Thursday, June 26, 2008

A New Blog

I am announcing a new blog I have started. It's actually a very personal one that I started in hopes of dealing with a particular "issue" I have acquired. Hopefully, others can be helped also. "What in the world could this crazy gal be up to now," you ask. I have rheumatoid arthritis. My familiar, comfy world has been altered since the end of last year (and a bit longer, but just didn't know what it was until then). I have been living in unfamiliar territory since then and need a place of peace, reflection, and griping.

RA Living

I used Wordpress for this one just to check out its features like a neat, customizable 4 column layout, but sadly my "heavenabove" was already taken:( so I am greenone there. Yep, green is my favorite color because it reminds me of the outdoors. Of course, the other blog will have nature pics

If you know somebody with RA please share my site so we can build a supportive community.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Cannon Beach, Oregon



In my recent travels, I was able to see a part of the country I haven't been to before. One of my favorite places was Cannon Beach. The town is very nice but the best part is the beach. I hear many artists call this place home because of the famous Haystack Rock (pictured above), a favorite subject and I believe the largest offshore monolith in the world. Puffins nest on the rock. At low tide, people are able to walk out to the rock but I was there at the wrong time for that.

The Atlantic Ocean is so warm compared to the Pacific in the Northwestern U. S. I did wade in the chilly waves but I did not dare to submerge myself in its cold waters. BRRRR! Completely different look on the beaches, also. The Pacific coast is full of cliffs and trees, including evergreens, while the Atlantic does not. Sea life is a bit different, as well. I've never seen a sand dollar on the Atlantic coast but they are all over the Pacific shoreline. No horseshoe crabs and big jellyfish washed up on shore either but there are sea lions (which I did not see) and plenty of broken crab parts scattered around. Very cool to see something new!


FYI: Sea lions are considered a problem in the Pacific Northwest. They eat salmon but the fishermen's livelihood depends on salmon. So, sea lions are being killed so they can't eat the salmon. Not long ago-I forget if it was Washington or Oregon- was going transplant some sea lions to a differnt location to help both sides out. Well, the sea lions were placed in transport cages and were waitin to be moved. They never made it to their new home because somebody shot all of them while in the cages. Very sad news.