Play TIme!

Fishing is more than a mere hobby to some folks. My brother Chris has a passion for the sport that is matched only by my mother. These two have terrorized salmon in Tillamook Bay and up the Trask and Tillamook Rivers for a number of years now. They have pictures of every salmon and steelhead they've caught, and of course great tales of the "ones that got away".

During springer season (the spring Chinook salmon come in from the sea, go up the bay into the rivers) which is April and May - cold weather, frosty mornings, rain, hours on the river or bay with frozen fingers -Mom and Chris are up at the crack of dawn. No, I'm wrong - they LEAVE Chris' driveway at the crack of dawn. Chris has a hard-nosed rule for anyone going with him: when he tells you he is leaving at a certain time, that means he is in his truck, motor running, and puts it in gear at EXACTLY that time. If you are one minute late, too bad, he's gone! So when he tells mom he is leaving at 4:30 a.m., she is there by 4:10! A.M. These are SERIOUS FISHERFOLKS!

One fishing tale Chris loves to relate is when he was getting ready to launch his boat at 0-dark-30 one time, a fellow fisherman who knew Chris chided him for "dragging his poor old mom out on such a cold morning," Chris just laughed and replied, "SHE'S the one who drags me out, she'd get mad if I didn't take her!" And that's the truth! Mom lives to fish.

I've never been avid about fishing, even as a kid when my little brothers haunted the creek and bay, dragging home trout and perch. In fact, I'm not sure I ever even caught a fish during those years, other than jigging for herring with our friends Jake and Laura. This old couple were wonderful surrogate grandparents who lived next door. They hauled us kids out fishing, plied us with smoked herring (which is an acquired taste, let me tell you), and in general were great fun. They would argue with each other all day long, but we loved them.

Anyway. For some reason, this trip home I've been obsessed with going fishing. I just wanted to catch some perch. To eat. Wouldn't you know, they won't be running for a few more weeks, which will be after I've gone home. But I found out from the friendly chaps at the local sporting goods store, that about 8,000 trout had just been stocked at little Cape Meares Lake, on the spit across the bay. 8,000! That sounded like my kind of odds!

I pestered my brothers until they finally got some time to rig me up, Mom gave me a refresher on casting (in the front yard) and made sure I got a license. I dusted off one of mom's old poles, and set off to drown some worms. Terry took me late one afternoon, to whet my appetite. Not even a nibble. But it was fun, and we had a great time reminescing. When I told Chris I hadn't caught anything, he just looked at me for a minute, shook his head, and said, "8,000 fish, and you couldn't even catch ONE??" And laughed, of course!

So this morning, he and I were up early (NOT the crack of dawn, mind you, I don't do dawn), and trekked over to the lake again. This time we were using "PowerBait", a commercial concoction that is like thick sticky marshmellow creme, rainbow colored with gold sparkles in it, and smells like - well, like rotten fish. Phewwwwwwweee.
Chris is very patient, but he's also a perfectionist when it comes to his fishing. He rigged and re-rigged several times, until he was satisfied we had the right combination going for the water, type of fish, weather, etc.

jBeing from Wisconsin now, I have my priorities, too. I don't get cold. No way, no how. So here I am all bundled up - it was a tad windy, we were about a quarter mile from the beach which was roaring with big breakers on one side of us and the bay on the other side - nice cross wind. But not as bad as Lake Michigan, I can testify. Didn't even rain on us, until right at the end. But I was ready for anything that came up, weather-wise. Mom couldn't stand it, she had to drive over with a friend to see how we were doing. She's in the car in the background...

PowerBait may be mighty smelly to us, but apparently to the fish it is primo. Once we found the range of where they were hanging out, we got lots of bites, and even hauled a few in. I got bites, Chris got fish. Now I remember why I stopped fishing with him when we were kids!

The three guys next to us were hauling them in pretty regular. You could tell this wasn't their first day of fishing there. And they came prepared to make a day of it - built their little fire, invited us to warm our buns if we needed too. They were teenagers. As Chris observed, it was nice to see kids that age doing something like fishing all day, rather than out raising Cain. They were definately having a great time, and released the majority of what they caught. It's the sport, rather than the meal, that counts.

But we brought home a couple, one each for me and mom for dinner. These aren't big guys, but they will be tasty. The big ones were jumping out in the middle of the lake, sticking their tongues out at us, I'm sure. Next time. I have a week to go, and I still have a jar of PowerBait!

