One More Day

So I finished my penultimate (okay, okay, second-to-last) day of work a few hours ago. As good as I'm feeling right now, I know I'll be sky-high tomorrow when it's all done and all the field gear is turned in. The only thing I'll have left to do is finish entering data into the spreadsheet, but that's almost done, so no worries.
Not much to report here, so I thought I'd just pop a few pics onto the blog for your viewing pleasure. Oh yes! I found a new WiFi hotspot...a little used bookstore just a couple exits from the house. It doesn't serve food, but has coffee and tea, so that's good. It also has nice (but not creepy nice) folks working there, so I don't have to worry about getting the heebie-jeebies anymore.
Anyhoo, just a few pics so you can see what's been goin' on...

Since fieldwork is coming to a close soon, I thought I'd make sure to get some final pics of the different birds out here. These little guys came and perched for me once I psssshd them down (a sound a birder makes to attract songbirds). They are the Oregon variety of the Dark-eyed Junco. They pretty much sound the same as the ones back east; they just look a little different.

This was the other day. I got out of the shower to find that Shabbi had fallen a little. She was okay, just hanging out with Kika keeping her company until I could rescue her!

And...in case you missed the lunar eclipse, this was what I saw that morning once I got to work.

Seeking: New WiFi Spot

So, I haven't really been updating the blog with news of SCM (Sleazy Cafe Man), who you might remember me writing about a couple months ago. He was the creepy cafe owner/manager who thought it acceptable to poke me in the ribs, tickle the back of my neck and be generally skeezy whenever he's around me.
Well, since those initial encounters with him, he has followed me outside to gaze at me while I got into my car and drove away, massaged the back of my neck and hovered over me when serving me my coffee. I finally decided (way later than I should have) that enough was enough. After he tickled the back of my neck while I was on the phone with Adam, I put Ads on hold and firmly told SCM that I was uncomfortable with his habit of touching me. He seemed surprised and embarassed, and said, "I'm so sorry, you see, I come from a big affectionate family, and that's just my way." In case he was suggesting that I am devoid of affection, I responded, "I come from an affectionate family, too, but you see, that's my family, and so it's different." He got my point (and my tone), and his touchy-feeliness has not been an issue since. In fact, he has made a point of standing a good 5 ft or so away whenever he addresses me (which is silly, but FINE with me!).
Things came to a head for me in the last week, though. SCM decided that although he can't touch me, he can still be really skeezy. The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back came over the course of two days. One day, he followed me out to my car under the pretense of talking about the girls (who were in the car at the time). He stood way too close to me as I was trying to get in my car, opened my cardoor for me (not in a chivalrous way), and proceeded to linger next to my car, leering at me, while I was trying to get the hell out of there. A couple days later, he came by the table I was sitting at and started asking me personal questions--where I'm from, what I'm doing in Oregon, how long I'm staying--all while he was very obviously reading my blog (which was on my screen at the time). That clinched it for me. He didn't even pretend to be looking at something else. I should have slammed my laptop shut but the "nice girl" in me wasn't assertive enough to do that. He proceeded to tell me how much he was going to miss me once I had left Oregon. Yuck. I'm never going back to that place, never giving him my money, my time or my presence. I'm typing all this from the house dialup right now.
So...now I am searching for a new spot to do my Internet work...be patient if it takes me a couple days to find a place I like. For me, a couple days without highspeed is worth a lifetime without SCM.

Gordon Lightfoot

So, as I have previously mentioned (on several occasions, I know), Janice, Art, and I went to the Gordon Lightfoot concert on Friday evening. It was wonderful.
I was a little surprised by how small and frail Gordon is now, and his voice is quite a bit changed from the deep, rich, melodious quality we know from his prime recording years. In fact, I could see him shaking his head sometimes when he didn't quite hit some of those higher notes. But everyone in that crowd was SO happy to see him there, singing and healthy. He went through some very difficult health problems a few years ago; he is lucky to be alive, let alone still performing.
He performed a lot of my favorites--"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", "Carefree Highway", "If You Could Read My Mind", "Cotton Jenny"--as well as some off his latest albums. He really has great stage presence and won over a crowd that was already in love with him with good stories and even better jokes. I also realized how lucky I was to see him--he was only performing in 5 cities this year! Needless to say, I really enjoyed the concert and look forward to getting his new album. We love you, Gordo!!!

