Sunday, November 15, 2009

Grey Sunsets


Grey sunsets are on the menu this week with a series of storms forecast. Currently we have a good sized storm developing off the coast and the winds have started to blow. We are under a high wind warning through Tuesday -- Monday night is going to be the worst of it according to the weather dood. We could have sustained winds of 30-50 and gusts up to 90, depending on which weather dood ya watch on tv and how the storm comes in. All agree it is gonna be a wild ride on the coast.

Am all set up for hunkering down other than some groceries I have to pick up tomorrow. Gary the wood guy should be bringing more wood tomorrow afternoon. The winds are predicted to be at their worst tomorrow night around 10pm or so and it looks like I'll be able to run into Tillamook to pick up supplies before it gets gnarly outside.

Total rainfall since October 1st is 12.28 inches.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Thursday Skies

The clouds lifted a wee bit before sunset.

They played chase along the horizon.


And returned after sunset.

Total rainfall since October 1st is 11.94 inches. Got up to a whooping 44 today (brrr) and snow is supposed to fall at the 1,500 ft elevation tonight. Brrr cold!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Mercedes



Was tripping down memory lane on Facebook with my best friend forever from high school, Ami. Of course our trip wasn't complete until we started reminiscing about driving around Pleasant Hill in either her metallic pink caddy coupe de ville (with fins) or the black caddy hearse.

Janis -- Mercedes Benz

Monday, November 09, 2009

Eaten By Clouds


Tonight's sunset was eaten by clouds coming up from the south.

Had one flash of lightning and had to pay attention to hear the slight rumble from it. Pretty boring weather day. The rainfall total to date is 9.44 inches -- the forecast is for bands of showers throughout the rest of the week.

Sunday, November 08, 2009

High Tide and Sunset

Had some high tides the past couple of days. Coupled with the high surf warning (with waves of 25 feet or more crashing onto the shore), I'm glad I'm on the bay instead of ocean front.


This is Wednesday afternoon's high tide. As you can see, the tree on the bank separating the creek from the little marshy flat that sits below the roses was surrounded. That marshy area is usually dry in my pictures but the occasional very high tide envelopes it. The creek is on the other side of the tree.


This was right before sunset Wednesday. Love the way the sun's rays are highlighted by the clouds.


And this was Thursday's sunset. Was overcast all day today but the sun made a brief appearance just before sunset. As soon as the sun did set, the lightning and thunder fired up. Had a couple heavy hail bands pass through along with some thunder that made the house shake. Makes 3 nights in a row we've had thunder and lightning.

Token and Bailey no longer panic from thunder and lightning. Bailey doesn't hide under the bed but she is very very alert with her ears perked up and forward. After the huge make the house shake thunder, she turned her back to the storm and faced the sofa back.

Token isn't barking at the wind but he sure did whimper at the hail. That loud thunderboomer made him leap off the sofa and demand some lap time.

Total rainfall to date is 8.82 inches. An inch since yesterday and almost two inches since this series of storms started to move through. Snow falling in the Cascades -- the ski season has begun for those that do that sorta thing.

The eagles are back. Saw one flying on what we call Pelican Point. It is the point with the tilted tree that the brown pelicans love to hang out at. I look forward to spending the non-tourist season at the peaceful retreat on the bay with them.

Saturday, November 07, 2009

Chicken And Gravy



John Lee Hooker performing Chicken And Gravy at the Montreal Jazz Festival, 1980. Look who's backing him up :)

Been stormy and I've been enjoying it. Tillamook Head (about an hour north of me just south of Seaside) had gusts of 80 mph (as did Lincoln City which is about an hour south of me) but I only got up to an occasional gust of 58 or so. Not as much rain as I thought -- total rainfall to date is 7.58 inches -- was at 7 inches exactly before this series of storms started to move through. Spectacular lightning shows the past couple of nights. I do enjoy living here.

Weather dood is predicting between 20 and 30 inches of snow up on Mt Hood this weekend -- already received 14" up there today. I hear the ski slopes open tomorrow -- not that I ski -- just additional confirmation that I won't be headed up there until spring.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Coming Ashore


Didn't get as cold as predicted last night -- only 46 instead of the 37 of the night before. Today was sunny but it was a filtered sunshine instead of the bright sunshine of yesterday. No wind at all as I took this first picture about 20 minutes before sunset. Notice the mirror like bay waters reflecting the sun.

The the winds started to blow and the scene was instantly changed.


Within five minutes the sun was completely hidden by clouds. The storm's leading clouds rode the wind in and raced across the sky.


Weather dood said there is rain forecast every day for the next 7 days. Ah, November has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest. I love standing out on the deck -- the wind whipping my hair and clothes. I feel so alive standing out in the elements -- arms outstretched and welcoming. Makes me think of the women of yesteryear, with long hair and long skirts standing on this deck watching similar storms come in.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Cold Sunset


Got up to 63 today but temps started to drop towards sunset. Tis currently 52 outside -- sunset was about 15 minutes ago. I took this photo about 10 minutes before sunset.

