Mornings Start With A Walk

::Oregon Beach Vacation Review Continues::

Few things in life are as nice as having a cup of coffee with your best friend. It's just icing on the proverbial cake when said circumstances include fog and beach.

Turtle Rock Fog

:photo credit : Turtle Rock Resort

Every morning at the crack of dawn, Charlotte, Lobo, Luna and I would load up in her van with said coffee and drive about five minutes through Gold Beach. We'd cross the bridge, usually in fog, and turn onto a dirt road next to the Rogue River jetty which provided easy access to the beach.

At that turn there are a number of little 'houses' with feeding dishes, known as the Rogue River Cat Sanctuary, where volunteers take care of feral cats in the area. The Woof's Dog Bakery & Wash (where we bought Luna's 'ugly' green and red sweater -- but geesh, it was the only one that would fit her and she was COLD!!) has information if you're curious.

Cat Sanctuary

Down a few turns and dirt roads later, we would park and walk over the sand dunes to the morning running track and stick factory.

Running Luna

Lobo, Sand & Fog

The dogs thought they were in heaven! Charlotte and I thought it was pretty magnificent too!

Bestest Friend In The Whole Wide World, Charlotte


I have a stick and you don't!


Lobo & Rock

Tired of the dogs pictures yet? Here's one without.

Sunshine and Rock


Lobo Nose & Feather

We'd walk and walk and walk. The air was so clean and smelled so fine. It was always breezy and just the perfect temperature for a little bundle-up.

After that, we'd head back to the cottages for more coffee and to see who was up among the late risers. While breakfast was usually the plan, timing made it brunch. Some days waffles! (Mike went to a second hand store and bought 3 irons just for the trip. Smart guy.) With bacon and eggs, donuts, coffee and more coffee everyday. All was grand food in the morning sun.

Tanya and Luna

Luna found a great new friend in Tanya who was always spoiling her with pillows, covers and lots of hugs. Lucky dog.

One afternoon, we all went back down to the beach. Gerhart and Sue bought a round of fish and chips and we hit the sand for an afternoon of fun.

Casey, Luna & Tanya

We found a great wind break, set up seating and pigged out!

Almost all of us!

Walks were taken.

It's Very Blue, Isn't It?


More running and jumping was featured.

HA!! Just HA!!


Life flew by.

Pelicans


Crazy people (Mike, that's you!) jumped in the ocean for a swim.

Casey, Gerhart & Charlotte Watch Mike in Surf


Some had to join in.

Mike and Luna in the Surf


Some of us sat for a minute.

Hot Rock Therapy Provided by Tanya


Some of us hugged. (Congrats to Casey & Tanya, married about three weeks previous.)

Newlyweds Casey & Tanya


Now THAT is an afternoon on the beach.

Another 'event' was ONE of the quick celebrations of Karen's Birthday. She always makes us wear hats (how cute are they????) that SHE makes JUST for the occasion. (Notice NO FLOWERS on HER hat!!) We even walked paraded the resort so everybody could view our hats!!

Karen's Birthday Party Hats!


Then, when we were done with all the busyness of the day and the sunset would finally fall, we would usually try to be somewhere where we could enjoy the changing colors.

Sunset Lighting On Trees Behind Our Cottage


And the beach view is usually the best!

Sunset at Turtle Rock


Here's some more pics from the week:

Middle of the Week Slide Show


Simply Recipes' "Grilled Sake Ginger Salmon"


"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.
I travel for travel's sake.
The great affair is to move."
--Robert Louis Stevenson

You'll Know Oregon By The Fog

::Oregon Beach Vacation Review Continues::

I was surprised to see some sailing going on as I was whizzing down the road. This is the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. What a beautiful spot!!! There was a marina with lots of sailboats in the far distance.

Look! Sailing!!


As I cruised along highway 299 west, the road became more and more and more curvy. And winding. And filled with water.