Oh, did I mention, Chris doesn't like fish? To eat, that is. He makes really great smoked salmon, and gives most of it away!

Baby P

Progress report. He/she is still growing.


I'm sure he/she is dreaming of sunny tropical Hawaiian days, in the company of miles of other pineapples. Oregon spring sunshine is pretty pale in comparison...even through the window.
We sympathize...it takes a lot of sun to get through the spring drizzle here.

St. Paddy's dinner

Celebrating various holidays MUST include appropriate vittles! I take advantage of these occasions to play with new recipes - a captive,hungry dinner group are perfect guinea pigs...
For St. Patrick's Day I decided to indulge in an Irish soda bread taste test. Four recipes later, we had a nice variety to choose from. We eschewed the traditional corned beef and cabbage in favor of a nice Irish pot roast, with onions, carrots, turnips, and cabbage. An all-green salad seemed appropriate, too.
The black iron pot was filled with creamy green speckled Colcannon - fancified mashed potatoes with leeks and kale, and LOTS of butter! Online, I found entertaining information on this Irish traditional food - we enjoyed the information and the 'taties!

Our guests were Terry and Diane; Terry being a trencherman of renown, provided satisfactory feedback - seconds on everything.

Sadly, the dessert of Blackberry Cobbler was ignored by the camera person - I was too busy dishing it up with Tillamook Vanilla icecream to take pictures!

A great evening of good country-style food and family stories, in the Irish tradition.

Little ladies

Back in the day, ladies were to demonstrate their suitability for marraige and homemaking by sitting demurely and stitching some sort of needlework, for visiting gentlemen to view admiringly (and undoubtedly wonder, as do I, just how this scene provided a measurement of domestic bliss...)
If we were in the 17th century marraige mart, we would be snatched up by admiring beaus, for sure! This trip home has been memorable by the amount of embroidery I've accomplished. Mom is an adept needlewoman, and her hobby has rewarded all the gals in the family with delightful dishtowel sets over many years. Her stitched treasures go back as far as projects she did while living in her first married abode - a large tent on a hillside in Bay City. Having learned the art from her mother, Grandma Pearl, she has passed on the love of beautiful and skillfully done needlework to her daughters. That would be me!
One of our Mill's Family Reunion traditions has become the the family quilt project. Lydia Jane Mills, known as Grandma Groce, was a quilter - many family members cherish samples of her wonderful, colorful old quilts. One of her spectabular Lone Star quilts, donated by the family, now resides in the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center Quilt Repository in Tillamook. It is occasionally on display, having been in a show in Washington DC on one instance. This quilt is retrieved from the Center and displayed at each Mills Reunion, as a memento to honor our ancestress, and to encourage the art of quilting in our younger generations.
Hence the Family Quilt project.
For each reunion (held every even year), a Quilt Coordinator chooses a pattern and fabric, and those who wish to participate help make the necessary blocks. The blocks are returned to the coordinator in a timely manner (mostly), for her (and one time, HIM), to assemble and finish. The quilt is then displayed and raffled at the next reunion, providing funds for the kitty as well as a wonderful sample of family skills and memories for some lucky person to enjoy.
Cousin Carey Morris-Hart provided the 2010 Quilt of Windblown Sunbonnet Girl pattern and fabric packets for the next quilt. This is an applique project, which some of us found a bit daunting. Especially for beginning quilters, like sister-in-law Diane.
But there is strength in numbers - sharing tips as well as having an audience to hear your latest sewing challenge, making the time fly with laughter and cups of tea.
Becky, Diane and I gathered around mom's kitchen table to begin the task, and with a couple of follow-up sessions we were successful in finishing our blocks - a whole year ahead of schedule, for once!
Diane's " Pinkie girl".

All that's left on Diane's next two ladies are the embroidered embellishments,

Here are my four little girls, as well as a recently finished embroidery project - two flour sack toweling Bread Basket liners adorned by the colorful butterflies.

We are eminently marketable, ladies! Pricked fingers and all.

Kilchis

The Kilchis River is one of five Coast Range rivers that flow into Tillamook Bay. Prime salmon and trout fishing. Except trout fishing is closed. The pristine water of the Kilchis flows with memories of family picnics and reunions at Kilchis River County Park far up at the end of the winding narrow road; memories of swimming, camping, fishing and photography.
If you look closely, note the rope tied to the tree, on the left side of the photo. Now picture ribby little kids in drooping swim trunks, daring each other to swing and drop into the breath-takingly cold water.

