I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Prairie Dog, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 2010
Author Archives
Erin
Coddiwompling through life, guided by my love of nature and insatiable curiosity.12-19 Sol Shine
Life’s too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t, and believe that everything happens for a reason.
~ Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
Vermilion Flycatcher Nestlings, Agua Caliente Park, Tucson, Arizona 2017
12-18 Sol Shine
The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen.
~ G.K. Chesterton
Red Berries, Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego, California 2016
12-17 Sol Shine
Let the rain kiss you, Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops, Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
~ Langston Hughes
Raindrops on Spring Lake, Lincoln City, Oregon 2018
12-16 Sol Shine
Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sunny Taft Beach, Lincoln City, Oregon 2018
Family Fun
My two favorite cousins came out for a visit over Thanksgiving weekend. It was their first time in the Pacific Northwest so it was a pleasure showing them around. Though the weather was capricious as usual (alternating between sunny and calm one moment and windy and rainy the next) we didn’t let that stop us. At least the mid-50s temperatures were double what their hometowns in Ohio were experiencing!
It was the first time in twenty years that the three of us were alone for a weekend! So we made the most of it. We explored some of my favorite places along the Central Oregon Coast, noshed on fresh seafood, and sipped local brews. We ended with a day meandering around Portland; brunching at Guilder (a wonderful cafe with a Princess Bride theme – which just so happens to be my favorite movie), strolling through the Portland Saturday Market (which needs a new name since it is also open on Sundays), touring the grand Pittock Mansion, and drooling over all the books at Powell’s. All in all, we had a marvelous time.
Windy Thanksgiving Afternoon
Sunny Taft Beach
Cousins
Crazy Cousins
Sablefish Fresh off the Boat
Greedy Gull
Sampling at Rogue Brewery
Mt. Hood with Fresh Snow
Portrait of Mandy Patinkin at Guilder
12-15 Sol Shine
The three Cs of life: Choices, Chances, Changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.
~ Anonymous
Elk Crossing Creek, Yellowstone National Park, 2008
12-14 Sol Shine
Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.
~ Theodore Roosevelt
Sapsucker with Pyracantha Berry, Madera Canyon, Arizona 2009
Enjoy Yourself
“Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think,
Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink,
The years go by as quickly as a wink,
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.”
Some concepts have staying power and the message behind the song “Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)” is a perfect example. Written in 1949, the song was first popularized by Guy Lombardo. Over the past seven decades, musical giants such as Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Louis Prima, and even The Supremes recorded the simple tune.
I love the song for the way it uses humor to remind us to live in the present moment. Or in the parlance of the day, YOLO (text-speak for “You only live once”). My favorite version is this stripped down one, performed by Todd Snider.
Evening at the Beach, Lincoln City, Oregon 2018
12-12 Sol Shine
Even a single lamp dispels the deepest darkness.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Heceta Head Lighthouse, Florence, Oregon 2018
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