Glorious Blue Sky!

Oh, We have been living in a canopy of grey sky for days now.  A friend described it as a “snow globe”.  I know why my folks migrate south for the winter.  But its not all gloom and doom -  Here is a shot of last night -

Coffee, with fresh cream, a cozy chair by the window and the Daily Bread inspiring me for the day, in the Word – and this view – which inspired a beach walk this morning:

White Egret - Georgia

We have a Blue Heron named George and a White Egret named Georgia.  She has been feeding in the afternoons towards the SE side of the lake.  Here are some shots we got today. Jon took a couple and I took a couple.  Enjoy!

My Yard Challenge

Life with My 3 Boybarians – My Yard Challenge

View from the deck of the back yard on January 20, 2010.
Spring is Peeking Out here on the Oregon Coast in Lincoln City.

 

 

 

 

 

   

Thanks Life with 3 Boybarians!

Waves

Posting Waves to my Lake Blog instead of the Beach Blog? 

Well – Yes, when the rain has saturated every inch of property, filling the streams and lake, then the wind howls against the house, pushing the water of the lake into a frenzy! Hard to homeschool in Lincoln City when the weather is more entertaining than dividing decimals!

 
The High Water at the Sandbox

  

Waves at the edge of the yard.

Just another homeschool morning in Lincoln City, Oregon!

Western Grebe – New in the Neighborhood!

Bursting through the room   - Jon screams that we have a new bird!  Nate dashes for the camera and is on the deck before I can stand up from the cozy chair.

Sure enough, it is a bird that we have not yet seen here!  Taking a moment to memorize its features, then we grab Stokes Field Guide to Birds, ran out to the deck and watched as it floated on up to the inlet stream on the north side of the lake.

We find out that it is a Western Grebe because of the black coming below the eye. He dove under the water for quite some time, swam the length of the neighbor’s house, and then popped up.  Very fascinating!Here are the photos that Nate took -

 

If he sticks around, we will have to think up a name. Any Ideas? 

BTW, Does anyone have a favorite Bird Identification Book?

Ensatina Salamander or Pacific Newts?

Nathan found this "Mr. Slimey Lizard" in the yard today, between our house and the forest, in the forest is a stream that drains into East Devils Lake.
We've been trying to do Saxon 7/6 today - but life keeps happening. 

• A trip to the beach
• a car accident on the way to the beach
• lunch with dad
• the prospect of meeting a homeschool family
• and now Mr. Slimey Lizard.

So – it is another day – when we don’t have time to “school” because life is just too exciting.

We looked up Amphibians – Salamanders in our Reader’s Digest North American Wildlife.

We narrowed our search to an Ensatina Salamander or a Pacific Newt.

Looking online did not lead us closer to a decision.

For now, I’m going with Pacific Newt, as when we measured Mr. Slimey Lizard, he came out over 8 inches long, and the Ensatina Salamander only measures up to 3 and a half inches.

The online sources told us that they like to burrow in mossy areas, eating 1-2 worms 2-3 times a week. They secrete a white liquid when they are scared, which we enjoyed seeing. :) We will keep him inside for a few days and then place him back in the forest, from which he likely crawled.

Here are a few pics:

From page 167 of Reader’s Digest North American Wildlife:

When attacked by a bird, snake, or other predator, a Pacific newt lifts its head and tail and displays the bright warning colors of its underside. If the predator ignores this warning and puts the newt into its mouth, it receives a further check; the “warts” on the salamander’s skin are clumps of glands that give off an irrating secretion. Pacific Newts, unlike eastern ones, do not go thorugh a land dwelling eft stage.
Unschooling Homeschool at its finest. :)
Both boys thought God was Good to let them capture/discover a species that is very rare – on a day when meeting a new homeschool family.  Jon says – God is Awesome. I quite agree.

High Rain Water

This is what the road looks like on SE East Devils Lake Road after a few days of downpours.  The water has gone down – after a few days the little draining creek will unswell, and the road will be clear.

This is what I happened upon when taking pictures of birds yesterday.  He had the tip tied to a cleat, and the base wrapped into the anchor.  Got his gear caught on a log or such out in the lake. Funny kid.  Its all fixed up now, re-geared. New line.  Fun Times. 

Quiet Morning Fog

I've never really appreciated Fog until we moved to Central Oregon.
The Frozen Invertion Fog is AMAZING - impossible to describe or photograph with any justice. I used to sigh, and wish the fog on the coast were as lovley. Well - here on the lake - it is! Again, impossible to do justice - but I thouht I'd share a glimpse with you.

 The entire sky and landscape is white, like looking through vellum.
 The white sheer permiates the house, draping it in a soft white morning light.
 The electric boat lights around the edge twinkle.
 Beauty. Peace. Quiet. Calm.
 Notice the water by the Dock.
 With the recent rain, it dips just above the deck in the corner.
Still. Quiet. Peace.
 A Mountain Girl can almost imagine it is all snow. :)

A little Bufflehead Friend floats by the edge of the lawn.

Sitting out the Storms

We had snow last night on Murphy Hill, Elevation 720 ft.  It closed Hwy 18 during several accidents. The weather report said that we should be on the look out for mass flooding. So we geared up, reacquainting ourselves with the location of the propane, lanterns, camp coffee pot etc.

It rained this morning, and then clear.  We watched the storm pass right over us from the ocean over to the valley and up to the cascades.

Here at the lake, the water is high, the wind is still and the fish are jumping. We watched as our neighbor pulled up a large trout onto his dock with some grandchildren. That got the boys excited!

Here are some pics of our day – On December 30, 2009 – A Winter Advisory Day:

At the Grand Ronde Health Center,
I went in for a Thyroid Appt Today.
Murphy Hill , Hwy 18

The boys fishing for trout and checking the crawdad trap.

  

 
A father’s look of joy at watching the boys play with the dog.

 

Worms from the compost pile. Rich Beautiful Earth. 

Morning

October 10, 2009, Morning on the Lake with Loons, Coots, Egrets, Devils Lake, Otis Oregon

Coots