Spouts And Tail Slaps!! Continued .... New Location

Rarely do they come into the Columbia River, so I'm told, but this year you could see whale spouts and tail slaps during high tide.  I'm on the move however, so the story will have to wait until I'm settled in.  Wish me luck finding a space at the next Thousand Trails Park!!!

.....................................

Well I made it, my left eye twitching all the way.  Upon inspection on Saturday, there were only two spaces opening up.  A very nice gentleman helped me park, right under that big tree.  Thank goodness the satellite dish is far enough back, but a trip to the office for a chain saw was required.

No problem .. I don't plan on staying in this spot.  The guy right behind me (with his three huge bouvier dogs) will be leaving Wednesday morning.  I'll be the vulture parked in front of his rig just waiting .....

In the meantime, I stalked the Oregon side of the Columbia River for whales.  Here's the same Cannery Pier Hotel and Spa.  Park near the boat dock and you can walk the entire length of the little jetty and see nothing.  Okay, there is a nice bench at the end where you can contemplate the seagulls and you do get a nice view of the bridge.

I was surprised to see this boat coming through.  I was even more surprised to see he was attached by HUGE chains to a very long barge with ANOTHER boat pushing from behind.

I gather the one in front was just to help steer should it veer off course due to the strong current.

With that being the excitement for the morning, I decided to check out the hotel (another story for another day) where I learned something very interesting.  As you cross the bridge to Washington, look to the left (best seen at low tide) where you will find old pilings sticking out of the water, right in the middle of the river.  Here's why ... there were horse barns built on stilts in the shallowest part of the bay.  That's where these horses and their caretakers lived.

After salmon nets were spread out by boats and when the tide was just right, the horses were brought out and harnessed to the nets.  Called seining, they would pull the nets in where the fish were collected.  When the tide came back in, the horses were walked up the ramp back into the barn.  All this of course, before the bridge was built.

One of the things you look for if whale watching is the number of birds swarming close to the water. They are picking up the krill and fish the whales are missing.  There were lots of pelicans flying around this day on the Washington side, west of the bridge.

Finally, I caught glimpses of several spouts erupting into the air.  Too bad they were so very far away.  

Still, I was able to capture a few pictures.  There were no big breaches here, as the water isn't that deep.  As far out as they were, I'm guessing they were near the edge of the deep water channel.

Barely visible in the gray sunless morning, I spotted a few more blows and gulps for air.

At long last I was able to follow this guy through the waves as he headed back out to the ocean.

Finally ... a whale tail with a mini slap before disappearing beneath the water.  Soon there were six or seven cars parked on the side of the road next to mine.  Without binoculars or a telephoto lens however, they were very hard to see.

By now my butt isn't happy I've been sitting on this very hard rock for the last hour.  About this time the salmon sport fishermen in their boats came screaming through right and left, with no apparent regard for the whales.  Two killed their engines ... a good thing ... then jumped in to swim with the whales ... a bad thing.  The whales were having none of it and completely disappeared.  After 30 more minutes, so did I.

Speaking of salmon, I'm constantly driving by Josephson's Smokehouse.  They specialize in smoked fish.  Although not my favorite, I decided to stop in for a gift pack to send to friends in Florida who couldn't make it to the Pacific Northwest this year (you know who you are).  

I tried a taste test of Maple Wine smoked salmon.  WOW!!!  I'll take a pound of THAT one, until I found out how much it cost!!  YIKES!!  It's okay, they're worth it!!  At least I thought so until I found out that shipping it to the East Coast cost twice as much as the salmon.  It has to be shipped with dry ice.  Okay then ... I hope you come back to the West Coast soon so I can buy some smoked salmon for you!!!  I bought this tiny 2" piece for me for $10.  

They also serve lunch ... mostly salmon things, but their menu said clam chowder.  It sounded good.  It came in a cup like a Blizzard.  You could turn it upside-down and nothing would come out.  More like hot potato salad, I ate as much as possible before that funny taste got the best of me.  Maybe it was the spices, or maybe it was the tiny clams, or maybe my taste buds were full of salmon.  

