Wandering Words

Posted By Heather on February 3, 2010

I’m off working on protecting river rights, through Common Waters of Oregon, and with several other groups that realize the public right to use Oregon rivers is too important to lose. I hope you’ll get involved and that you’re following this important issue on the Common Waters of Oregon website.

Oregon had to fight to protect it’s Beaches and now they are a national icon. Right now, we’re fighting to ensure we don’t give up our rivers. We would never give up our Beaches, why would we give up our rivers? Just like our beaches, the public right to use rivers is a critical component to economy of several communities in the state. River rights were critical to the settlement and development of this state. They form the fundamental corridors of travel that have helped this state prosper, and connect the state today.

There are a few people that would have personal gain if they could privatize the rivers of the state. I don’t think the 4 milliion people of Oregon would let that happen, but this issue is in such obscurity (it doesn’t get much press at all) and people seem so very unsure of the role of river rights to the economy of the state. It’s just critical that more people get active just like the entire state did in 1970 around the Oregon Beach Bill. Yes, it’s that important.

Please visit the CWO website to find out more about the 2010 Oregon legislative session and the bill that could affect river rights.

Common Waters of Oregon also is a “group” on Facebook and you can join there as well.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=31647572167&ref=ts

Category: Central Oregon, Coos Bay, Fly Fishing, General, Great Basin, Lakes, NEO, Oregon Country, Rivers, State of Jefferson | No Comments »
Tags: Beach Bill, Common Waters of Oregon, CWO, Keep Oregon Rivers Forever Free, Oregon Beach Bill, River Rights

Posted By Heather on January 17, 2010

It’s been awhile since I got out the maps and went for a wander. How long? Well, here’s a hint.

A gal can’t go fishing with long nails. Before loading up, those have to get trimmed off. So long pretty nails, hello practical and Ugg… ugly. Oh well.

So we wander west of Medford toward the coast. Unlike the rest of the state, where heading west is heading to rainforest, this venture into the Siskioyou’s is a completely different experience. .

For someone born and raised in Oregon where certain things are just innate geographic truths of rain fall and rainshadow from west to east, this place throws all that out the window. To head west to more open Ponderosa pine forest feels like a geographic house of mirrors trick.

Until this moment, I’ve been fairly jaded about experiencing Southern Oregon. I’ve seen spectacular and intriguing places all over the state. So far, southern Oregon has been adequate, but nothing has perked my interest and or given me a compulsion to see around the next curve in the valley, or what’s over the ridge. But this is so very different.

In this open Ponderosa and madrone forest, the rocks are amazing. Serpentine rock full of verdigris stripes and lilac inclusions makes every creek and pool a wonder of colors.

And even with all of these signs of an arid climate, there are places with thick lush moss. Once again, this contrast throws me off, this isn’t “normal.” Maybe I need to adjust my idea of normal?

And through this mountain range flows a gorgeous river. There are blobs of grass stuck up high in the willows, and the willows are still deep in water. It is a strong warning to the power of this river. There have been no major winter storms, and clearly this water rises and falls 10feet regularly.

Eric and I fished a few runs, and didn’t manage to find any water that looked perfectly fishy. It’s hard to know though if just like this landscape, if the river and the fish defy things we know.

One thing is for sure, I still know how to snag my fly in the willows. No matter where I go, I can count on that skill.

It’s been another fishless adventure, but full of intrigue and mystery. Any day on the water is a good day.

And how’s this… the first wildflower of the year!

Category: Fly Fishing, State of Jefferson | 2 Comments »
Tags: Serpentine, Siskiyou, Wildflower

Posted By Heather on January 3, 2010

Bought my license today and took it out to the Metolius to try it out. It’s a dud. $59 dud.

Fish were rising everywhere. I carefully slipped that new license into my pocket, rigged up with Parachute Adams to mimic the BWO and I headed for the river. I cast and cast at those fish rolling here and there.

So I switched the pocket my license was in and got a fish to actually rise to my fly. But that was it. So I kept switching pockets and nothing. So then I tried folding it another way and that didn’t help. Even tried a paper airplane fold and thought that would be a sure fire thing.

I’m thinking of experimenting with adding some colors and images to the license and see if that helps.

I’ve got the receipt. Possibly I should exchange it for a different one.

Category: Central Oregon | No Comments »
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Posted By Heather on January 3, 2010

Despite a great batch of rising fish, I was unable to hook a thing. “Typical” is the word most friends would say. Oh well, it was the first time in a very long time that the Metolius has boiled with fish for me. That alone got my adrenaline running. I did my time casting to the fish rising everywhere until my legs were frozen stumps and I was questioning if they would obey me when I wanted to pivot and head back for the bank. The frozen legs did fine and I decided that even if I couldn’t catch a fish in 3 hours, I would spend some more time on the river.

