Tidal Pools Abound With Life At Cannon Beach

 The tide is out at Cannon Beach in Oregon and the tidal pools are filled with amazing sea life for easy viewing and close- up observation if you don't mind getting your feet and legs wet. Actually, most of the coastline of Oregon & Washington ( and their inlets and sounds) are chock full of sea life. And I am not even talking about the sea mammals and birdlife in great abundance.

 A team of people in red shirts ( they are also on hand to answer questions about the sea life ) come to the shore at every low tide and put up signs warning people not to climb Haystack Rock or tread too far out on the rocks. This is not only for the safety of the public , but also the wildlife, for obvious reasons.

 The rocks teem with barnacles, mussels, seaweeds, anemones, starfish...

 ....look closely. You can see 2 starfish here, but the rocks are loaded with anemones too. They are the things that look like olives with pink or green centers.

 I counted almost 50 starfish then stopped counting. There are starfish everywhere in, on top of, under, and around every rock. Most of the time I saw them wrapped around each other.

 My husband spotted this sun starfish, not as common as the others in these tidal pools.

 Sea anemones showing their brilliant color as they open in the water. Don't they look like flowers ?

I have been a distracted blogger lately. The gardens and livestock need a lot of attention and I have also been playing with our grandchildren. I love our life here on Cedar Pond but very often I think of Cannon Beach and the special times my husband & I have had there. The ocean is what draws us. The wonders the ocean and shore reveal are beyond words. When I seek calming thoughts my mind turns to the sea and although the sea is often stormy, turbulent, dangerous and unpredictable, the thought of the sea quiets my mind and causes me to think about God, His ways, His wonders. "Then God said , let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place , and let the dry land appear, and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters he called seas; and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:8,9

Tea In The Herb Garden

 It was a perfect day to work in the herb garden. What better refreshment than peppermint tea after weeding ?

 I have been reading up on tea, especially herbal teas, and discovered the beverage I make from my herbs is actually called an "infusion". Real tea is made from the leaves of tea plants. (the tea plants are actually shrub sized trees )

 This is my new teacup.

 Royal Grafton Bone China, made in England.

 There is a lot more weeding to be done, so I had better get back to work.

"Mint ~ The savor or smell rejoyceth the heart of man, for which cause they use to strew it in chambers and places of recreation, pleasure, and repose, and where feasts and banquets are made." John Gerard

Spearmint & peppermint are wonderful for soothing a troubled tummy, and also good for colds & headaches. It is especially appreciated at the tea parties I have with my grandchildren, they will consume pots of this hot tea with pleasure. ( we won't discuss how much sugar they use to sweeten the tea )

Please enjoy the blogs listed below as they share their teatimes & teacups :

• Artful Affirmations *
• Martha's Favorites *
• A Delightsome Life *
• Tea In The Garden *

"Tending a bed or border devoted to these herbs ( mints ) can be as calming or soothing after a stressful day as a cup of the steaming brew or tall glass of iced tea made from their leaves and flowers." Susan McClure

Awesome Beauty Of Cannon Beach, Oregon

 This is the view my husband & I had from our room in the Cannon Beach Hallmark Inn on the Oregon Coast. I could truly look at this view every day and see something amazing and different. The sky and sea are always moving, changing, and awesome. ( in the true meaning of the word).

"Awe~ Reverential fear ; veneration ; solemn wonder." "Awesome ~Causing, or expressing of awe." Webster's Collegiate Dictionary

"...who enclosed the sea with doors, when bursting forth it went out from the womb; when I made a cloud its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, and I placed boundaries on it , and I set a bolt and doors and I said, "Thus far you shall come but no farther; and here shall your proud waves stop."  ( God ) Job 37:8-11

 

"Oh Lord God of hosts, who is like Thee, O mighty Lord ? Thy faithfulness also surrounds Thee. Thou dost rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise , Thou dost still them...the heavens are Thine, the earth is also Thine; The world and all it contains, Thou hast founded them." Psalm 89:9-11 

 

Tea~Time Tuesday At Cannon Beach

 Teacups bought and enjoyed at Cannon Beach, Oregon where my husband and I spent a few days last week. The teacups are sitting on the balcony railing of our room in Hallmark Inn. Look at this view!

 Here is the little shop in downtown Cannon Beach ( The Buttery) where we bought the two teacups. The shop had many tea items for sale but I restrained myself and purchased just two teacups for my husband and myself.

 I have never seen a gray ( the listing calls it khaki ) teacup before but we like it and it is a masculine sort of teacup / coffee cup. The pink one is mine.

 This is our view from our balcony too. The whole Pacific Ocean stretched out in front of us with Haystack Rock to the left, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse and more rugged rocks to our right. So much to see every day for a few days. Sunsets to enjoy together, meals we prepared in our room, a fireplace to snuggle in front of, and time together. The best way to spend a Tea-Time Tuesday I think.

 My husband & I drank our coffee from these cups while reading and bird-watching.

The Oregon Coast is one of our favorite places and we visit it as often as possible. We especially love Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, Seaside, and Depot Bay. I have more to share about our get-away later , but this is Tea-time Tuesday and it is about the teacups ! I love our new tea / coffee cups and found out this cup comes in turquoise too. I may add to this set soon.