So here I am parked in Seaview Washington for the next three weeks.  Notice the TREE!!  I'm not putting the driver side slide out.  With my luck I'd catch it when I pull the slide in and take half the tree with me.  The guy behind me?  That's where I'll be camped out until he leaves.

In the meantime, I'm ready for lunch and a quick shopping trip!!!  You knew that wouldn't take long!!

Peter WHO???

After close inspection, this was apparently NOT Peter Cottontail.  This spot in Seaside Oregon used to be covered with bunnies.  Cottontails everywhere.  I know, because I put my precious succulents I had been babying, outside to get a little cool breeze.  The next morning, they were gone, as in nibbled off at the roots.

Not having seen any this year at all, I was shocked to find this guy right outside my door ... probably looking for more succulents.  Not really afraid, he let me get very close while he nibbled the flowers.

He looks more like a jackrabbit really ... no tail to speak of and VERY long back legs.  That cute little white spot on his forehead makes him readily identifiable.  Alas, I haven't seen hide nor "hare" of him since.

Who was the OTHER Peter?  The Peter Iredale ... a four masted steel barque sailing vessel.  In the time before jetties, she ran ashore trying to find the mouth of the Columbia River in October of 1906. She was abandoned on Clatsop Spit near Fort Stevens where you can visit her remains today.

Named for her owner, she was built in England in 1890 of steel plates over an iron frame, the largest ship built by that company.  Bound for Portland Oregon from Mexico, she left with 1,000 tons of ballast and a crew of 27, two of which were stowaways.  With a heavy fog, rising tide and no propeller for power, strong winds drove the ship into the beach.  Everyone on board survived.

All that remains are the rusted pieces of steel along her length with one end still standing above water.  Plans were made to drag her back to sea, but the weather didn't cooperate and she was soon on her side embedded in the sand.  Though salvage rights were sold, nothing was ever done, and so the bow and ribs lay today, after all these years. 

Fort Stevens has signs directing you to the shipwreck, so it's easy to find.  It's another one of those beautiful, long sandy beaches where you can spend the day contemplating sailing the Peter Iredale with only wind and sails.  Definitely go at low tide ... it's SO much more interesting and you can get the feel of just how SMALL she is compared to the ocean she traveled.  Again with the black and white.

On the way back home, I noticed some huge construction equipment across the road in the Costco Fred Meyer shopping area of Warrenton.  Low and behold, WALMART is coming to this area and it's going to be huge.  Lots more shopping is in the works for Seaside and Astoria.  On the other hand, it's going to do some damage to surrounding businesses.  Hopefully tourists will continue to support the local mom and pop businesses too.

Today I'm off again to the Sunday Market in Astoria before preparing to move yet again.  

To The End Of Oregon

I interrupt this blog to tell everyone to PLEASE BE CAREFUL.  This truck and fifth wheel belong to my two best friends at Elks Bingo.  While traveling through Oregon yesterday, someone came around the bend on their side of the road.  He was quick enough to get the truck off on the shoulder, but the car hit the fifth wheel, ripping it from the truck, where it crashed on it's side.  The truck spun in a circle, but luckily neither one even got a bump or bruise.

The lady in the car that hit them went to the hospital.  They expect her to live.  I hate to dress down someone who is hurt, but what the heck???  Drinking??  SMOKING??  Obviously her head was somewhere it shouldn't have been.  Thank the Lord my friends are okay.  They just have to recoup and find a new traveling house.  Please watch every single car and drive defensively at ALL times.  It can save your life.

Back to regular programming .........

The huge Columbia River Bar separates Oregon from Washington.  It's an amazing story of shipwrecks, loss of life and the tenacity of people who traded here in the 1800's.  Here is where river current meets sediment and ocean waves (think fire hose), creating the graveyard of the Pacific Ocean.  The navigational channel is 2600 feet deep and 600 feet wide, narrowing to 43 feet deep inside the channel.  Try navigating that in a ship without motors and propellers!!

