Into the Woods - 8/30/15

Or: Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water...

Whup!! Another day and another mini-adventure. And, as proof that we will seize upon the least excuse as a reason to get up and get out is the flimsy pretext we used to start today's adventures.  

You see, they had some bad weather near here and one of the roads was washed out. It was a major inconvenience for the folks living down that road as it meant they only had one way in and out to their home and that way required them to turn onto The 101. Now, turning across traffic onto The 101 is difficult any time of the year but it is especially so during the summer months. This created a good amount of discomfort and anxiety for the good folks living that way.

Well, we heard just the other day that they'd finished the repairs and the road was open so we, being naturally nosey folks, decided we'd motor on over and take a look-see just to make sure what we had heard was right.

Well, it was right. They've repaved the road and put up new guard rails and it's looking mighty fine. 

Well, we scratched that itch. Since we were out and about, we figured why not go and have a walk through yet another Lincoln City Open Space. It wasn't raining and we sure had the time so we were off. Off to the Spyglass Open Space. And, conveniently, along the way we could pass by the Candy Store and, maybe, get Carol Anne a Frozen Banana. Just maybe.

This Open Space is located just in back of the local high school, Taft High School, Home of the Taft Tigers!! 

On the way over, we'd stopped at the parking lot by the Outlet Mall to see what the Ospreys were up to. And the short answer to that question is...nothing. They weren't around; nowhere to be seen.

Well, that was rude. 

As we were pulling up to the high school, I drove over by the football field, where we'll be rooting on the Mighty Tigers of Taft High. They open their season at home on the 11th of September against Blanchet Catholic School (their first two games are away against Toledo and Astoria). And, what to our wondering eyes should appear...but an Osprey nest with a couple of Ospreys at home. They put up a platform for an Osprey nest on a tall pole near the football field and the Ospreys have built themselves a neat home there.

You mad, Bro!?!

The wind caught him at the right time.

Talk about your ruffled feathers.

And then we drove on over to the Open Space. I really appreciate the effort and the money that's been expended to make these Open Spaces available. 

And my faithful Mini.

And then there was the forest. This whole blog is just about the forest. That's pretty much it. So, if you want to bow out now I won't be offended.

Still here? Whoa, you're not afraid of a little pain, are you!?!

OK, let's get started. At the beginning this Open Space seemed a world apart from the last one. There was ground cover, a lot of it.

And there were plenty of trees, too.

But, once we got into the forest just a bit, the ground cover began to change.

I imagine this forest is as old as the last one we visited and, like the other one, not managed. 

You see, just after we broke into the woods, the ground cover began to change. It was thick with forest growth and then, about a hundred or so feet in, it changed to the dark, deadfall that we had seen the other day. 

Walking through this was slow and treacherous. The soft, spongy forest floor was really a layer of deadfall covered by leaves, needles and such. You step here and your foot sinks just an inch or so and you step there and suddenly your foot plunges through some rotten wood and you're in up to your ankle.

Even though we didn't go too far into the forest, there was still plenty to see. And plenty to trip over, too. Hahaha, if either one of us fell, we were on our own. 

And we saw a lot of different kinds of forest fungi. On the deadfall or on the side of the trees. 

And I was playing with my camera controls. Hahaha, I've always wanted to be able to see in the tones of black and white. Really tried to master Adam's Zone System. Hahaha, I really beat my head on the table trying to absorb that one but, despite the books and the ruined developed prints, I never quite got it. Hahahaha, never got close would be more likely.

And so now I just try to please my eye. Me and my little iPhoto program.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know. However, like with other manias I have (such as gulls, flowers, doors), I tend to find a 'thing' and stick to it. One of my things these days is putting the lens at its widest and aiming up. I imagine some psychiatrist could find a deep meaning for wanting lines to converge around a beam of light but, for me, it's just aesthetically pleasing. 

Can it be just that?

Sure!! Why not!?!

Looking for Hansel and Gretal...this one was off and away searching for the elusive Forest Fungi!!

Whup!! 

Back to B&W for Ol' Smilin' Jack.

Somber. Dark. Foreboding. 

You'll see some more of this genre later. I was having some fun, here.

