Back to the Owls

Last Saturday found us chugging up the familiar route to Cieslak Meadow at Silver Falls State Park. It was a definite spring day with soft air, warm sunlight and a forest alive with the sound of birds and buzzing things. We heard the Great Gray muffled hoots as soon as we got out out the car. We had a plan. We headed down Silver Ridge Road to the spot across from where we heard the call last time we were here. Not far from where someone had abandoned an old craft table alongside the road ("Why would someone want to do that," Bobbie asked. "I dunno. I like to think it just maybe fell off the back of the truck," I supposed) the darn bird shut itself up and we stood like a couple of listening ninnies for a long time before we decided to "track" it on the other side of the pond so we hoofed it back to the car and then headed down the barely discernible tire-tracked lane and made the approach from the other side of the pond. Again we heard the call. It fell silent but started up again not much longer so Bobbie took off down slope while I stayed with the dog. It was pleasant sitting in the woods with nothing to do but think and listen. I could sometimes see Bobbie twisting and turning between the trees and she explained later that the owl was projecting its voice first this way and then that way. She was sure it was just trying to throw her off the track. So we definitely heard it but since we didn't sight it, we'll call it an "encounter" with a Great Gray.

Then Sunday we were up close and personal with our sure thing sighting of a Barn Owl at long last. Bobbie had a connection with an Audubon member who knows Farmer Ron way out south of Salem close to the Ankeny Reserve. He lives on a most tidy little 14 acre farm with his wife, horses, goats, pigeons, and garden along with a nesting box full of baby Barneys-four live ones and their gorgeous mother. He lets visitors look at them via a monitor that projects what the web cam stashed in the nest shows. He lets special guests climb up the tall sturdy ladder and peek through the crack in the sliding door of the box. I did and then carefully slid it open to see Mama Owl giving me a dirty mistrustful look before she took off leaving me to admire the babies. They amazed me with their bobbling little heads and little hop hops around the nest. What a privilege it was! And how very different this controlled sighting environment was from the wilds of the day before! Another notch on our owl belts, nonetheless.

(Not About Owls

There's lots of talky-talk about college these days. Statistics are published, people are interviewed and conclusions are broadcast. It seems that not as many people are going to college and other people are worrying about this. Guess what: this is not the time, this is not the economy and this is not a job market that supports a four year degree goal. The job market is so limited that the day of just having a degree to guarantee employment is as outdated as reel to reel film projectors in the classroom. A student can do well with a two year degree, good networking and plenty of patience and determination when it comes to landing a decent job. I don't even recommend that my own grandgirls plan for college. I can't believe I said that but it's true. The most that can be said about going to college these days is that kids are allowed four more years to grow up in an academic setting that has little to do with the real world. Sorry. I'll get back to owl writing maybe even later today.)

Be Prepared

Weekend before last found us up on Silver Ridge on the western (southern?) edge of Silver Falls State Park looking for Great Grey Owls. It was cold, very cold. In fact, we stomped through several inches of snow and the sky spit at us all afternoon. The wind blew right through my sweat shirt. My feet got soaked. I received many little lectures about always going out into the wild fully prepared. So this weekend I staggered out to the car under a load of stuff that wouldn't fit into my backpack: extra shoes and socks, hooded sweatshirt, heavy sweatshirt, padded rain coat with hood, hat, visor, sunglasses, camera, binoculars, lunch and purse. The setting was the same as last weekend but the sunny weather made the landscape much friendlier and more inviting. I was properly dressed and even thought about shedding my big sweatshirt while basking at our "scanning station" that we set up in what we now call "SilverRidge Meadow." Ahhhh. . . .no owls but gorgeous sunshine, a fresh breeze and clean silence. What a way to start Spring Break!

