Sept 18 - Wetlands in the Rain, and a Surprise Find!

Part of why we moved here is our love of the rain. So last Saturday when there was a wonderful light rain falling, we decided to drive over to the wetlands and walk the pathway in the rain. It was gorgeous, but the sights were almost second to the sound of the light rain trip-trapping through the leaves and branches.

We were pleasantly surprised to spot our local argiope in the exact same spot as the last time we'd seen it 12 days prior, seemingly unfazed by the rain.

This picture really freaks out Joshua as he thinks I'm about to reach out and grab the spider. Um, no. I may be strangely drawn to the beauty of this guy, and my feelings would be dramatically different if he were scuttling across a wall inside my home, but out here in the wetlands is his home, and he's simply striking within it. (And very still, which helps!) No, my hand here isn't actually that close to the spider; it's behind the web and as close as my timidness would allow. It's an attempt to provide some perspective regarding his size.

But the best find of all today was a caterpillar hiding under a leaf! Joshua had brought his bug box in the very hopes of finding something (harmless) that he could deposit within it and examine. The caterpillar started in the bug box, but eventually we crept him over to our hands. This is a big deal for Joshua who only months ago would never, ever have allowed this kind of critter on his hand!

Sept 13 - Scott Carpenter!

A local politician (left) sponsored a visit from Scott Carpenter (right) and we were thrilled to attend. It was one of those rare occasions where the politician stepped back and just allowed his guest to tell stories about his experiences, and the audience was riveted (well, except Joshua, who slept through the whole thing). Scott Carpenter is one of the original seven pilots selected by NASA for Project Mercury in 1959 and he was the second astronaut to orbit the Earth. He was a marvelous storyteller, taking his time to reel the audience in and slowly circle around his story until he got to its heart. One day we'll sit down and watch The Right Stuff with Joshua, and then pull up some pictures and video from this event and maybe he'll be a smidgeon excited that he was in the same room as someone so accomplished and recognized in history!

Sept 12 - Chili Cook-Off

We went to an annual Chili Cook-Off that supports local non-profits benefiting the community. This year We Care, an organization providing one-time financial assistance to families or individuals, was the recipient of the proceeds.

There was a simple bean bag toss game that helped convey the difficulty some families have in paying their monthly bills. Stand at the closest line, or the well-off line, and it's easy to make the shot. Step back a bit, at the middle-class line, and it's more difficult, but doable. Take a couple more steps back to the poverty line and the challenge is greater.

Joshua wasn't impressed by the Chili Cook-Off until we got to the booth that had a large inflatable alligator filled with lollipops! Mmm - now we're cookin'!!

Thankfully the bouncy house and dunk tank were behind the cook-off or we wouldn't have been able to have much chili at all! Joshua is in love with bouncy houses right now, and this one was a big hit with the slide.

Next came a tour of the ambulance and fire engine...

Here's Joshua regaling the medic with stories of how he (Joshua) rescues people and takes them to the hospital. :) The medic was properly impressed.

Here the firefighter explains how to use the oxygen mask and under what conditions they would need it. They were really great with the kids, and we were lucky that there weren't that many kids there at the time. Joshua got to sit in the driver's seat in both emergency vehicles. I was a little nervous at first, reminding Joshua that these were real vehicles and there was to be no button-pushing, lever-thrusting, or switch-flipping! Yeah, I know I'm no fun, but I know what it's like when I turn my car on after Joshua's played at the wheel, and I just didn't want to subject these poor guys to a similar (but much more intense!) fate!

Sept 6 - Labor Day Wetlands Walk

Leif got to take Labor Day off so we walked over to the Jackson-Frazier Wetlands together. This was Leif's first trip here and I was hoping we'd find something interesting. We were not disappointed! This spider was well camouflaged and once we found it we were amazed that we could miss something so large. Its body is about 3/4 inch tall. It's really creepy, yet beautiful at the same time. It's a black-and-yellow argiope and despite the creepiness factor is quite harmless to humans. (Be sure to check the link for a better picture of this colorful spider!)

Sept 4 - Beach, Whales & Ice Cream!

Decided to drive west to the coast and then north on a little road trip. We stopped at Beverly Beach, at the recommendation of a friend. We'll definitely come back - it's a great beach!

There was this great sandy hill that several people were slowly climbing...and others kept attempting to climb, only to lose their footing and slide back down! We didn't go to the top, but Joshua was a little dare-devil and kept trying to go higher and higher! We got a great video clip of him scooting down on his bottom, knees angled away from him like chicken wings, flapping up and down as he bumped his way down!

