Tuesday, August 14, 2012

 

Oregon Tripping and Knitting

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


Comments:
At this point, I am not sure how I found your blog - probably linked from someone else's blog. But I have read it from start to present & am amazed at how fast you seem to knit things up. I also love cruising - have gone twice with 1 of my daughters, but not sure if I would make it on a smaller boat. I tend to have a huge fear of snakes & sharks! And a very vivid imagination!

I have enjoyed your blog so far & have even applied to the Six Sox yahoo group. But haven't gotten word yet that I have been accepted. I started knitting socks about 3-4 years ago for myself, knit some for my 2 brothers & this year am knitting some for the 5 grandkids for Christmas. But I am not nearly as fast as you seem to be, especially after developing tendonitis in my right thumb. But I keep on working! Knitting seems easier than crochet these days & I can pick up & use a knitting needle where an ink pen is diffcult.

I look forward to future posts & seeing new areas as well as new knitting projects!
 
Thanks for commenting Cindy! I'm now subscribed to YOUR blog in Google Reader. I get a lot of knitting done because I knit all the time because I have so much time! No car, no shopping malls, no libraries, appointments, grandchildren or any other things to attend. Just knitting.

"See" you on our blogs!
Terry
 
Thank you Terry! I do a lot of knitting, but I still think you have me beat. Partially probably because I knit English style, I think it's called. I am extremely right handed - left is almost useless, so have never been able to get the hang of continental method. I used to have a job that allowed me to knit while I was at work & I miss that job so much at times, but the economy got it. I have 1 granddaughter that has been learning to knit, so sometimes we have weekends where we sit & knit together.
 
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