SailingKnitter

Looking south towards Newport from Cascade Head

So, do you think that the Oregon coastline is cold, windy and socked in with fog? I did, but it isn't always as you can see from this photo from the top of Cascade Head! What a fabulous few days we had here! We (Carol and I) drove out to the coast to spend a couple of days just immersing ourselves in the natural beauty. Carol hiked my slug-prone carcass through the woods and out to the top for this view. It was actually HOT out in the sun.

Salmon River Estuary

To the left side of the top photo is the Salmon River estuary. This area used to be diked up and used for cattle grazing but now they are working to return the estuary to it's natural state. We were very, very lucky to be able to stay in a house which sits right down at sea level in the estuary. From the rear deck of the house, I sat and knit while soaking in the scenery and watching the wildlife. We were treated by the antics of a family of 4 river otters. So cute! We watched them slide down the bank of the Salmon River and swim around right in front of us. Then they would dive down to get dinner, coming up munching their catch.

Sunset on the Salmon River Estuary

 A bald eagle flew by, a large seagull visited and stood on the deck a few times (waiting for treats?), and great blue herons noisily flew by squawking way too loudly early in the morning.

When evening fell, we were treated to a beautiful sunset. The sky was reflected upon the still water. Still water? It must have been that special point in time when the tide was neither rising or falling and there was no wind. I can't imagine how rarely this must happen combined with a sunny day.

The house was built with large glass floor-to-ceiling windows on the 2 sides which faced the estuary. When it got too chilly to sit outside on the deck, we moved inside and still had the same view. I'm sure a lucky gal to have friends who have access to vacant houses in beautiful places.

Here I am, sitting and knitting. You know that's what I do best. So, what knitting kept me so preoccupied you may ask?

Terry knitting inside house - yes, inside

3 more pairs of socks of course! Remember that giant pile of sock yarn that was donated to me by fellow campers at knitting camp? Well, I'm doing my best to churn out socks for the kids in Kazakhstan. And because I was also teaching a sock knitting class while in Oregon, I had plenty of encouragement from the excitement shown by these new sock knitters.

Heather has GOT SOCK

The class was small (5 learners), casual and very enjoyable. We knit outside for all of our sessions and even had a special chance to visit the farmland of one of the students to knit by the family pond. And here is that gal - who is also the winner for finishing her first sock first! Check out Heather's wild socks! Great job! And thank you Heather for sharing your family's heritage with us and a wonderful afternoon of knitting, chatting and eating.

The pond with Mary's Peak in the background

Hiking on Mary's Peak, Oregon

See that mountain in the distance in this photo of the pond? Well, that is Mary's Peak which is close to Carol's house and I actually got to hike it. We took her dogs - Lucy and Lucky up for a wilderness hike one afternoon. Because we were in the forest and out of the sunshine it was chilly. I had to wear my (one and only) sweater and jeans. It felt so strange to be wearing so many clothes!




Carol, being a naturalist and garden writer, pointed out all the flowers and plants to me which made the hike that much more interesting. We even got to sample some salmon berries along the way. Delicious! When on the coast we also filled our tummies with thimble berries which I declare to now be my favorite berry. They have a rich, deep red flavor which is intense and creamy in my mouth.

Salmon Berries

Dogs. Yep, Carol has two black dogs. They are very friendly, loving and cute as heck. I already miss them terribly. Lucy I had met last year and she even remembered me!

Lucky is new (one month) to the family. She was adopted after being abandoned under a sagebrush in eastern Oregon.

Lucy (standing) Lucky (on lap) and Terry

See that goat bell on my lap between Lucky's legs? Well, this little gal has an issue with chasing prey and there is plenty around to chase - deer, rabbits, and more. To give the wildlife a fair chance, she has been equipped with the bell when she is out and about. She is so adaptable - it never even fazed her to wear a harness (because she slips out of a collar) and now the bell.

Opal Magic yarn

Okay - enough chatter, here are photos of the recent finished socks which have already been sent off to the Motherless Child Foundation to be hand-carried to Kazakhstan. Many, many more to come...

Self-patterning wool from Italy

Red Heart - Heart and Sole yarn