Bitter Green

Okay, so I won't use anymore Gordo lyrics for my titles, promise. But I am feeling a bit like a Bitter Green today...bitter about fieldwork, but still a greenie *sigh*
Random thought...my friends George and Heather like to sing Gordo's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" in Kermit the Frog's voice. Such blasphemy! You might know that it's an homage to the 29 crewmen who died on that ship in Lake Superior in the 1970s. Their bodies are still resting at the bottom of the lake. I'll love that song forever (especially now that Ads and I are honorary Michiganders) but everytime I hear it, I can see George and Heather smirking while perfecting their Kermit voices. You see what kind of folks I hang out with???
Hope you all are having a happy day!

In the Early Morning Rain...

So Friday night my roommates and I are heading up to Eugene, OR, to attend a Gordon Lightfoot concert. I am SO pysched! I became a fan of his a few years ago, and never imagined I'd get to see him in concert. Knowing that I'll be there soon is what's helping me get through this week.
Today was a frustrating morning--there was a dense fog, and a heavy mist, so I had to make a decision whether or not to do a survey. The weather conditions just seemed to be too bad to me, but I hate having to make these types of decisions when they affect someone else's work (I'm working alone these last few weeks). Add to that, for the second time in 2 weeks, I couldn't find a forest stand that I was assigned to survey. It IS a difficult one to locate, by even by Dan's standards, so he's been pretty understanding thus far about my troubles. But I hated having to tell him that once again I couldn't find it. The only good thing was that the weather was bad enough that I wouldn't have been able to survey it anyway.
I haven't posted any pictures in awhile, so I'm looking through my little cache to see what I might add for today. I know I could use a pick-me-up today, so maybe someone else reading this could, too. So here ya go, folks--a little something to put a smile on your face. Happy day!

I call Kika "Mommy's Little Nasty" because she belches, passes gas, licks her privates and is just generally a nasty little girl. But I love her!!!

Happy 29th Birthday to My Li'l Sis!

Enjoy this last year of your 20's honey! It's all downhill (physically and otherwise) from there! :-)
Just kidding! Happy birthday, Shannon!
Your big sis,
Lauren

7 Years and Now We Know...

Finished Harry Potter Friday evening. Don't worry; I won't divulge a thing except the fact that I cried like a baby for about 5 minutes after reading the last line. It's hard knowing there's not going to be another book to look forward to. But it was a good read, a good saga and well worth the ride.

Happy Weekend!

Hope you all have a very good, relaxing weekend. The girls and I are keeping our happy hineys at home, to relax and veg over the last few chapters of Harry Potter. Looking forward to staying up a little later and sleeping in in the morning! Only two more weeks of field work, then my "working summer" makes way for some travelling fun! Only a few weeks later I'll get to see the sailor-man! Woo-hoo!

Close Encounters of the Ursus Kind

So I finally had my first bear encounter on Tuesday. I was at my point, surveying the structure, when I heard loud rustling noises coming from about 20 meters away. I hadn't heard the animal walk up so I was pretty surprised that it had managed to get so close; there is so much ground "garbage" (sticks, downed logs, ground vegetation) that it's nearly impossible for a human to walk around undetected, much less a bear. Surprisingly, I wasn't scared, just curious, since I couldn't actually see the animal. I knew it wasn't an elk or deer, because they're tall enough that they would have been above the vegetation. So I yelled out, "Hey, bear!" and the rustling stopped. I yelled again and I heard a bunch of frantic movement in my direction. I had my pepper spray in hand as I yelled a third time, and the bear started to move in the opposite direction. I grabbed my binoculars and saw it crashing through the thorny vegetation, trying to get as far away from me as possible. After a few seconds it stopped, turned at looked at me. From out of nowhere, I raised my hand to wave, and lamely said, "Bye, bear". Once it realized I wasn't going to chase it or hurt it, it slowly walked over a hill and out of sight.
Once the field season is officially over, I will tally up the cool wildlife sightings I've had this summer.

