Our great escape

Posted on May 8, 2016 by lindasteller

The news reported last week that Donald Trump was coming to Eugene on Friday evening and he would appear at the Lane Events Center (Fairgrounds) which is only a few blocks from my house. Subsequent reports indicated there would be several protests organized against his appearance, and we didn’t want to be in the middle of it. I decided we needed to get the heck out of Dodge. So, Ozzie and I made sure the kitties had food and water, and we packed up and headed for the coast. I decided to do all the little touristy things that none of my friends ever want to do, either because they cost money, they can’t walk that far, or they’re just not interested. We had a blast. Well, at least I did. Ozzie thoroughly enjoyed himself until we got to our hotel room for the evening. I sadly realized that, in his entire seven years, I’ve never taken him anywhere with me over night. He’s always stayed with my sister and her dogs while I went on vacation. We got through it, and I let him know he’ll have to get used to it, as I think it’s high time we began to have more adventures.

We started out by heading to Florence from Eugene. I timed the drive so I could arrive at one of our destinations just after high tide, so I could get a great shot, but a half-hour into the drive I realized I’d left my hiking shoes and my tripod by the back door of the house, so I had to improvise. No time to turn around and go get them.

We stopped at the Darlingtonia Wayside north of Florence. It’s the only state park (at least in Oregon) that is devoted to the preservation of a plant species. That is the Darlingtonia Californica, otherwise known as the Cobra Lily or Pitcher Plant. It eats bugs. Here’s the trail (or tiny path) in, and one of the lovely plants.

After that, we headed north and stopped at the Sea Lion Caves, America’s largest sea cave, inhabited by Steller Sea Lions. We didn’t go in, as they wouldn’t let Ozzie go down in the elevator to see them, he wouldn’t have been interested, I’ve been there before, and they charge an exorbitant fee for me to see my own sea lions! Besides that, the smell is horrific. It is, however, a wonderful spot from which to get a shot of Heceta Head, one of the most-photographed spots on the west coast. So, of course, I took a photo. Heceta Head from SLC

We then drove to Heceta Head Beach and walked up the trail to the Lighthouse Keeper’s House. We didn’t walk all the way to the light, as I had forgotten my hiking shoes and steep trails in a pair of Danskos is not the best idea. Do you see a ghost in the attic window of the cottage? It is said to be haunted.

On to Cape Perpetua, where I had intended to capture a stunning photo of Thor’s Well, also known as the Drainpipe of the Pacific. Unfortunately, without my hiking shoes and the tripod, I could only get some zoom photos of it from the overlook. The trail is too steep and slippery for Danskos, and the wind makes it a bit difficult to hold the camera still. I got these shots by firmly clamping my elbows to the stone wall of the overlook.

The first time I saw a photo of this place, it took my breath away. It really looked like a hole in the sea which would suck the whole world down with it. Obviously, I was not able to obtain such a shot. Still, it was pretty cool to see it.

We headed farther north and crossed the dreaded Yaquina Bay Bridge (I have a bridge phobia and was nearly sick to death crossing this thing) and stopped at the Yaquina Bay Light. This lighthouse is a bit tiny compared to the Yaquina Head Light, which we drove to just after this.

Yaquina Head juts out quite a ways into the ocean. The winds were fierce, nearly blowing my car into me as I tried to get my hooded sweatshirt out of the back so that the wind wouldn’t blow my ears off. Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to take dogs up into the lighthouses and, at Yaquina Head, you can’t even take your dog on the path to the light, so we had to limit our photos to views from the outside. Yaquina Head Light

Our destination was Depoe Bay, the world’s smallest harbor.

Since we arrived before check-in time, we drove up to Boiler Bay, and communed with a curious sea gull while we enjoyed the ocean views and spray. Curious Gull

We spent the night at the Inn at Arch Rock. Nothing fancy, but it was clean, comfortable, and had a really nice view of the bay at Depoe Bay. Now that we’re home, I really wish we could go back. Ozzie, on the other hand, is quite happy to be back at Ozzie’s house. From Inn at Arch Rock

Catching up

Posted on April 8, 2014 by lindasteller

Well, I pretty much completed training at work. I finished the two weeks, despite having the plague, but they decided not to graduate us onto the next level because we didn’t learn everything we should have, no doubt from having to get up in the wee hours to be at work by 5:00 a.m. Truth be told, I think the trainers were not at top form at those hours either, and they left out a lot of what we should have learned. I was a bit panicky going back yesterday, but a fifteen minute early arrival in the break room was quite fortuitous. I asked a bunch of questions of a more seasoned employee, and I got a much better grasp on a few procedures. Last night was really pretty enjoyable, despite still having to blow my nose all too frequently!