And more fungi. The oozy, icky-looking kind.

Carol got down and really close for her pictures of the fungi....

CB

CB

CB

And, who wouldn't expect to see the back seat of some mini-van sitting out here...in the forest. This was about 80 or so feet into the forest. Just sitting out there, at an angle, waiting. I'll let the police know it's here but I doubt they'll care too much.

Plenty of deadfall and dead trees. But, they hang around long enough and they can become planters, like this one. 

Sitting on the side of a hill just behind the high school, I'd sure like to know the back story for this Open Space. 

Whoa!!

A little sepia-toned delight for you. I've never shot in sepia before. And, (quit groaning!) I might be trying this a bit more in the future. I sorta like the effect...not in everything but in selected scenes it might add to the picture.

And we busted out of the old forest and back to where the Faithful Mini was waiting...faithfully.

From this picture, the high school is to my left. In front is the apartment housing backing up to the Open Space.

But, wait!! 

There's more!! 

We had taken the trail, sort of, to the left, If we'd continued straight ahead we'd go up the hill on a more developed path. And so, having no other constraints on our time other than having fun, we did. 

We chose the path more traveled.

We're like that. Path of least resistance, y'all.

Hahaha, it's still summer although you can see the fall coming onto the scene.

And, while we were hiking up the path, we ran into the biggest Banana Slug we've seen so far here in the Great American Pacific Northwest.

He was more than six inches long!! 

By the time Carol got to him, he'd shrunken up a bit. I guess this is a defense mechanism although I can't see what good it would do. Obviously, it's worked for these slugs as they're still around.

CB

Carol, up close and personal.

CB

This path was laid out better. It was a real path. The other way we went, the path was more like a suggestion than anything else. But at the crest of the hill, the path narrowed and became overgrown. I pushed on through and was rewarded with this....

....sight. As you break out of the Open Space there is the edges of a housing development. The road ends just to the right in this picture. And, you get some impressive views of the Oregon coast. That's Siletz Bay in the distance.  Plus, as you meander along the trail a bit further you come to some Valued Homeless tents. Living La Vida Loca, y'all.

And, so, having reached the top, so-to-speak, and not seeing Carol, I turned around and headed back down. You can get an idea of the difference between this part of the Open Space and the first part we went into. This one was more open and had a lot more ground cover.

And it had a lot of these guys....a beetle.

Hahaha, I found out why I was alone on the top of the hill. Carol had been on a voyage of discovery on her own and was so preoccupied with what she was seeing, and photographing, she didn't even make it close to the top.

CB

Like this lichen. I often get the feeling that I'm in a rain forest. And, as long as I don't have to sleep there, I'm a happy guy!!

CB

Some more fungi. Tres interesting! Oh, and to get these shots, Carol was climbing up and down the sides of the hill off the path. She's dedicated!!

CB

And another fungi. All different kinds of shapes, sizes and colors. 

Hmmmm, I wonder if they're edible? It sorta looks like a biscuit doesn't it? I'll just take a little...Hahaha, no, I won't. I be stupid but I'll stick to eating the mushrooms I buy at the local IGA.

CB

And finally, we both headed down the hill and back home.

What an interesting morning. We satisfied our curiosity about the road, got Carol a Frozen Banana, didn't see Ospreys at one place but, unexpectedly, found them at another and then explored another Open Space here in LCO.

Life's what's happening while everyone else is at work. 

Hahaha, I know that doesn't make sense and, honestly, I don't care!! 

I'M RETIRED!! 

Hahahahaha....

You go out and find what amuses you. We're getting pretty good at it, too. Oh, really, it's not that difficult. Having a camera makes it soooooo much easier. So, for us, life is simple and pleasant and...

Life is good...Yes, it is.

     Hooah!!     

"I dunno, Angie. What do you wanna do?" - 8/27/15

Or: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Lately, things have been slow; very, very slow. Just warm weather and a general willingness to sit back and let the hours slide by. It's been easier to idle away the hours than get up and get out.

But even these good times begin to wear on a person and so today, well, today it felt like it was time to rouse ourselves into action. We've been so pleased with the bird walks around the town at the Open Spaces that we thought we'd visit another one and so it was off to the Agnes Creek Open Space for us.