Discovered a ladybug in the parking lot as we were about to leave. We're all quite fascinated by bugs of all kinds lately, and we were captivated as this critter crawled all over Joshua's fingers.

Stopped at our favorite Mexican food restaurant in Depoe Bay. Good food, bill was less than $15, plus the tableside binoculars for whale-watching. What's not to love?

After lunch we visited the Interpretation Center and within minutes we were part of a crowd that noticed a couple whale watching boats hovering in the same place. Could there be a whale right out there? Yes, and we got to see it! There were actually several swimming around in the short time we were there. It was very exciting!

Yes, that little blip to the upper right of the boat is a whale!!

Believe it or not, this is our almost 4 year old's very first ice cream cone! With a dairy allergy and an underdeveloped sweet tooth, he's just never been interested; although lately he has actually enjoyed the tart, fruity sorbet at our local self-serve frozen yogurt shop. So on this visit to our beloved Tillamook Cheese Factory, we ordered the sorbet in a kiddie cone with a bowl on the side to see what would happen...and Joshua fell in immediate slurpy, sticky love!

Not surprisingly, Joshua seriously contemplated chomping the bottom tip right off the cone fairly early on in the game. I'm sure one of these times he'll do it, and hopefully we'll have the camera nearby. :) Doesn't every kid do this at some point?

He became less interested in the soggy cone but was quick to resort to his spoon to scoop out every drop...

...and eventually couldn't resist tipping the bowl to slurp out every bit.

Blackberries and Ducks in Pursuit

Ok, Joshua and I are officially in the throes of a blackberry-induced coma! A couple weeks ago Joshua's nature preschool took the kids on a nature walk and we picked blackberries on the way back. The kids loved it, though I found out that poison oak (or was it ivy? I still need to learn this!) had infiltrated the bushes and had to be avoided. Ever since then, we've taken this as permission to pick away. Last week we walked down to the river with a few friends and Joshua ran up to me with blackberries in hand and gave me one as he thrust the other in his mouth and ran off. Pickings were slim there in the wooded, shady area, but he was tickled to feel like a pro - and I was tickled to see him look like a native, just picking them all on his own.

Well, today was a different story! I'd read about a lake over in the HP business area so we set off with the stroller and wandered over. In several areas we passed blackberry bushes just bursting with clusters of the shiny black berries. At first I thought that the path we took wasn't very popular, but then I realized that we're approaching the peak of blackberry season. These were beautiful berries, and bountiful as well. Joshua and I spent 20 minutes just plucking fat, tender, sweet blackberries and popping them in our mouths. Yum!

Then we wondered over to the lake and found a group of about 40 ducks resting right by the sidewalk. Joshua and I have been taking several nature walks lately, so he's getting really good at understanding that the quieter we are, the more critters we can spot. So he held my hand and we slowly walked along the path, right next to the ducks! Several stood up and shook their feathers out at us, but many remained sitting and lazily watched us walk by. We were giddy as we walked off, feeling pretty lucky that we'd been able to given permission to creep by. Then as we peeked back, we saw that the birds had continued watching us - and were starting to stand up and slowly follow after us! They must be used to friendly handfuls of crackers and crumbs, and feeling a little cheated that they'd allowed us to walk by but had not gotten any treats for it in return! It became pretty comical as we kept looking back and seeing this horde of ducks gathering momentum as they picked up speed in a some kind of collective group pursuit!

We lost the ducks around the corner and took another way back home. Lo and behold - we found another stash of beautiful, sun-warmed and fat blackberries! We couldn't help ourselves - we stopped and dined again. A little dust? Tiny cobweb here or there? Nope - wasn't stopping us! Of course, if we weren't careful we might grab one with a little red spot and ooooowwweeee would it be a little tart! Mostly though, these were ripe and begging to be enjoyed. So we did what we could! :)

No pictures, but just imagine a grinning little boy with blackberry juice all around his mouth and purple fingertips...

Staying Busy!

There are some weeks that crawl by with very little activity, and this one is shaping up to be one of them. Unlike last week, where each day had something unusual happening...

Monday we attended our library's official presentation of a gorgeous glass mobile, commissioned from funds bequeathed to the library by the former director's family. The artist, Michele Gutlove, handmade more than 1,200 pieces of glass and individually drilled them to hang them by cable from a four foot wide metal ring, suspended from the ceiling of the library and extending from the second story down through the open atrium area. The piece practically glowed from the morning light shining through the skylights and shimmering through each piece of glass. The mobile is designed to look like rain when the sun shines through it, and is named the Siuslaw Sun Showers.