Since I'm on the South side, I decided to do a little geocaching and visit the South Jetty.  It's not a long drive, but there are lots of places to get lost.  Navigating Fort Stephens Park is like trying to find the mouth of the Columbia in the fog!!  The roads are rough, with lots of six inch deep holes.  I actually went slower than the speed limit after hitting the first one!!

With no one in sight, I trotted up the observation deck stairs to see the Jetty.  It goes for as far as the eyes can see.  No, it's not an earthquake ... the deck sways back and forth as you walk around, even if you are by yourself.  I was glad there weren't 25 more people around.

Up underneath the platform were several bird nests ... some kind of swallow I'm guessing.  They build their nests with barely enough room to squeeze in.  You can see her tail sticking out the left and just part of her head.  I didn't hear any squeaking, so I imagine the babies have not arrived yet.

You probably noticed these huge pilings on the way in and wondered what they were.  This is the railroad track built to haul those humungous rocks to their final resting spot, creating the 6 mile long jetty.  

Try as I might to find more information on the trains, I could only discover construction was started in 1885 and completed around 1910.  I know Mr. Chance has more information on these.  Maybe he will pass it along.  Once completed, the rails were extracted, leaving the wooden trestles.  You can still see much of the wood among the rocks.

Looking south, the jetty has created a beautiful long picnic-perfect deserted sandy beach where geocachers have hidden their log books for everyone to find.  I stopped in at two.  The first was close to the South Jetty parking lot.  No problem there.  I wasn't to be so lucky at the second one.

Pictures just don't do it justice.  You've really got to go see this one in person.  From this point, you can also see the big ships coming in to the mouth of the river where Bar Pilots take over navigation  through the River Bar.

I stopped in at the second geocache, only to find it hidden in the trees between the road and the beach.  It had a very haunted feeling with mossy misshapen trees and blood sucking vampires.  I accumulated three more nasty bites before clawing my way out.  So much for geocaching in the bushes!!!

On the way out I took a wrong turn (there are not a lot of signs) and ended up at the rivers edge just inside the jetty.  Another deserted long sandy beach.  I walked along in the morning quiet, except for the crashing of waves until I ran into a guy and gal ... both with straw hats of the Bahama Mama variety, sitting on homemade chairs of driftwood ... like King and Queen for a Day.  Remember, it's legal to smoke wacky tobaccy up here now!!

A little further along was this tree, deposited during the last big storm.  Other than dead crabs, it was the only thing on the beautiful soft sand.

And then the itching began.  I don't understand how you can't feel a thing when these blood suckers drain your veins.  The hot spoon trick hasn't been working for me, so I'm off to buy Windex.  Yes I have those bug stick things (they don't work), cortisone cream (doesn't work) and Tea Tree Oil (also doesn't work).  Oh wait .... meat tenderizer!!  If that doesn't work, at least I'll be even MORE tender for their blood sucking pleasure!!

Tip of the day ... you've all probably heard of The Solution?  Someone here was selling it recently.  One of his sales pitches included cleaning your glasses.  Spray on a rag and wipe, then wipe again with a dry rag.  I didn't have to clean my glasses for three days.  That's a miracle since I'm usually washing them three times a day.  You might want to give it a try.  Hey, maybe it will work on mosquito bites!!!

Back To The Scene Of The Crime

Not having visited the little town of Manzanita before my lunch date with Tom and Barbara, I decided to return to the scene of the shopping crime for a little more exploration.  There are several turnouts as you round the last hill and head down into town, all well worth stopping at.  The views are magnificent.

I didn't go to the antique store in Wheeler again ... that place could get me in trouble and I didn't want to be reminded of the beautiful wicker chair I couldn't have.  Arriving a little early, I found perfect parking right in front of the Grand Opening Ice Cream Store.  It was fate!!

