We went up to Sisters today and walked around a farmers market. I bought some flank steak at the Sisters Meat Smokehouse, which I’ll fix in the next day or two. We also went up Pilot Butte in Bend, which is a nice place to get a view of the town and surrounding area. As for the surrounding area, it was fairly hazy and there were clouds so we couldn’t see the tops of Mount Bachelor or the Sisters. To the north we could see Mount Hood, although it looked a bit more like a dark cloud than the top of a mountain. Late in the evening we looked for Saturn, which was in the sky not too far from the moon. I got a few pictures where you can actually see that Saturn has rings, but they aren’t going to win any awards. This photo of the moon won’t, either, but I think it’s a nice shot, anyway.
Crater Lake
On the Saturday of our first weekend in central Oregon, we drove down to Crater Lake, about 85 miles (as the crow flies and about 100 miles by road) southsouthwest of Bend, where we were staying. When we got there, we found that the eastern half of the circling road was closed until 4:00 PM to motorized vehicles due to a bicycle event. We were told that we might not be able to find a parking spot, but “have a nice visit”.
As it turned out, we had a nice visit and found parking, although not at first. We found a spot on the western section of Rim Drive and walked on the Rim Trail. That’s where we got our first really good look at the crater and its lake. It’s also where the first two photos presented here were taken. The sun was to the southeast and there was a bit of glare on the lake surface, making it seem less blue that it did later, when we were on the south rim near the Crater Lake Lodge, from whence we could see it in all it’s blue splendor (as in the third photo).
The first twp of these photos are three-shot HDR images. The second and third are both composite panoramas, stitched together with Hugin – Panorama photo stitcher, which I cannot recommend enough. If you ever get the chance to visit Crater Lake, I seriously recommend it. We spent the better part of a day there, even driving part of the eastern half of the Rim Road after it opened. It was still closed between Skell Head and Phantom Ship Overlook for construction, so we were not able to drive all the way around.
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Lisa dropped Cathy and me off at Drake parke late this morning. We walked up stream and across the wooden bridge at Mirror Pond. Then we turned around and went down stream past another foot bridge near First Street Rapids Park. In Pacific Park, just below the small power station we saw quite a few cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) and I was able to get a few half decent photos. They were mostly high in a tree when not flying so I was looking up at a fairly steep angle, which wasn’t ideal. We do have cedar waxwings at home but we don’t see them often. This is the second time we’ve seen them here in three days, so we were pretty excited.
Animals at the High Desert Museum
Lisa dropped Cathy and me off at the High Desert Museum south of Bend this afternoon. Going to this sort of place is always a little bit of a risk because you’re paying to get in before you know much about it, even if you’ve looked at their web site. Nevertheless, we decided to take the risk and I’d say it was the right choice.
The indoor exhibits are nice, with life-sized dioramas depicting various scenes of life in the high-desert area of Oregon. There is also a nice art collection, with some really beautiful works. Our interest, though, was more on the natural history of the high desert. There were signs and exhibits that told us about the plants and animals that are found throughout the region. We had already identified the rabbitbush (Ericameria nauseosa and related species) as one of the most abundant and obvious shrubs in the area, since it is blooming just about everywhere. But there were other plants we were not so sure about or that we hadn’t yet seen and identified (in our short time here so far). I particularly like the manzanitas (various Arctostaphylos species). These are seen throughout the grounds of the museum as well as all over the wild areas around Bend.
Outdoors, we first went to see the American river otter (Lontra canadensis) exhibit. There were three otters and they were very actively swimming around, coming up onto the shore and posing for us. I got a few nice shots of one standing up and looking around, as well as some close ups, like this one. We saw quite a few golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis) as well as quite a few chipmunks (Neotamias species), all running around in the woods.
Back inside we saw Juniper, a female common porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) and a bobcat (Lynx rufus), both of which were beautiful, even if in captivity for whatever reason. The museum isn’t really cheap but for us, we considered it worthwhile, especially if you’re new to the high desert. It’s a nice introduction to the natural history of the region.
Drake Park, Bend, Oregon
Cathy and I took a late 40th anniversary trip to visit our dear friends, Brian and Lisa in Bend, Oregon. I didn’t take any pictures on our flight day. Our first full day we didn’t do too much, dealing with jet lag and such. Lisa took us downtown and we walked on the Deschutes River through Drake Park. We saw a flock of cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum). The river is artificially wide and slow here because there is a small hydroelectric dam just below here. The park has really nice trees, mostly ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa), which is the predominant tree in the area, but there are also some quite large spruce trees (Picea species) and a large willow (Salix species).