3 Weeks and Counting...

So today was Day 1 in the countdown of the final 3 weeks of fieldwork. Don't get me wrong; it's not that I haven't enjoyed my work out here--I have. But the early mornings, unsuitable toilet conditions (you know how "regular" I tend to be) and thorny vegetation have all gotten a little old, and I am anxiously awaiting a respite.
Add to that, I spoke to Ads this weekend and it looks like his unit might be heading back a few days earlier than planned. Hard to believe--the military hardly ever errs on the side of making us happy during a deployment. I have been preparing myself to hear that his unit has been extended, not coming back early. Adam has warned me not to hold my breath, because all military plans are subject to change, but right now, his unit will leave Iraq somewhere between 18-20 September, and return to the states 28-30 September. Hopefully, once his flight lays over on the east coast, he'll be able to call me so I know what time to meet him at the airport in California. Otherwise, I'll be on the tarmac waiting all day...maybe I'll hold off on finishing Harry Potter #7 in case I need some reading material that day...
Also, Happiest of birthdays to Mike Sloan and Andrew Mayhew! Celebrate well, gentlemen!

Ich Bin Dreizig Jahre Alt!

Herzliche zum Geburtstag zu mir!

Somewhere I'm Already 30...

Like on the east coast, where I was born, 30 years ago today. But, since I'm on the west coast right now, I'm giving myself the extra couple hours to revel in my 20s. I'm not quite sure why this is such a big deal for me (I don't remember leaving my teens being such the rite of passage) but I'm really feeling this one.
Today I spent a really great day with Anita and Eric. They took me up to Mary's Peak, which is the highest point in the Coast Mountain Range. Then we went to their favorite winery in Philomath (small town not far from Corvallis) and had fun with a blind wine tasting. I failed it miserably (I wouldn't be able to distinguish a French chardonnay from a California chardonnay if a Frenchman and surfer were doing the pouring) but it was great ambience and the owners are really cool.
Had dinner at a vegetarian restaurant (I think I love Corvallis) then Anita and I took a walk around the ag fields at Oregon State Univ. All in all, a great day. Thanks, guys!!

They've only just begun...Eric points out the future homestead he and Anita will be erecting once they've parked the conestoga...

A little quiet time with nature.

What good friends I have, making sure I get a little spliffy on my b-day weekend!

It's hard to see in this picture, but this bookstore had a Harry Potter display in their window. Many of the schoolbooks Harry and his friends would have bought at Flourish and Blotts were displayed--The Monster Book of Monsters (with the necessary bindings!), A History of Magic, some of Guilderoy Lockhart's fanciful yarns, and many more. What a great show!

Late Night Delirium

Well, HELLO DAR!

It's late here, I've been suffering from a 5-day long headache that shows no sign of ending, both my girls are pooped out (literally and figuratively), I'm enjoying having cable tv in my hotel room, I had a yummy vegetarian dinner at Anita and Eric's and played with their bunnies (that's not a reference to something naughty; they really do have bunnies), my gums hurt from that aforementioned headache, I got a really nice long e-mail from my long-time bud Darren-from-England that really made my night and I talked to my girlfriend Heather which was really awesome, did I mention I think I was poisoned last week? I'm staring at a jar of applesauce right now that my girls love on top of their dog food, in fact, Shabbi won't eat her dog food unless I spice it up with something like applesauce so there ya go, Kika gets so excited these days that she's been peeing on my lap, that headache I keep talking about is travelling into my cheekbones now, Animal Planet is showing a dog story in Michigan right now, Shabbi just started snoring, will I be able to sleep with that distraction???, I really should brush my teeth now, Lampenbeschatten, are you there?--I'm thinking bout ya! I'm reading all of this and laughing at my own pitiful self, trust me I don't really think I'm very funny, but sometimes high levels of patheticness have to be laughed at, so there I am.
Guess I should go to sleep now. Disregard everything you've read or else don't mention it to me when I'm sane(r).
G'night.

