Another trip into Drift Creek

It was a beautiful day yesterday when Kelly, J.C. and I hiked in to Drift Creek. We got to the trail head around 7am and discovered that there were a couple of trucks and a campsite in the parking area. We needed flashlights to see the trail until it started getting light.

We got to the stream in about an hour but there were already 5 guys fishing when we got there. The water was perfect but there weren't many fish in the spawning beds, and we got pretty discouraged since our favorite fishing spots were already taken.

One of the other fishermen hooked into a bright salmon and we watched while he landed it. It was foul hooked so he reluctantly released it.

Then I started getting some action, hooked one, and fought it a while until it jumped and threw the spinner. The next two I had on decided that they wanted to go back downstream to the ocean, and there wasn't much I could do about it except tighten up my drag until something gave. Fortunately the hooks pulled out before they could take all of my line with them. They were all big, bright Chinook salmon in the 35 to 40 pound class. It looks like the run is just starting so we should be able to make some more trips as long as our bodies hold out.

J.C. and Kelly both had a hard time coming back up the trail because of the colds they both have. I went ahead of them, collected some Chantrelle mushrooms, and waited for them at the beer stops. (We stashed a beer apiece at two different spots along the trail going in.) They sure tasted good!

I forgot to take my camera, but Kelly took some video of an old guy fighting a fish and another one watching.

Fall

Well, Fall is here and we had our first storm. It blew a few limbs down, tangled up some wind chimes and destroyed one of our little wind mills, but otherwise it wasn't too bad.
JC and I went to the farm supply in Philomath to get electric fence posts so we could fence off the south and west sides of the back yard. It's just temporary, but hopefully it'll keep the puppy in and the bears out. It's not about the apples that they eat, it's about all the damage they do while they're eating them. We found out from the dept. of fish and wildlife that for some reason bears are terrified of electric fences, so we tried it and it worked. Last year we waited too long to put it up and they hit us again, knocking down the back fence, busting limbs out of trees and crapping all over the place.
Taz got zapped three times before he figured it out. Now he stays way clear of the new fence and hasn't gone near the places where he was getting out of the yard.
It rained most of last week so we couldn't make our annual opening day fishing trip in to Drift Creek, but it looks like Monday will be a good day for it.

Webs

Last Tuesday, after a misty rain, we were amazed at how many spider webs were in the back yard. Usually they're almost invisible, but the beads of water turned them into beautiful designs.
The Orb Weaver spiders had really been busy and we spent the morning admiring their work.

Maple tree

The leaves on one of our Big Leaf Maple trees has some interesting colors this fall. The trees really put on a show this time of the year.
We had a good rain yesterday and the sun's peeking out this morning. Hopefully the rain will move the Salmon upstream so we can catch some early ones.

Poem by Bob

Time is a thief

he rests on his perch

flying unheralded only to search

for people like us who think we're not old

a skeletal finger so bony and cold

taking years from our lives with a sinister stroke

stealing our joy and robbing our hope

turning our laughter and love into pain

then along comes a puppy to renew us again

Thar be Dragons

We hung a couple of six foot dragons under the apple trees last week. They'll have to come down when the next storm comes through, but they do add a lot of color to the backyard.
We started taking care of our friends and ex-employer's house this week. They'll be gone until April, so it will be a long term house sitting. Actually we're fairly close neighbors, so it won't be a problem for us as we drive by it almost every day, anyway.
Carol's been waiting and waiting for the 911 dispatcher to tone her out for an ambulance call, but they've been few and far between this month. Maybe all the sick people either got well or died off. hopefully its the former.

Ona Beach

J.C. and I went for a four mile beach walk yesterday morning, trying to get our old decrepit legs in shape for the hike into Drift Creek this fishing season. We both were tired on the way back and the last hundred yards through the soft dry sand above the high tide mark was tough.
The beach, which was scoured down to the lava bedrock by the spring storms, is now pretty much sanded back in.
It's amazing how the beaches here can change; one day the sand will be ten or fifteen feet deep and the next week, usually after a storm, it'll all be gone and the agate beds will be exposed.

Car Show

Carol, J.C. and I went to a car show at the Oregon Coast Aquarium yesterday morning. We really get a kick out of looking at the oldies, and saying, “I used to have one just like that!” or “My dad had one of those!” or "Wait, mine was a '47, not a '48!"

We go to the shows whenever we can, there are usually two or three every year locally. There's one more this month in Waldport at the “Cruise and Crab” festival.

It would be fun to find one in an old barn somewhere and restore it, but I think it's a rich mans hobby. If I did have one I'd drive it all the time, I don't see much sense in keeping it in a garage and bringing it out just for car shows. Oh well, dream on!

Hummingbird, Hummingbird

J.C. and I have been trying all summer to get a picture of the Hummingbirds that are zooming around our patio and his deck. After trying for several days and not even coming close, and since his camera is better than mine, I decided that it would only be fair for me to cheat. I "Photoshopped" a couple of pictures and emailed them to him. He didn't fall for it. Don't know why.

Meteor shower

Last night the Perseids Meteor Shower was supposed to be at it's peak. I got up at 12:30, went outside and peered up at the stars until my neck felt like it would never be straight again.
It must be too early, I thought, so I went back to bed and got up again around 2 a.m. with the same result.
Taz did his usual wake up, push and growl at 4 a.m. so after making coffee, I turned off the 12 volt lights on the patio, put on a warm sweatshirt and kicked back in a lawn chair, coffee in hand and a puzzled puppy dog in my lap. I don't think I've ever looked at the stars so long without seeing at least one "shooting star."
Oh well, it was still enjoyable, even if the dog does think that his master is getting weird.