This river has so many eddiies and slicks to it. It’s magic mirrors moving across the water. Even with polarized glasses, the cause of these phenomena isn’t always obvious to me, somehow the hydrology of the flow just causes these spots to appear as clear windows into the river while other areas ripple and flow for no obvious reason. I think this is why any river sliding by absolutely mesmerizes me. The only other thing that has that power is a campfire licking logs and coals undulating and glowing. Those two things of flowing water and campfire are BIG MAGIC and worth spending many hours of my life observing them. At least that’s the case in my handbook of how to have a good life.

So I wandered downriver and then cut back through the hatchery to find this guy in the middle of one of the hatchery ponds. He was happily munching away on a fish and continued to dine leisurely for 20 minutes while I watched and took many bad photos just out of reach of my camera lens.

Cutting through the woods, heading back for the car an osprey flew by through the trees. As I rounded the back corner of the hatchery, I came upon brace of brook trout laying in the snow. (see first photo on the page) As far as I know, there are no brook trout in the Metolius. This is good, because they are not native. So the trout had to come from the hatchery. My first thought was that Mr. Otter was stock piling for a big feast, but there are no brook trout in this particular pond and its probably 100 yards to the next hatchery pond. There are also no otter prints in the vicinity. So what the heck?

The little mystery was solved by the ODFW guy back at the parking lot. I asked him about the slaughter of the otter (hey that rhymes!) and “no no… the brook trout are for the eagles. That far pond is only used for kids fishing day. We don’t care if the otter eats those fish, and we try to distract the eagles down that way by putting some trout out for them.” He was surprised the brookies were still laying there as the “eagles” usually make quick work of them. While he’s explaining this, he appears to be working on the electrical fence system around some of the fingerling rearing ponds. It looks a little futile to me. I’m pretty sure the otters, eagles, osprey and raccoons take what they want from this lovely buffet of pools in the woods.

I stopped at the Camp Sherman store for my usual turkey sandwich (the BEST SANDWICH IN THE WORLD!) and got back in the car to head for one last stop of the day.

Feeling the power of the mystery of the river, I felt compelled to visit the headwaters. I love how this great river just emerges from a bank. For 25 yards the river flows out from under the brushy alders on the bank. Intensely bright green moss fills the spring pool and against the black and white winter, it’s even more vibrant.

And the river that flowed under the mountains, turns and rushes north across the meadow toward Mt. Jefferson and the Deschutes River. It’s like something from a fairy tale.

Category: Central Oregon | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Heather on December 21, 2009

Last Saturday, driving home from Medford to Bend, I was awestruck by the fragility of the small trees buried in the mountain snow. I pulled off the road a few times to look at the forest covered in snow. I walked in the brisk air, and climbed into the snow, to spend a moment with the beauty of the little trees.

I’m so very drawn to their particular beauty, the many more months of snow and cold that they face, and still they’re reaching for the sun through all that has happened and that will happen. Wondrous things are all around us waiting for us to notice and take heart.

Category: Central Oregon | No Comments »
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Posted By Heather on December 20, 2009

Being away so much has me attempting to better understand my love for Central Oregon. Yesterday I drove from rainy Medford, on the West of the Cascades, home to Bend in Central Oregon. I felt desperate to reach the sunshine, and something more that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Now Bend is really only on the edge of the desert. East of here the big sky stretches out across vast expanses of sage and juniper high desert. And so I dumped all my stuff at the house and got back int he car to head farther east and embrace the desert landscape, the big sky, and indulge myself in the details that I seem to be unable to articulate.

I disappeared into the Crooked River Canyon, chasing the batches of slim December sunlight that manages to slip through the rimrock. And the light became more and more fleeting as the afternoon sun dropped and the shade filled canyon. Ice from last weeks bitter cold, isclinging in the shadey spots and fills the slow still water sections of the river. The texture of twisted juniper, the basalt, the sagebrush, dried rabbit brush, and the teasel were mesmerizing.

There are layers of texture on texture.

Category: Central Oregon, Photos, Rivers | 4 Comments »
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Posted By Heather on December 16, 2009

In my quest to experience the local flavors, I was doing a little Christmas shopping at a highly recomended chocolate shop. Now I’m not a chocolate fiend. It’s good, but I’m not driven by any chocolate obsession, but I’ve never ever seen the assortment that they have at Lillie Belle Farms. He has at least 4 different types of chilli pepper chocolates that will knock your socks off. The traditional caramels and creme filling have never been so unique and beautiful. They are tiny chocolate sculptures. The photos do not do these beauties justice. They are simply works of edible art.

