Oregon Coast-Breakfast in Wheeler

Today on the way out of town, mom and I treated ourselves to late morning breakfast. We found a new little spot in the Old Wheeler Hotel Building, right on Hwy 101. called Harrison's Cafe.' Within the cafe' is Handycreek Bakery, run by Linda deGayner, and a little antique store.

The pastries looked lovely and I couldn't resist taking cinnamon rolls home to dear husband. But, the strawberry scones also looked 'killer' good, and are on the list for my next visit. Mom had an omelet with sun dried tomatoes, brie, and bacon, that looked so good that I had to take a photo!

If all the pictures of the cool ambiance and good food don't make you want to visit, just look at the great view you'll see while dining!

Low Tide

I left the beach house at 6 in the morning, leaving our dogs, Molly and Lulu behind. You can't take photographs with dogs dancing around waiting for a ball to be thrown in their direction. I heard that today and tomorrow would be the lowest tides of the year on the Oregon Coast, and I couldn't resist coming down to see views that we normally don't get a chance to see. Maybe it was the misty morning or rain from the night before, but I was surprised not to see lots of people with cameras around their necks, juggling for spots on the rocks. Instead, I saw the occasional jogger with their dog, and a handful of seagulls, but otherwise, I had the huge expanse of the beach to myself. It was very 'Zen' to use the catchword of the day.

You can almost hear this little starfish saying "It's lonely out here..."

But then, three's a crowd!

Jewelry Art

About 9 years ago, I found a cool bead shop on the Oregon Coast, called Nehalem Beads. The owner, Mary, recently retired and closed her shop, but it was a destination for many of us for many years. At the time, I was recovering from a big surgery and couldn't lift anything heavy for months. Beads seemed to fit the bill for a fun and portable creative outlet. My mom and I took a couple of beading classes at the local Adult Ed. program, and I'm sure the instructor never thought we would amount to much in the bead dept. since we were always making wise cracks, and cutting up during class. However, we did manage to learn some basic stitches. Well, about 4 years ago, my little 'hobby' turned in to an obsession, and the projects became less portable...so many beads, so little time. Now, they are all color coded and 'live' in the Bead Tower!

Aren't these colors yummy? Sometimes, it's so hard to choose!

Over the years, I've seen styles come and go from the earlier, more heavily beaded pieces, to the now popular, brass and copper chains with nature pendants. Although I still love beads, and will never give up using them, it's fun to work with the chains and wire wraps! Silver has become so expensive, many artists have had to turn to the less expensive metals, like brass and copper. It's all fun, and I've been lucky enough to have taken classes from many wonderful artists, who have been generous is sharing their techniques. Here are some of my recent pieces, using brass and gun metal.

Of course, silver is still a favorite, but it's been fun bringing in other materials, and combining them with symbols of nature, like birds, leaves and dragonflies in my pieces. I had necklaces draped all over the lamps in the livingroom. Dear husband, Rick, says that I expand to the space available, which means I've cluttered up my office, familyroom, and now am taking over the upstairs...what else can I do? It's the only place with good light on these gray days. I know it's June, but it's Portland! Everyone up here knows that summer doesn't start until after July 4th. However, I did clean up and have moved my pieces to the orb. I think they look pretty cool here!

For more of my jewelry, check out my Etsy shop at: http://gardendiva.etsy.com/ or just click on the Etsy Box at the top of my Blog!

Graduation Day

Last Saturday was our son Bryan's, graduation from Eastern Oregon University. Several family members joined us for the ceremony at 10 AM, and the BBQ following. At first, I feared that the graduation ceremony would be rained out as mine was many years ago, when I graduated from Sacramento State. However, eventually the rain subsided, clouds parted, the sun shone, and the proceedings didn't skip a beat. I loved in how the students stood to each side as the professors walked in, and at the recessional, it was reversed. Bryan claims to hate having his picture taken, but how could a proud mom resist capturing these wonderful moments! Bryan graduated with a major in geology, and anthropology.

Now if we could just lose the shades
Bryan with his sister, Katie, who has three years left before her graduation!
It was great day for proud parents!
I think this was Bryan's favorite part of the day, overseeing the BBQ, at the post-grad party. We were lucky that the thunderstorm and rain mostly held off until the party was over.

Les Femmes de L'Ocean

7-21-09 I need to add a postscript to this post, since the 'Femmes of the Ocean' have lost their lease and closed their shop. However, I look for them to re-open in some form, and when they do, I'll post about it.

If you are traveling to the North Coast of Oregon, don't miss stopping at Les Femmes de L' Ocean, on 1015 South Main, in Historic Downtown Warrenton. You won't want to miss this colorful destination. The women who run this 'shop' are fun and friendly, and have wonderful treasures for sale.

My mom and I found this fun shop over Memorial Day Weekend. As we arrived, we were handed a glass of bubbly, and invited to enjoy a cupcake as we browsed. The 'shop' is open every Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. I took several pictures of some of the treasures that I found there. There's some great ideas for 'shabby chic ' decorating.

More eye candy!

Dragon Boat Races and a Knit Project

It never ceases to amaze me that there are so many cool things to do in Portland, especially in summer. Last weekend, after 30 plus years of living here, we went to our first Dragon Boat race. We hauled lawn chairs, cameras, and my ubiquitous knitting [see, instructions below], and headed to Waterfront Park. Over 90 teams in colorful boats, competed on the Willamette River all day Saturday and Sunday. Suprisingly, they have been competing for 20 years.

Dear daughter, Katie, competed as flag catcher for the Portland State University Green Dragon's team. As flag catcher, the trick is to lean out as far as possible from the dragon's head, and not fall into the Willamette --something that you definitely don't want to do!

Dragon Boat teams practice year round, and compete internationally. There was such a friendly competitive spirit among the teams, that it's definitely worth checking out. Among the students and professionals competing, there was also a team from a local retirement home with a woman in her 80's in the race, plus, a team of cancer survivors. It was very inspiring. There will be another race in Portland on September 12th.

It's always good to have a portable project between meets like Mistake Rib Scarf: Cast on in multiples of 3. 21,24, 27, 30 etc. Use any size yarn and needles to match-I use a worsted yarn, and size 8 needles. All rows; K2, P1, continue to the end of the project. A good length for this scarf is 52 inches. That's all there is to it. Have fun!