I am, I think, finally on the mend. I’ve not felt the hot flashes and dizziness of the fever for a few days, and I can actually breathe again, so that’s all good! Of course, the virus is running like wild fire through the building, so by the time I’m totally well, the last person will probably give it back. I’m hoping I’ve built up a good immunity.

We did go to see The Grand Budapest Hotel a week ago Sunday. I really enjoyed the movie, although the ending was a bit lack-luster. This, however, is sort of typical for Wes Anderson. It was a good romp, though.

On the Rowenta front, I really like the new iron. It heats up well, produces copious amounts of steam, and even has a boost button to give more steam when necessary. The port for filling it with water has a rubber stopper, so I’m thinking that if I turned the iron upside down, it wouldn’t leak. Experience teaches me that I shouldn’t do that, so I’ve been hesitant to test that hypothesis. I may get to be really daring later in the week, and I’ll let you know if it turns out to be water-tight. I have a small custom quilt on the machine right now that had become rather creased before I loaded it, so I tested the iron’s capabilities by giving it a nice pressing. Not one tiny wrinkle remained. This is a true Rowenta.

Ozzie and I have been getting out to the dog park frequently, but most of my walking has taken place on lunch hours at work. I’m transitioning to graveyard shift, so yesterday, I was off during the most glorious daylight hours. It was 70° and strikingly beautiful here. Ozzie and I did go for our long walk in the park. So many of the flowers have begun to bloom, even lilacs and a few rhododendrons. Everything is so green and fresh. We’ll be heading out there again soon, as today is supposed to be even more spectacular than yesterday. Rain coming tomorrow and Thursday, so we’ll take full advantage. I hope spring is on the way for all of you. I know a few friends who are actually getting more snow today, and that just makes me sad. Spring be with you!

Here’s the scoop

Posted on March 18, 2014 by lindasteller

As many of you know, I retired early after 32 years of service at the University of Oregon. I like to think of it as being paroled after 32 years hard time, but the early part of it really wasn’t that bad. Retiring at 56 years of age felt pretty good, but to tell you the truth, not only does everything begin to fall apart (house and body) after 56, but when you’re home alone most of the day, you find that you begin to miss human companionship.

So, I got a job! Not rocket science. Actually it’s just working in a call center, which I know can be hell, especially if you have to sell, but I won’t be selling anything. I will be helping people with technical issues in setting up their profiles or issues they experience when they arrive at venues for a travel site. It is called AirBNB and, if you’ve never heard of it, you really should check it out. If you have an extra room in your house, or a studio apartment, or any rental property you’d like to offer to travelers, you can list it there. If you’re looking for a good deal on lodging nearly anywhere, you can find a good deal there. They have everything from a tent in someone’s backyard (with bathroom privileges) to a villa in Tuscany. You can rent a room BNB style, or you can rent a whole house or apartment. I won’t be supervising, managing a budget, or processing payroll, and I’m excited about it. A fun job – with fun people. I have an orientation on Friday and I start Monday. I may even end up working the graveyard shift, since I’m a night owl anyway, and I’ll have more daylight hours to throw the ball for my dog.

I’ve had my quilting business for ten years, and I will not be totally giving that up. I will be scaling back. I will be pickier about the quilts I accept. I probably won’t do as much custom work as I have in the past. And, when I have time off, I may actually get to work on some of my own stuff. I may even decide, somewhere down the road, to stop quilting for others. For now, all income will be welcomed, as my poor house, which was built in 1935, really needs some help. You can’t do a lot of improvements on a public employee pension, no matter what the politicians try to tell you.

So – that’s my news! I’m a happy girl.