Jake and Katie

My grandgirls have alter egos. Mary often plays the part of Jake and sometimes plays the part of Alexis aka Lexi. Alicia is always Kate. It's taken me a long time to figure out this role playing game. I often hear them talking to each other using these names but they are not in plain sight when this occurs. I just thought they were taking the voices of various Barbies but began to wonder when they were addressing each other by these names in the back seat of the car with not a Barbie in sight. Then this morning Jake (Mary) was talking through the pet door to Kate (Alicia) who had been kidnapped and was being held in a large cave (the garage). I was washing my hands (using the bathroom) and Jake was feeling sorry for Kate and wondering about how to free her from the kidnappers (getting their stuff together for school). Never miss an opportunity to use your imagination, I guess.

Granny Dream

Picture this: A stylish new bakery has opened in the Oregon City area. I take my grandgirls there after school for a special treat with this vision of a French bakery/cozy "teatime" sort of experience with the girls and me eating pastel colored treats at a table covered with a pretty lace tablecloth. The flowers are blooming outside and the sky is spring blue. Mary chooses a thick slice of almond poppyseed bread. Alicia chooses a huge chocolate crinkle cookie and I decide to pass so I can just enjoy the girls' chatter. We sit. Alicia wants a bite of Mary's. Then she wants another bite. Hers is "too sugary." She wants a third bite of Mary's but Mary has lost her sense of sharing and heaves a large sigh and shouts, "NO." Alicia whines. I reprimand and Alicia says, "stop." This is directed straight at me. I tell her to watch her attitude. She tells me to watch mine. Mary tries to broker a bit of peace. Alicia tells her to "stop." I fold up the remainder of the treats and lead them out to the car. At home, I send Alicia to her room. "Fine," she replies. The afternoon has broken down and is only saved by doing math homework with Mary. And guess what: I can't figure out how to do some of the problems. Sigh.

Look Carefully! Do You See It?

Yesterday was a struggle for me. We went up and down hill after hill (okay only two); I sweated a bucket (my neck was wet where I was carrying my camera and binoculars); and I could barely breathe (this is true). We were in Tryon Creek State Park looking for a Barred Owl. We got to the right spot according to the park ranger and didn't see a thing except for a very beautiful and well constructed nest. I needed to rest. Bobbie suggested a log "over there." Whew. I was so glad to sit and even to lean back on the log behind me. "Just like a chair," I said. Then she immediately said, "OMGosh! I SEE it!" After several attempts to describe its location, she finally succeeded in getting me to see it. We were thrilled and awed. Our new binoculars allowed us to watch it move, see its yellow beak and study the bars on its fluffy chest. What a restful time it was having in the warm sun. And what an exciting time for us. We were also happy to share its location with other hikers and walkers who took pictures and enjoyed the sighting with us. Owls 13 Owlers 5!

Blue and Yellow

Oh my gosh, Phoenix was glorious. The city itself is unremarkable except for its cleanliness and easy access to everything but it doesn't matter because of its crown of blue sky and yellow sun. The low light angle at this time of the year just makes it that much more attractive. The temperature hovered around 80 degrees all the time we were there. I can prove it-I was swimming in an outdoor pool one morning at 7:30 and didn't need to sprint from the pool to the spa. Another example: We ate dinner outside on our friends' patio and I was barefoot at 8:00 at night. The coyotes were a-howling and the stars were a-twinkling all swirled together with the smell of the bbq-ed salmon and the vanilla scented candles on the table. It was heaven.

The tourist highpoint for me was our visit to the "Vincent Van Gogh Alive" exhibit at the Phoenix Science Center. I was enthralled and awed by this multi-sensory experience into the life and work of this artist. And it was so apropos to my class work this week that centers around the relationship between an artist and his art. Unforgettable.

But the very best part of the trip was the time I got to spend with our friends Cheryl and Irvin. What fun we had! And the absolute best was when Cheryl and I had a few hours to ourselves while the guys played golf. Just like old, old times. Talk, talk, laugh, sigh, talk, and talk some more. She helped me find a solution to a very disturbing problem I've been grappling with for the last several months. I knew I could count on her. She is such a treasure.