winifredcreamer

Eureka: Architecture and Art

I was surprised by the range of interesting buildings in Eureka. There are large Victorian showplaces, classic California bungalows, even a few old Art Deco buildings. What I didn’t know when we arrived is that Eureka is home to an Old Town that preserves much of the late 19th century central part of the city,Continue reading “Eureka: Architecture and Art”

Disaster: Let me count the ways

It’s probably no coincidence that I’ve been reading more and more fiction that presents disastrous alternative histories of the world, something we have all thought about in 2020. I began a few years ago wanting to read something by Margaret Atwood. I was put off by The Handmaid’s Tale (also didn’t get through it onContinue reading “Disaster: Let me count the ways”

Leaves crunch, and I smell Autumn

Californians don’t pay much attention to fall as a season of the year. In the south, it’s the time when the heat abates–the palm trees don’t change color. In the Bay Area, a bit more fog comes in, but there’s not a seasonal shift to speak of. As in many things, northern California is different.Continue reading “Leaves crunch, and I smell Autumn”

Eureka!

We have no permanent home in the US, and for the past six months, we’ve worked our way across the country until we arrived in Eureka, CA, where our oldest daughter and her fiance live, and where we can walk along the Pacific Ocean again. It was almost a coast-to-coast drive. Starting in Chicago inContinue reading “Eureka!”

The Devil’s Churn, Spouting Horn, Thor’s Well: Splashing our way south

About halfway down the Oregon coast, the beaches become fewer in number, the headlands become higher, and the offshore rocks more frequent. The highway clings to the headlands and crosses inlets and rivers on a series of bridges built in the 1920s and 30s. Driving along, we’re barely aware of how difficult it was toContinue reading “The Devil’s Churn, Spouting Horn, Thor’s Well: Splashing our way south”

Oregon’s Coastal Forests

We arrived in Oregon in the dry season (summer solstice to fall equinox) and are here for the change to the wet season (the rest of the year). Already, walking in the forest after a few downpours reveals a different kind of forest, full of huge trees, moss-covered branches, sprouting mushrooms, ferns, and vines. TheContinue reading “Oregon’s Coastal Forests”

A smoke-shortened month

Wednesday Sept. 9, I first noted smoke as part of our day. We continued to spend time outdoors as we learned about the AQI (air quality index) and began following it as closely as we do Covid-19 stats. We tried to go out at first, but the air was yellowish with smoke. Oregon’s terribly destructiveContinue reading “A smoke-shortened month”

Labor Day with Mother Nature

I did not expect to swim during our stay in Cannon Beach, OR. The water is frigid, colder than the Pacific off Peru, and very nearly as cold as the water in our pond in Montana. Today, though, I was happy to wade, because it is unusually hot here. When my feet lost feeling fromContinue reading “Labor Day with Mother Nature”

NW Montana to the Oregon Coast

Day One: Fortine, MT to Ritzville, WA Car packed and house searched for last minute items left in nooks and crannies, we left Fortine, Montana, passing the local On The Fly Cafe for the last time. We started north, through Eureka, then turned west to Lake Koocanusa, where we turned south–no trip is a straightContinue reading “NW Montana to the Oregon Coast”

Highlights of Montana

Our month in Montana is ending, and as usual, there are still lots of things that we haven’t done. Glacier Park was a dramatic highlight, but there are many beautiful places in our corner of northwest Montana. Driving to the end of the Road This became a favorite pastime, picking a white thread on theContinue reading “Highlights of Montana”