Skip to main content

2014...

Really? It's 2014?!? I know. It's been that way for a couple of days, actually. It doesn't make it any easier for me to understand. I will turn forty later this year. Yep. 40. That's weird to me. I sometimes don't feel like I am the actual age I am - and I know I embarrass my family when I don't always act the way a 40 year old ought to act. ;) But it's interesting. Life is interesting.


On New Years Day, since I had the day off, we went for a drive down Highway 199, or Redwood Highway. It was amazing. We started out in our typical - if still beautiful - Oregon forest, mostly in the fog. Once we were past Cave Junction, however, we burst out into the sunlight. The highway goes through some very fun, twist mountainous canyons, which were very fun to drive through (for me, anyway). Then we entered the coastal redwood area, and it suddenly became a very unusual day. We didn't go exploring off the highway - we were just exploring at the time - but what we could see even just from the road was just staggering.


This fellow was just tired of standing. It's not terribly clear from the photo, perhaps, but the splinters at the end of this log were roughly the size of 4"x 4" lumber. The length of the tree at this point is probably 150', and it went across the road and into the forest on the other side. The road was damaged in a line you could see in the asphalt. 

Here's one of some sunglasses. ;)

After we made our way through the redwoods, we turned north and went to Brookings, which is in the extreme southwest corner of Oregon. It's a pretty little coastal town. On the north side of Brookings we turned left into Harris Beach State Park. It was simply amazing. The sand was a firm, dark gray - very fine sand, but not loose and blowing. It was also not silty and muddy like the sand we'd been used to in Galveston or other Texas beaches we've been to.

It may be hard to see in this pic, but the coastline is absolutely stunning as far as the eye can see. The logs stacked at the base of the hill are enormous  (if you look closely, you can see people amongst them). The waves were so beautiful, rolling in clear and glass green. They would hit the rocks in these middling sized rollers and breakers, throwing foam everywhere.


Here you see the ocean and sun reflecting between a couple of large rocks. This small gap filled in with each wave and then rushed back out in an endless, yet mesmerizing, cycle.


On the way home, we drove through Gold Beach and then over Bear Camp Road. The road is considered one of the most dangerous roads in the country, and several people have died there in the recent past. I knew the weather, however, and I was not worried. There hadn't been any measurable precipitation for a few weeks, and temperatures had been in the 50s, so I figured the roads would be clear and dry. They were. However, it was still a very long, slow road, with many twisting turns and steep slopes. It was very fun, if a bit nerve wracking (due mostly to the length of the journey).

So, happy New Year, everyone!

Comments

Krista Lou Cook said…
Happy New Year! It sounds like a great journey! And when did you move to Oregon!!!! lol
Bill Cobabe said…
Hey KLC - Been in Oregon since mid October. It's so lovely here! I can see why you love it so... :)

Popular posts from this blog

The Other Art

I'm not sure we appreciate photography as much as we do other art forms. Part of this comes from the reality that surrounds and permeates a photograph - it's very, very real, and the photographer strives for clarity and crispness in the representations. Perhaps this is why black and white images continue to be relevant - they strip away extraneous information (color) and leave us with something that is at once familiar and also non-existent - for nothing exists in black and white. Nothing. I also think that pictures are becoming too common-place... Everyone has a camera in their pocket, and while that's a very democratic thing (everyone can express themselves in a picture easily and readily, and can find an audience for these images, which are casually taken and casually viewed, and perhaps just as casually forgotten) I think that we embrace that casual attitude, and it spills over to all aspects of the media, making it impotent. So I read this article this morning: h...

Lucky!

So Tomorrow is Amie's birthday. The 12 th is Andy's. The 14 th is Alex's. And the 26 th is mom's. Happy birthday everyone. I recently found that a member of our ward has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer has a survivability rate of less than 5% and you never, ever kick it, even if you live. Once diagnosed, people are expected to live about six months. My wife and I were talking about this wonderful woman. There are very few (too few) people in this world who shine. Literally. This sister shines with a light that is perceptible and discernible . The world will literally be a darker place without her in it. Life is short, folks. Too short for hard feelings, too short for pain and misunderstanding. I love you all so much. Sorry this one is such a downer... I don't mean to be lugubrious on your birthdays... I consider myself lucky to be your brother. You have and continue to bless me and my family in many ways, for which I will be eternally gra...

Excommunication

My heart is heavy this morning. I read that Kate Kelly and others are being brought up on Church disciplinary action. For those who are unfamiliar with the process/proceedings of LDS Church discipline, it can be a bit mystifying. There are several levels of censure that the Church may impose. These range from a simple removal of some privileges for a short period of time to the most severe action - excommunication. When one is excommunicated, the person's membership in the Church is terminated. It is a very extreme measure, and for the faithful it can be a very difficult thing to consider. What people don't understand - what is nearly impossible for someone outside the proceedings to understand - is the amount of love felt. It's discipline. It's intended to be harsh (at times). And it's intended to be unpleasant. But it is done with love and care for the person. Since excommunication is such an extreme measure, it is really only very rarely applied. There are ...