Crater Lake

Yesterday, we drove from Florence to Crater Lake. On the way, we stopped to look at the old Lowell Covered Bridge (no longer in service). In addition to the telling the bridge's story through informational displays, its other main function appeared to be providing a nesting habitat for birds.

We entered Crater Lake Park at the north entrance, and drove around the east side of the lake, stopping at a few of the lookout points. Crater Lake is made for panorama photography.

A couple of notes about driving through the park: the maximum speed limit is 45 mph (though why anyone would want to go faster is beyond me), and they don't believe in guard rails along the roads.

We arrived at the Crater Lake Lodge around 3:00. Official check-in time is 4:00, but fortunately our room was ready.

Even though the rooms at the lodge tend to be a little on the expensive side, it is a popular place to stay. We made our reservations in late July, and there were only a couple of rooms still available for the night we planned to be there.

Other accommodations within the park are the cabins and campground at Mazama Village. The next closest lodging is several miles away.

At the Crater Lake Lodge, there are no televisions in the rooms, which encourages people to gather in the large lobby and on the verandah to socialize. We spent a couple of hours downstairs, chatting with other guests.

Besides reserving a room well in advance, I also recommend not waiting to make dinner reservations (if you want to eat in the dining room). I waited until just a couple weeks before our stay, and the only time slots still available were for 5:00 and 9:30 p.m. As it turned out, though, service is available in the lobby and on the verandah; we could have ordered and eaten there.

Our dinner was excellent, and reasonably priced. I ordered one of the specials — the Idaho trout — and Tim ordered the bison meatloaf.

Later that evening, we went outside to see the stars. We walked some distance away from the lodge, to get away from the light shining from the windows. Besides some guy in the parking lot who, for some unknown reason, had his headlights on, there was no other light. I think I saw, for the first time, the Milky Way.

The next day, we had reservations for a boat tour out to Wizard Island. This was an excursion Tim had always wanted to make. Be warned however: It is strenuous. Even if you don't get off at the island, you still have to make the hike down to the boat dock, and then back up — about an hour each way, and an elevation change of 700 feet.

Once on the island, we elected to hike to the summit. It was comparable in time, distance and elevation change to the hike to the boat dock, with the additional challenge of a narrow trail and uncertain footing. I highly recommend a walking pole — I wish I had had one — as well as shoes with a really good tread.

Once we made it to the top, Tim was surprised to see how deep the crater (known as the Witches' Cauldron) there is.

I think the trek back down to the boat dock was a little tricky. As I said before, between the loose rocks and sandy soil, footing was uncertain. A slip or fall could have dire consequences. But we took it slow, and made it back down in one piece.

The boat ride to and from the island also allowed us to get a good look at some of the lake's geological features, such as the Devil's Backbone,

the Phantom Ship,

and the Castle.

After disembarking back at Cleetwood Cove, we faced the hike back up to the parking lot. We took advantage of several of the benches placed strategically along the way.

One more thing: the most commonly seen wildlife in the park by far is the Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel. They were everywhere.

Even in the lodge.

Oregon on Dwellable

Newport, Florence, and the Oregon Coast

Yesterday, we drive down the Oregon coast, from Lincoln City to Florence.

Between the two of us, we have visited the coast several times. It is always enjoyable, no matter the time of year. A couple of times, we have visited during winter, in the hopes of encountering storms coming in from the west. On another occasion, I drove the length of the coast, from Astoria all the way south to Crescent City in California, where I turned north toward Grants Pass en route to my ultimate destination of Ashland, Oregon. Driving from Seattle, it took about two days with an overnight stay in Florence. Somewhere, there are photos from that trip. One thing I remember specifically is some driftwood sculptures on the beach, somewhere south of Florence, if I recall correctly.

On this sojourn, I was prevailed upon to patronize a trio of tourist traps in Newport — the Wax Museum, the Ripley's Believe It or Not, and the Undersea Gardens. How to describe them? Kitschy. Hokey. Kind of tacky. Relics from another era.

Both the wax museum and the Ripley's were very dimly lit — I presume to hide any flaws in their depictions of the individuals portrayed. I was reminded of the pirate museum we had visited a few years ago in Salem, Massachusetts. I think I saw a Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum once, many years ago. I don't know what I would think of it now. My recollection is that it was better than the one in Newport, but even then, I had a sense it possessed a distinct lack of redeeming value.

The Ripley's evinced a bygone era notable for its political incorrectness — the smug superiority of the great white explorer. Once upon a time, I was fascinated by his compilations; now, not so much. Indeed, one of them was something I have seen shared on Facebook, and debunked on Snopes.

As for the Undersea Garden, the less said the better. If you want to see aquatic life, go to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. This was a much more popular venue; we had to wait in line to get in.

In addition to the usual exhibits of fish swimming languidly around on the other side of double-thick glass, you can see jellyfish (sea nettles, among others),

guillemots,

puffins (tufted and horned),

American oystercatchers (I have seen these in the wild),

as well as some seals, otters, and sea lions.

The drive down the coast was enjoyably scenic, as always.

There was a walk on the beach.

Eventually, we made it to Florence. We located the funky, artsy Old Town section, where the interesting, non-chain restaurants are situated. We checked in at the River House Inn, which cost exactly the same as the Comfort Inn up on Highway 101. Same price, but better location (on the river and within walking distance of better restaurants).

We did not have to walk far (just a block or two) before we chanced upon what we were told (by someone who appeared to be a local) was the best restaurant in Florence — the Waterfront Depot.

