Just Another Nature Enthusiast
JANE’s Images & Thoughts 🌲 Inspired by the Pacific Northwest & places I wander
One hundred-seven years ago, in foggy seas, the Peter Iredale, a four-masted steel barque sailing vessel ran ashore on the North Oregon Coast at Clatsop Beach. We were at the Coast on a day with similar conditions. It was rather eerie to imagine what must have run through the minds of the Captain and crew on that fateful day. Sailing from Salina Cruz, Mexico, on or about September 26, 1906, Peter Iredale was bound…
I can’t believe that my reaction when we first arrived at Oregon’s newest state park was… “I want to go home.” It was a hot, parched-looking landscape. There were warnings about rattle snakes. No electric hook-up, no WiFi, no cell phone coverage… I was out of my comfort zone. Reluctantly, I helped to set up camp. Little did I know, then, how much I would come to miss this rustic…
I had almost forgotten how emotionally powerful star-gazing can be… until a few nights ago. A clear night on the Oregon Coast was all it took to unlock the feelings stored in my heart and soul. Some of my best childhood memories are those of time spent with my father … on magical nights when he filled my imagination with stories told only when, together, we gazed at the constellations above.…
If the Pacific could lift her wave-fringed skirt along the coastline edge, we would be shocked at the sight of what lies hidden beneath the weave of water, sand, and stone. Many a captain’s ship has been plucked off course… pulled under that salty sea cloth… bounced and battered against the shoreline. Boats of all sizes have succumbed over the centuries… left below… trapped in a briny net of ebb…
Curving Fresnel Lenses Concentrate light Beam’s reassuring rotation Cast blinks Out across sea swells From perch upon Curvy coastline shore Lighthouse curved architecture Performs vital mission
The enchantment began as soon as we rounded the drive into Shore Acres State Park. A magical glow of lights floated through the trees… branches brushing the glow upward. We expected to find crowded displays on Christmas Eve, however, we were astonished and delighted to discover only ten or so other visitors. Most of the paths were ours to stroll alone. How could we be so fortunate on Christmas Eve?…