Heck and if Lillie Belle Farms Chocolates doesn’t float your boat, next door is the famous Rogue Creamery. And I’m now well stocked on artisan cheeses from sustainably farmed cows. The cheddars and Touvelle blend are excellent! mmmm mmmmm stocking stuffers and appetizers for the holidays all from local Oregon companies!

Category: Central Oregon | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Heather on November 29, 2009

Decided to drag out the quilt project this weekend. I managed to cut out 30 more blocks. After getting them sewn and cut, it seemed to time to take a look at the array of colors and see what other blocks I might need to complete the layout.

I shuffled the blocks into stacks of 4 or 6. Each stack had the same amount of each block type- Tulips, Stripes, Batik. Then I laid those on the floor in 9 rows, thinking that eventually I’ll have 9 rows and 8 columns.

The batik looked better than I thought it would and also the tulips actually were well suited to the 8″ block size.

Then i thought about maybe adding a center medallion of tulips so I experimented with adding that, but also spreading out the blocks to outline the 9×8 block idea. I new this would leave a lot of blank spots, but maybe the blanks would give me some ideas on how to fill them in.

It was a lot of blanks, but I had some triangles of the stripes left and so I completed the green strips with a solid piece of the hydrangea print. The red stripes I’m a lot less sure of what solid to use to complete them, so I just laid them in there in halves.

It definitely had needed those extra stripe patterns. I went through the leftovers of the striping materials to look for what might complete those red triangles and I’m surprised but I think I’m going with the yellow polka dot pattern. I’m not fully committed yet, so I’ve just done a mock up by folding the polka dot material and laying the stripe on it to see what a block what look like.

So, if I continue with the 9×8 idea I still need 16 more blocks. That gets me about (9×7.5)= 67.5 inches tall and (8×7.5)= 60 inches wide. A typical queen quilt is about 92-96 inches wide and tall. So that still leaves me with 30+ inches to go. It will likely be a border on all sides about 15-18″ wide. I have no idea what fabrics will make up the border.

The other option to change to an 8×7 block layout. That would be about 60×52.5 inches. I would only need 4 more blocks, but would have to do wider borders.

So next on the list is
1) finish the polka dot/stripe blocks
2) Layout again, an figure out which blocks are out of square or the stripes won’t align. Sort those into a pile for circle cutting technique.
3) Cut those bad blocks into the circles and re-sew.
4) Relay it out and see if a pleasing arrangement develops or if more circles need to be cut and sewn.
5) Figure out the borders & if any blocks will spill over the edge of the borders.
6) Piece the dang thing together.

Yikes, now that I wrote the list, I’m not so sure it will be pieced by Christmas.

Category: General, quilting | 4 Comments »
Tags: Quilt

Posted By Heather on October 18, 2009

There are moments that are just pure. The gold of October aspen, is such purity that it absolutely overwhelms me. If there is moment to mark and honor on my personal calendar of annual events its the GOLD of October Aspen here in Central Oregon.

Category: Central Oregon, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: Aspen, Central Oregon, October

Posted By Heather on October 10, 2009

There are small things of incredible importance. Small things make up the essential truths of identity and character.

In a very brief trip to Coos Bay, for my Dad’s 70th birthday a few short hours were full of these small things.

” …and these things we grew or caught and were living just a few a hours ago.” Although it is never said as a formal blessing, this thing is said often at the table of my family. Here is brunch with chinook caught by my Uncle Terry, tomatoes from the garden, corn from the garden, cucumbers from the garden, a tablecloth and napkins made by my mother. It’s a table full of commitment to the food we eat.

In a short wander out to the front yard, I’m greeted by a hundreds of dahlias. My favorites have all the colors of the sunset. Dahlia’s were given to my parents when they married. They were tossed “over the bank” but sprang up anyway. They were divided and grown. As girls, we entered them at the fair, even though we were not their real caretakers, their care takers were Mom & Dad. And when Mom & Dad moved to their dream house, it just so happened the owners were collectors of dahlias and they have hundreds of dahlias filling the yard from late summer deep into the fall.

And this white rail fence stands for order. My father devotes much time to his fence. He scrubs and cleans and paints the fence regularly. From up and down the valley the curve of this fence is clear and well known. It marks the home they always longed for, and are pleased to have as their own.

And the Coos Bay King Apple that has provided quarts and quarts applesauce. This apple that has provided the pectin to make the blackberry, and raspberry, and strawberry, and marmelade jams of my mother. This tree that likely has been there for nearly 100 years has fed many people. It’s old and near it’s end and is perhaps the most graceful tree we will know. It’s suffered much in the last couple of years and it’s lost many boughs and branches. The dropped apples are tossed down to the horses. Even my little neice Lauryn knows that the apples on the ground are tossed to the horses, or are for the deer. These apples have fed many many mouths.

Category: Coos Bay, General, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: Apples, Chinook, Coos Bay King Apple, King Apple, White Fence