I have some memories of great swimming milestones in this river. Like wading all the way across, when I was about 8 or 9. Wow. Slippery rocks, rushing water, so near-sighted (no glasses then) that I had a hard time keeping my balance even clutching at each boulder with all my fingernails. Looking down was almost fatal, the movement of the water put my balance center totally in panic. I still feel that way - even with glasses.

Deep holes for diving, fishing, swimming - I was always sure that one of those salmon was just waiting to sneak up under me and take a hunk out of my lily-white legs. The first time I actually jumped INTO the water off a boulder was another milestone. Never mind that it was only about waist deep - courage is what you make of it.
Another Kilchis enticement is the abundance of nature, in the form of flora and fauna. Mom taught us about wildflowers, like this wood sprite, a Johnny-jump-up. I never see one without an instant of flashback to learning the name of this little charmer. One of the first signs of spring, in the woods.

The huge old soft maple trees are clothed lavishly with mosses, adorned with Licorice fern. We learned as kids to nibble the ends of the stems of these dainty fern - sad to say, I have never liked licorice. Ever. But the fern are lovely -

The Kilchis alternates between luring deep holes in shades of jade, and stretches of gravel bars where the clear water runs shallow. Water so crystal clear that you can count the periwinkles clutching the stones, where small fry salmon and trout can be seen gliding and darting. As kids, we were mesmerized by the tiny fish, the caddis larva packing their stone camoflage along the bottom, the occasional "teeter bird", and if we were really really lucky, a visit by a family of river otter, playing their way upstream.

During the winter, the river rages along, hosting rogue logs, spreading deep and wide, sometimes over the banks. By spring, it has become more civilized, leaving woodland debris and sand deposits to prove you can't judge it by one season. By the end of summer, the water has become a narrow stream, warmed by sun-baked stones. You can almost feel the river longing for fall rains again. A good winter brings snow to the higher ridges, providing run-off to melt and meld into the feeder streams that make the Kilchis a unique river system.

When the water level falls in the summer, the boulders seen underwater on the right side of the photo will breach the surface, providing diving platforms and warm stone to spread out your towels to lie on, baking out the chill of the water.

Kilchis country is a photographer's dream. Any season.

Just like the beach, Kilchis country is a necessary "fix" when the coast calls me home. I always look forward to at least one drive to visit this Eden and renew memories.

A day trip on the coast...

A sunny morning is like a magnet on the coast. MUST GET TO BEACH!!! DAY TRIP!!!

Mom wanted do some shopping at the Penny's store in Astoria (almost two hour drive - yes, shopping on the coast can be a challenge!)so we decided to make a day of it. Packed our lunches, filled the big thermos with mint tea, rounded up the binoculars and bird books, and were out the door by 9:30 - woohoo!

We made it almost a whole mile before we had to stop to check out birds. Tillamook Bay is beautiful any time of the day, any phase of tide.
This may seem a strange subject for a photo - the floating biffies are in place for the season again, which the fishing folk and clam diggers really appreciate. For some reason it was placed right in front of the main pullout along the bay. So picture a frantic fisherman (or lady) scrambling out of a boat onto the platform, with a ready-made audience taking pictures. You have to have a certain amount of sang froid to use this facility...
The REAL reason for the photo - the loon in the background. Yep. That was why I took this one (heh heh!). Too bad there wasn't a model on hand for the biffy demo....
The tide was flowing in, a few clam diggers were still on the flats across the bay. We were envious, but mollified by the knowledge of many packages of clams in the freezer, waiting to be made into fritters or chowder. Now I'm getting hungry...

There were a lot of mergansers on this stretch of water - see their fun little hairdos? The males are colorful, the females are ruddy grey-brown with auburn "do's".

After a succesful shopping foray in Astoria, we began the return trip with a stop at the Astoria Settling Ponds. We were determined to check out new birding spots we hadn't seen before, and this was first on the list. One of our rewards at this stop were a small flock of Green Wing Teal. Note the brilliant green strip on the side of the head - the males are the fancy dudes, of course, the females more drab.

