Some fun stuff…

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You may (hopefully) see the Medford weather forecast added to the sidebar.  Thought it would be fun to have something in addition to photos… it’s also useful too.  You can click on the weather information, and it will take you to an external site that has more detailed weather information for Medford.

Also, in the fun category, we had a little visitor the other day sitting on our fence.  It’s a Kestrel Hawk, the smallest true falcon in North America.  He was actually quite the charmer, bobbing his head up and down as he moved around on the fence.

Happy New Year!

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Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!  May it bring you only good things in life!

There’s some work going on in the background here.  Most notably two new scenic (landscape / nature) photo galleries have been added, one for 2019, and am working to backfill some missing years (2018 is also up now).  Hope you enjoy them!

Sunflower detailed…

Moving in Three Dimensions…

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Looking at our neighborhood from 100 feet up…

After an attempt to get going on updating this web site, I got sidelined again with certain life events that have kept me busy for some time.  Being somewhat restricted in where I can go currently due to our dear Taiko (our Black Lab) who’s health is deteriorating,  I have not been able to travel for the last few months.  So being somewhat restricted in movements away from the home, I decided to try something new that I can do from home.  I purchased a Mavic Mini drone, and am experimenting (and learning!) how to fly it… I have never flown a drone before, so it’s been quite a learning experience.

The photos and video from this little guy are stunning.  The videos especially are amazing as they are fluid and smooth as can be… it’s incredible how far technology has come.   

With the winter weather, it’s hit and miss (no drone pun intended) as to when I can fly… rain and heavy winds keep me grounded… but there are breaks in the weather that let me go and explore.  I’ve contacted most of my neighbors to let them know when I’m flying (having received permission).

It’s so interesting to see things from a third dimension… the layout of the land makes more sense now, and it’s also gives perspective as to how we all interrelate with our homes, farms and orchards.   I’m looking forward to doing more exploration with this in different locations… when I can start to break away again.

After the Thunderstorms…

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Looking west from Marigold Lane in Medford, Oregon.

We’ve been lucky (so far) this summer with the smoke and wildfires.  With the exception of one week at the end of July, it was a pretty clear and wonderful summer… especially compared to the last two summers we had.   Some thunderstorm systems rolled through a few times, but fortunately they did not cause any major fires (many thanks to the wonderful firefighters we have here!).  After the last set of thunderstorms came through, we were treated to a spectacular sunset… thought I’d share this with you.

September Update….

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As you may have noticed, I have been off-line for a while.  There were a lot of changes in our lives starting in March, and things have kept us pretty busy since then.  As the season starts to transition to Fall, we’re hoping things will lighten up a bit to where I can start working on this site with more free time available.

An unusual (for southern Oregon) August sunset rainbow…

I do have a backlog of photographs that I hope to get up here soon.

The Season for Migratory Birds…

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Snow Geese in the thousands near Willows

If you have the chance to visit the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge near Willows, California… now is the time to do it!  It’s a great spot for wildlife photography and birding in general.  The peak season is from December to February… though March can still be good.  More information can be found here (link to Sacramento Wildlife Refuge)… and a map guide to the many wildlife refuges in the Sacramento valley can be found here (pdf map).  All in all, it’s hard to go wrong here.  Sometimes there can be literally millions of birds in the air at once… an amazing sight to behold.

Happy Holidays!

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Living in Southern Oregon, we typically don’t get a white Christmas (perhaps someday!), but we are getting a nice series of winter storms that are sorely needed for water next year.  The winter weather does help set the mood for the holidays.  The above photo was taken at sunrise (looking west) as a storm was arriving from the coast.  The winds were playing games with the fog (it would blow in and then retreat just as quickly), so one minute you couldn’t see more than a hundred feet, and the next you could see miles.  It made for a challenging time to take photos.

Whether you’re traveling this season, or staying home… our sincere wishes to all of you for a most Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!  Please be safe over the holidays, have fun, and we look forward to posting more photos and stories in the new year!

Harris Beach State Park off season…

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Harris Beach lies at the very southern end of the Oregon coast… just about 10 miles from the California border.  It’s a popular beach due to it’s proximity near Brookings and one of the more easily accessible beaches in Southern Oregon.  It can be very busy during the summer months, but the off season (late fall to early spring) can be some of the best times to visit.

The main beach is located at the end of the park’s road and offers the easiest access and views (with some spectacular views of Bird Island… a.k.a. Goat Island), but there is a second beach access if you don’t mind hiking just a short quarter mile downhill trail to the South Beach.  At low tides (and conditions permitting) you can walk between the two beaches along the shoreline.  There is also a wonderful campground just above the two beaches… it’s one of our favorite places to go, especially in winter when the ocean scenery can be very dramatic.

You can find more information about Harris Beach here (Oregon State Parks campground and basic info)… with the Trail map for the park is also available.  It’s a place not to be missed.  

As a side note, I did a video not too long ago of Harris Beach in the wintertime.  It a very scenic and relaxing video taken at the very end of December, and should give you an idea of what to expect. You can find the video here… hope you enjoy it!

Harris Beach and Bird Island as storm is clearing.

Main beach at Harris Beach State Park… what better place to spend an afternoon?

Fall has arrived…

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Almost like a breath of fresh air… Fall has arrived.  We’re expecting our first frost in the next few days, the smoke is gone, and we’re getting some spectacular sunrises / sunsets in the valley with the clouds arriving from the coast.  This is one the best times of year… everything seems fresh and vibrant, even though we’re going head on into winter.  Some recent sunrise and sunset photos (respectively) from the last few days… 

Puppy alert!

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We have a new addition to our family.  His name is Ilo (pronounced “eye-low”) which means “joy” in Finnish.  The pronunciation is not quite how it’s said in Finnish, but we think it’s easier for us to remember this way.  Regardless, he’s a charmer and quite a handful being only four months old now, even if he’s a Yellow Lab.

Having a puppy has been quite an experience.  He’s exploring everything (and is constantly chewing up everything in sight).  Fortunately he’s starting to show signs of mellowing out a little, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief as the days start getting a little easier.  He’s still full of surprises though… he created quite a scene as he captured a live bird (how he did this we still don’t know), then proceeded to bring it into the house and let it go in our bedroom.

It is pretty amazing though to see the changes and growth on a daily basis as he matures.  It’s also wonderful to see things through his eyes as he explores the world.