After a few hours, we finally hit 101. Ocean and trees. And more ocean and trees. Finally, the Redwoods!!!

As Luna and I sped past the "Trees of Mystery," we laughed and giggled and reminisced about our last visit there with Charlotte and Lobo and how much BIG fun we had. (Shut up, Luna and I do too laugh and giggle together.)

Here is a little review from that January 2005 road trip:

REALLY big trees are the 'Trees of Mystery"


See? Really, really, really big.


You can eat as many crab cakes as you like if you visit the 'Trees of Mystery' somewhere while in the timeline of your trip. Because you look so SMALL next to the trees, no one would ever guess you gained five pounds. (did not, did too. Shut up.)

They have the coolest see-thru tram going up the mountain!! Luna loved it. Lobo, not so much. A bubble run up into the sky. Surrounded by fat-hiding big trees. (Shut up.)

We loved it!!


I would have stopped and done it again this trip if there hadn't been a full parking lot. The first time was GREAT!! The Gift Shop INVITED our dogs in!! Wolf-like and Pit-like dogs -- invited into a shop filled with GLASS!!! And small children with ice cream!!! Believe it or not, their shop is set up for dogs with BIG tails. LOVED this place.

It looked so hokey from the outside. It was one of the nicest man-made highlights of our trip!

The view looking down!


While that January 24, 2005, there were NO cars in the parking lot and we had the whole place to ourselves, today the parking lot was packed! Luna and I were glad to see they had the business as we LOVED our past experience there.

Really, you must stop and visit the 'Trees of Mystery'


So, after the 'Trees of Mystery' drive-by, of which I obviously can NOT say enough good things about, we continued on north on highway 101.

We were now in the land of the Big Redwoods on the side of the road waiting to eat us.



As you past Crescent City, CA and drive across into OR, I swear the fog starts right up.

Oregon=Fog


Also: lots of big rocks in the ocean.



Luna and I made the Turtle Rock RV Resort and Campground by 3:30pm.

We had friends waiting! So, here's the rundown:

Luna (you know who)
Charlotte (my bestest friend)
Lobo (Charlotte's Dog and Luna's Boyfriend)
Karen (Charlotte's dot)
Mike (Karen's husband, Charlotte's SIL, Marianne's son)
Marianne (Mike's Mom)
Molly (Charlotte's niece)
Kevin and Carol (Charlotte's son and his fiancee)
Gerhart and Sue (Marianne's bother and SIL)
Tanya and Casey (Gerhart and Sue's daughter and SIL)

So there you go. Two cottages, one tent camping site and the ocean!

Molly, Charlotte's niece from Phoenix, AZ.


Karen, Mike and Marianne's cottage has a 'lagoon' and speck-o-the-ocean view. We spent a lot of time on this patio eating and laughing. Too much fun.

Marianne (from Las Vegas) and Mike (from Mill Creek, WA)


Lobo will mostly be in this position after a long car ride. He never, NEVER, and I can't stress the NEVER enough here, lays down in the car if it's moving. Charlotte and I know this from our 2,000 mile road trip in 2005. He NEVER laid down once in the van.

So, this is what he'll look like for a few hours AFTER getting out.

Lobo the Great


EEKKK!!! Here are two of my 10 most favorite people in the WORLD. My FAVORITE!!!

Charlotte and her daughter, Karen


The view from the deck of Cottage #42.


The rocky walk to the almost-made-it-to-the-beach.


The sunset.


We really liked Turtle Rock Resort. Especially our 'forest' cottage, #22. It's about a 2 minute walk from Karen and Mike's #42. But we have ferns and trees. And no car/highway noise. And a FIREPLACE!!

Here's more photos from the beginning of the week:



More photos from last week's trip tomorrow!!

Cooks.com: Crab Cakes with Basil Mayonnaise

Dog Killing, Cooking & Eating & So Much More

This post is going to get REAL ugly, really fast, so here's your warning. Click away now for very ugly human behavior lies ahead. And the link to AAF - Friends....or Food? will contain dead hanging dogs in meat markets. Don't go there if you can't stand it.