The first thing you see is lots of bright colored fabric blowing in the wind at the kite store.  That's when I spotted the crayon fence decoration.  How cute and colorful is that?  Your grandkids would probably love working on a project like this with you!!

This is Finnesterre.  Be sure and stop in here.  When it comes to shops with touristy souvenirs that resemble decorator items for your home, this one wins hands down.  Some of the most interesting stuff I've ever seen lives here, not to mention the house and the back yard.  Stop in with a cup of coffee and veg out in the zen garden in back.  

Believe it or not, I passed on the Manzanita Sweets store.  Had I gone in, I would have come out with some very expensive candy.  You can spend $20 in two seconds, ending up with a TINY bag.

At the very end of main street is the beach.  It looks just like every other beach, huge with lots of sand, although this one was more crowded than most.  Then I saw these guys dragging something down the trail.  At first I thought wind rails or whatever you call them ... the ones with big sails that push you down the beach.  

I was surprised to see the kids jump on and pedal around.  They were FAST and turned on a dime.  How fun would THAT be, especially since none of it was UPHILL.  

On the walk back towards my car, I discovered a hot dog stand.  This is NOT your ordinary hot dog stand.  Meet Mudd.  He sells Chicago Dogs and ONLY Chicago Dogs.  I've never had one before, since dill pickles, onions and the greenest relish I've ever seen aren't exactly in my flavor category.  He was so nice, telling me all about his dogs while his Chicago friend cheered him on, I just had to try one.  I'll sit in the corner close to the trash can.

Lo and behold ... it was downright GOOD!!  I even ate the pickle and green relish.  I ate it all!!!  He and his friend came over to be sure I liked it.  That's when I saw the Mudd Nick Foundation sign.  What's up with that?  It's a non-profit foundation created by Jim Mudd and Doug Nicholson to raise money giving all the kids of the Manzanita area experiences they would normally not have.

With all the cuts in school funding, these guys decided every kid should have all the school supplies they need, along with expeditions that instill respect, citizenship, responsibility and curiosity ... you know, all those traits people should have.  It started with a golf tournament and grew from there.  Stop in and have a dog ... they're delicious and the $6.00 (cash only) goes for a good cause.

Almost back where I started, there was one small shop that caught my eye.  These beautiful mini pie plates are about 5" across.  I know that means I have to bake mini pies, but maybe I could just serve dips in them at rallies.  That was it, my only purchase ..... at least the second trip didn't do the damage the first one did!!

Oh but then there was the very last stop in the building where I parked.  The ice cream store had many amazing flavors, including pistachio (one you don't see often) and lemon meringue pie.  I went for the lemon.  The devil on my shoulder tried to get me to have TWO scoops, but the Angel won out this time.  I savored every single tasty bite and my wallet was a happy camper.  Should you need it however, there is a bank ATM just up the road.  Don't ask how I know that.

I think the hot weather is over for the time being.  It's nice and cool with overcast skies this morning.  That means I should be out on the beach this afternoon, squeezing some fun out of my kites.  I also heard the whales were spouting by the Astoria-Megler bridge.  Decisions, decisions!!

Who Turned Up The Heat?

The weather guessers said it would be a HOT 79 degrees on the coast yesterday.  I checked my WeatherBug phone app to see what it thought.  The front screen said it was 96.  WHAT??  Am I in the right city?  Yes I was, so I checked the HOURLY feature.  70 degrees with a high of 79, winds 9-10 mph.  I checked the temperature gauge I have up front in the rig and it said 81.  This is crazy!!

My thought was I better go kite flying while it was still rather cool, so I suited up with neck scarf (pull it over your nose to keep sunburn away), my arm sleeves (UV protected) a hat and my iPod.  I was decked out for flying.

