Yard Front Waves

If you are reading this in Blogspot – and Have not been getting updates – I have switched my blog to http://pebblekeeper.wordpress.com – There is a tab at the top for Lake Schooling – you will find what we learn – see- explore – our nature studies – wave shots – birds – for our homeschooling family on Devils Lake in Lincoln City Oregon!  Here is our post at http://pebblekeeper.wordpress.com for today!

We heard a report from the Nelscott Reef Surfers Facebook Link if You Are Interested that Tuesday is going to be perfect swells for big wave actions for their Surfing Contest. What they failed to report, is Devil’s Lake was going to get a huge swell too!  The level of the lake has risen over a foot on our end with the swells, sloshing over and through the deck boards – and up and over our railing for the sand box.  The Sandbox is filled with water.  Amazing what one night’s storm can do!  We just went out and pulled the boat the rest of the way out of the lake – We were hoping to use it yesterday – but no dice.

I uploaded a few photos to our Online Picassa Album Here if you’d like a few more lake wave shots. :)

Blog Moved

This blog has bee moved to http://pebblekeeper.wordpress.com. Join me over there?

Playing Let’s Follow the Heron, Merganser, and Kingfisher

There were two Blue Herons out on our side of the lake today, they kept crossing to push each other out of the territory. Grunting. It was fantastic!  I pushed the kayak out to see if they would be more concerned about them selves than me – and for the most part – they were!  They only let me get about 20-30 feet from them, but as long as I stayed back they didn’t mind.

My Merganser is back. I need to look and see where the little guy migrates from.  He has spent the last two day sleeping on our deck. When I went down to take a photo last night he just slip/fell into the water. I felt bad for walking down there. I’ll let him sleep today!

The king fisher still eludes my camera. His site must be magnificent!  I get a thrill out of watching him dive for fish. Amazingly accurate.   I have a few fuzzy shots of him on our boat house but not in a tree. He barks. Weird barking call. Yells at me for messing up his fishing.  Crazy Kingfisher.

Here are a few shots today from my kayak trip. Mirror Image Glass Water!

Me thinks I’ve found my soul sister of float enthusiasm. See? In the window? 22 Glass Floats.
 

Mirror Image Calm

  

 

Last Day of Summer Vacation

And we finally got the boat out on the lake!  The Avon was taking on too much water and one board was starting to crack.  After we got her out of the water, we saw that two patches had come off the bottom, letting water into the floor boards, and the floor boards them selves were shifted, which was causing the rubbing/cracking.

So – we let it sit to dry out in the yard for a month so the boards would un-swell. :) Not because we are procrastinators, and we had very few days of sun this summer.  . . . .

Here are a few lake photos for ya -

My new number board I made for the boat. Tired of re-applying the numbers!  Made this one out of a pizza box. :)
This is the view coming back towards our cove. I’ve heard it called Horseshoe Cove. The Neotsu Creek runs into the cove at the upper NE corner near our home. 

 
This didn’t come out as well graphically.  There is a huge rock coming up out of the ake.  About as high as the brush there.  Really interesting! I’m going to go over on a quiet day and scratch it to see what kind of rock it is.

 
This is our home and boat house, with the vacant lot next door. I think the vacant lot and the little to no activity on both sides of us is why we have so many birds around us. :)

I think this is from D River Side by my friend’s house looking back north. There really isn’t a way to show you how beautiful 3 and a half miles of sunshine and beautiful water looks!

 
Just past Regatta Park going back north.  Great Ride!  When we got home the boards had not shifted, the water was not coming in the boat, and the boards are dry. Woo Hoo! With all the jet ski’s out there today there were tons of waves/wakes to jump in the Avon. Jon had a great time. I only had 1.5 heart attacks. :)

Talking to the Lord with the Eastern Sun on my Face

I have been taking morning walks up the Eastern Hill. It is  beautiful stretch of land, pumps up the heart rate, provides breakfast, and puts the warmth of morning sun onto my face. One two occasions this week I have been blessed to meet a friend half way through, to pray with and share what we are learning in the Word that morning. It might be my new favorite thing to do – until the storms pull me to watch at the beach. :)  Here are a few photos of Breakfast, The Top of the Hill and an Evening Primrose.