AAF - Friends....or Food?

"Whilst some countries in Asia such as Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan have banned the practice of dog eating, evidence shows that in China, the biggest dog eating country in the world, it continues to thrive.



It is estimated that upto 10 million dogs are slaughtered every year in China, many deliberately slowly and cruelly in the belief that "torture equals taste", whilst all suffer the stress and pain of being farmed in concentrated numbers before being killed in a variety of ways which rarely ensures a quick and humane death."

How's THAT for a great cultural trait? Not only do you eat your dogs, you believe that PAIN will make them taste better. This from a culture that will be taking over the WORLD, including AMERICA in the next 20, if not 10, years.

China, who believes WOMEN are EQUALLY as low AS DOGS, kills their female children at birth because male children are just better, don't you know?

China, who OWNS a large chunk of America because it OWNS a large chunk of our DEBT. China, who thinks it's a celebration to 'fight' horses as a Fall celebration.

"Mid-Autumn Festival on Yahoo! News Photos: "Chinese residents watch two horses fight in Rongshui Miao Autonomous county, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, September 19, 2005. The horse fight is part of activities for the Miao people in Rongshui to celebrate their mid-Autumn festival. Picture taken September 19, 2005. CHINA OUT REUTERS/China Newsphoto"

Don't think your children won't see an invasion of our country by China in the next twenty years; it's already happening in our economy and will happen by living Chinese on foot.

A people that keep bears in cages to harvest 'medicine' from the insides of their living body.

"Jill was witnessing Asiatic Black Bears (also known as Moon Bears because of the yellow crescent of fur splashed on their chests) incarcerated in tiny wire cages, with rusting metal catheters implanted in their abdomens through which bile was being extracted for use in Traditional Medicine. Medicine that, she later discovered is completely replaceable by cheaper herbs and synthetics."

How great is a society that wants to ingest Tiger penises? Is there really any good reason at all?

China Tiger Trade Would Doom Species, WWF Says:

"September 27, 2005 — By Reuters
BEIJING — A reopening of Chinese business in tiger parts could doom the species to extinction and undermine efforts to curb other illegal wildlife trade, the Worldwide Fund for Nature warned on Monday.

Tiger organs, teeth, bones and penises fetch high prices on the black market, where they are used in traditional Chinese medicines to treat ailments like rheumatism. In other parts of Asia, the bones are considered an aphrodisiac.

China banned domestic trade in all tigers and tiger parts in 1993, but is considering re-opening the business based on farm-bred, captive animals."

And how about what China did to the Tibetan people?

"Reprisals for the 1959 National Uprising alone involved the elimination of 87,000 Tibetans by the Chinese count, according to a Radio Lhasa broadcast of 1 October 1960. Tibetan exiles claim that 430,000 died during the Uprising and the subsequent 15 years of guerrilla warfare.

Some 1.2 million Tibetans are estimated to have been killed by the Chinese since 1950."

Don't think that China won't slaughter Americans when they get here. They will.

What can you do TODAY to help stop this abhorrent behavior in eating dogs, cats, killing female babies and Tibetans?

STOP BUYING THINGS MADE IN CHINA! NOW!

Look at the items you are buying and if they are made in CHINA, don't buy them. PERIOD. You can also write the Chinese Government and tell them about the things you disagree with, but STOP BUYING CHINESE PRODUCTS. And write McDonald's and Starbucks too. Don't support those that support China. You'll have to do your own research work on this too. But STOP buying Chinese products and find something MADE IN AMERICA. Keep our money at home.

Give our children and grandchildren a chance, because China is already here in all things money. And China is only getting stronger. Strangle China where you can.

"Spiritual life should include a great measure of common sense."
--Buddha's Little Instruction Book, Jack Kornfield