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Showing posts from March, 2009

Miss Abby

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I had a nice visit from Miss Abby today. She is getting to be quite the celebrity as our City Manager's labradoodle. She is in training with the Oregon Coast Therapy Animals group. What an awesome personality she has, what fun! And she's beautiful too! And it turns out, a bit of a glamour-puss. :) I love my job.

Back at it

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As promised, fishing pictures. Had an awesome time out there with a couple of really neat guys. It was cold and foggy out there, we hit the fishin hole about 7:30, and it gradually warmed up and cleared off. We didn't catch any salmon and only saw one caught nearby. LOTS of boats out there, and some really nice ones. Wow. Ron gets the gear ready to go into the water... And here is the one fish that was tagged that day. The Fish Goddess rules!! :) John was fishing with one hand and texting with the other... And this is the result. A mud-cat about 8 inches long... We caught two other sturgeon but they were undersize so they got to go back to the bottom to grow up a bit for next time. Ron expertly and meticulously fileted the sturgeon for me. What a guy! Can't wait to do it again. The hummingbirds are out in force, I hung a second feeder in the back yard and they are swarming it. Wow. By the dozen. Nice to see them and hear them. Yay.

Welcome Spring!

Today is (yay!) the Vernal Equinox ... (yay!) - more commonly known as the first day of spring. (YAY!) The weather here doesn't really reflect it today, it's overcast, kinda drizzly and not very warm. But I know that will gradually change. The daffodils, hyacinths and crocus are blooming and the tulips are on their way. I can tell spring is on its way too, cuz my yard needs mowing a lot more often. It's been a really long winter with more undue stress than is necessary, but I'm hoping that the light at the end of the tunnel is a sunny, warm day. Going salmon fishing this weekend with a friend, as always, I'm looking forward to new adventures. Will be posting some pics from our trip in the next few days. I hope you enjoy your weekend, and Happy Spring!!

A dog's life?

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Yesterday I had the privilege of capturing some beautiful images of a very special canine, Eyan (pronounced eye-yawn) who is Newport Police Department 's drug officer. What a gorgeous dog he is. The images will be used to promote the canine program and to create some decals for people who support it . Freckles had to watch from the car and she was such a good girl about it. I took her out for a nice walk afterward. The weather is back today with a really nice sunny - but chilly - day. Yay! Spring is just around the corner.

Sea Stories

Right after my high school graduation in the early 80s, I had the opportunity to work as a deckhand on some of the charter fishing boats out of Newport. Those were some of the best years for me, I learned to love being out on the ocean with her many moods and to love fishing, watching whales, birds, and all the amazing life that resides out there. That was when I met Corky Knutson. He has been a commercial fisherman out of Newport for over 40 years. A well-known salt who has Captained many draggers, shrimpers and crabbers… he’s done it all and really spent his time out there. He switched from commercial fishing to charter fishing during the days when I was a deckhand. Says he switched because wanted to come ashore every night. I get that. He is a very intelligent man, and recites poetry with such salty flair, he is a joy to sit and chat with. He looks the part of the old salt too, his hair is white now and he’s 65 years old, tall and lanky… says he wants to give up his 3-pack-a-...

An overwhelming response

Caution: Rant This letter to the editor got my attention and obviously really touched a nerve... from the February 20 edition of the Newport News Times: Animal lover angry over want ad To the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office/animal shelter: I read your ad for an animal “care” office specialist, for the “care” of cats and dogs. I am very angry that you would combine an office job with the putting down and burying of animals/critters. Most people I know, including myself, don't like the thought of losing a pet or an animal in their lives. I used to work at a medical billing office for an abortion office. I didn't work in the same building, and as much as I am pro choice, don't want to be a part of the killing of those babies. How can you combine an office job with the clinical job of putting those unwanted/disregarded animals down? I know that a lot of the problems we face today, including meth, and other addictions, cause people to abandon their pets, but that should not ...

What a week...

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The weather is definitely here today, another gorgeous coastal day. Yay! So nice to see the sun after all the rain the last couple of days. Had a fun session earlier this week with little 8-week-old Gavin. What a tiny little doll. The grandmother really loves this shot, she saw a lot of neat things in it... like how the child will depend on the mother like this for a long time... how he has ahold of her finger, and how her other finger supports his wrist... I love this shot too. It really tells a story. This is from a fun session today... Nikki and her daughter Holly. What a little spitfire she is. I hope you have an awesome weekend. I heard there was snow in the forecast here, and I sure do hope they're wrong. All the plum trees in town are in full bloom and they just look so pretty. I'd hate for the snow and cold to damage the things that are trying to grow. So we'll keep our fingers crossed for more spring-like weather. And it's spring-ahead weekend too. Y...

Dismal Nitch

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Took another road trip yesterday, this time up north into Washington State. The views are simply amazing on our gorgeous coast. This is how I felt when I peered over the edge of that cliff down into the pounding surf below... very cautious. Between Cannon Beach and Seaside, I came across this spike elk grazing along the roadside. Nothing at all seemed to bother him in the least, even semi-trucks whooshing past at 55 mph. He did look at me a couple of times as I walked closer, but was much more interested in the roadside grass. He was so beautiful. Saw another really big herd closer to Seaside during the day and yet another on the roadside after dark. They are everywhere out there this time of year. Drove on up to the mighty Columbia and up to Ilwaco to check things out. This is a detail shot of a statue of an eagle defending whale bones on the harbor there. Saw some interesting sights in the harbor too. Loved the name of this boat, and the blue and white and the sky just all made a ...