Harmonica Suitecase
We went up to the National Apple Museum in Biglerville today for the Harvest Festival put on by The Hartley Residence. There were three groups playing, Chuck Darwin and the Knuckle Draggers, Dream Home, and Public Disco Porch. My grandfather played the harmonica and I always enjoyed his music so I chatted briefly with Billy Jones of Chuck Darwin after their set. This is his suitcase of harmonicas.
The three groups were very differenct, ranging from bluegrass to rock and roll with Hadley of Dream Home in between. I’m not sure how to categorize her music, but I plan to become more familiar with it via her two CDs.
Cabin and Pond
We went up to Pennsylvania for Labor Day today. We drove and walked around a little at the Gettysburg Battlefield, first stopping at the visitor center and then going to the Peach Orchard. We met Dorothy at Presidents Coffee, getting there about the time she got off work. We went to Home Depot and bought lumber for porch railings and the stairs in the cabin and then went to the property. After unloading the lumber we took a walk through the woods to the big tree and back and this photo was taken then. We had a lovely dinner of salmon with Dorothy and her housemates before returning home late in the evening.
Red-spotted Purple and Tufted Titmouse
We went to great falls this afternoon and walked on the Goldmine Loop and then the Woodland Trail and back by the Burma Road, and finally down to the towpath and back to the parking area. The woods were quiet and it was a very nice walk. We didn’t see or even hear many birds in the woods but it was still really pleasant, if a bit warm and humid. We saw a butterfly that I didn’t recognize. Looking it up after getting home I found that it’s a red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax). I think it’s a beautiful butterfly in the genus Limenitis, the admirals and viceroy butterflies.
When we were on the Burma Road over Widewater we saw a cormorant and then down on the canal we saw more butterflies and a few little grey birds in the cattails. At first we couldn’t figure out what it was but then one hopped up onto a blade in plain sight and we could tell that they were tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor).
I would definitely walk this trail again. I think it would be especially nice in the spring.
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
We drove out to McKee-Beshers this afternoon. We didn’t get out there when the sunflowers were blooming but thought we might see birds on the seedheads. We didn’t see indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea), probably because they are migrating south. We did, hovever see a lot of American goldfinches (Spinus tristis), like the one pictured here. I got a photo of a blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) and an eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe). At one area, where there are shallow ponds, we saw a green heron (Butorides virescens) and down by the river we saw a great blue heron (Ardea herodias).
Female Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)
We decided to go over to the Agricultural History Farm Park late this afternoon. We enjoyed walking in the demonstration garden as well as seeing the dahlias. Then we walked down to the row of apple trees, a few of which were loaded with apples. On the way back up I took this picture of a female blue grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) on the corn. I thought it was a female goldfinch but when I went to confirm that, both Google and the Merlin app identified it as a grosbeak. I also got a nice shot of a female chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina, which Google misidentified but Merlin got right. And I got two shots of a male eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis), but he had his head turned away from me.
Clouds over Great Falls
We went to Great Falls today. It’s one of those things we used to do fairly often but then didn’t quite so much when they started charging so much for parking. Now that I have my America The Beautiful Lifetime Senior pass, it doesn’t cost us any to get in. That was definitely a well spent $80. The sky was very dramatic while we were there, as seen in this photo taken from Olmsted Island looking southwest towards the Virginia shoreline. As you can probably tell, this is an HDR image, made from three separate exposures.
A little later, as we were walking on the canal towards Wide-Water, it started to rain. We got under the branches of a tree and I put my camera under my shirt and managed to keep it pretty dry, although we got fairly wet ourselves. The rain stopped and we continued on. By the time we turned around and got back to the car, the sun was shining again.
National War Correspondents Memorial
We decided to drive up to South Mountain this afternoon. We started out at with a visit to the Washington Monument. It was quite hazy, though, and the view wasn’t much to speak of. Also, the tower was closed, so we couldn’t go up it. From there we went to the three gaps that were the principal sites of fighting in the Battle of South Mountain in mid-September, 1962. They are, from north to south, Turner’s Gap, Fox’s Gap, and Crampton’s Gap.
The National War Correspondents Memorial, shown here, is in Crampton’s Gap in Gathland State Park. It was built in 1896 by Civil War correspondent George Alfred “Gath” Townsend (January 30, 1841 – April 15, 1914), who built a home for himself here in the early 1880s. He also built himself a mausoleum but is buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
On our drive we happened to go by the South Mountain Creamery and stopped for ice cream.
40th Anniversary Dinner
We had a few friends over for dinner this evening to celebrate our 40th anniversary (which isn’t today, but close enough). Yvette and Cathy were at Wake Forest together and was in our wedding. Rob and I have been friends since the fall of 1972. He wasn’t in our wedding because he was in Kenya at the time. We’ve known Susie since she and Rob met, back in the day. Our friend Jean, whom Cathy has known since high school, wasn’t able to come because she was in North Carolina helping take care of two grandchildren while a third was being born. There are others we could have invited but we wanted to keep it simple.
