Coastal Wild Life

Part of the glory of living at the coast is the abundance of wildlife. I thought it would be fun to show our readers some that I have managed to capture on camera as we went about our activities.

Let’s start with our Charleston dock walk the other day where we followed the barking voices to get up close with some sunning California sea lions. They were enjoying the sun as much as us!

The sea lions major haunt is the rock reef near Cape Arago named Simpsons Reef. It’s possible all year to view hundreds, if not thousands of them hauled out and resting, with their cacophonous barking carrying far out on the sea wind. The sea lions mix with the smaller harbor seals in the port waters, where we frequently see babies with their mothers.

I’m no bird expert and the one that is most numerous in the area and some would say a total nuisance is the seagull. They are frequent companions to our boat out on the water since they seem to learn quickly and know that every time a crab pot is pulled Marc will be tossing the old bait and re-baiting. As the tuna goes flying through the air they frequently catch it on the fly with spectacular aerial dogfights amongst themselves. One year I watched a nest perched atop a boat with two tiny babies which took over two months for their fluffy fuzz to mature into a downier feathering. At about three months, although they were nearly the size of their parent, they still had not flown and were dependent upon her for food. In the bird word I would call this a long childhood. As immature youngsters, they are a mottled brown, only turning their typical white and grey as mature adults.

The next most numerous birds we spot are the pelicans. There was a recent report that the young pelicans in Oregon are starving and no one seems to know why. They generally work an area of the water in groups, dive bombing for their food and then moving on to a new section. Seagulls frequently move in immediately and peck at their faces in an attempt to capture the fish that a pelican seems to rarely miss and thus many times we see the pelican with his beak low in the water, seeming to protect his catch. They are clumsy fliers with a friendly, comical expression.

Various breeds of egrets and storks quietly work the waters but are generally shy and don’t stick around for pictures. Once, I even happened to spot an American bald eagle circling the ocean with a group of seagulls although they didn’t take kindly to his presence. And of course, there are many species of sea ducks, cormorants and even a loon one winter.

For us, the most appreciated wildlife is that available under the sea. Tidal pools are always interesting to explore and at very low tides, various sea stars, anemones, mussels and barnacles are exposed on the rocks and pilings.

We have most familiarity of course, with the Dungeness crab and its lesser thought of cousin, the red rock crab. The rock crabs have extremely hard shells which splinter into tiny pieces upon cracking so they are vastly under-appreciated for their more buttery flavored meat than their famous cousin. They also have very aggressive attitudes and the way this specimen keeps his claws ready to grab anything that comes within reach is an oft seen pose.

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A Simple Picnic; a Turbulent Ocean

The overlook at Cape Arago beckoned tourists and appeared like a ruin atop the sea cliff on the coast of Scotland as they gazed out over the swelling rollers. Alas, we’re not in Scotland but just outside Coos Bay on this marvelously sunny day to enjoy a rare picnic at our favorite table. Since its wet from recent rains we move up the hill to a drier table in full sun and allow other strangers to take it over.

A walk is in order afterwards, where we wander apart; me taking photos and Marc talking on the phone to a friend. From there we drive to the docks at Charleston to continue taking more pictures and enjoying the bountiful sunshine, which we haven’t seen enough of this winter. The Beach masters have taken over one end of a dock and nosily announce their quarrelsome presence to all who approach. I will have more of their photos in another post. Today was just what the doctor ordered!

These Gray Days

We’re home; well, as close to home as we get these days anyway…Coos Bay. With the boat tarped during our long absence, we unwrapped it to find a mess of mold, both inside and out, and rub marks from the ropes all along the aluminum rub rail. Our first day back was involved with cleaning and putting things away we had carted over from the RV since we intend to be here for at least a couple or three months.

Marc couldn’t wait much longer however, so by ten the second morning after cutting the tuna head bait on shore, we were out on the unnaturally calm waters of the bay dunking our crab pots and lurking above the honey holes. We got one limit our first pull and put all six pots down again for a second soaking. The very high tide had turned and was headed out so our second pull wasn’t quite so good but the last pot gave us our largest crabs of the day. We headed home knowing we would eat well that evening!

