been replaced by a newer bridge and there is no longer a covered bridge there.
And see the hill right behind the covered bridge? That's where we spotted the Bald Eagle sitting up at the top of a tree.
I like these old pictures. Here's one of D River, the World's Shortest River.
We had a good time. It's a well done museum for a small town. Worth another visit in the future.
Carol had read that there were three pair of osprey's here last year and that one pair had nested in the communication tower near the old Goodwill Store. Great. Problem was, we didn't know where the old Goodwill Store was. We for sure know the location of the new one but, the old one we were in the dark.
On the way home, I stopped at the Dollar Tree...hoping they had some popcorn for sale. They didn't.
Ratz.
But when we were walking out to the Mini, Carol spotted these guys flying into the tower in the distance, behind the empty store.
Hmmmm, tower + empty store. Could it be?
Another woman stopped and asked what we'd seen and Carol pointed to the birds and said she wasn't sure what kind it was but that she'd just read an article about osprey's behind the old Goodwill Store and the woman said, Well, that empty store is the old Goodwill Store...
And, BAM!! We knew what they were.
You can see the one in the nest at the top of the pole. I was using my smallest camera with the weakest zoom and I had that zoom pushed as far as it would go so the pictures aren't all that good, but you can see the white head and dark body of the osprey just sticking out of the nest. The other one is below and to the right on one of the baffles.
We drove up and I got a closer look at the nest.
Here we go again!! Now we'll be walking up here to see if the ospreys are at home. And I'll bring the big camera next time.
Well, there wasn't any popcorn but there were a couple of ospreys. It was a worthwhile trip after all.
So there it was. It was almost 1600 and I was pooped. We hadn't done much of anything but we'd done a lot. Sometimes the days when you have the least plans turn out to be the ones with the most fun.
I shook my melancholy a while back and was feeling a bit brighter. In fact, coming up to Gull House and seeing the landscaping made me feel better.
And so another day is in the books. We had fun. We saw some new things and learned some new things and so it was a good day.
Hahahaha, life is good.
Hooah!!
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