Friday, May 16, 2014

Beach time at Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

We spent three gorgeous days at Cannon Beach: sunshine, bright blue sky, light breeze, beach walks, colorful sunsets, an awesome view from our room and being able to check out Haystack Rock at low tide!




 I did a little research on Haystack Rock to share with you.

Haystack Rock at low tide

The rock is composed of  basalt formed by lava flows emanating from the Grand Ronde Mountains 10 to 17 million years ago. The lava flows created many of the Oregon coast's natural features, including Tillamook Head, Arch Cape, and Saddle Mountain. Haystack Rock was once joined to the coastline but years of erosion have since separated the monolith from the coast. Three smaller, adjacent rock formations to the south of Haystack Rock are collectively called "The Needles".


Two of the "needles"

Haystack Rock is a 235-foot (72-meter) sea stack in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It is claimed locally to be the third-tallest "intertidal" (it can be reached by land) structure in the world. The monolithic rock is adjacent to the beach and accessible by foot at low tide. The Haystack Rock tide pools are home to many intertidal animals, including starfish, sea anemone, crabs, chitons, limpets, muscles, and sea slugs.





The rock is also a nesting site for many sea birds including seagulls, cormorants, and puffins. It was entertaining to watch the mass of birds flying around the rock in the evening, picking their landing place for the night. Watching the puffins in the morning at low tide was a treat!

Hard to see, but all those tiny white dots are birds!
This seagull posed for us on our deck railing

Did I mention the view from our room and the sunsets? Perfect!

A lovely time!


Thursday, May 8, 2014

Ashland Trip 2014

Another wonderful time with the girls in Ashland this spring. We lucked out on the weather-- had sunshine for most of the days there! We saw four plays: Comedy of Errors (set in Harlem in the 1920's), A Wrinkle in Time (staging was awesome), Water by the Spoonful (a contemporary play about the complexity of online relationships, cyber chat rooms, PTSD, and addiction--- an intense and very well acted play), and The Cocoanuts (a Marx Brothers comedy-musical.)



We had lots of porch time


 afternoon happy-hour!

 
 morning coffee/reading time

eating time

Blueberry crepes


 Pasta and green beans

Egg muffin with Cinnamon Roll Cake
  

 Breakfast lasagna with more coffee cake

At our favorite restaurant, The Peerless



















relaxing and reading time

















spa time

pedicure with Jan



and wine time


I was crowned Cork Queen this year for my wine label entry (a tough category - "old people.") I had to watch my back as the reigning queen wasn't happy about giving up her crown. As a matter of fact she wore a back-up crown after passing the scepter and crown to me!

1st place label
2nd place winner


2nd place label






The backup crown

It rained our last day there, so we visited a new winery just outside of town, Bella Fiore. Gorgeous setting and buildings. Great wine, too!















Seems like every year the time in Ashland goes by faster! Sure do enjoy these girls! Got to get my crown on and come up with next year's wine label competition category! Any suggestions?