Monday Morning at the Office

It's another Monday morning here at Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes world headquarters. There is a lot of work to get done. And we'll be having none of it. Though we will contribute in our own way, mostly by snoring at a distractingly loud volume and having periodic groaning stretch sessions. 

I like how this picture shows the full measure of her gigantic noggin', squishing down the side of her dog bed. "Well that's probably an old dog bed" you might be saying. Nope, it's relatively new, but not load rated for this level of pittie noggin.

Shadowfax and Her First Pup Cup

I'll get this out of the way now. Yes were are horrible dog parents. Shadowfax is 13 years old and has never had a pup cup before. In our defense we almost never go through drive through coffee shops, the kind of places that would hand out a pup cup.

Here at our new homestead on the Oregon Coast, there are a couple of drive through coffee shacks. On weekend mornings we will often pile in the car to visit a lighthouse or state park and stop by a coffee shack as a special treat. Our favorite place always offers Shadowfax cookies, which she has now come to expect. We never thought to request a pup cup and were always happy that Shadowfax was excited with special cookies.

But today we hit up a different spot that offered us a pup cup. "Of course, we'd love one!" we immediately responded. Shadofax was initially skeptical but quickly realized that it was tasty deliciousness and gobbled it down.

We'll return to this coffee shop for sure and post additional pictures of future pup cups.

Wildlife Sighting - A Bear in the Yard

We knew that our little corner of the Oregon Coast was more rugged and wild than any of the places that we had lived before. A few weeks after moving, something was cruising through the backyard in the middle of the night that Shadowfax could smell through the open window. Her crazy barking fit sent whatever it was scampering on their way.

Chatting with our neighbors also alerted us to regular bear activity in the area. Supposedly there are cougar and coyote as well, but we haven't seen any sign of them. Other than the occasional deer sighting on our early morning walks, we hadn't seen much else either. Until yesterday.

I was pouring our evening tea and looked out the kitchen window, spotting this bear eating grass or (maybe grubs) in the lawn. Alycia decided that the bear had probably recently woken from hibernation as the bear looked a bit dazed and spacey. Some hurtful comments followed comparing how I look when I first wake up in the morning. Those comments will certainly not be posted here. 

Don't fret though, we take all necessary bear related precautions - removing our birdfeeders in Spring and Fall, securing our trash cans, and making sure there are no fruiting trees in the backyard. And when we venture out on our walks we always carry bear spray, just in case. It's fun to see cool animals like this bear, and with a few small adjustments on our part and a little bit more situational awareness, we can all coexist happily. The bears were certainly here before we were.

The View From the Back Porch

 This was our view from the back porch yesterday. 

A day of showers and wind cleared out by the end of the day and left a dramatic evening sky. The lights from the back porch illuminated the trees and made for a spectacular photo. We are very much appreciative of the beauty of the Oregon Coast.

Double Rainbow and a Beach Stroll

The coast of Oregon is truly enchanting. Rugged and windswept beaches collide with dense forests. There's something for everyone. This morning I was working and looked out my office window to see a double rainbow.

The afternoon prior I had an hour to take a stroll on the beach. The temperature was in the mid-40's and light winds, enough to make your face red and your nose run, but not too chilly. This is the view to the South, footprints in the sand but nary a soul in sight.

The view to the North was equally deserted and no less gorgeous. 

There's something special about feeling like you have the whole beach to yourself. The only sounds were the waves breaking and the gentle rush of the ocean breeze.

A Scenic Sunday Morning Drive

Sunday was a break in the rainy weather we've had for the last few weeks. A warm front was also rolling through that gave us temperatures in the 60's, balmy for this time of year. 

We piled into the car with Shadowfax for a quick morning trip. We stopped at our favorite coffee stand for coffee and dog cookies and drove about a half hour north along the coast to Yaquina Head Lighthouse. We've been a few times before and it's a lovely spot to watch the waves crash, look out for cool birds, and let Shadowfax mosey along and sniff.

It was a beautiful morning.

Shadowfax did a whole lot of sniffing, peeing on stuff, and barking at threatening Pomeranians. She was tired and spent the rest of the day in her bed-on-a-bed pile. She has a tough life.

First Christmas at the New Homestead

We're spending our first Christmas at the new homestead in Oregon. It's a quiet day inside, with coffee and breakfast, and blustery rainy weather outside. There are lots of family and friends to chat on the phone with, catching up with the Holiday happenings and wishing good tidings.

Shadowfax is pooped from all the festivites. She's spending the morning in her cozy bed with a blankie and some heating pads. We're going to make our Fake Meatloaf (recipe here) and mashed potatoes for supper. It's a holiday favorite around here, the perfect gluten free vegetarian meal for a special occasion. 

We leave you with a photo from last week when we were exploring, watching waves crash at sunset. The official geo-located photo tag location is called "Devil's Elbow". There are a lot of Devil names here - Devil's Churn, Devil's Punchbowl. Some very creative names indeed. 

We hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Our Big Secret...Revealed!

It's time that we tell you the big secret that we've been skillfully keeping under wraps the last few months. We have have moved to Oregon!

The last several months have been a whirlwind of activity and attempts to find our new normal all while working at our respective jobs. Shadowfax is doing well and enjoying her new surroundings and new state. I'll insert our standard apology here for not posting for months and add the same stock promise to return to regular posting. We think you all know what that promise is worth.

The picture above is from Cape Perpetua, about 10 minutes from our new house.