A pleasant short hike along a nearby trail made us feel spring was actually here. We were blessed with a flock of mixed chickadees (Black-capped and Chestnut sided), gorgeous little Ruby crowned kinglets, and Song sparrows seranading in the trees above us as we ate our lunch. A Brown Creeper made an appearance, a real treat. Fox sparrows and robins were active in the underbrush. Along the trail, we were almost skewered by a busy hummingbird. A Redshafted flicker and Downey woodpecker represented the woodpecker family. Gulls and crows wheeled shadows over us as we enjoyed this private little cove hidden from the main roads.

These pussywillows were almost as long as my finger, some of the largest I've seen!

Good footing is important along a trail. This one was great for two gals with foot and ankle challenges. The variety of habitat on a flat terrain was very inviting to hikers.

The small parking area was un-named, but invited visitors into the area over a sturdy bridge. We enjoyed a lovely lunch break, accompanied by our feathered friends.

Next stop was just north of Seaside, another hidden treasure. The parking lot tucked into a quiet older neighborhood of Gearhart was the trailhead to the beach area.

The confluence of creek, river and ocean in this broad tidal basin is a prime area for migrating shore birds. We were about a month early for the migration flocks, but marked it for future visits. Easy access, good views, level area to set up beach chairs and spotting scopes. You have to account for the important things when birding!

NOTE: This trail was honored by being the source of our Life Bird of the day: Hermit Thrush!

Just before leaving this sunny beach, we noted a pair of horseback riders and their dog - it was a delightful day for a beach ride, that's for sure! The first rider looks like he's riding a camel, but I do believe both animals were horses...

Another new spot for us - Seaside Cove. This one-legged gull is a typical coast species (and if you believe that one, I have a bridge...).

We were hoping to score a harbor seal or harbor porpoise, which frequent this cove. Along with surfers. It was rather quiet on the water...

but as I was scanning a big log floating just outside the breakers, right over the top of the gull on the right I spotted a WHALE SPOUT!!! A few minutes later, another spout! It's the time of year that the Grey whales start migrating from California and Baja breeding grounds up to the colder food-rich waters off Alaska. The bulls and single cows come along first, March and April, followed in May by the cows with calves. It's been many years since I've been treated by a spout sighting! Major score for the day!

We took a quick side trip at Cannon Beach to check out the settling ponds there, then continued on down to Manzanita to find another new-to-us area. Alder Creek Farm and Wildlife Refuge is a trust project for a local conservation group. The 55 acres left of an old dairy farm is a place to see varied coast habitat and inhabitants. The old barn has been converted to a class area, with many displays, murals, and information in a casual setting. What a delight!

Behind the barn, we were surprised to see a herd of about 50 elk, grazing the lush pastures. Several branch bulls, four young spike bulls, and many yearlings made up the bulk of this herd.

After seeking shorebirds along the beaches all day, we had to laugh to see these Lesser Yellowlegs in the pasture pond! Note the old fellow behind, graciously sharing "his" space.

One of the trustees happened to be onsite, and gave us some background on the farm and the project. He pointed out the informal hiking trail, so we sauntered out for a stroll through the pasture, over a bridge (mom doesn't like bridges were you can see through the cracks!), and along new plantings of trees. The sun and green pastures were impossible to resist!

Another feature of this delightful farm are the community gardens. I was in heaven - unfrozen dirt, with things GROWING!!!

This bed of leeks was like a tonic for the heart! Peas, Sugarsnap peas, onions and radishes were in newly planted beds, and many over-wintered veggies were abundant.

Amenities aren't fancy, but adequate... even potable water, which isn't always the case in isolated sites.

The whole farm is open to visitors, no locked doors or forbidden areas (unless the elk are calving nearby). I took advantage of browsing the green house. Notice the elk in the background through the window...

I was impressed by the organization and dedication of these gardeners. This is the sort of project I love, and I'd be elbow deep if I lived in the area! It was difficult to tear ourselves away from this wonderful old farm and it's message of conservation. We'll be back!

As the day drew closer to home, we stopped to catch the sunset along the bay again. The Three Graces are the touchstones of Tillamook Bay, the large monoliths home to many birds, with fascinating tidal pools around the bases at low tide.

We had come full cycle, as the tide was rushing out again.

We could hardly believe it was almost 7:30 p.m. The glorious sunset was a fitting end to a wonderful day shared with my mom, who has taught me almost everything I know about loving and appreciating the land, the birds, the trees and flowers....

and especially the blessings of coastal beauty, around every corner.

Of the over two hundred photos I took during the day, this is such a small sample...next time, you'll just have to come along!

And don't forget the cookies...