Not feeling much wind when I landed in the parking lot, I gathered up my kite stake and bag for the long walk to the beach.  When I got there, I found the weather app had lied.  There was no wind AT ALL.  Basically deserted except for the seagulls, I headed the half mile towards the water.  The tide was out ... but that's a good thing.  You can find cool stuff on the beach when the tide is out.

Okay, that may be true in Hawaii, but it's not true here.  We have found in years past if you follow the seagulls, that's where the sand dollars and crabs are.  All I found was bird poop.  Wearing my waterproof sandals, I walked through the ponds created by the receding tide and out into the little waves.

I didn't go far.  This beach is long and beautiful, making it perfect for rip tides and drowning.  Seriously, this is NOT the beach to let your kids go swimming at.  Even adults have lost their lives here.  Just walk in the freezing three inch water and call it a day.  Which is exactly what I did.

Back at the rig, I lasted about 30 minutes before crawling the walls.  It's hard for me to sit still and watch the same Shark movie for the twelfth time.  Especially with no one to talk to.  By now it was getting REALLY hot outside.  I set the AC and took off in the car towards Cannon Beach.  There were several beach pullouts where I wanted to get photographs.  This one from a viewpoint only wide enough for one car shows the tide all the way in.  The water was beautifully blue and clear as could be.

I immediately found that everyone else on the planet had the same idea, as there were no parking spaces to be found at all the little places I stopped.  There are actually quite a few State Parks along the road.  At Arcadia Beach, I finally just sat in my car until someone left.  This beach was packed full of people, even though it looks fairly empty.  They would have much more room if they were in Seaside.

Another viewpoint stop with the sun shining on the water.  You can't really see, but there are beautiful flowers in the foreground.  Are you bored yet?  Yeah, me too!!

Finally ... THIS guy caught my eye!!  Does this look like the rig of someone we all know and love?  Every time I see something like this, I think of Nick and how many people he has made smile with that picture of his rig.  This isn't all that steep of a driveway, but he's hung up on the rear bumper.  It's been here for awhile and from the looks of it, I doubt anyone is coming back for it.  Maybe they're still living in it!!  You never know around this part of the country.  

Back at the rig, my euphoria of a 45 minute drive down the beach didn't last long.   Maybe I'll pay bills ... how exciting is that?  Not so much, since my calculator seemed to have died.  A good excuse to brave the heat and go find one in town.  Not an easy task, to be sure.  After the third stop, I picked up this $10 piece of junk.  

Finally in desperation, I headed off to Bell Buoy for some fresh fish to cook for dinner.  Actually, I was thinking crab until they told me the price was $45.99 FOR ONE POUND.  Scrap that idea.  I see ladies sitting on the bridge with their crab pots ... I'm going to stop and ask how to get my own.  What they DID have was fresh tuna LOINS.  You don't see this very often.  I bought the whole thing for $20.00.  

Handle with care, the meat is very tender and will break apart, as it did when I was slicing it up.  Since I didn't have a barbecue with me, I seared it in one of those fancy GREEN pans.  Talk about non-stick ... I LOVE this pan!!  The meat doesn't taste fishy and if I didn't tell you what it was, you would think Halibut.  It's quick to cook ... overcooking makes it dry.  YUM YUM!!  Add to it garlic toast and I had a GREAT meal after an unusually boring day.

In the end, the temperature got up to 86, or so they say, with an even hotter day expected for today ... into the 90's.  That's funny ... my weather app says 72.  I think I'll go on the hunt for a really lightweight chair to haul to the beach, along with a paperback book to read.  It's going to be another fabulous day at the beach!!

P.S.  Remember the Dirt Devil vacuum?  I've used it three times to clean the entire rig ... all on only one battery charge.  I think it's got one more in it before it requires a charge.  Pretty cool!!

No One Said Kite Flying Is Easy

Except for all those salesmen selling me all those kites, no one said kite flying was going to be an easy hobby.  It takes dedication and coordination.  I only have one of those attributes.  What they DID say was once you get the hang of it, it will be so much FUN!!  You know I love a challenge!!  What better way to acquire skills than trying to learn to fly ONE KITE??   Why learning to fly MANY kites of course, because each and every one is like a different animal.  Consider the difference between a teddy bear and a grizzly!!

