Rock Dove

English Sparrow

Partly Cloudy, Partly Blurry

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I made a more thorough exploration of Sauvie Island today. It rained off and on, making it a relatively good day for seeing birds. Unfortunately, all I got are these mostly pretty bad pictures of common birds. I was grateful for waterproof shoes as the day's trails led me through tall, wet grass and mud at times. A kind of rainy day has another advantage: you great the great outdoors virtually to yourself.

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An enjoyable, relaxing day.

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Rose

Nature Sunday

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I visited some local parks this afternoon in search of birds, flowers, and fresh air. The grey day quickly turned sunny as I wandered nature trails, breathing in the fresh, earthy smell of spring. At Kelley Point Park, people walked their dogs on the river beaches and fished from the shore. Smith and Bybee Lakes was atwitter, with multiple species of swallows swooping over the lakes and bright Audubon Warblers flitting through the trees. A sudden burst of wind and rain sent people scurrying for their cars, but the birds seemed to know that it would soon pass, and so it did.
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rc

Reruns

Rufous Hummingbird

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After working last night, I woke up early this afternoon and searched the Web for a suitable place to eat. We wound up at Nicholas Restaurant, a very lovely little, family-owned Mediterranean eatery full of tightly spaced tables crowded with diners, with more waiting outside the door for a seat. When the food started to arrive, I wished I had brought the camera. Of course, I also wish I had a device to share the smell of really good, fresh food. I had the Labney sandwich: "Imported yogurt cheese spread on fresh pita bread and layered with kalamata black olives with fresh mint, extra virgin olive oil, cucumbers and tomatoes." It came with rich, creamy hummus, fresh pita bread, and a crispy Lebanese salad with Nicholas' special recipe dressing. I washed it down with airan: a creamy, Lebanese yogurt drink. The waitress who took my order warned me that people often don't like airan, because it isn't sweet. I needed no such warning; it was delightful, just like the rest of the meal. jc had the best ever lentil soup with mjadra, a seasoned rice and lentil dish that was perfect for him.

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Just the first in what I hope to be a series of fine local eateries at which I'll be tempted to blow my life savings.

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Rose

Normal

Red-Tailed Hawk

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We're settling in nicely, learning our way around different parts of town almost every day. Today I finally got the package sent off to Big M, who shared exciting news this week. The kitties are starting to get used to hearing strange footsteps from our upstairs neighbords, Polly and Larry. Really, it's just Larry who steps loudly. I'll be orienting to the final local hospital system tomorrow, opening up several more opportunities for work. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to taking pictures somewhere other than my deck, too.

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Rose

Recovered

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My hard drive crashed. jc heroically saved my files, when it seemed past hope, then installed a new one, with a net loss of maybe 24 hours of use. Today, I'm relaxing and enjoying the rain and the birds on the deck.

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rc

Spring Blooms

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I saw the first Violet-Green Swallows of the year today, swooping extravagantly over the Willamette River. And spring blooms are everywhere.

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Rose

Spotted Towhee

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This crippled Towhee has been hanging out on my deck off and on for the past several days eating the millet that the Nuthatch kicks out of the feeder. I wonder if I should be doing something for it?
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rc
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The folks at the Portland Audubon Society Wildlife Care Center say as long as the bird is getting around, I should leave him alone. Thanks for the advice.

Rufous Hummingbird

(I've been seeing the Rufous Hummingbird at the neighbor's feeder, but this is the first I saw him at mine. What a beauty!)
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We took the truck back today, so that makes us officially moved in. Next it will be time to start working again. I'm happy for all those days I worked the week before we found the condo. I'm loving life!
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Rose

Anna's Hummingbird

(I set up the tripod in an attempt to capture the Anna's Hummingbird. I haven't gotten a good shot yet, but this is the best so far.)
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We made one last trip to the old house yesterday to clean up and bring back a last load of what seems like mostly junk to me. We filled the pickup and made a trip to the local dump, paid one last visit to Ernesto for delightful burritos and fish tacos, discovered a little too late that he also makes a great smoothie, gave away unwanted items on the street, and drove back in the dark. Both jc and I woke up this morning with headaches. We're still getting up the courage to unpack the truck one last time.
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I'm hard pressed to find an analogy for how wonderful jc has been over the last few weeks. Somehow, moving has made me appreciate him and feel closer to him than ever. I've complained in the past about jc's bad packing, but this time I was the one who was disorganized, and he was the one who suffered for it. But he was, and is, fantastic. Thanks, jc.
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Rose

Blogging from Free (Slow) WiFi

We're here. We're waiting for the cable to be connected. I can walk to the supermarket. The only delivery we get is pizza. Jehovah's Witnesses already knocked on the door (we didn't answer). Odds are I'm either cooking or birding from the balcony. Not much else to do.