Last week of 20-something

So many of you know that this is the last week of my 20's. I've been trying to do some fun things to remember this decade by (hence, the camping trip to Portland). I'm heading to Corvallis to spend my 30th birthday with my good friends Anita and Eric, who I know will get me sufficiently drunk that all I'll remember about the big day was that I was suspiciously happy (or as my brother would say, "spliffy"). Anyway, Sunday is when I enter the "grown-up" world of my 30s. Anyone who wants a piece of fun 20-something Lauren better get in touch with me now...

Getting Our Feet Wet...

This past weekend, the girls and I made a trip up to the Portland area to visit our good friends Eva-Maria and her daughter, Alexandra. Having them in Oregon to visit has certainly made the summer even more fun for us three. We had decided to take a camping trip on the coast, but alas! we had not planned ahead enough, and all state campgrounds were booked. So, we decided to look for some smaller campgrounds inland, and we finally found a spot not far from their house. Although I've been camping in various situations before, this was the first real camping experience for us three girls (pitching the tent, cooking food over an open pit fire, using the outside pump to get water, etc.). Eva and Alexandra were old pros and showed us a thing or two when it came to being seasoned campers! Luckily, since it was a small campground, we weren't bothered by noise from other campers, and the experience was a lot of fun. I think my favorite part was playing card games by twilight.

The next morning, we got up, Eva made a fire (for the much-needed coffee!) and we had a leisurely breakfast before packing up and heading to Cape Meares to lie on the beach. This was Shabbi's first visit to the Pacific Ocean (now she and Kika have done the Atlantic, the Great Lakes and the Pacific--what travellers my girls are!) and she got her toes wet before getting bowled over by an incoming wave! While Shabbi might not have her "beach legs" anymore, we all had a good time sitting around, watching Alexandra and her dog, Bo, digging in the sand, looking for sandcrabs and sea water. Before we said good-bye to the beach for the day, we paid a visit to the Cape Meares lighthouse and the so-called Octopus Tree (a Sitka Spruce with 6 limbs). All in all, it was a great weekend and we're so happy we got to spend it with such good friends!

Here I am sampling some blackberries along the trail. This has become one of my favorite new pasttimes and I've become quite the sophisticated (or maybe just greedy?) blackberry connosieur!!

The sentinels keeping guard at the campground...

Alexandra digging for sandcrabs at Cape Meares beach...

Yes, I'm a lighthouse geek, and Oregon has plenty to keep my geekiness satisfied. Cape Meares Lighthouse wasn't very big, but was really neat in its history and location.

And the six-limbed "Octopus Tree"...so is it really a hexapus tree???

Construction Time Again

So I've decided to restructure my site into true blog formatting, so that anyone reading has the ability to leave comments, go to the archives to look at past blogs, etc. The pictures will also be shrunk a bit so that you can see them without having to scroll down so much. This reformatting is going to take some doing, so please bear with me, as my internet connection is fairly limited. I wanted to get this restructuring going before my time here winds down, though, as I plan to be on the road travelling a bit in September and don't want to have to worry about it then.

Hope everyone is well. Will post some pics of the girls' and my camping trip and visit to the beach this past weekend at a later date.

Nature Took a Pose

Today was an incredible day for photo opps; everywhere we went, animals seemed to just be lining up for their own private photo sessions. Not a lot was going on at the second structure I surveyed this morning (winds were pretty strong, cutting out bird activity and limiting the songs I could hear), but out of nowhere a hummingbird came and landed on my arm! It tried to suck nectar out of my arm, wouldntcha know! Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of that, but I think some moments are not photo opps, but rather precious snapshots in time to be enjoyed and remembered.Hope you all enjoy the pics below...

Here's a grouse (blue or ruffed??) that was scooting across the road in front of our truck this morning. It landed on this stump, perfectly posing for an early morning picture!

Two black-tailed deer bucks with their velvety antlers actually stood and posed while Dan and I snapped away!

And there was the female, hanging back behind the truck; she was a little shy.