A Trip to Oregon

                                                            Whaleshead Beach

I've been gone for a couple of weeks, busy having summer fun.  I went back to Oregon with my daughter, Adrianne staying with her for a few days.

Then on over to pick up Lindsay and Aleta in Talent and headed to the coast. 

We stayed at Whaleshead , a little north of Brookings.  If you ever go to Whaleshead make sure you go to the beach through the "tunnel?"  Now that was an experience!  I laughed so hard I could not walk in fear of peeing my pants.There were actually three tunnels.  The tunnels were culverts about 10' tall.  Two had  standing water all the way through them and one had a creek running through it.  We chose the middle "tunnel?"  When we got to the other end, 300 feet away, there was a pond of water.  As Adrianne stated, "We have chosen poorly."  We waded the pond and made it to the beach.

                 The cottages were tiered up the mountain side over looking the Whaleshead Bay. 

                                    The hot tub was enjoyed along with the beautiful scenery.

Lindsay, Adrianne, and Aleta playing in the sand.

Lindsay and Aleta in Lindsay and Eric's greenhouse containing watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, and peppers. 

So this has been my escape for a week and I loved spending time with my daughters, being by the ocean, and experiencing  new adventures.  

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"That's the Berries"

"That's the berries."  I've heard this expression often but what does it mean?  I think it means "Well that's something."  Some say "something" means "great" and others "bad."  Right now I say it means plentiful.  My fridge is filled with berries of all kinds. 

I am just finishing up strawberry season.  It was another awesome year for strawberries which by the way are not true berries but an aggregate accessary which has something to do with pollination, two ovaries, I don't know.  Raspberries and blackberries fall in this category also.

Also in my fridge are elderberries.  Some may ask, "What are you going to do with them?  They taste absolutely awful, bitter, seedy...."  I say elderberry pie, elderberry jelly, yum.  I like the nuttiness from the seeds and the rich flavor when sugar is added.  Elderberries are high in phosphorus, potassium and  vitamin C.  As a kid I used to love to walk the railroad tracks, before they started spraying, picking elderberries and bringing them home for mom to make pies and jelly. We were looking for huckleberries when I spotted the elderberries along the Clearwater Lake road.  I yelled, "Stop!" making both my husband and daughter jump out of their seats.  "Elderberries," I yell, "and they are black and oh so ripe."  Bob stopped and we found several bushes picking the dark blue to black clusters of berries. 

Yes, we also found huckleberries.  They are a terribly fickle fruit.  We have many patches that we check  because you never know if they will be producing that particular year.  They are affected by late frosts, too much snow, not enough snow, too dry, too wet, too hot, who knows?  There are about 40 species of huckleberries found all over the United States.  Some bushes are tall and bushy while others are short and squatty.  They can be blue, black, red, purple, and yes, even white.  There are big berries, little berries, and all sizes inbetween. They are found on mountain sides, in meadows, old growth, new growth, burns. Where ever you find them you do not reveal their location to anyone.  Their taste is unique unlike any other fruit.  It is a strong flavor in comparison to the milder blueberry.  They are great in pancakes, muffins, pies, crisps, and jams or jellies. 

All my berries are going into the freezer to be pulled out on some cold snowy day to remind us that summer will come again with all its berries.  Now "that's the berries!"

Bob and Adrianne picking huckleberries.