20 minutes for yourself in the afternoon

It happened. We made it. I ordered my first iced americano of the season today. And took 20 minutes this afternoon in the sunshine in just a tank top to soak it up. The wind of course started up again soon after, but nobody could have blemished those few moments of glory. Nobody.

During that time, I got an email from Sadie Rose with a custom order. Nothin' I love more. Check out this labradorite pyramid that will soon be a ring on her finger. It's flippin gorgeous, as is she, and I can't wait to get to work on it.

Also, photos from a quick coastal jaunt yesterday. This is my favorite beach on all of the west coast. Agates and streams and birds and tide pools galore. This secret little pathway down to the shore makes me want to be a kid again just to see it through the lens of young eyes.

Important

Check out an op-ed written by Oregon State University's Dr Mark Hixon and University of Washington's Dr Brian Tissot. It's a good take on the work Oregon is doing to revitalize their once booming and still beautiful coastline.

Alright, now it's time for Christmas Break.

Coastal Snapshots

The collection is suddenly huge and growing by the week. To get myself psyched for a one hour meeting in Newport (read: 3.5 hour drive) on Friday (read: from 4-5 pm), thought I'd post a couple of my favorites from a recent trip to Florence.

Co-worker Dave to the top right.

mmmmm, I'm gonna eat you

Port of Florence. Only one charter boat here.

This was one of the June days when the heat wave hit Portland, which means afternoon fog and chill on the coast.

Bought tuna from this salty character. Tuna season had started that week in mid June and the nearshore waters were so cold that this guy caught this tuna over 100 nautical miles off the coast. There was cigarette ash in our tuna. Love it.

Harbor Seal Victory!

red fish rocks

Excuse the nerdery:

Port Orford, in southern Oregon, is home to one of Oregon's initial marine reserve sites known by the name of Red Fish Rocks. There is magic in it's tale, as it's a model for this process wherein fisherman and conservationists worked together, from the beginning, to manage the land in the best interest of the community. Truly! It's not a one sided story in either realm.

Port Orford is dramatic and serene with it's calm waters, ever-grey skies and crazy amounts of birds. The coastline is so jagged that there is no pier: boats are cranked in and out of the water with a pulley. Just like them old days.

To support the work of the marine reserves team, they (the Port Orford Action Resource Team) are holding a photography contest! Which ones (up to 3) shall I enter?

#1

#2

#3

#4

Long Day

11:55 pm and I can feel the blood receding from my limbs as I type this. Just returned home from the coast with a volunteer and friend, Minda, who joined me on this evening's venture to Cannon Beach. I try to stick my toes in the sand with each trip but though the drive out was sunny and majestic, once we hit the coast it was rain rain rain. We stopped in a fireside cafe for seafood and a porter, took the excuse to eat slow and be 20 minutes late to the meeting.

It's true that I've recently renewed my vows with punctuality, but sometimes it feels good to be intentionally late.

Maybe I felt that freedom because of this donut I saw this morning.



It was, after all, a damn good Tuesday. Even had Thai food for lunch, what a treat. <3.

Bridges and Coastline

I love this bridge. It's connects Newport to 101 south, and spans the Yaquina Bay. Soon to host the new NOAA site. Research and vessels and bridges, oh my!

"Say what some poets will, Nature is not so much her own ever-sweet interpreter as the mere supplier of that cunning alphabet, whereby selecting and combining as he pleases, each man reads his own peculiar lesson according to his own peculiar mind and mood."

Herman Melville, 1852