It was a gorgeous day with the weather guessers saying the winds would be in the 9-10 range.  Perfect.  I gathered up all my stuff, sprayed myself from head to toe with greasy sun screen and headed out the door.  I only had to come back once to get my iPod.  You've GOT to have music to fly with.

I walked the quarter mile to the beach, checked the wind and picked my setup spot.  Just to be sure I'm far enough away from the bushes, I actually count my steps.  I only need 80 feet, but I always count to 100.  No use taking the walk of shame to unhook your kite from sticks and stones.

I grabbed my lines, held them in place with my handy dandy kite stick and began the walk.  The line flowed off the spool like a pro until I was in the middle of the weeds.  Wait ... what happened?  Didn't I count right?  It was then I realized I had the 120 foot lines out.  RATS!!  I wound them back up, walked to the start where I grabbed my bag and KEPT walking another 50 feet.  I unwrapped for the second time.

Now to set up my new EYES kite from Bazzer Poulter in Australia (this picture off the web).  I probably should set these up a time or two BEFORE getting on the beach.  It was so windy I KNEW there was no way this was going to work.  With no venting at all, it would drag me kicking and screaming down the sand.

I wrapped it back up and made the 120' deep-sand walk to the kite bag.  Take two ... I grabbed my all time favorite John Barresi B-Pro vented.  This kite is so well made it's the easiest to fly ... so it's always a good choice in windy situations.

It drug me right down the beach.  Hmmm ... maybe the weather guessers weren't so right after all.  I made adjustments in the lines, flew some more, made more adjustments and actually remembered SOME of the tricks before being drug along the beach again, but at least this time not quite so far.

Time for a different kite.  As I took it apart and made the long deep-sand walk BACK to my bag, I spotted this guy overhead.  Aren't planes supposed to have identifying numbers underneath??  A nice diversion anyway.

Back at my kite bag AGAIN, I grabbed my Elliot Shook kite.  Joanna once said I can fly this in any big wind ... I set it up.  There's so much more to kites than just flying them.  There are many different weights of spars that hold the sails so they can be flown.  For the life of me I can't remember what ones are in what kite.  Some are better in heavy winds ... stiffer and less likely to break.  The Pros can feel the difference.  They all feel the same to me.  

The Shook went up like a dream after I spent twenty minutes trying to figure out how to retie the bridle (what the four lines attach to) that came loose from the kite.  Every place it attaches must be tied exactly right or it will fly crooked ... more likely not fly at all and make big crashing sounds when it hits the ground.  

That's when my music died.  I heard something faint like "battery" and click ... it was gone with the wind.  No worries, I kept going until I stepped backwards and tripped over my kite bag.  Okay, I get the message.  Time to call it a day!! 

Just one more thing ... I tried to hold the two handles (four lines) with one hand for an in-the-sky picture.  The kite headed straight for the ground.  I dropped my phone in the sand and grabbed both handles, saving it in the nick of time.  As I said before, there will be NO sky pictures.  I will probably never get all the sand out of the charging connection on my phone.

With the lines all wrapped up, I was only able to find the kite bag because I had tripped over it, dislodging enough sand for it to be seen.  It took me another ten minutes to clean all the blowing sand out of the bag for the walk back to the car.  As I turned around for one last look, the beach was essentially empty.  The perfect time to fly!!  

I'll try again another day ................ at least I'm dedicated!!

When Neighbors Encroach

I was born and raised in the boon tullies ... that means no neighbors in sight.  Even after eminent domain and we were forced to move the ranch to Central California, there was only one neighbor a quarter mile away.  Having neighbors has always been hard for me.  Mostly because they aren't respective of THEIR neighbors.