As seen from the first floor of the library. The sculpture is 9 feet tall and is suspended from a four foot ring through the atrium area between the first and second floors of the library.

The artist, Michele Gutlove (right), explaining her inspiration for this piece.

Tuesday we were invited to join a friend and her boys at a calm, shallow area of Mary's River. I love the idea of camping, going to the river, hiking, and many other outdoor activities. The reality is I have no idea where to go, what to do, or how to do it - and realizing that there are poisonous plants that I am sure I would literally stumble into just makes me a bit reluctant to explore unknown areas on my own. I'm such a city girl. My poor grandfather who led countless scout troops to lakes, rivers, camping trips, and more must be so ashamed. So we were thrilled to join friends and find a good river spot!

The other great thing about this spot were all the handy rocks and sticks. The boys were thrilled to practice their aim at the hanging branches. This spot was so great Joshua and I returned just a few days later to share it with Leif. The water's a bit cool, but the area is shaded and peaceful. Very nice!

Later that evening we went to the 8:00 pm performance by the Corvallis Community Band. Tonight's weather was probably the best this concert series has seen, and we delighted in sprawling out over the lawn and star-gazing as we listened to the band perform.

Wednesday was another exciting day with a celebration at the library. Joshua was one of hundreds of children who maintained a Curious George map to fill with stickers showing that they'd been read to during the summer. The library put on a fabulous event, themed around Mo Willem's Pigeon books. We got to watch an animated version of "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus", listen to a librarian read "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late" to an audience of about 300, and sing songs and do crafts. My favorite was the bird mask. Look carefully - Joshua's predisposition to his inherited OCD genes are reflected in the perfect symmetry of his feathers!

Plus the kids got to show their completed Curious George map and receive a free book. While it was a bit chaotic, I was very impressed with the selection of free books: a large table was covered in dozens and dozens of books, and very few were copies of another; most were unique. Joshua zoomed right in on the "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" book! I wasn't surprised at all that he chose that book; I was surprised that it was still available! We're so fortunate to have access to such a terrific library with such wonderful and creative children's librarians.

Thursday was a return to the library for storytime (which luckily still held its charm despite being quite mellow by comparison to Wednesday's party!), but on Friday we finished the week by stumbling into more unusual adventures! Scott had alerted me to the existence of a Carnegie library in nearby Albany. While this 1914 structure no longer acts as Albany's main library, it is still in use and features a specialty section on books detailing Albany's historical district of Victorian and bungalow homes. Walking into this library was like stepping back in time: the front access is stairs only, with a blue placard alerting disabled patrons that it is not handicap-accessible and such patrons should visit the main library instead or call for help. Several old wall heating units were found between bookcases, and the entire building had the kind of musty smell that comes from an almost hundred year old building that's housed books all its life.

For those who aren't familiar with Carnegie libraries (I'm embarrassed to admit, I wasn't until Scott brought it up), they were built with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie. His project helped establish more than 2500 libraries in the US, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, the Caribbean, and Fiji. Due to Carnegie's personal experience as an recent immigrant visiting his employer's private libraries, he understood the power and value of books and an education. Yet he placed conditions on the funds he would donate: the town requesting the donation must match the funds, demonstrate a need, provide the building site, provide free service to all and provide annual funds for its operating costs. Each Carnegie library tended to be architecturally unique, chosen by the town itself; but almost all had staircases at the entrance to symbolize a person's elevation by learning and most had a lamppost or lantern outside symbolizing enlightenment. Carnegie's project coincided with other movements to establish a public library system and his conviction in the value of free and public libraries considerably helped to develop the libraries we know and appreciate today.

Within the Carnegie Albany Library is a display of the original letter from Carnegie's secretary agreeing to provide funding for this library if the town of Albany conceded to the terms. The letter is dated 1911.

And if all that wasn't enough for the week, Joshua and I decided to visit the Jackson-Frazier Wetlands. There's a 2/3 mile, elevated wooden walkway taking visitors partially through the area. We spotted lots of bees, some caterpillar-chewed leaves, several animal tracks, and lots of sticks (Joshua's favorite part). We returned the next week in the morning, hoping to spot more critters and lucked out to spot three snakes, a huge dragonfly, several birds and a butterfly that flew right up to us. This is a great spot for a nature walk!

Joshua returning from retrieving a stick. It's not a good nature walk without a good walking/pointing/waving stick around.

What a week!