And that short opening leads me into my explanation for this edition's title: "I dunno, Angie, what do you wanna do?" I was kinda feeling lost and at sea...sorta like Marty in the movie of the same name. And now, I will let the Fun Facts do the rest of the explaining....

Fun Facts: Marty (1955) is the poignant, simple character study of a lonely, unmarried, lovelorn middle-aged, 34 year old-son who works as a Bronx butcher and still lives with his love-smothering mother. By films end, he and a homely 29 year-old Brooklyn schoolteacher and female wallflower are liberated - both are triumphant over their limitations.

The film's screenwriter, Paddy Chayefsky, transformed his own original teleplay into a successful major motion picture - and the modest film remains one of the best examples of the cinematization of a television play.

As a feature film, it was one of the biggest 'sleepers' in Hollywood history. A modest, black and white film in an era of wide-screen color epics, its critical acclaim and box-office success were phenomenal - its $340,000 production budget yielded over $5 million in gross proceeds. And it was the second Best Picture Oscar winner to also win the Golden Palm at Cannes - The Lost Weekend (1945) was the first.

Marty was nominated for eight Academy Awards - and was awarded four - Best Picture, Best actor (character actor Ernest Borgnine in a role quite different from his menacing, sadistic villains or murderous 'heavies' in From Here to Eternity (1953) and Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Best Director (Delbert Mann for his debut film), and Best Screenplay (Paddy Chayefsky). It was also the shortest Best Picture winner at 91 minutes.

Besides, you know it's good...read the endorsements in the poster below.

It's just a damn good movie and Ernest Borgnine totally deserved the Oscar. I've seen it several times and from it I've gotten the catch phrase, always given in my very best Bronx accent, "I dunno, (insert appropriate name) whadya wanna do?" which, I admit, no one has ever caught yet. But I still keep pitching it.

And so, we packed up our Ol' Kit Bags and headed out the door to the faithful Mini. Past the Lighthouse Wind Sock hanging outside our front door and into this glorious Oregon Summer day.

With a quick stop over at the ol' mailbox...it's so cool having my own mailbox. I am enjoying having the mail delivered where I can get to it every day...except Sunday.

Hahaha, I am a simple guy.

And then, just a couple miles down The 101, we were at the Agnes Creek Open Space.

First time for both of us and we didn't know what to expect.

But, to be honest, we, at least I did, expected something a bit...well, better. I guess we've been spoiled by the other Open Spaces. This one is....rough. It looks a lot better here in this picture than it did in person. 

And I finally figured out what was off with this Open Space. The ground! There was very little ground cover. I just looked at some pictures from other Open Spaces Walks and there is a lot of foliage on the ground but, here, in this one, there is just deadfall. That's the thing that was so off-setting for me. As Carol said, "It's like walking into an office where they haven't put in the furniture yet." Bottom line, it was off-kilter.

This area was cut down back in the 60s and then left to its own devices for reforestation. What was an area that should have sustained 80 or so trees per acre grew up into a mess with several hundreds of trees per acre. Too many.

And now that it is an Open Space, they're trying to get it back to a manageable state. Cutting down some of the trees and trying to turn it into something a little more park-like.

There wasn't much to it, really. But, one good thing about it is that they took a LOT of wood and threw it into the chipper and then used the chips to create the footpath. It was, honestly, like walking on a mattress, spongy and soft.

They started the thinning project in 2013. The trees they selected for thinning were the smaller and less vigorous trees. By taking out these trees, the larger, more established trees have less competition and are benefiting from the healthier environment.

It's only been a couple of years and you can see the canopy is still waaaaay up there. Somethings take a while to fix themselves.

They've come in after the thinning and planted a lot of small shrubs and ground cover that is trying to establish itself now. And here's another example of what's happening after the thinning...a mushroom, pushing up out of the forest floor.

Speaking of things that spend most of their life in the dark and covered with crap...here's Jackie!!

You can tell by my attire that I am an experienced and intrepid mountaineer.

CB

While we'd been walking through the Open Space, we'd been talking about Ian Keene, the Open Space Coordinator for LCO, and what he probably did and what he should do...Hahaha, we're opinionated like that.