The sweet first rain

The crisp hangs in the afternoon air. Leaves start to blanket the country road. Red tinges the Japanese Maple.

The First Rain comes.

It is sweet. The air fills with smells of all of the flowers and pollen and leaves. The first damp dirt since June. The sound of the pattering rain is foreign. A forgotten friend. The Tomatoes and Roses sigh a relief, as the pansies crank their necks skyward for refreshment.

The sleep is the most comforting.  As the blanket of dusk surrounds the home, the soft melodic pitter of rain on the roof. The fireplace calls out for flame.

And every year it is the same.

When the memory must be kept of the first sweet rain. The refreshing filling of earth. Vanilla candles lit to warm the home, the lantern flame reflects on window – a beacon to the lake.

Water is calm, and the birds are rejoicing. The Geese have returned. The young Mallards more brave. Sparrows and chickadees are sporting a thick furry fat coat.

And I beg. Beg the resources of my memory. To store this moment. Hot Coffee. Comforting book. Warm Home. The joy that fills my heart.  I beg it to return to me.

In February. In March. In April. In May and In June. Will the last day of the 8 months of rain feel as sweet as the first? Oh to keep this joy.

Is to be a coastal girl.

This coastal girl is looking forward to the adventure of winter. :)

2 Days of Summer Time to Ski!

It looks like we will have two whole days of summer!  Jon came home from the neighbors on their boat  - wake boarding!  They picked me up so I could film – Here are a few pics for ya . .  .

   

He wanted to post the pics and video for his Grandpa and Grandma to see – so you get to see them too. :) Since I took 3 movies and 50 photos – these few aren’t too bad to muddle up the lake blog right?

Last Glimpse of “real” summer vacation

We head into the last week of August with Blue Sky, Full Sun, and Warm Lake water!  My east coast friends have been back in school for 3 weeks – but here in Oregon, School does not typically start til after Labor Day Weekend. I feel the Turn in the Air and have Seen the Signs of Autumn though . . . .

Nate woke me up at 4 a.m. so I could see the moon over the lake. In my tired brain – I just grumbled something like – I saw it last month when Jon woke me up, go back to bed.  He slid his socks across the wood floors . . . . Ok. Now I feel bad. What a beautiful view to see at 4 a.m.  The Moon was so HUGE and crisp and clear. The reflection in the water so mirror like, even the craters could be defined in the water. The evaporation mist slowly swirling on top.  You’ll just have to imagine from this glimpse just how HUGE the August Full Moon really was.  Nate went back to bed and marveled out loud – That happens once a month? Well. Maybe we don’t see it because of night time weather patterns, but Yep. :)

We’ve had quite a few families stop by on their journeys for their last summer vacation -  Picnics on the dock, night swims, kayaking, hikes – fun! We had 4 families last week, looking at 2 planned this week.  We love it when people stop by, even for a wave hello and back in their car. :)
 
These Bright Moon Lit Nights are great for Night Swims. Wonder if I should mention Nocturnal Lake Monsters?

I noticed this bad bad sign at church yesterday, all of their road side trees are tinted red/orange/yellow/green.  Then, on the walk through the woods yesterday, the trees above were all tinting red. Sigh.

 

We are looking for crickets this week – Jon found when while doing yard work for a neighbor. (Apparently his number got around, as we are now getting phone calls). He ran to the “neighbor who has a little bit of everything” and asked for a baggie. :) Havn’t heart the whole story yet – but Bobby Here was still alive this morning. Poor Bobby.

 

Darren and the boys picked about 10 qts of black berries, sold them to some neighbors, and sat on the road to sell them last evening. I think they are in business. These are still a bit tart. :) Picking out the bright red ones. :)

 
Blurry view of this morning but you can see the fog swirling a bit better in this pic. :) Fabulous!