Jujube Sunset

Spent the afternoon with Jen and Julianna. Forgot my camera -- again. *head hanging in shame*. Thank goodness Jen sent me this photo of Jujube sitting on her mat playing with her toys this evening. She is 6 months and my guesstimate of her weight was 19 lbs 6 oz. She has her 6 month checkup tomorrow so we will find out just how accurate her grammy's guess is :)


When I headed over to Jen's this morning, I saw a large smoke column on the north side of Cape Meares -- a debris burn was my guess. When I got back into town on my way home, the smoke from the controlled burn had settled over town and the air had that shimmery glow from the low angle of the sun reflecting on the smoke particles. I figured tonight's sunset would be grand and I was not disappointed.

When I got home, I watched the sunset and took this shot when it had the most color.


As always, click the picture to biggify it -- there are some spectacular colors!

Spoke Too Soon

Yesterday was spectacular - just look at last night's sunset through the trees:


After sunset and just before everything faded to dark:


The smoke from the Mt. Hood fire and the other fires in the Cascades and central Oregon reached me just before sunset and gave everything a hazy look (and a lot of particles in the air to reflect color). Here you can see the haze looking up at Cape Lookout:


I was so amped when I saw the haze -- figured for sure I would have a repeat of last night's colorful sunset tonight. I fear I jinxed myself - look at today:


Socked in foggy all day long. Temps in the mid to high 60's most of the afternoon. It got down into the 40's last night (brrrr) but it is still in the mid 50's right now. I went from short sleeves light cotton clothing yesterday to a fleece hoodie today. Was great sleeping weather last night tho -- nice and cool and I'm hoping for a repeat tonight. Don't think I'll get it -- that thick fog blanket is gonna keep it much warmer.

The record still stands at 4 days in a row of sunshine... didn't see hide nor hair of the sun today.

Getting Better

Last night's sunset was even better! Woke up to a much warmer day without a cloud in the sky. Thank goodness an afternoon breeze cooled it down from 95 to the mid 80's. Now the sun is behind the trees and the house is in shade, the temperature has dropped to a very pleasant 76 on my front deck. Per the weather service, it is still 91 in Tillamook.

I had both doors open this afternoon, letting the breeze air out the house. My head cold/allergy thingie was back with a vengeance earlier today but now it appears to have been blown away with the breeze. All in all, a better day that brings to mind this song:



The Beatles -- Getting Better.

First Sunset of September

I love the interplay of the whiteness of the moon in the sky that still has traces of blue but is transforming into the fading colors left by a below the horizon sun and how it contrasts with the dark land and trees. A sunset worthy of celebrating the new month. As always, click on the photo to biggify it.

Weather dood said we may get up to 90 here tomorrow. The winds are shifting from the northwest to an easterly flow and that is going to bring all the hot air from the other side of the Cascades (by way of the Columbia Gorge) clear out to here at the coast. Of course, that also will mean clear skies and the temps will really cool off fast at night. Labor Day Weekend is the last weekend of tourist season around here -- the area will return to its slower pace of life with a lot less traffic. The trees will soon be changing color and dropping their leaves as the peaceful retreat by the bay welcomes fall.

Last Sunset of August

This is a photo of last night's sunset -- the last sunset of August.

The car is home from the mechanics. Turns out to have been an easy (and relatively inexpensive) fix -- there was air in the brake line and they had to bleed the line and then put in more brake fluid. Woohoo happy dance for not having to replace the master cylinder and/or brake booster. Tis good to be mobile again and the drive home was worry free :)

August Sunset

I've been derelect in taking care of this place. It's not like I've gone anywhere - my car's brakes went out the beginning of the month and goes to the mechanic on the first -- when I can afford to have it fixed. I'm gonna have AAA tow it there since it has been sitting for the past month with minimal brakes and I'm not going to risk driving it there. No car means no trips to see Jen and Julianna so I'm jonesin' real bad. I've been making calls for the lake's membership drive during the day and, of course, spending my nights by the virtual campfire at my Late Late Night FDL posts. Was real ticked off that no car meant I could not attend Busted's wedding :( I was really looking forward to seeing him and NG get hitched.

Jen and Julianna spent a week down in CA this month and are back home. Kayla and Karina headed back to their mom's in Alaska the same day Jen flew to CA -- their flights were about 30 minutes apart so they all went to the airport as a group.

