Eagle Washing

This afternoon, I had the good fortune of watching this eagle wash up in the creek. The eagle landed at the junction of the creek and the bay as the tide was coming in and pushing against the creek water flowing into the bay.

Love having eagles for neighbors. As always, click on the pictures to make them bigger.

Ah Monday

Sorry for the lack of posts -- I've been busier than a one armed piccolo player, as an old friend used to say. The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is really a light and not the usual on-coming train.

This was Saturday here at the peaceful retreat on the bay:


This is today -- bands of clouds rolling in ahead of a weak storm that is going to bring in bands of showers for the next couple of days but the rest of the week is supposed to be warm and dry:


Token spent the afternoon at the doggie beauty shop while I was sitting in the lobby of the tire place, getting a new front tire and an appointment for an alignment next week. I hope to get the car down to K&M maybe tomorrow to have the mechanic check out the engine -- its been sucking gas and I need to have her check it out before I start planning road trips. The car did drive a lot better with good rubber -- I had cord showing on the bad tire. The spare on the right front (from last month's flat) was declared a fine tire and when I come in next Monday, they will have looked for a used tire to use as a spare.

Token looks and smells wonderful and is quite dapper looking wearing the black bandanna with bright red heart shaped strawberries, cherries and ladybugs that his groomer put on him. He usually tolerates bandannas for only a short period of time before he tries scratching them off. He seems to like this one and is snoozing away in his bed below the computer table. Bailey cat is her indiferent self, snoozing away in the chair below the window she has proclaimed hers.

Now that I'm home from running errands today, I'm going to enjoy what's left of my day off watching the birds on the bay scurrying to eat what is on the freshly revealed buffet table as the tide goes out -- including this eagle:

Glad I'm Here Today

A wee bit of sun in between rain bands this afternoon. Did not know if I had gotten the eagles flying in this picture until I downloaded it -- they are easier to see if ya click on the picture. The big guys hung around the cove today. Tis nice to have the eagles back now the tourists have gone away.

Snowing in Portland this afternoon. By the time of the evening commute there was estimates of 3 to 5 inches of snow at various locations throughout the Portland Metro area. The local tv stations were making me glad I was watching rain at the coast. Traffic was ugly with a capitol ugh.

A day to enjoy inside with a blazing fire chasing the damp chill away. Has been 37 since sunset so it looks like it is not going to cool off a lot this evening. Another storm is headed this way -- a wetter and warmer storm -- expected to arrive New Years Eve and make for a soggy holiday.

Am glad that I'll be spending the holiday at home -- tis my favorite holiday pastime. Jen (the hired muscle) and Gary (the woodguy) stopped by yesterday afternoon and brought up and stacked up enough wood next to the stove to keep me warm for the rest of the week. Gary will be out later this week to deliver more.

Saw Dr A yesterday for upper plate tweaking -- he is pleased with my progress, made the adjustments I expected in the areas I expected and said I don't have to return for two weeks -- adding his usual please call if there are any problems in the meantime caveat.

Picked up a total of 0.28 inches so far. Annual rainfal total is 24.26 inches since October 1st.

Lazy Summer Day

Truly a lovely day today at the peaceful retreat on the bay. Got up to 85 this afternoon - short sleeved tshirt weather. Token and Bailey spent most of the afternoon out on the deck. Token was soaking up the rays and Bailey was finding the most strategic place to stalk the birdfeeder hanging from its pole.


This American Goldfinch was checking out the feeder (and keeping an eye on Bailey).


This is the creek the birds I think are juvenile bald eagles soar up and down as it enters the bay. They catch the thermals, rising up and down while looking for their salmon dinner.

Birds And Sun

Tis a lovely day at the peaceful retreat on the bay. Token and I spent a great deal of time this afternoon out on the front deck, watching the barn swallows swope and dive and chase each other, their forked tails making them easily identifiable. When these two guys flew overhead in large lazy circles, all the smaller birds ducked for cover. They landed atop one of the large trees on the north side, unfortunately, with their backs facing me.



This little barn swallow didn't hide and maintained the lookout spot atop the roof ridge above my front door, sounding the alarm until after the eagles moved on.


Got up to 71 today, with white puffy clouds in the sky. The wind that has hung around the past few days has stilled. The only sounds are the birds and an occasional vehicle passing by - even the roar of the surf on the other side of the spit seems muted.

Eagle Bathing In Creek

I saw a large bird bathing in the creek today and snapped some pictures.

The first is the best - the rest of them he was moving and are blurry but... dayam!