If last night is any indication, it is a popular place — well patronized. We were able to get seating at the bar. Tim ordered the seafood platter which included coconut prawns and fish and chips. The deep fried cod was notable in that the coating was very light and crisp, not bready at all. I ordered the crab-encrusted halibut, which we had been informed was a signature dish of the establishment‚ and rightly so; it was delicious.

Afterwards, we strolled down the street to the marina before heading back to our room and retiring for the night in preparation for the drive to Crater Lake.

Florence on Dwellable

Newport on Dwellable

Salem, Oregon

Today was the second day of our trip to Oregon.

We left yesterday morning and headed south on I-5. Our final destination for the day was Grand Ronde, to visit with Tim's brother and his wife. To break up the trip, however, we stopped for a bit in Salem, the state capitol of Oregon.

I had done some research on Google to find some interesting sites to visit. One was the Martha Springer Botanical Garden. What was not clear from the Google map, however, was that the garden was on the campus of Willamette University. We eventually parked and walked around the university campus, which is a very pleasant and attractive venue. Never did locate the garden, though.

The creek running through the campus of Willamette University.

Before that, however, we had parked near the capitol and walked around a bit. By chance, we parked next to the First United Methodist Church, which interestingly is situated at the corner of Church and State.

The architecture of the church is quite traditional. Its spire is impressively tall and visible from quite a distance.

Nearby is a city park with this whimsical sculpture, called "A Parade of Animals."

Then we wandered over to the grounds of the state capitol. It would have been nice if it had been open for tours, but we happened to be there on a weekend. (Tours are scheduled only on weekdays, unlike the Washington state capitol at Olympia which we toured on a Saturday.)

This stalwart fellow represents the Oregon Pioneer.

Salem has some other places to visit that also might have been interesting. Some were closed because it was a Sunday; others might have been open, but it was rather warm to be walking or driving around, and we were running short on time.

Tomorrow: Newport, Florence, and the Oregon Coast.

Interlocking Squares Baby Quilt

Recently, I was sifting through a box of old photos — some dating back to the late 1970s — looking for something in particular which I did not find, but then discovered that I had already found it somewhere else.

In the course of my journey back through time, I came across this photo.

On the back was written "1988," in handwriting that somehow looked more like my mother's than mine. My best guess is that I sent this photo to her, she labeled it, and at some later time it was returned to me.

I pondered for several minutes, trying to remember who I made this quilt for. To the best of my recollection, it seemed that I had made it for the younger son of my friends, Janien and Scott. I sent Janien a message through Facebook, describing the quilt. She wrote back that, indeed this was the quilt in question.

She also reminded me that I had made a quilt for her older son as well. "Funny thing is that to this day Spencer's favorite color is red and Trevor's blue. I wonder if having those quilts in their rooms had anything to do with that."

I really like the illusion of three dimensionality in this design. If I were to make it again, I would extend the squares into the border to complete them.

Photo of the Day: Orb Web

So, I am sitting in the kitchen, sketching out an idea for a new quilt, when I happen to glance up.

Just outside the side door that leads to our shared driveway, I see this huge (8 inches across — I measured it), perfectly formed orb web highlighted by the setting sun.

Fractured Squares Quilt

Last week, I uploaded a new quilt pattern to my Etsy page. [Update April 25, 2020: This pattern is now available through Pacific Fabrics.]

I really like this design. It is very simple to put together, and quite striking (if I do say so myself). I like the "op-art" effect from the alternating light and dark values combined with the various diagonal lines created by the arrangement of the blocks.

When I designed this quilt, the parameter I set was to see what I could come up with using just 2-1/2"-wide strips. I could have used a set of precut strips, but I'm trying to limit myself to using just what's in my stash, as much as possible. (I did go out and buy yardage for the backing.)

As is my wont, I handquilted it. I worked on it so diligently (a couple of hours most evenings while watching television), that I developed a case of bursitis in my left elbow.

Who knew quilting could be hazardous to your health?!

Seven Pots

Today was the last day of my ceramics class, and the day I finally got to see how six of the seven pieces I made turned out.

One piece had already been fired, on the day we did a raku firing. I selected my coil pot to fire that day, and used white crackle glaze. It didn't crack as much as I would have liked, but it did crack some.

For my pinch pot, I used a glaze called Vegas red. I really like the way the color turned out!

The third method of handbuilding we learned was slab building. I made two pieces using this method. My first attempt cracked a little in the bisque firing, and cracked even more in the glaze firing. Oh well.

 

My second slab pot fared better. I added a lid to this one. One of the class requirements was to include a lid or a handle on one piece (I did one of each). After the bisque firing, the lid fit best in one specific orientation. To help distinguish the correct placement, I added some decorative detail to the top and sides.

The piece I added a handle to (turning it into a mug) was the piece the instructor and I threw together to introduce me to the wheel. (In actuality, he did most of the work.) This was the last piece I glazed, and I got a little experimental, dipping one half in bamboo glaze and the other into a glaze called Hank's shino. The instructor said I should have done the shino first and then the bamboo. That would have prevented the strange bubbling that occurred where the two overlapped.

The last two pieces were also thrown. The smaller one is 100 percent my effort. While I was working on the taller one, another student helped some, demonstrating how to pull the clay up from the bottom.

Earlier in the quarter, I decided to take the class Pass/Fail to relieve myself of any "grade pressure" I might experience. Today, I told the instructor that I had enjoyed the class and gotten out of it what I had hoped to.