We had a really nice dinner, starting with mushroom and peach bruschetta, followed by bowls of French onion soup. The main course was ginger and soy marinated flank steak and salmon with sugar and mustard sauce. We finished with strawberries and whipped cream. If I say so myself, it was a really good meal. It was even better company. Thank you to all our friends and family for helping us make it through forty years together.
Battus philenor (Pipevine Swallowtail)
Cathy and I took the day off from work and went up to Pennsylvania today to visit with Dorothy and two of her good friends, Jack and Katie. We had a lovely time with them, spending some time on the Gettysburg battlefield and then going to our property and hanging out a bit. We marked a trail through the woods that Dorothy wants to clear and Dorothy worked a little in the orchard, moving some sticks around. She has a little garden plot that’s the start of something bigger.
I saw this pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor) on a thistle (Cirsium species) and was able to get a pretty good photo.
Baby Bird
I have no idea what kind of bird this is. Given its size, I’m guessing something larger than a sparrow but smaller than a crow. Possibly an America robin, but really, I have no idea. I was clearing around one of my roses today when I noticed the nest. I took a few pictures and then left things they way they were. There’s plenty more to do in the garden and I can come back and work around the rose when the bird has fledged. We see quite a variety of birds in our yard. We have multiple sources of water that we keep filled (and ice-free in the winter). We also have quite a few plants that provide food for birds that like their seeds. We also attract insects, so there are birds that come for those. Finally, we have hummingbirds and we see them both on the feeders and on flowers in the garden.
Sanderling (Calidris alba)
Cathy and I went to the east end of Ocean Isle this morning and walked along the beach. Cathy looks for coral on the beach and before today hadn’t found many pieces. Today she found as much as she sometimes finds in a week. I found a few pieces, as well, but mostly I was taking photos of birds. I got a few of a brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) and some of willets (Tringa semipalmata) and quite a few of these little sanderlings (Calidris alba). They are quite numerous on the beach, running up just above waves and then following them back down to dig things up out of the sand.
Bunting and Egret
We found a little nature reserve on the map and decided to give it a try today. It’s a bit further than we’d normally go and I don’t know that we’d go again, given the distance and the fact that we had to pay for parking at $4 per hour, which is a bit steep. It does probably account for the place not having many people, though. We say another painted bunting as well as quite a few herons and egrets, including the great egret Ardea alba shown in the first photo here. If you don’t mind spending a little money and you’re near by, it might be worth a visit.
We could hear thunder rumbling in the distance and the sky was quite menacing to the south but it never got close enough to bother us at all. It’s been warm this week but nothing like what it’s been up until now. This week we had highs in the mid 80s, which is pretty good for the time of year.
Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
We headed to Sunset Beach again today, leaving a bit earlier in the morning, and were able to get a parking space near the west end of Main Street. The walk to the Bird Island Reserve nature trail is about 1.25 miles. It was partly cloudy and quite windy as we walked out, but that was actually very nice. We heard quite a few painted buntings (Passerina ciris) but only saw two and only one that I was able to get a decent photo of. They certainly are pretty little things. This one sat and sang for us a good while.
Annual Family Beach Photo
We usually take our annual family beach photo a little later in the week but Dorothy was leaving on Wednesday and Iris and her family were going to Myrtle Beach to see her sister-in-law and her family Tuesday, so it was today or never. The kids made at least some faces in each one, but that’s just the way it’s going to be. I think it’s a pretty good photo, overall.
Earlier in the day we had driven to Sunset Beach to go to the Bird Island Reserve but couldn’t find a parking space. We saw a large flock of wood storks as we crossed the bridge back off of the island. We went to the Carl Bazemore Bird Walk on the imaginatively named East Lake, which we call Alligator Pond. We did see a few alligators as well as a few more wood storks and other birds. A person we met there told us about Vereen Memorial Gardens just into South Carolina and we went there and walked around a while, as well. We didn’t see much, but it’s a pretty place and I suspect there are times when there are more birds. In fact, someone we met there told us the painted buntings are there in large numbers at some times during the year.
Kids On The Stairs
Our annual week at the beach started yesterday. We had fewer issues with traffic than in many years, although we stopped a bit more, including stopping for lunch at Parkers in Wilson, North Carolina. We usually stop there to pick up barbecue and we’ve occasionally bought lunch there but never eaten it in the restaurant. We happened to be within a few miles of George and Carmela, who had started driving yesterday and spent the night in Southern Virginia, so they met us at Parkers.
Today is Eloise’s birthday and after dinner many of her third-cousins came over (along with their parents and grandparents). I was able to get a few photos of most of them on the stairs. Getting them all looking at the camera and not acting up is beyond me, though. Still, they were having a good time and I think it shows.