Jen posted on Facebook that Julianna rolled over yesterday! Woohoo, now the fun and games begin :) Pretty soon she will be scooting and then crawling and before we know it, she will be totally mobile. Julianna is looking more and more like Jen at this age - looking at pictures of her is like looking through a time machine window back to 1977. I'm hoping Jen will send me more photos so I can share them.

My mom is going to be coming up to see Jen and me in September. I'm going to be sure to get some 4 generations photos. I've not seen Mom since Jen's wedding so it will be great to see her again!

My landlord came and removed the temporary plate at the bottom of the wood stove and is having a new plate fabricated. Gotta have the stove in tip top shape - fall is already here on the coast and the nighttime temperatures are starting to steadily drop.

Still have had only 4 days in a row of sunshine this summer. The picture up top was taken on Wed, Aug 24th which was a sunny day but the clouds came in towards sunset. Luckily, they didn't come completely in before sunset so I was able to see some color instead of the gray. As always, you can click on the photo to biggify it.

Sunshine

Finally had a bit of sunshine towards sunset.... here are some pictures, including one of Token looking for some nasty smelling dirt to roll in.

Cotton Candy Sunset

June started off with a great sunset last night. The actual sunset was hidden in the trees but the clouds along the horizon do a good job of reflecting the cotton candy colors.

Still, its only been in the 50's and 60's during the day -- weather dood said we are going to get Instant Summer this weekend when the winds shift -- dood is predicting 83 Saturday and 85 Sunday.

Yeah. Sure. Right. I'll believe it when I see it. Of course, he is also predicting rain on Monday.

I've had bands of showers coming across the bay this afternoon. I enjoy sitting at my desk, watching the dark clouds move in against the lighter grey and white clouds on the other side of the spit. Everything else seems so still until the wind starts to push up ridges on the bay waters. I can watch the wind's progress as it moves toward me by watching those mini white-caps. The wind and the rain usually arrive at the same time and quickly move on. Brief showers instead of the steady rain of winter.

There will be no sunset eye candy tonight. The blue patches in the sky are quickly filling in with clouds of varying shades of gray.

Apple Blossom Sunset

No new Jujube pics so I'm sharing some apple blossom photos I took Saturday and tonight's sorta sunset. As you can see, the actual sun setting has moved to the north and is blocked by the large stand of trees to my northwest. You can see the blooming rhododendron on the north side of my deck to the right of the sunset:


This is the view from my deck taken at the same time.


Tis the first color I've had at sunset in a long time. Weather dood tonight is predicting four (4!) days of no rain in a row. I'm not sure if I'm gonna believe him but ... tonight's pretty in pink sunset after today being yet another day of rain sure was a hope raiser.

Baby Cantaloupe Sunset

Sorry for not getting this out until today instead of Thursday, but today was the first time I've had any sunset at all. Tis been a grey week with a blanket of clouds hiding the skies and although the daffodils are blooming, the air still has a bite to it. The sunsets have moved north again, to behind the trees -- a sure sign that spring is on its way.

From Jen's email with Baby Julianna's size descriptor for week 34:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers – which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born – are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Jen and Mike had a photo shoot today of maternity pictures. Can't wait to see them!

Jicama Sunset

Had sunshine today but these clouds to the west are reminding me the weather dood is forecasting snow on the coast tonight and tomorrow morning. We've had snow for the last two mornings but it has pretty much melted away by the time I get up. Sounds like we may get more than the dusting we've had the past two days.

From Jen's email with Julianna's size descriptor for week 32:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb.

Time sure seems to be speeding by -- 8 weeks (52 days) left until Jen's due date. Jen's having an ultrasound tomorrow and I am looking forward to getting another glimpse of my granddaughter before she arrives in mid-April.

Four Navel Oranges Sunset

Thursday's sunset -- before and after.

From Jen's email with this week's size descriptor for week 31:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

When we were driving back to Oregon from Jen's shower, we passed by Mt. Shasta which had a great lenticular cloud capping its peak. I snapped these two photos from the passenger seat of the truck. The first one was taken through the windshield shortly after we had passed by Lake Shasta and were approaching the town of Dunsmuir:


I took this out the passenger side window when we were about even with Shasta near the town of Weed:

As always, you can click on the pictures to enbiggen them.

Gold To Pink Chinese Cabbage

The pictures are from Wednesday's sunset, the only day with sunshine this week (until today), and were taken shortly before and after the sunset. So far, the sunshine has been a rare sight -- today is only the 3rd day in the past two weeks where that yellow thingie has been in the sky.

