A Glorious Day

Hello my friends.  I want to thank you for all the nice birthday wishes on my last post.  You're very sweet and thoughtful.  I had a perfect day!  The weather was magnificent, sunny, warm and some puffy clouds.  We had our coffee and breakfast in our trailer looking out at the ocean waves.  In the early afternoon we headed out for a day of adventure - to Newport, Oregon.  We went to all our favorite haunts, including Yaquina Head Lighthouse.  More photos later in my post.

This is what the weather was like all day.. just lovely.

Our first stop was Georgie's Grill for halibut fish and chips and then they gave me a free dessert for my birthday, I chose Bailey's Irish Cream Brulee.  It was delish!

After lunch we headed on our "circuit".  LOL!  Just a ways from the restaurant is the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.  It's a cute little lighthouse that is now a state park and volunteers show visitors the building.

That lighthouse is on the left and the Yaquina Bay Bridge is on the right.. I think it's a gorgeous span.

You then drive under the bridge and head down to the Historic Bay Front and sitting in sentinel is the US Coast Guard building.  Those guys always keep it shipshape.  It looks over the harbor making sure all is right on the water.

Here is Mo's Restaurant - an icon on the waterfront.  Mo started making and selling clam chowder to the fishermen who came in off the boats and for visitors to the waterfront.  She was a character and everyone loved her and her chowder.  Soon she had to add on for more room, then opened this annex across the street with a bay view, now there are Mo's in seven locations up the coast and now at the Portland International Airport!

After you pass the waterfront which is lined on both sides with shops, cafes, bars and galleries.. you come to the fishing boat basin.  I always want a photo of the bridge and boats.  :-)  Of course if you've been reading my blog for a while you'll recognize all this.. I hope for my longer term readers this isn't a snooze fest!

Then we headed North through the busy town of Newport and turned to visit my favorite lighthouse.  On the hillside driving to the point I looked to see what flowers were in bloom and was super pleased to see the wild Irises were open in all their splendor!  

There was a cloud obscuring the sunlight on the lighthouse when we first got there.. but no matter what you can hardly take a bad shot of this magnificent place.

While I stayed with Buddy in the truck, Dayle walked out to the other side of the lighthouse to see if there were any Puffins on the rock.. there weren't but there were lots of Common Murres.  To me they look like little penguins.  

They actually lay their eggs on these rocks!

You can watch whales migrate past and this interpretive sign will tell you all about it!

These rocks are why the lighthouse was built to warn ancient mariners to avoid the rocky shore.

This is Newport from the point, looking south and east.

I'm fascinated with lighthouses and their Fresnel lens which broadcasts light far into the horizon.

The top of a lighthouse is so beautiful to me.. 

There are two turn-outs as you leave the lighthouse so you can get some more panoramic views.  Love love love.

This might be the most pleasing view.. with the lighthouse off-center.. which one is your favorite shot of it?

This shows the roiling water below.

A far vista.

Dayle spied a clump of wild Irises on the way out and that darling man turned around and went back so I could zoom in for this photo.  You should have seen how pretty they were illuminated by the sun.

Do you have wild Iris where you live?

As we left the lighthouse we stopped at the kiosk where they take your money to visit the park and asked the lady if she knew the Irises were in bloom.. and she pointed behind me and there in the sky were a pair of Bald Eagles flying in circles!  We later saw two more pair as we drove up the coast highway.

After we left Newport we drove up to Lincoln City to the fish shop and Dayle got some shrimp to make me a salad for dinner.  He spoiled me on my birthday.  I got calls from my daughter Amy in Ohio to wish me happy birthday, then my son Shawn who is packing up house in Vancouver, Washington and then my DIL Kristi where she and the boys sang happy birthday to me.. and a nice chat with my son Travis too.  A perfect and glorious day.  Thank you all for making it such a great day!  

Today is our last full day here.. I am not even sure what we'll do.. but something.. the world is our oyster!  :-)  Tomorrow we head back to reality.  But that's okay too.. I'm looking forward to returning home.  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)