While you were sleeping…

This morning I couldn’t sleep.  Instead of tossing and turning in bed waiting for morning to come, I got up and went for a run through campus and out toward the covered bridge.

 

 

It’s difficult to see but there were two deer grazing in the grass by the tree line.  I could see the steam rising off their backs and vapor coming from each exhaled breath.

 

The Irish Bend Covered Bridge where I recently had a motorcycle photo shoot.

 

The sun prepares to make its debut over Corvallis for the day.

Clouds on the horizon made us wait a few minutes longer for first light this morning.

Sunrise over Corvallis.  What were you doing when the sun came up today?

Golden dappled light washes across the fields and hills.

 

The burning nuclear inferno of hydrogen rises into the trees.

The sun rises far enough north in the sky this time of year to provide light to the interior of the covered bridge.

Warmth and light return once more to the valley.

 

Cape Perpetua and the Coast with Kendra and Co.

Yesterday I received a surprise text from Kendra saying she was in town for the Beaver Freezer Triathlon.  She and two of her work mates had driven out from Tri Cities to compete in the event.  One thing led to another and we ended up on the coast, checking out Cape Perpetua.

 

Before we went to Cape Perpetua, we stopped in Newport at the old light house on the north side of the bridge.  North and South jetties were pretty rough.  I doubt anyone was going over the Newport bar yesterday.

One of the first lighthouses built on the Pacific Northwest coast.

The Yaquina Bay Bridge.

 


 

Looking out toward Japan.

 

 

On top of Cape Perpetua looking south toward Florence.

The verdant forests of the Oregon Coast Range stretching far inland.

Devil’s Churn far below.

 

Rebekah, Fiona, and Kendra.

 

The West Rock Shelter with Fiona and Kendra peaking around the corner.  Rebekah is in the window.

 

 

Yachats through the trees.

 

 

The rain forest at the top of Cape Perpetua is very lush.

 

Big spruce and fir trees.


 

Devil’s Churn at the base of Cape Perepetua.

 



 

Sean going over to get an up-close view of the churn.

 

 

Kendra and Sean at some point did get wet.

 


 

Sea grass or moss or something similar in a tide pool.

 

 

Setting up for a group photo with the whole gang.

 


 

Slime on a vertical earth bank.

 

 

 

At a beach further up the coast.

 

 

Cartwheel time.

 

 

Foam from the sea.

 


 

On the bay front in Newport.  We went to the Rogue Alehouse where we won a few bucks at trivia.

 

 

A sea lion on the dock doing his thing.

Dream, Baby, Dream!

Last week I went up to the Boeing Everett plant to conduct some research with fellow grad students Diane and Chuck.  We were ensconced in a conference room overlooking the Future of Flight Museum.

 

Looking out from the conference room to the hanging aircraft and various jet engines on the floor below.

Dignitaries getting ready for the unveiling of a Cathay Pacific 777.

The curtains open…

And (through the glare), there she is!  A brand new 777 ready to fly to Hong Kong.


Looking across the Everett airport toward the paint hangars.  A couple DreamLifters were parked in front.  Lots of other aircraft scattered about including somewhere around 30 787’s waiting for their type certification.

 

The Cathay Pacific jet getting ready to load up and head across the ocean.

 

DreamLifters up close and personal.

The Boeing plant.

 

Lots of aircraft on the flight line and one massive tent.


 

A bevy of 787s parked behind the museum.


The next day, a DreamLifter was parked outside the museum.



 

The Boeing tour bus loading up for a factory tour.



Inside the museum.

 

On the way back south we located a restaurant in Fife, WA named “Poodle Food Good Food.”