Fall in Eugene 2019

How does time go by so fast. I have not made a blog since I have been back to Eugene after my wonderful stay in Maine. Here it is Thanksgiving and the beginning of my favorite time of year. Fall is beautiful here in Eugene and last longer then in New England, There have been frosts here and the gardens at YaPo Ah  have been cleaned  up ready for spring. I am able to eat Kale that grows all winter here. The turkeys get it if it is not protected from them. I have chicken wire around mine. I am settled in to my newly reverted studio apartment trying to organize storage space. I have too much stuff and I can’t part with any of it. 

There are lots of activities going on at Ya Po AH . I have been on several of the excursions , the coast, the mushroom festival and the last one to Salem to ride on the carousel and then on to visit the first gris mill in Oregon. Saturday farmers market is closed for the season. Halloween is always fun  , people and children in costumes. Went to 5th street market  when it got dark to watch the Zombies dance, very scary. Decorations for the holidays are already up around town. May you all enjoy Thanksgiving. 

Photos below are fall in the city, and pictures of Chris’s farm, everything harvested and cleaned up.The clouds were beautiful on a ride back from the farm to  Ya Po Ah

Aldermere farm ocean trail Rockport MEhigh tide

Yesterday being a beautiful day and the future weather not looking good, my friend picked me up and we went to a rocky beach in Rockport. The trail went through the woods where we saw many kinds of mushrooms. I know nothing about mushrooms, but they are beautiful to see so I took photos of them. The rocks were also very interesting. Navigating on the rocks was not so easy. In the morning before Carol picked me up I went over to the cove, the tide was high and it was warm and calm so I went into the water for my last dip. It was cold but felt invigorating. Right now tides are extremely high today being a 11.9 foot tide. 

high tide on back cove

high tide back cove

milk weed in the field

Rockport beach

Bernard Langlais

Doug, Christina and I went to the #Langlais Preserve yesterday. The home and studios are open weekends. #Bernard #Langlais was born in Old Town Maine in 1927 and died in 1977. He lived in #Cushing and when I was living on #backcove and going to #Thomaston I drove by his place, overgrown fields with huge wooden animals sticking up through the foliage. Now it is a beautiful museum and preserve. He was famous  for his sculptures and wood pieces. When his wife died, 33 years later, she gave the home, land and his work to #Colby College and a couple of years ago I saw a large show of his work in Colby's art museum. In addition to the preserve  his work was distributed to 73 public institutions and places around the state of Maine.

Back Cove

It is so good to be back to my old home in Waldoboro on Back Cove. Every day has been hot I have been in the water, salt water, initially a shock to an old body but I go in slowly, lower my self down and off the granite, into the water and once completely submerged the body adjusts I float  on by back and look at everything, breath in the air, listen to the crying gulls, the wind whispering  through the oak leaves that hang out over the granite rocks, strong branches horizontal  to the trunk of the tree.  The roots on the bank are exposed  from water eroding the shore edge. The wind blows in from the south east, from the river up the cove disturbing the water surface so that there are no reflections of the trees that grow on the shore, ripples that lap against the rocks, sounds that combine with the sound of the wind moving the leaves. Other birds not seen call out and are answered from a distant place. It is timeless, as it may have been when the Indians lived here. From the water  I see sky, clouds, trees, rocks.  and islands. No cottages or homes can be seen from this place where I swim, a few docks with boats indicate humans are living back from the shore. This is my paradise, the place I love the most.

It is silent. The only sound I hear through the open window is the robin singing outside. On my back I feel cool moist air from the morning fog and breath in the smell of salt air. Rather then close the window I move to a different chair because it is wonderful to hear the robin in the quiet room. It is common here on the coast of Maine to have fog in the morning. It will burn off in a few hours and be a sunny day. Right now the visible landscape is grey and mute, and the distant trees and foliage disappear in the mist. The invisible, the silence and the song of a bird. I savor the moment.