Got down to 37 last night and is supposed to get a few degrees cooler than that tonight. Lots of sunshine expected tomorrow before the Thursday storm. That one is predicted to be a wet one. Thursday's storm already has a Severe Weather Alert:

..STRONG COLD FRONT TO IMPACT REGION WITH RAIN...WIND...AND HEAVY SWELLS ALONG THE BEACHES LATE THIS WEEK...

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS BEGINNING TO GET ORGANIZED IN THE GULF OF ALASKA TODAY...AND WILL RAPIDLY STRENGTHEN INTO A POWERFUL STORM TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. WHILE THE CENTER OF THIS LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN THE GULF OF ALASKA...IT WILL PUSH A STRONG COLD FRONT ONSHORE INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THURSDAY.

WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT MAY GUST AS HIGH AS 50 TO 60 MPH NEAR THE BEACHES AND COASTAL HEADLANDS THURSDAY...AS WELL AS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE COAST RANGE AND CASCADES. THE FRONT WILL LIKELY BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN... ESPECIALLY IN THE COAST RANGE WHERE UP TO 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.

SNOW LEVELS WILL START OFF WELL ABOVE THE CASCADE PASSES EARLY THURSDAY...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO FALL QUICKLY AS THE FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE CASCADES THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BY FRIDAY MORNING...ACCUMULATING SNOW IS POSSIBLE AS LOW AS SOME OF THE CASCADE PASSES. WITH COOL UNSETTLED WEATHER EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL DAYS BEHIND THE FRONT...SNOW SHOWERS MAY CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS LOW AS 3000 TO 4000 FEET IN ELEVATION.

ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF THE GULF OF ALASKA STORM SYSTEM WILL BE THE VERY LARGE OCEAN SWELL EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AS THE STORM STRENGTHENS WEDNESDAY. THIS SWELL MAY BEGIN IMPACTING THE SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH OREGON COAST WITH HIGH SURF AS EARLY AS THURSDAY MORNING...WITH THE STRONGEST WAVES IMPACTING THE BEACHES THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. THE HEAVY SURF MAY PROVIDE THE POSSIBILITY FOR MINOR COASTAL FLOODING DURING HIGH TIDE...AND THE LARGE BREAKERS MAY PRODUCE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ALONG THE BEACHES.
Gary The Wood Guy came by yesterday and stacked a buncha wood next to the wood stove and left after telling me to call him when I ran low. Don't have to do much to stock up ahead of this storm -- maybe a grocery store run for a few items but my hatches are pretty well battened down already. Brought in a few tender plants -- they will stay indoors this winter. When the hired girls come this weekend, I'll have them move the tender plants in heavier pots in.

After Thursday's storm another is forecast to come ashore Saturday. The November storms are only a few days late arriving in the Pacific Northwest this year.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Saying Goodbye Is Hard To Do

Woke to the sad sad news that my buddy Katymine passed. She was a relentless advocate of health care issues and a good friend. FDL asked me to write about her -- that post is at this link.

There is a hole in my heart.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Temptations

Can't let Sunday pass without some Temptations:

Aint To Proud To Beg:



I Can't Get Next To You:

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Saturday Sunset

The sun is setting further south each day. The sitka spruce still blocks it from sight while in the living room but if I go into the breakfast room -- the view is spectacular. I don't like to take pictures through the windows so usually take them from the deck in front of the living room.

From the deck.



From the breakfast room window.

No rain today. Total rainfall is now at exactly 7 inches.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Thursday Color



No sunset tonight. Tis a dark stormy night here at the peaceful retreat on the bay so I'm sharing last night's color. I took these two photos a few minutes apart and shortly after I took the second, the color quickly dimmed into gray.

I've been bad and not recording rainfall totals. The year to date (from Oct. 1) is 6.56 inches.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Flu Shot


I got mine -- have you got yours?

Picture courtesy of CDC -- and yes I know it is of an expired vaccine :)

Monday, October 26, 2009

Sibling Rivalry


Last Monday, I put up some pictures of Jen (my eldest) and promptly got a what about me from Stephanie. I asked what happened to her rule about not posting pictures of her and added that I don't have any recent ones of her. She ignored the first and send me a variety of photos from her current adventures galavanting about the mid-West. The picture up top is of her mini-mohawk before she left Portland. She said she was very proud of that mini-mohawk and asked that I include it with any other pictures I selected.

Here she is in Aspen with her friends:

Lakeshore at Lake Michigan in Chicago:


Celebrating fall at a pumpkin patch in Illinois:


Mugging in front of the case containing James Dean's shirt from Giant at the Kansas Underground Salt Mine:



She will be back in Colorado (currently in Kansas) by the first of November. She plans to spend the winter there and return to Oregon in spring to pick up her stuff (including her car) before starting Bible College in Wyoming.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Viagra



Robin Williams - Viagra (totally not safe for work)