It Was A Dark and Stormy Night....

We've been getting hit with high surf and rain here on the coast. On Monday, when I drove into town I thought it had snowed because there was white stuff all over the ground. Turns out I arrived just after a hail storm had passed over. I have one more window to caulk and ready for Winter, but the rain has made that impossible. Hopefully, I'll get to it tomorrow.

It seems the whale activity has increased. I manage to spot at least one a day. I'm going to volunteer for the twice yearly 'Whale Watching Spoken Here' program. People get trained to help the general public find the huge mammals in the sea. Oregon is along the migration route for the Gray Whales so we get a lot of opportunities. Volunteers man viewpoints up and down the coast for a week at a time, twice a year to educate the public on the Gray Whales. It should be fun, and a natural activity for me, since I love watching the critters so much.

Otherwise, a pretty quiet week here. Lots of reading and tv watching.

Sunday morning in Vancouver Washington

So I had a some free time this weekend and decided to come up to Vancouver and watch Ben and Ryann's soccer games. Wow! What a difference a few weeks made. While they've always been good players, you couldn't really say they were star quality...for heaven's sake - they're little kids! (8 and 10 years old). But after watching them this weekend its just stunning to me how quickly kids grow and learn.

Ben has always been a pretty laid-back player. While he was good, it was clear he didn't fully care about the games he played so much as the socializing that could take place. While he still is a social-being, his game awareness has at least tripled in the last few weeks. It's like a light switch has been tripped in his brain. He has become aware that the goal is...well...the goal. He has realized the potential in his long legs and that by taking longer steps a little faster he can travel several times the distance. He looks ahead when he has the ball and either dribbles it or finds another player to pass to, always with the goal being the final destination. He had a header ball on Saturday that just missed the goal, but it was still a dramatic play. He has grown so much! His team won easily.

Ryann seems to be finding her nitch as a goalie. She shows no fear in going for the ball. She has developed a second sense (and is continuing to develop) where the plays will be made and in being there to thwart the other team. A lot of the game on Saturday took place on her side of the field. While one goal did manage to make it past her (hey! It was raining cats and dogs!) she made at least 12 'saves'. Her teammates were able to score on the other team and they won the game.

Watching these two makes me sad I haven't been able to watch some of the other kids in their games. Maddie is becoming a great softball player and I haven't been able to see one game! I'm going to rectify that situation when her next season starts. It makes me so proud to watch my grands do well in their chosen endeavors - whether it be a sport or school, dance, art....whatever. They are all such great kids. I'm so proud all eight of them are mine!

The Newest Library Lady

I have become a volunteer at the Lincoln City Library. Yesterday was my first day 'on the job'. I was shocked and surprised at the complicated system for re-shelving books. They go to great lengths to make sure books are returned to where they belong. I have to admit I was a bit rusty on my Dewey Decimal System. I used a computer program to refresh my memory on it. My supervisor was impressed with my speed and agility. I suspect it may be because she is over 70 years old and it appears most of her volunteers are also. I have to admit I did work circles around the other people, but to be fair I was a kid compared to them. I think I'm going to enjoy the work.

I've been doing a lot of work around the house. I installed a shelf in the laundry room and I'm preparing the house for Winter the best I can. The yard looks especially nice right now, which is usually an open invitation for moles, but I don't have any yet. They will come. They always do.

It's a particularly good time for shopping...lots of extra coupons and all. I wish I needed something so I could justify buying. Oh, well...such is life.

I'm going to Salem this evening for a play, then to Vancouver on Friday to get my hair done. Maybe I'll stick around and watch Ben and Ryann play soccer on the weekend. They are both coming along famously in the game. Ben actually scored last week! They have both come really far in their playing.

Ok...that's all I have for now.

Indian Marbles

My friend Debi came over to Lincoln City to visit with me yesterday. I was anxious to show her my secret sea garden, so at low tide we started the hike down the beach. Sadly, yesterday's low tide wasn't low enough and my garden was under water. Dang!

