I was out on the beach this morning.  Low tide and dogs = fun.  I came upon a friendly woman playing with her young dog while looking for agates.

Sandy.  Friendly beach dog

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The weather was to improve today with rain showers throughout the day instead of unrelenting rain.  I headed south to explore with the sand dunes a constant feature the entire coast line.

Seems as an afterthought that the more traditional St.Mary was added.

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The weather forecast today was for rain; not showers, and the meteorologists were spot on accurate.  It rained without stopping throughout the day.  The clatter of the rain on the trailer roof was continually present.  The small droplets result in a high tin type sound.  The drips from the pine trees are larger with a deeper sound.  A gust of wind would provide an outburst of drips overwhelming the sound of the small rain droplets.  The drumming sound of intense rain came and went as a reminder that the rain will not stop.  And at times the rain was frantic and knocked on the windows.

Plans for exploring were set aside.  I visited the local library and discovered I was not alone thinking that the library was a perfect hang-out for the day.  The parking lot was full when I arrived.

I also discovered that rain is hard to photograph.  A picture of the bridge at Heceta will need to suffice for showing rain.

This day off from work I spent with friends Ron and Debbie.  Like Jan and Mary they too are staying at the bed and breakfast.  After I gave them a tour of the lighthouse and we drove north and saw the sights.

We made a quick stop at the devil’s churn.  Jumped out of the car, walked to the view point and saw the churn.  Fun and simply.   A nice lady interrupted us to suggest a sightseeing stop for us.  She described a stone shelter above us.  After a windy drive up the hill through the forest we reach the top knoll and view point.  We laughed:  clouds were racing by, the wind was howling, it was raining sideways.  We wondered if we could even see the ocean directly below.  Ron jumped out of the car to give Debbie and I a report before we ventured out.  He came back and grabbed his camera gear, told us we could see the ocean and said he was heading off to see the stone shelter.  Debbie and I ventured out to see the sight, looked around briefly and headed back to the comfort of the car.  We hoped we didn’t have to go searching for Ron and he would return.  And he did return with photos of the shelter.  I’m sure the photos are as good as seeing it in person.

Some people reading this blog may have noticed I skipped this day.  I wanted to take some pictures, I didn’t like what I wrote, and thought I would fix it soon.  Instead of doing all above, nothing happened.  But the month is ending soon, so no more procrastination.

With three of us working this Sunday there was time to sit and observe the visitors.  I noticed a couple that was staying at the view point much longer than usual.  A young couple in their late 20’s.  Chatting away, not taking pictures or interested in a tour, and not looking out at the ocean. Just simply engaged in an enjoyable conversation between themselves.  It was that kind of chatting where silence is not comfortable.  A chatting that is continuously happy.  I realized it was a first date.

They chatted away.  It was a windy day and we were bundled up, yet neither of them had a coat.  They must have been getting cold.  We went in and out of the lighthouse giving tours and they stayed at the view point.  When we left for the day, they were still there.  He had his arm around her.

Today before going to work, the dogs and I walked a different trail from the campground, the China Creek Trail.  Wild rhododendrons filled the understory.  It must look spectacular to see the forest when the rhodies are blooming.   Rhodies were everywhere.  After completing our walk; satisfying our needs for exercise, I got the dogs settled into the trailer and left for work.

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I’ve been at the lighthouse for over two weeks now and today was the first time I paused to notice a plaque on the a bench.  It is a bench that visitors and docents use to sit on and gaze out into the ocean.  A comfortable sturdy bench appreciated by many people.

The bench

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Being a work day, I like the dogs to get some exercise in the morning before they are cooped up in the trailer when I’m gone.  A morning high tide did not allow beach play so the dogs had to settle for a walk in the woods.  I repeated the walk I had made with Julie and Peter.  A simple half mile stroll from the Carl Washburn campground to the beach.  This time, walking by myself without the diversion of friendly talk I noticed how interesting the woods are.

Ferns growing on the tree

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Today got off to a lazy start.  It was high tide so I couldn’t take the dogs to the beach this morning.  I headed north to explore the town of Yachats.  The town has a little museum that was pleasant to visit.  The local docent kindly explained items to me.   There is a sea shell collection, historical pictures, and various historical items donated by the residences all crammed into about 500 sq ft.  The church portion of the building is no longer used for services but about ten weddings a years are performed there the docent explained.

The Log Church museum

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This morning I was invited to the Hecate Head B&B for breakfast with my friends.  A seven course breakfast with delightful conversation that takes 1 ½ hours to eat.  Happiness.

After saying good bye to my friends I decided to explore south of Florence with the dogs.  I headed to the south jetty area.  To my surprise it is an area owned by the National Forest Service.  I associate trees with the National Forest Service and there are few trees in the sand dunes.  Following the advice of a local, I drove to the end of the paved road and then followed a trail through the dunes to the beach.  Once again, we were the only ones on a long wonderful sandy beach.