As we were nearing the Faithful Mini, we spotted a bunch of kids around the trail head and then Carol spotted Ian.

He had a bunch of kids out there for a nature project. What a surprise it was to see him there. We had a pleasant conversation with him and, as always, we learned a bit more about the Open Spaces Program in LCO. 

And since I am a muy bueno kinda guy, I offered to get a picture of Ian with the kids before I left. I told him I'd e-mail the pictures to him when I got home. And, so I did. Here's one of them. You can see the Open Space and Ian, on the right, and the kids.

When we left, I took a turn towards the ocean and we motored on through a new housing development called Olivia Beach Estates. It's a really good-looking development, they're still working on it. Then we found ourselves coming onto The 101. 

The 101 is always so busy that it is easier, when you want to turn left, to turn right and then find a place to turn around and head back the way you wanted to. As we approached the intersection, I didn't even think about trying to turn left onto The 101 and automatically looked to the right, where I saw this commercial strip in Nelscott.

Fun Facts: Nelscott was named by combining the surnames of Charles P. Nelson and Dr. W.G. Scott, who founded the community in 1926. Nelscott post office ran from 1929 until incorporation as Lincoln City. Nelscott Reef is known for its surf and was in Surfer Magazine (I didn't know they had a magazine for surfers!?!) in 2003 as one of the Pacific Ocean's best places to surf. (Wow!! I didn't know that either!! I never see anyone surfing near our section of beach. Never!!) (See how much you learn reading these blogs!!)

Now it's mainly a row of trendy little shops anchored on the north end by a Marijuana Clinic and a Christmas Store on the south end. 

Yeah, I know...it's Oregon.

And, in between, they have a Mexican restaurant, a Cafe and a candy store. 

I was getting mixed signals from this Cafe. The sign said closed but the lights and the open door with people inside said something entirely different.

Oh, we'll be coming back to the candy store. Believe me.

But before we get to the Candy Store, let's go visit the Christmas Cottage, shall we?

And, BAM!!! all of a sudden it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

With loads and loads of ornaments.

They have a wide range of Christmas ornaments...from a Dumbo Disney to a slightly spooky Santa there on the right.

"Gosh, are you OK, Mr. Santa?" Dumbo asked, innocently.

And a piece from El Dia de Los Muretos. There, in the Christmas Cottage. A decorated skull. 

Makes sense to me.

At least he looks happy.

Let's gather up our courage, pick our brains and show our heart for fun with Dorothy and the Gang. It must be that they celebrate Christmas in The Land of Oz.

As I remarked to Carol, I don't know that I could make a choice here. Not a rational one at any rate. I'd probably just get fed up and grab one just to escape.

I was just reminded, as I reread the last few sentences, that I am a victim of a form of Future Shock. And, as I think about it, that helps to explain my growing unease with the way America has been changing in this new century.

My small form of Future Shock today was from being inundated with way too many choices for a Christmas decoration. The mind becomes so overwhelmed with what should be a relatively simple process that it either rejects all the choices or, as in my case, simply grabs the nearest, least objectionable one and calls it quits.

Fun Facts: Future Shock, a book by futurist Alvin Toffler written in 1970, defines the term 'future shock' as a certain psychological state of individuals and entire societies. His shortest definition for the term is a personal perception of 'too much change in too short a period of time.'  The book, which became an international bestseller, grew out of an article 'The Future as a Way of Life' in Horizon magazine in 1965. The book has sold over 6 million copies. It is, simply, too much, too fast. The rapidity with which the modern world is changing is faster than some people's ability to adapt to it; to keep up with it.

Wow!! I'm relieved I thought of that. It goes a long way to explaining my angst. I think I'll just start blaming my anti-social and childish behavior on my inability to cope with all the freakin' changes being shoved DOWN MY THROAT!!!

ARGH!!  

Ahhh, breathe....Ok, Ok...I'm calm now.

Good grief!! More choices. I can see where you might have to spend a lot of time here just to get a couple ornaments...unless, of course, you knew what particular genre of decoration you wanted.

Because, these good folks have kindly sorted many of the ornaments into themes. 

