Funnel Cloud & Water Spout

Sitting here at at 10:00am Sunday morning when I notice this funnel cloud forming over the ocean. In the 12 years I've lived here I've never seen this happen, so I snapped a series of photos, all the way from when it formed, as it came across the beach and over my neighbors houses just slightly North of me In the gated community of Kla-ha-nee. I don't think it did any damage, and my wind gague was reporting mild winds (17 mph) at the time.

Rain, Showers, Mist & Grey

It's been an unusual Spring. Usually it quits showering around the last 2 weekends in May. It's showed no sign of slowing this year, and the long time locals are saying they remember summers when it never stopped. UGH....... I can deal with the rain, as we all know it keeps "Oregon Green" but we're starting to look like Seattle, Grey overcast everyday, and I know the lack of sun is starting to get to everyone.

However there are some good points... We have a Rhododendron Festival each year as we have incredible wild Rhodys everywhere. Well some years they've quit blooming before the festival (3rd weekend in May) This year -- They're still blooming, gorgeous pink flowers everywhere you look, even the pines, firs and evergreens are shooting up new growth everywhere.

It's also been a banner year for birding! I've seen flocks and flocks of Brown Pelicans headed North, as well as Tern's. The buzzards are back for the summer, and the Osprey and Bald Eagles have been thick. I've also seen two owls, not sure which type yet.

The clamming season was opened for the first time in 3 years, and the beach is covered with people at low tide clamming. And most of them seem to be coming back with their limit.

Due to the lack of wind the Ocean has spent a lot of time looking like a lake, so Sea Lion & Whale Watching has been phenomenal. Several times I've heard the sea lions barking, and watched them jumping up almost like dolphins out of the water. Usually you just see heads and flippers swimming along.

There was some scattered sun today, although it's not looking promising out over the ocean now. The weatherman has been claiming we might get a sunny weekend, I hope so.

The Dredge is back, each year it comes in and dredges the silt out of the river for 5 days. It's really impressive to watch, I got a great picture of it a couple of years ago, and will try to do it with my digital camera this year.

Here's the last picture I got of it: http://whaleswatch.com/images/Ship_Boat.jpg

Well that's my 6 week update!

Nature & People: a rant

For 3 days I've been watching a sea lion pup on the beach. On Sunday morning I looked up as there was a large group of people gathered around something and I realized there was a sea lion pup on the beach. For those of you that don't know, mother sea lions will leave their pups on shore for up to 24 hours, so that they can continue to feed and their pups can rest... Unfortunately this is a bad beach for it, as well meaning people keep coming along and feeling the need to rescue them. Each year the Fish & Wildlife department, does public service campaigns in the Newspaper, on the Radio, on tv and on signs, and yet people still seem to be unaware that you NEED to leave these animals alone. Once touched the mothers won't come back for them... Well about noon on sunday some well meaning idiot picked it up and put it back in the Ocean, this does two things, one it's mother won't come back, 2 it may drown... I suppose 2 doesn't matter as it was destined to die once this guy picked it up.....

Apparently enough of the locals called Fish and Wildlife that they came out and placed signs around the pup saying leave it alone but this was on Monday 24 hours after it had been touched. Well this is day 3 it's mother isn't back, it has signs around it, and this morning I saw that it had waddled about 50 feet towards the surf, which was gently washing over it, and I'm sitting here thinking sheesh maybe it heard mom, maybe it's going to survive, when out of nowhere here comes one of my neighbors who walks right past the sign, picks it up, and starts carrying it back up into the dry sand... "What was she thinking????????? she's lived here more years than I have" She scurried away when other people started pointing at the signs and shrieking at her!

Apparently well meaning people never got the class in grade school that explained that you should never touch a baby wild animal as their mothers won't come back for them and I have no idea why I'm writing this as the same people that wouldn't leave this poor pup alone won't take the time to read this either, since they clearly walked past previous signs.

Meanwhile the rest of us get to watch this poor critter die a really slow death! Rant fishished - moral nature is not always pleasant.

Whales, Osprey & Jelly Fish Arrive

Saw my first Whales in several months on March 26th, Several days before I started seeing Osprey fishing and picking sea grass off the beach to build nests. Yesterday afternoon, went out for awhile and when I came back the beach was covered with blue jelly fish. Looks like Spring has officially arrived, even though the weather still feels rainy and winterlike.

High Wind Warning

After 20 inches of rain in January... Which is double our annual rainfall, and after only having 3 inches of rain last year, a bunch of us our feeling moldy and damp... They promise us clearing next week, but only after the strongest storm of the season....

This is after the one that beat us to death last weekend, and the one in December in which it moved our Pressure treated 60lb picnic bench across the deck....

From the National Weather Service: These Strong South Winds Will Increase Overnight To 45 To 55 Mph With Gusts Of 80 To 90 Mph Especially Along Coastal Headlands And Beaches. Winds In The Coastal Communities Could Gust To 70 Mph OR Higher.

If Conditions Develop As Expected... The Ocean May Reach Low Lying Beachfront Structures... Cause Considerable Erosion Of Beaches... Flood Low Lying Roads And Waysides... And Toss Logs And Other Debris Off Beaches. Abnormally High Tides Will Also Cause Some Tidal Flooding Of Low Lying Areas Along Willapa Bay And Estuaries On The South Washington Coast And Low Lying Areas Along The Oregon Coast. Actual Tides Are Predicted To Reach Near 12 Feet Along The South Washington And North And Central Oregon Coast With The High Tide Around 515 AM Saturday Morning.

Plus we now have the potential to Flood due to High Seas..... I've currently recorded a 42.1mph wind gust stay tuned tomorrow for updates if we still have power and cable...

Soggy Leslie

thru a wave
Leslie

Being Waved
Leslie

Up a Wave
Leslie

sideways
Leslie

Over a wave
Leslie

serious waves....
Leslie

Side view of the whole boat
Leslie

More Waves.....
Leslie

Up a wave
Leslie

and they ride it out
Leslie

Made it...
Leslie

Coast Guard Takes Another Wave

Another Wave

Coast Guard Practicing

Going thru a Wave

Coast Guard in Surf

Coast Guard practicing in Surf

It's a gorgeous sunny day here at Heceta Beach. We caught a weather break, we weren't supposed to get. While we're still having extremely high surf it appears the Coast Guard decided to take advantage of the clear day and large waves to do some practice boating. Having a front row seat I snapped a series of shots.
Leslie