From Jen's email with Baby Julianna's size descriptor for week 28:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Jen, her sister-in-law Stacy, and I will be driving down to CA next week for Jen's baby shower on Saturday the 29th. Since the majority of Jen's family and friends are in the SF Bay Area, it is easier for us to drive down there than have them all have to make that 12 to 14 hour each way drive or fly up here. Stephanie is flying out from Colorado for the shower -- I am looking forward to being with both my girls at the same time (a rare treat).

We will be taking Mike's truck (which has a covered bed) so that we can bring the gifts back up here. I'll head over to Jen's Wednesday and spend the night so that we can leave bright and early Thursday morning. We should be back either Sunday or Monday - with me returning home to Netarts Bay Tuesday at the latest. So far, the weather appears to be cooperating for our travels with no snow or ice forecast for our travels through the mountains in southern Oregon and northern California.

Token and I met with the owner of Canine Garden Resort (a local kennel on the road to Tillamook) on Wednesday. Token will be staying there while I am gone and I am confident that he will be spoiled rotten while hanging out inside the house with Marie, the owner -- she's partial to small dogs and he's partial to people so its a good match. Bailey cat is self-sufficient, coming and going through the cat flap in the kitchen door for food etc., but Token needs to be with people, especially at night.

Cauliflower Sunset

It has been gray, wet, and windy here but I was treated to a wee bit of color at sunset on Monday. That is the picture up top.

From Jen's email with Baby Julianna's size descriptor for week 27:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Jen was diagnosed with gestational diabetes yesterday. She has a meeting with both a dietitian and a gestational diabetes specialist on Tuesday and we will know more after that. She has had a very difficult pregnancy and I hope that the undiagnosed diabetes was the cause. I pray that her diabetes is easily controlled and that once controlled, the rest of her pregnancy goes much easier for her. Will know more after next week's appointments.

Cucumber Sunset

No real sun today (as evidenced by the lack of ability to clearly see the spit on the other side of the bay) but I was treated to some high clouds reflecting the sunset. Both were taken after sunset and show the color that I wudda had if it wasn't for the low clouds amassed on the other side of the spit.

From Jen's email with Baby Julianna's size descriptor for week 26:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take two to three days.

Two

Two days of sunshine! In a row! Still forking cold outside tho -- high today was in the high 40's and it is already down to the mid-30's and the temperature is still falling.

It is a very weak sun with little to no warmth but it sure is pretty after all the grey. Pictures are from just before, during, and after today's sunset.

Rutabaga Sunset

From Jen's email with Baby Julianna's size descriptor for week 25:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Had sunshine today!!! It has been a while since I've seen that strange yet vaguely familiar yellow orb in the sky. Of course, it only got up to 45 outside (and the temp is already down to 41.7 and rapidly falling) but it was beautiful to see and feel some sunshine instead of the grey drippyness that has been so constant lately. Pictures are just before and after today's sunset.


Have my weather station all set up -- found a handy nail by the front door to hang the outdoor temperature and humidity sensor and have the wind gauge on the pole I also use for the bird feeder. The nuts securing it to the U clamp are only finger tightened -- when my downstairs neighbor returns home, I'll ask if he has a wrench or some other tool to properly tighten the gauge to the pole.

Mango Sunset

Haven't had much sun this week -- in fact, the pictures up top are the before and after from the only bit of color I've had -- and are from Wednesday. The sun peaked out from below the ever-present layer of clouds just in time to share a wee bit of color before the clouds closed in again.

From this week's email from Jen with Baby Julianna's size descriptor:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Jen had a doctor appointment this week and the doc said Baby Julianna Mango measured exactly what she should measure at 23 weeks. Wonder what next week's size descriptor will be ...

Sunset Through My Window

The view from where I sit at the computer. That's the finch feeder Teddy gave me hanging on the pole at the corner of the deck.

The bank of 3 windows -- the center is the best for viewing the bay and sunsets -- the view out the 3rd is mainly the stand of trees you see framing the right side of a lot of my pictures.

A close up of the after sunset glow.

Finally, one that was not taken from inside -- this is from the deck just outside the front door -- showing the last of the fading glow

It cold out there taking it. Scurried backside and stood next to the blazing wood stove trying to warm up.

Baby Carrot Sunset

From Jen's email with this week's size descriptor for Julianna:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Tonight's sunset -- before, during, and after.