LumiNancy

My sister visited Newport last week from Florida, sans husband and sons, which is unusual for her... so she and I had plenty of opportunity to be kids again together. I actually had some free time, which is unusual for me, so we did some day-trippin and enjoyed some of the wonders of Lincoln County. First we went south to Florence. Had to stop for some photo ops. Had lunch on the waterfront in Florence while we took the opportunity to wander the bayfront there. Saw some pretty flowers... And then we did the white-knuckle ride on the dunes... man what a blast. It's like an hour-long roller coaster but thru natural dunes that cover 75 square miles. If you've never done it, I highly recommend it. I got to ride shotgun (YES!!), and Linda is right behind me. This is our driver, Rick. He did an awesome job... very exciting! He'd stop for photo ops and take pics for us with our own cameras. What a trip! Linda wanted to try to do it again before she left but the to-do list was

This weekend I was called upon by my friend and fellow photographer to stand in for her at a wedding she'd booked - she had an emergency and couldn't be there for it. It just so happened that I was able to do it, and what a great time it was. The weather was perfect, and the setting also quite beautiful. I recognized the groom's name on the contract, and wondered if it was the same Jim Hayter that I went to school with. Sure enough!! One of my classmates from Newport High. The families all had a good laugh about that. He looks great, is obviously very happy and married a very kind and beautiful woman named Ronda. They live in Arizona now. My class is having our 30-year (OMG really?? 30 years???) reunion this summer, and I'm looking forward to catching up with some of my other classmates. Jim said he hopes to be there as well. Interesting how things work out sometimes.

'Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.' - Dr. Seuss 'Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.' ~ Harvey Fierstein Two quotes I have been trying to keep in mind lately, as I feel I have been bullied into silence... and that just isn't right. I don't feel like a victim so much as I feel like a target. So... getting back up on that horse with some trepidation but more optimism than I've been feeling for the last six months or so. It's been a really rough winter, but like the title says, I'm starting to feel like myself again. I'm still grieving my losses and I miss my mom and my Lucky every hour of every day, but I'm also starting to look forward to the next adventures that Life chooses to throw in front of me. Transitions abound, life changes direction, some doors close

My mom was always so good about reminding me to post on this blog, she wanted to see the newest pics of what I'd been doing. My apologies for not posting for a while. She passed away on November 2nd after having surgery to insert a rod into her femur, which because of her osteoporosis had been broken by the tumor growing inside it. She was anticipating radiation on that tumor and another on her upper arm bone after she'd recovered from the surgery. The tumors were very painful and she couldn't undergo radiation with the broken femur. Anyway, I miss her very much. Thank you to everyone who expressed condolences. On December 14th, my beautiful Lucky was apparently struck by lightning in the pasture and was killed. I am grateful that he was a big part of my life for 13 years. We had so much fun together at the beach and in the woods, he just loved to go exploring. I adored this exceptional horse and my heart is truly broken at his passing. Lots more difficult and distre

It's time for Toledo's Scarecrow Festival. I've seen them popping up all over town. Brenda Searle helped me set this all up today, was a beautiful sunny day and we had a lot of fun. We used stuff we found in the attic at the Port office and some stuff that I had from doing past displays. Had a super-short Council meeting tonight so I swung by to get an after-dark pic. Looks cute. The weather is supposed to get ugly over the weekend, I hope it all holds up!

Tonight when I went out to visit my beautiful Lucky, the elk herd was in the pasture again. There are a dozen or so cows, and this beautiful buck. He was laying down when I got there. I quietly made my way out to where they were, the horses helped me a lot by gathering around me and camouflaging my approach. I got within about a hundred yards of them. They are just stunning. He finally stood up and gathered up his girls. When I'd apparently gotten too close, they decided to move back up into the woods. The horses just graze right alongside these guys. Too cool!! Recently I purchased a new kayak, and these pics are from the maiden voyage up the beautiful Yaquina River. I love my new boat, and am looking forward to many adventures in it. And lots of photo ops, to be sure! The leaves are turning color and falling now, so the scenery is at one of its finest times for photos.