Yesterday we started the sad process of helping with Marc’s father’s things. I helped pack up garbage bags full of clothing and shoes and Marc attempted repair of their old and slow computer. Since it will have to be taken down to the empty stage and reloaded with an operating system and all software it will be a multi-stage process but at least Linn was able to get her email finally. We figure we will be at this at least a couple weeks, including some maintenance and small improvements to her house so an occasional day crabbing will likely be our only outlet. Our cat always enjoys the small leftovers!

A Guy Thing

Our life hasn’t all been about caring for our elders lately. Marc had decided some time ago that he would like to put a flat bed back onto the Dodge. When, many years ago, I had decided that I wanted a camper on the Dodge, Marc had gotten rid of the original flat bed and installed a regular pickup bed. He had never been happy with that—the truck never looked right and rode even worse since it was sprung for the heavier bed.

After drawing up plans for what he wanted he visited the local steel supply and purchased the necessary raw steel and then went to work. Initially he fabricated much of the welded pieces together using the bed of his flatbed haul trailer since it was of the correct size to use as a work bench. Work started when Bend was having its minus temps and freezing rain and fog so it was miserably cold working in the shop without heat.

Progress was slow but eventually things took shape, day by day (over three weeks of day by day actually). Long ago Marc had an additional fuel tank which sat directly behind the back window so he resurrected that to give us the additional range that 125 gallons can provide. Knowing how handy the davit hoist has been on the Freightliner he also decided to build one on the Dodge. As he has gotten older and is now under a weight lift restriction due to his knees, the hoist has become invaluable as a means to lift heavier items. In addition to a regular hitch he also re-installed the fifth wheel 20,000 lb. hitch we originally had on the Freightliner for our RV (we currently tow with a 30,000 lb. on the FL). He also decided to undercoat everything to prevent rust.

The final steps involved working with some pretty green lumber, winching it all tightly into place to form the deck. He would have preferred steel or aluminum but at this point that was cost-prohibitive. Unfortunately, the paint job currently leaves a lot to be desired given paint really doesn’t work well in freezing temperatures. We will fix all that once we reach Yuma’s heat and offer up a finalized picture at that time.

In Memoriam: Richard Duske

Marc’s father passed away of a second major heart attack last evening. Although a devastating thing to have happen, the family is at least thankful that he did not suffer too long and that he also had the chance to be brought back from his first attack long enough to see some of his family and experience their love.

I never got to know Dick as well as I probably should have, but I will remember him as a very caring and jovial person. He was always interested in putting others first; he was pragmatic; he found joy in living every single day and he was tremendously supportive of others. Although he had suffered through some major health issues in recent years which partially disabled him, he was a fighter and never one to feel sorry for himself or become bitter over it; in fact he was good natured to the end. In that, he passed along a life lesson for us all.

Rest in peace, Dad. We love you.

Beyond Belief

Honestly people—if I were a novelist I couldn’t make this stuff up: last evening at bedtime we got a call from Marc’s stepmom in Chicago. She and Marc’s father have been there for a month helping out an aunt who was hospitalized and just passed away yesterday morning. Marc’s father suffered a massive heart attack late in the day and may not make it through. He has not regained consciousness and they have him in a cooling unit attempting to slow down his metabolism in an attempt to save his life. They will hope to bring him out of this in 48 hours. The next couple of days will be very long for us. We are simply stunned.

Running on Empty

The days have become a blur of routine; but routine which seems to jump from crisis to crisis. My father suffered what was termed a TIA (transient ischemic attack) last week but the emergency room sent him home after only a couple hours. From there he rapidly went downhill into what was probably a full-blown stroke. He lost his ability to move, his ability to speak anything but gibberish and he slept non-stop and had trouble focusing when he was awakened. Throughout this ordeal my mother continues to insist she can handle his care 100% on her own.

Thankfully he has shown improvement since then but is still not back to where he was when he was initially released from the hospital. Everyone in the family seems to have a huge difference of opinion as to what should happen next and how future incidences should be handled. The “other side” is operating on the assumption he will somehow miraculously get better, be his old self, get up from his wheelchair and walk across the room “any day now”. I on the other hand, spent an entire day checking out assisted living facilities; all to no avail I might add. It has become more than I can bear to witness; it has become more than my own health can take.

So we are making preparations to leave soon. Marc is wrapping up a big project which I will try and blog about shortly and when that is finished I think we can head for Coos Bay. I think I’ve got enough fuel left in me to seek solace by the ocean.