Rainy Walk and Quilty Talk

We've just come home from our week away in Portland.  One of the highlights of the trip for me is always our trip to the coast.  I've spent about 15 summers on the west coast so for me it's always a little like going home.

I have my little favorites on the Washington and California coasts, but a definite Oregon favorite for me is Cape Meares.  The walk to the beach is just stunning.  It reminds me of some wild areas I've seen in Scotland.

We always see so much wildlife here!

 

It was in the low 40s and raining, and we basically had the place to ourselves!  We quadruple-dressed for warmth...

...and hiked over the scrubby grasses to the beach.

Except for this massive clump of bull kelp, we were completely alone.

So much rain had saturated the ground that a mudslide happened, right on the main road.

Thankfully we made it back with no difficulties!

It's back to work for me, but I took a few hours last night to tackle paper piecing.  It's a different method of quilting in which you sew on the back of a pre-printed sheet of foundation paper (thinner than printer paper)...not where the design shows, but where the piece will eventually be.  It's a little difficult to wrap your head around at first, but here is an amazing tutorial! 

I printed off my sheet...

...and got to work.  Each time you stitch 2 pieces of fabric together on the back of the sheet, you iron them into place and move on.  You then affix the next pieces and carefully stitch on the lines that you see in the photo above.  It makes incredibly sharp and accurate points.  Here is my finished star!

My stitching was actually nearly perfect, but when it came to stitching together the finished pieces, I was still off a bit.

See?  Irritating, but I just need to be more careful.  Sewing the whole thing together, I'd say I was off by about 1/4" on 2 sides.  A *huge* improvement over my last effort...and look at those straight lines!

Overall, I'm really pleased, although I'm still looking for the right pattern and fabric combination.  I'll keep practicing.

Have a great week! 

a wee bit o' Scotland

Todd and I were recently in Oregon for the Christmas holidays, and we were able to squeeze in one of my favorite things...a trip to the coast.  It doesn't matter if it's cold (it always is), or raining (it always is).  I spent my summers in Seattle growing up, and have developed a real love of the Pacific Northwest coastline. 

I much prefer it to the smooth, tame beaches of the east coast. 

Here is Haystack Rock, a famous landmark:

But there are lots of smaller rock formations, just as nice.

No matter what the weather, people bring their dogs to play fetch in the surf.

I get such a kick out of watching them play.

When the tide goes out, beautiful sand formations are left behind:

Of course, some are man-made.   Beam me up, Scotty!

The Pacific Northwest coastline has lots of beautiful rock formations in lovely deep colors.

Sea caves, carved out by the surf:

Barnacles and mussels grow on every available surface:

I joked to Todd that these long white things were "Neptune's fingers", but they are really gooseneck barnacles.

As much as I love the popular coastline...

...Todd introduced me to a new place several years ago that seems almost magical to me.  It's Cape Meares, an estuary on the northern coast (an estuary is a place where salt water and fresh water merge).  It reminds me so much of Scotland:

Lots of boggy ground covered with thick tufts of grass...

...that lay flat after the tide goes out.

All sorts of little birds gather here, and deer, too, I see:

If you take the long road, a nice 1 1/2 mile walk, to the coast, you'll pass these boggy lands on your right.  You'll eventually come to a forested path...

...which leads up a steep hill, through thick sea grasses...

...to a lovely beach.

It's almost always completely deserted, because I think most people drive past this to get to the Cape Meares lighthouse.  But we aren't interested in lighthouses.  We'd rather take a long walk at the water's edge. 

We're always cold and wet after our day at the coast, but it's part of the whole experience for us.  We're already looking forward to our next coastal trip. 

Have a great week!

Portland: Part II

After leaving the coast, we headed inland to visit one of my favorite Oregon landmarks - the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

The cheesemaking is done in large rooms below observation windows. We could easily see the workers grasping the cheese...

...stacking the cheese...

...and sending it down the conveyer belt to the sorter.

Of course, they sell wonderful cheese here, and fabulous ice cream. Even the animals love it - this stray cow was very cheerful indeed!

After eating our fill, we headed back to the coast. Tillamook Bay is an amazing place. Although it was cold and rainy, we clomped through the boggy grasses...

...and looked for wildlife. We found deer scat, but no creatures were stirring just then...

...other than sea birds, gathered at the water's edge.

One thing I remembered well from the parts of my childhood spent in the Pacific Northwest is the green. Green lichen on the rocks...

...and moss, too.

Moss even grows on the trees here...

...and so does lichen.

It's a beautiful combination.

We hiked the 1.5 miles from Tillamook Bay to Cape Meares through the rain. The trees began to give way to sea grass. It was so quiet and so isolated that we were surprised to come upon a goat pen just before the gentle swells of the dunes.

The goats seemed happy and well-fed. We enjoyed a little visit with them before pushing on to the coast.

It was so foggy that we could barely see the water beyond the dunes!

The water was slate grey and calm, and the coastline was completely empty. We walked for a while and picked up a few souvenirs before heading back to the car.

The frequent rain and damp is another thing I remember well from my childhood, but I don't mind it a bit. If you've got your wellies and a rain slicker, you're ready for anything!

Another day, we headed to Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River Gorge. Those trees on the other side of the river are in Washington! The dam is almost 200 feet high and 2,690 feet long, which was a world record size in 1938. Now, it's considered rather small.

One of the giant turbines used in the production of electricity sat near the parking log, almost comically big. It's remarkable to think about how these things all fit together!

The construction of Bonneville Dam did disrupt the spawning of sturgeon in the area, so several fish ladders were built to assist them. Also, a nearby fish hatchery helps to stabilize the population. We stopped by to see if we could see one of the giant sturgeon. Many buildings, of course, had mossy tops, which looks charming and storybook-like to me, although I know it does damage the roofs eventually.

We saw several giant sturgeon, which can grow as long as long as 18 feet. Some salmon hovered nearby, too.

The area is so beautiful, with lots of hidden streams...

...and little bogs.

If it weren't for the persistent rain and lack of rain gear, I think we may have lingered a bit longer!

Before heading back into Portland, we stopped at the second-largest waterfall in the Unites States, Multnomah Falls. At 620 feet, it's a real stunner. The mist from the falls obscures most of the nearby landscape.

The waterfall is split into two parts. The top part is close t0 550 feet...

...and the bottom section is a little under 70 feet.

The crash of the water is deafening!

A bridge stands between the two sections so you can get a nice view.

The moss around the falls was truly amazing!

Not long after that trip, we left the cold and wet of Portland for the cold and snow of Indiana...

...and some pretty sleepy cats. We were glad to have a few sleepy days ourselves!

I hope you had a great holiday season!