Case in point ... my neighbor here in Seaside Oregon has moved his satellite dish three times, from next to his rig, to his picnic table, to 6" from the drivers side of my rig.  I'm sorry if he parked under a big tree.  Parked isn't exactly what he did, since he didn't really know HOW to back up a trailer.  He blocked the road for over an hour, wiping out one tree, before he parked directly under and up against another.

At any rate, apparently it wasn't working, because next thing I know he's got a Dish Network truck parked in MY parking space.  I asked them to move, unloaded the Jeep and went inside.  That's funny ... I hear people talking VERY close to the back of my rig.  I step outside for a look.  WHAT?????

Yup ... this is what I found on my passenger side.  They set up his dish at the back corner of my rig with the cable going UNDER my rig.  Really?  Don't you think you might ASK FIRST?  It's so close I can't walk between it and the back of my coach.  I suppose it's not as bad as the lady in Long Beach who carries around rocks and a ton of oyster shells, so she can carefully mark out her entire site all around (plus a few inches for good measure), install three easy ups, a stone patio, two chairs with end tables and a waterfall feature, not to mention the eighteen sets of wind chimes hanging from the easy ups.  

The poor neighbors on either side have to listen to all that noise and be squished into their sites.  For those that remember, it's the same lady who was the nuisance at Whalers Rest in Newport who was finally kicked out.

So what do you do with these people?  Complaining around here does nothing.  I found out that the horrible Manager from Long Beach that I thought got FIRED, is now the Manager here in Seaside.  Put on your patience pants Nancy.  Just close the blinds and don't look!!

Being locked up in the rig is a double edged sword.  Even though I'm not all that good at it, I LOVE to cook ... to try out new things.  Trouble is, I then gain weight just looking at it.  Here's the hand pie I had at the Astoria Sunday Market.  I decided to try and replicate it.

It looked pretty simple ... it's just puff pastry with filling.  I thought it was like spinach dip.  That's easy enough to make.  Not really sure just how BIG to make them, I cut the pastry in half.  Maybe I should have cut it into fours.  I plopped a big spoonful of spinach dip in the middle, brushed water around the edges and sealed it with a fork.  Wow ... they look pretty good!!

I had no idea how long to bake them, only that the vendors said I could buy some ($7 each) frozen and bake them at 400 degrees.  So that's what I set my Breville oven at.  When they were golden brown, I took them out.  Maybe I should have waited a little longer.  I let them cool for the taste test.

You might have noticed that hers had much more spinach.  Mine tasted pretty good, but when was the last time you ate an entire dish of spinach dip all by yourself?  That's how I felt after eating only half.  The crust was perfect ... the filling so rich with cream cheese and cream that my stomach instantly complained.  Oh my ... I wish I hadn't eaten that whole thing!!

I called Chef/Nurse Patty to discuss how to cut the cream and cure the stomach.  I'll give it a try maybe next year.  At least they didn't get buried, but then again they may remain in the freezer forever.

If you're looking for good fish and chips in Seaside, Bell Buoy Fish Market is a good place to check out.  One day on the way home I stopped in for a five piece $16.00 plate.  Their cole slaw is delicious with chunks of pineapple and their fish cooked to perfection.  Their waffle fries need work.   I would put this lunch third on the list of best places.

All the sitting inside at night has for some reason brought about a crafting bug in my brain.  After looking at my beautiful new basket, I figured to learn how to do it myself.  That's when I found out how many ways there are to make baskets.  This particular one suited me ... it's crocheted together.  I can crochet anything ... just don't ask me to knit!!  I'm over that now and on to monotype printing.

This was a cute crafty idea I saw at a local store.  They took out the cane bottom and added a flower box with bright paint.  Maybe I could grow cactus in one at the Lost Horse Ranch.

I did a little kite flying yesterday in what felt like 45 mph winds.  I tried for a picture of it in the sky, and promptly crashed it to the ground.  I'm happy to report no damage, but no SKY pictures will be shown.