Rose

Ugly Gull or More Bad Food

I slept late and wanted to grab a bite before getting ready for work this evening, so we walked to Fishpatrick's Crabby Cafe. It had been recommended to us by friends. What I really wanted was a nice chef's salad, but they didn't have one, so I settled on clam strips. The clam strips were indifferent, neither bad nor good, but the waiter did bring extra horseradish with my cocktail sauce aka catsup. jc described his clam chowder as "barely edible". As the clam strips receded and french fries emerged, they were revealed to be a very dark brown bordering on black. I try to be open minded, so I ate one. It was limp, shriveled, dry, and tasteless. When finally the waiter arrived to check on us, I observed that the fries seemed burnt. He replied, "They are just fresh cut, like in and out; that's the sugar from the fresh potatoes." He offered to run a fresh batch, but I'd already lost my appetite. The icing on the cake: when jc paid the exorbitant bill, he learned that the family run business is owned by people of faith. People of faith who don't mind serving bad food and then lying about it.

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Now that I've got that off my chest, I think I'll try to ID that gull.

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Rose

Bonaparte's Gull

It is a delight to find this most graceful gull with its dancing flight and delicate form.

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It is also a delight to have more work than I want offered to me. I was forced to stay home and rest tonight after poor day sleep the last few days. Reallly, that makes me plenty happy.

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Good birds.

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Good work.

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Good rest.

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Rose

Raptor in the Wetland

Big M sent me this picture of a Pennsylvania Bald Eagle, which he took in the created wetland near his house, where I used to live. When I went to crop out the bird, I found that I couldn't stand to cut out all the background because of its nostalgic beauty.

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I seem to be settling into a schedule of working Monday and Tuesdays now. The hospital where I've done nearly all my agency work so far is busy and short-staffed. They also like to have generous staffing ratios, which makes it a nice place to work. They've been asking for me nearly every day this week.

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rc

Rock

I wonder how long it took the waves to chisel this rock formation. This is part of the area exposed by low tide at Simpson Beach.

A jaunt to the south jetty of the Siuslaw today produced Marbled Murrelets and a Heermann's Gull.

I hope you'll excuse me if I'm not very talkative today.

rc

Rhinoceros Auklet

I was up before jc this morning and went birding on the south jetty of the Siuslaw. That's not it in the picture. I was delighted to see a rhinoceros auklet swimming around in the channel!

r.

Hard to Identify

I was riding around on my (borrowed) bike this afternoon looking for an image to illustrate what I wanted to write about when I came across this unlikely pair. I can't be entirely sure what they are. My best guesses are California Gull and Caspian Tern. But I should come to the point. These birds are hard to name precisely, just as my feelings are a little bit up in the air. I'm frankly delighted that the little orange bar on my stat counter that indicates repeat visitors has been growing higher every day. I welcome my friends and family here.

When I started the blog, I was sure that my clever pseudonym would keep those I know away, giving me perfect freedom to write about anything I wanted. Little did I realize at the time that, in many ways, a more real freedom came when I went public. Some of you have clicked on archived posts that scandalized you. It's true that I never meant for you to see them, but now that you have, that's one less secret that I have to keep, one less silent lie to tell you, one less brick in the wall that separates you from knowing who I've turned into.

Now that it's happened, I understand that I never truly wanted to be artificial with you. A burden has been lifted. For some of you, this means you can add specific items about me to your prayer lists. That's okay. I'm not sure right now where the prayers go, but I'm willing to admit that they could help me. SheWCBN (She Who Cannot Be Named) is certain that I'm thinking clearly enough to come around to the truth eventually. Mr. Clean assures me that I'll find the real truth when I die if I fail to admit it sooner. Baptist Nun offers me an ear and counsel when I need it. Each one has her own level of acceptance and understanding.

What am I asking for? Understanding would be wonderful, but I know that not everyone can. Acceptance is nice too, whether complete or partial. I would not be so foolish as to expect approval, nor do I need it. This is Real Life. I've chosen my Partner, who gives me unconditional love, acceptance, understanding, and approval. He's as easy to name as a Meadowlark.

Rose

p.s. I welcome your comments. I know you have something to say.

Busy

Above, a Hairy Woodpecker prepares to take off.

I'm enjoying some relaxation after a week of working quite a lot for me. My dentist appointment for tomorrow was canceled. That frees up my day completely. I'll most likely sleep in my hammock all day.

Ah, summer...

Rose

Pelagic Day

Nesting Cormorants(above) and Common Murres(below)
These pelagic birds spend most of their lives at sea, coming to Oregon's coastal rocks to nest.

Rose