"With stunning views, remarkable natural areas and spectacular stretches of sandy shore, Cannon Beach offers inspiring beauty, superb sightseeing, the setting for a perfect picnic and outdoor adventures ranging from birdwatching to hiking and surfing."  Cannon Beach Magazine 2013

I am joining the following blogs for Tea-Time Tuesday ~

• Rose Chintz Cottage *
• Martha's Favorites *
• Artful Affirmations *
• A Delightsome Life *
• Bernideen's Tea-Time Blog *

Blue-Bottle Herb Garden

 The dovecote my husband built me for my herb garden makes me happy . I especially love the detailing in the roof ridge that mirrors the roof ridges he put into our larger dovecote , the goat house, and also the grape & kiwi arbors.

 I keep only 2 doves in my herb garden, my Blue Bottle Herb Garden. You can see how we decided on the name...

 ...there are blue bottles everywhere in this garden.

 These blue bottles are holding the prongs of upside down tomato cages together to form supports for my comfrey . Comfrey loves to get big and floppy , and does so very quickly, often taking over this shady corner of my herb garden if left unattended too long. I use a lot of comfrey for my livestock, poultry, and also make poultices out of it for my feet which have a tendency to get very dry and crack & bleed. Comfrey poultices are great for this. ( I will do another post on this later.)

 Our dog Hawk keeps me company as I weed the garden.

 This old bike holds an old milk crate stuffed with blue bottles and flowers. It is leaning up against a picture window we had to replace after a big earthquake here a few years ago caused the window to split & crack. I like the window in this garden and it helps  keep the woods on the other side of the garden fence at bay.

 Fennel has a lovely licorice scent and thrives in my garden. The fennel has seeded itself in other parts of the herb garden too. It is like growing feathers ! You can see some of the sage and Lady's Mantle growing at the foot of the fennel.

 Lovage also thrives here. I have metal cages and stakes around and through the lovage to keep it from bending and breaking. I love this herb. It tastes like celery, the leaves are yummy chopped up and used in salads, eggs, soups. Anything celery adds flavor to would benefit from lovage. It has a little stronger celery taste, so not too much is needed. The stems grow up to 6 feet in my garden and are hollow so if you strip them of leaves ( or not ) you can use the stems as straws in any drink you might garnish with celery such as tomato juice, delicious!

 My rosemary grows quickly in this garden, and thrives all year, even in the coldest winters. Since my older rosemary plants are now unruly bushes I decided to start 2 new rosemary bushes and encourage them to be more orderly and well-behaved. I placed a large tomato cage upside down over rosemary planted in a large pot. The blue bottle holds the prongs of the cage together. I like the touch of blue it adds.

My blue bird bath sits in the thyme portion of the garden, along with a sun-dial ( not shown here). There are several varieties of thyme in this garden and when they bloom it looks like the bird-bath is perched on a beautiful carpet of color. Our honeybees love the thyme garden especially. My Blue Bottle Garden is a source of herbs my husband and I use for cooking . Some of the herbs are especially beneficial to our health. The garden is also a place of delight on sunny days to soak up the sights, sounds, and scents of Cedar Pond . God is so good and we are truly blessed !

I am joining the Thursday Farm Blog-Hop*. Please check out all the blogs offering useful and inspirational information regarding all things farm,gardening, crops, food preservation keeping poultry & livestock...decorating too. You don't need to have a farm to appreciate all you can learn as you visit these blogs !*

Duck Eggs With Lovage & Chives

Eggs, farm fresh eggs laid by my poultry. Chickens, ducks, & turkeys I tend. They are fed not only commercial poultry feeds, but fresh greens from our gardens. The large white egg in the lower left of the picture is one of many eggs laid by my flock of ducks.

This is one of my Pekin ducks. Yes, she looks like the duck you see in the insurance commercials . ( I love those commercials )My Pekins are spending most of their time sitting on a clutch of eggs. Since my flock of ducks has been very prolific this spring in their egg laying I take quite a few for our consumption.

I have a herb garden where I cut herbs for home cooking, and when you have an abundance of farm fresh eggs and farm fresh herbs you have the makings of some good eats ! Above you can see the lovage I am growing in my herb garden. Lovage tastes like celery,is very tasty in salads and also...

...with eggs. Here are some of my eggs pictured with herbs from my garden. Lovage ( upper right ), chives, and thymes. ( left )

The duck eggs are the big and bright orange eggs. My ducks free-range which enables them to eat all the grass and greens they desire. The greens are what give eggs their bright orange, almost red-orange color. If your eggs are this richly orange you are eating some good eggs ! I whipped these eggs up with freshly chopped herbs, seasoning salt, and cooked them up for dinner the other night. My husband & I sprinkled grated cheddar cheese over them, served them with buttered toast and YUM !

I am joining the Thursday Farm Acre Blog Hop* today. Please check it out, you will learn so much as you visit the blogs participating in this Thursday event even if you do not have a farm or acreage . I hope your weekend is full of blessings and the enjoyment of this beautiful world God has created for us. "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands , and I ordained all their hosts. " Isaiah 45:12