Smart!!

Uh, oh!! Man, I had to beat back my sudden impulse buying urge here. I mean, who would want a Camera Christmas Tree Ornament!?!?!

Totally!!

Hahaha!! I know!! I am such a schmuck!! I saw this picture and the first thing I thought was all I have to do is write Merry Christmas across the top and I have my Christmas Cards done for the year.

Hahaha, I have been more than a bit insufferable with creating memes from my pictures and then posting them on FaceBook.

Fun Facts: An Internet meme is an activity, concept, catchphrase or piece of media which spreads, often as mimicry, from person to person via the Internet. Notable examples include posting photos of people lying down in public called planking or putting some catchy phrase onto a picture.

The word meme was coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, as an attempt to explain the way cultural information spreads; Internet memes are a subset of this general meme concept specific to the culture and environment of the Internet. In 2013, Dawkins characterized an Internet meme as being a meme deliberately altered by human creativity - distinguished from biological genes and Dawkins' pre-internet concept of a meme which involved mutation by random change and spreading through accurate replication as in Darwinian selection. Dawkins explained that Internet memes are thus a 'hijacking of the original idea,' the very idea of a meme having mutated and evolved in this new direction.

#myheadhurts

Oooft, way too much information there. Because they go on to say that an Internet meme doesn't qualify as a meme until it gains some kind of celebrity. Well, that sucks. 

Oh, and they invented a new name for Technological Memes like these...they're called Temes. 

Way too much information.

Ah, Santa. Now that's something I recognize!!

And Mickey!!

Quick!! Name the cartoon this Mickey character starred in.

Quiz Answer: Did you get it? It's a 1938 American animated short film titled The Brave Little Tailor. The cartoon is an adaptation of the fairy tale The Valiant Little Tailor with Mickey in the title role.

And Goofy!! As a Bird Watcher!!

Hahahaha, I'm not gonna touch this one!!

Ahhh, Mickey and Minnie.

I'm a Yankee Doodle Mickey...

Hahaha, I have a thing for Disney.

Hey!! Look!! Lighthouse playing cards!!

I can think of one little girl who might enjoy these!!

And these. 

Lighthouse ornaments.

Terrible Tilly

The store caters to all kinds of different hobbies and interests.

Fishing...

College Football....

And everyone's favorite Lean, Mean Fightin' Machine!!

Semper Fi...

Gung Ho, Sir!!

And the Army, of course.

I'm gonna step out and let you skim through the rest of the pictures in the Christmas Cottage.

Needless to say, we had a good time in there. Of course, there's always that problem of wanting to buy one of nearly everything. It would just be a waste for me as I haven't put up a Christmas Tree for years and I sincerely doubt I will put one up this year, either.

So, that was fun. As we were strolling back to the Mini, we passed by the Candy Store and...

,,,,I spotted a small sign in the window that read: Frozen Bananas

What could we do? We went in!!

There were lots of other goodies in there...

Plenty of tempting delights to consider...

Sweetness all over the place...

But....

This one had to have her Frozen Banana!!

And she did.

Hahaha, we've been looking for nearly a year now for a frozen banana and here it was and we almost walked by it. I mean we've stopped in at least three Candy Stores in LCO asking if they had frozen bananas and here it was. And we almost walked by this one because, well, we didn't think they had them, either.

And, since I showed you one end of the strip mall, I'll be fair and show you the other end. 

You can get healthy and get high all in one place!!

Since Carol had gotten her treat, I thought I'd get one for me and so we stopped by the Cruise Inn on the way back.

A nice neighborhood bar with reasonable prices and good, greasy food.

And they're patriotic, too. 

Semper Fi, Tubby!!

CB

And so this day went by. The Agnes Creek Open Space needs a lot of work and time but it was interesting getting out there to see it. We had expected to see more birds but that didn't work out. We did see a Steller's Jay and some small birds way up high in the canopy that we couldn't see well but that was it.

The real treat was visiting the Christmas Cottage. Oh, and the Frozen Banana. And, generally, the day. It was a good day. We got out and saw some new things and learned some new things and enjoyed ourselves.

And, y'know, life is good.

     Hooah!!