New Pictures Added

To see the "new" February pictures added, click on the "February 2006" under the archives and scroll down past these "missed beauties" photos. Since they were all added recently they are under the same month. Just keep scrolling...the new pics begin with an uprooted Redwood tree.

missed beauties

After I finished adding new items to the blog (check out the February link under the "archives" section) I noticed that we were missing a few eclectic beauties from the blog. Normally the blog pics come from my digital camera but I forgot all about Jon's slides that we had made into electronic files. We would be remiss were we not to include these...random or not. Since they ARE an eclectic mix I will tell you where the heck they came from.

Enjoy!

look at me

Monkey Face at Smith Rock. This picture is cool because I hiked out to the rock just before it. Look closely in the lower left corner of the picture standing up on the leftmost rock-- there's me waving!! :) You might have to click on the picture to open it larger in a new browser window.

paulina falls

Jon's gorgeous picture of Paulina Falls. He slowed down the shutter speed to make the falls appear blurry. Nice touch with the rainbow. We liked this one so much that it's hanging in our bedroom.

sunset

Jon captured this sunset somewhere along the coast 2 years ago with his Aunt. He'll have to help me finish this caption!

pdx

Our beautiful city from the viewpoint atop the hill at Japanese Gardens. Notice Mt. Hood looming in the distance. Very cool.

claymation

We had to show the big man's zest for photography! Clay's a popular guy...this is his 4th appearance on the blog. Here he's lining up his shot, getting the tripod ready for his capture of the waterfall at Strawberry Mountain.

awww...

The dude and I posing after our hike out to Cape Lookout at Manzanita area. We camped at Oswald West. Highly recommended. You might even try out a surfboard here...

Newberry Crater National Monument

It's dark in this picture...but behind Jon and I is a geological wonderland. Crater upon crater created by volcanic eruptions. Most recently (last 200 years) was an obsidian flow of lava which hardened to form jagged, sharp rock. You can maybe make out the flow behind us also. We are standing atop Paulina Mountain.

hiking chic

Me at Smith Rock. I was really in for it that day...it was hot, dry, and the hike around the rock was beefy. However, after taking the most difficult way to Monkey Face I was proud of myself.

proxy falls

I have another proxy falls picture on the blog, but this one is a tad better. If we had been there earlier in the day we would not have encountered the shadow. You can still see how gorgeous it is.

benson lake

This beautiful mountain lake is so pretty that we have this picture in our bedroom also. My pic of this on the blog was not quite as good. enjoy!

oregon coast

This pic is of the Oregon coast when Jon and his Aunt Lisa traveled the coast from Cannon Beach to Pacific City in 2003. There's Aunt Lisa!

uprooted

One of the giants with its bottom exposed...gasp! It's huge!

--Stout Grove, Redwoods National Forest, California

The road less traveled by...

The Road Less Traveled By....

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-- Robert Frost

thomas family minus nena

Nena! Where's Nena??

The Thomas clan posing in front of Mom's pink Christmas tree. Poor Nena-- all my pics with you in it didn't turn out. We'll have to get your mug on the blog after your visit to the left coast. :)

"Tree Hugger"

Yep, they said it would happen. Consider me an official tree hugger. A true Oregonian. Ahhh.... what a hunk of wood.

beauty and the beach

Typical cool rock formation on the Oregon coast. Captured during our Thanksgiving coastal romp. Don't remember exactly where this is at because I'm a slacker now. I'm pretty sure this was south of Lincoln City and before Bandon.

rivers and mountains

This shot was taken by Jon. We pulled over on the side of the road because we saw this cool river. Looks more like an estuary...not sure.

misty

This is just a beautiful picture. One of those typical beautiful rivers reminiscent of those I saw out in Colorado.

Woody

hee hee....

My favorite wood guy. Posing like it's his job. Stout Grove, Redwoods.

That's a biggin...

Well folks, the tree was so tall it can't be captured on film. Nuf' said.

close up

We took this extra shot to see if we could get more of a close-up on the "Jediah Redwoods National Forest: Stout Memorial Grove" sign as proof that we didn't conjure up the ginormous trees nor did we perform any "Honey I shrunk the kids" antics.

the view's better here

Jon poses cliffside. Another awesome view of the rocky coast.

arm rest

We just wanted to show how beefy the trees were. A downed tree was cut in half in order to provide a walking path in the grove. We couldn't believe that the tree's girth was taller than Jon. jeez.

who let the pimps out?

Yeah, that's right. D-town's finest. My faithfully devoted fans that showed up to say they love me at our friends gathering at Bradley's. Christmas break.

Ren and Stimpy, Beavus and Butthead, ying and yang...you get the idea

Look at the two cheeseheads. Don't know which is cuter. Let the voting begin....

pure zen

I couldn't decide which of the 4 seascape pictures of the Bandon coastline I liked best, so here's all 4. The best one is getting blown up to go with our Paulina Falls picture in our bedroom.

can there ever be enough zen?

more zen

the last bandon shot

These shots would have arguably been better were it sunny, but the fact that it was so crappy and cloudy made the shot look black and white and very cool.

Michigan MegaHotties

The girls posing at Bradley's. My posse.

It's alive!

So Jon and I bought this really cool looking tropical vine plant this summer. I didn't know (duh!) that it needed so much moisture and sun. I thought it was going to die, when all of a sudden, it's flowers bloomed for the first time since we bought it. Weird, we thought for winter, but we had 4 other blooms after this one. The flower itself is just gorgeous. This vine resides on a dowel in the window in front of our desk.

close up of our cool plant

A close up shot of our cool plant. It is a Passiflora caerulea Blue Crown. "Blue Crown Passion Flower."

Ireland?

No, silly. It's the Oregon coast again. I know it's green, rocky and there's an ocean but get real!

The sky brightens..

After a cloudy day full of rain, the sun suddenly appears and we catch the blue sky in its glory.

Thanks to everyone for being patient...I haven't given up the blog. Once this 2nd job is over you betta look out! :) Hopefully it won't be too long before we get some more pics. Jon and I have either a Vegas or LA trip coming up and a 10-day mystery trip in August which might just be interesting.. stay tuned.

going going, back back to cali cali

Our 2005 Thanksgiving trip involved traveling west to Cannon Beach and heading down south the entire coast of Oregon to California. Our final destination was stout grove. The following pictures are of the coast as we "mad dashed" along.... trying to make time so we could get to cali and back in two days.