Anyway, during my forays around the area I've learned about Moqui stones. Also known as Indian Marbles, these pea to baseball sized round stones are reputed to be thousands of years old and purported to have mystical properties. Another name for them is Shaman Stones. They are supposedly only found in a few areas of the world, but we have a spot right here in Lincoln City. Here is a little of the information I've found on the net about them.

"Moqui Marbles, named after the Moqui Indians who often inhabited the lands in which they were originally found. Many people, including Native Americans, call these marbles Shaman Stones” as they are a great metaphysical aid.

Shaman Stones have been used for centuries by Shamans and mystics, helping them to connect with the energies of their ancestors.


These Moqui Marbles absorb negative energies, transmuting them into the positive. They are also a natural healing stone, as they aid energy in flowing up the spinal column.


Mochi Balls protect when placed in ones environment and the energy is similar to being around a good friend.

Shaman stones can wonderful used in medicine pouches, and these are a high quality Moqui...they are quite beautiful.

Moqui's are dramatically going up in price, and this Amulet is quite unusual!

These are rounded ranging in size from 1/2 inch to just under one inch in diameter. They come from the Navajo formation, Southern Utah."

Fun stuff, huh? Here is a pic I took with my phone (my camera battery is dead again). Next time you see me I'll probably be wearing them in a little bag around my neck!

Postscripts....

I was looking over my last couple of blogs and realized I hadn't mentioned the last part of my trip to Austin, so I'll post pictures.

The Visit

My twin brother Dave and his wife Fran recently made a trip to Oregon. The visit was primarily to watch their oldest grandson Spenser play football and basketball. Since he’s a senior in high school this is his last year so the timing was important. The bonus for me was an overnight visit from them and Fran’s daughter Jodi and Jodi’s younger son, Peyton (age 5).

I love having people visit at the beach, because there is plenty of room for them to be comfortable in the house and a ton of activities and things to see along the coast.

They arrived late in the afternoon on Saturday. We had dinner at one of my favorite places The Blackfish Café. The food is extraordinary there. It’s a tiny bit spendy, but oh so worth it. We spent the remainder of the evening visiting.

The next day I took them on a walk to my secret sea garden. I’ve written about it recently, but this was the first time I’ve been able to share it with anyone. We went at low-tide which is the only time many parts of it are accessible. I hope they were just as enchanted as I always am when I go there.

At one point, David felt natures call and found a large rock to go behind to answer. Peyton went with him and said ‘Grampa that’s gross!” Dave explained that sometimes its necessary and they were discreet, plus the sea would be coming in soon to clean the area so it was ok. Peyton seemed to accept this answer.

A few minutes later Payton and I were climbing on some rocks. We were both engrossed in our search for moqui’s (a.k.a. Indian marbles) so I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to him. I heard Jodi yell “Peyton!” and I looked and he had decided he too needed to answer natures call…the only problem was he wasn’t as…uh…discreet as his grandpa had been. He had ‘dropped trou’ at the top of the rock I was on and was letting go. Unfortunately (for me) I was ‘down-rock’ and found I could move MUCH faster than I ever realized. He’ll work on those tiny details as he gets older, I’m sure.

By the time we got back to the house it was time for lunch so we went to another of my favorite places The Inn at Spanish Head. The restaurant there is called “Fathoms”. The neat thing about the inn is that it is built right on the cliff of the beach. The restaurant is on the 10th floor so you have an amazing view of the ocean as you eat. The food is also very good so it’s a win-win.

After lunch we did a little sightseeing and spent some time flying kites on the beach. We tried to cram an awful lot of stuff into a short visit, but I’m hopeful they will come again. They had to leave in the afternoon because Monday was going to be Peyton’s first day of Kindergarten! I hope that went well for him, he’s a delightful little guy.

I’ve now had two brothers, a niece, nephew and a few friends visit me at the beach. I need more company, so you all talk amongst yourselves and make a plan to visit me soon.

 Dave flying a kite

 Dave, Jodi, Fran and Peyton

nearing the secret sea garden