near Otis, Oregon on the central Oregon coastwww.sitkacenter.org
most of the Sitka buildings
my living quarters are on the left, the space with the circular windowmy studio is on the right, the space with a small blue sign, a glass door and angular roof
back-view of my studio on the left and my house on the right
view between my studio and house of the ocean and big rocks 
This is the view from the backside of my studio - the big Boyden Studio to the right, the Boyden restrooms, and the Treehouse to the left which is another resident house.
views of the inside of my studio on move-in-day October 1, 2008
free bike that I picked up in Portland - found on freecycle
http://www.freecycle.org/
and my first order of business is to revive this bike
Dawn hanging out with the moss behind her studio
View from the Sika driveway out across the meadow and to the ocean
View back up the hill on the driveway up to Sitka - these little houses are not part of Sitka, but part of the Cascade Head Ranch, a group of individuals owning individual properties on this 650 acre natural preserve. There are about 85 families that have houses here and only 10 of them live here all year.
Cascade Head Scenic Research Area / CHSRA
was created by congress in 1974 in order to maintain and enhance the scenic and ecological qualities of the area. Additionally CHSRA, together with Olympic National Park in WA, represents the North America coastal temperate rainforest ecosystem in the global Biosphere Reserve Programme.
View from the bottom of the meadow just down the driveway from Sitka - the first bit of water is the Salmon River and then the ocean.
My first day at Sitka, Monday September 29th, I went on a
hike up to
CASCADE HEAD
At the bottom of the hill from Sitka is a 45 minute hike up the hill to Cascade Head - a knob-like high point that looks out over the Salmon River and the coastline south toward Lincoln City.
near the top of CASCADE HEAD
looking south down the coast toward Lincoln City
This is the point where the Salmon River meets the ocean, about 4 miles north of Lincoln City.
I think this is what would be called native coastal prairie here at the top of this MASSIF - a new word that I learned today - MASSIF means "a large elevated block of old complex rocks resistant to both erosion and crustal folding" as stated by www.dictionary.com
Basically Cascade Head is a big knob or soft mountain point that sticks out over the coastline and seems to have a completely different ecosystem than the lush bits below. I have heard the wild elk herd is seen often times grazing in this grassy area.
The Morley House - my living quarters while at Sikta
This is the round window that looks out of the second loft-floor of my house - a great lookout to the ocean - and lets in some amazing light
Right below this window is a floating bench/platform for a writing or computer area and a scope to use to look out the window too - this window is in a little nook part-way up the stairs to the loft so could be a perfect reflection area for some good thoughts.I really, really like this house - it is very comfortable - lots of windows so I can see the outside all the time - and so huge - so much space for one person - the stellar jays come to the bush outside my window every day and I love to watch them
upstairs loft has 2 bedroom spaces
wood-burning stove chimney on the leftI have yet to light a fire in this - just have been using a bit of electric baseboard heat, but it will be great to use later on this winter
one bedroom space upstairs
here I was digging the sun shining on this bedspread that I love - I was enjoying the pink, red, orange tangle of patterns
another bedroom space upstairs
I was lured to the woods and decided to take a walk behind my studio.
While I was wandering around in the moss-covered woods behind my studio I ran across a path of recently disrupted soil, making a dark path through the trees. It was a wide path, almost like it had been plowed, so I knew it had to be from the wild elk herd that I had heard frequented the Sitka area.
I followed this path for about 30 minutes and it wound through the trees, down the slope of the hill, into the valley, over a small creek and then back up the hill again. I could see broken branches on the way and where the heavy elk had slipped in the mud, their heavy hooves sinking into the dirt and plowing up the white plant roots. From the path I could tell there were at least several of them traveling. I could see where the herd split when some of the elk went around a tree on the right and others went around on the left and then rejoining further on down the hill.
I followed the elk trail until it crossed this rarely used auto lane and then I followed the lane and wound up on the other side of the Sitka buildings. I wandered around in the brush for awhile and then looked out into the meadow and saw the elk herd grazing in the clearing just down at the end of the Sitka driveway! I counted 26 of them!
Wild elk herd just down the driveway from Sitka. It was great to watch them and hear them so noisily eat the greens from this meadow.
I just found out that these elk were specifically, ROOSEVELT ELK or OLYMPIC ELK.
ROOSEVELT ELK / OLYMPIC ELK
per wikipedia
The Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti), also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America. They live in the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest and were introduced to Alaska's Afognak and Raspberry islands in 1928. The desire to protect the elk was one of the primary driving forces behind the establishment of the Mount Olympus National Monument (later, Olympic National Park) in 1909.
Adults grow to around 6–10 ft (1.8–3 m) in length and stand 2.5–5 ft (0.75–1.5 m) tall at the shoulder.[4] Elk bulls generally weigh between 700 and 1100 lb (300–500 kg) while cows weigh 575–625 lb (260–285 kg). Some mature bulls from Raspberry Island in Alaska have weighed nearly 1300 lb (600 kg).
From late spring to early fall, Roosevelt Elk feed on herbaceous plants such as grasses and sedges. During winter months, they feed on woody plants including highbush cranberry, elderberry, and Devil's Club. Roosevelt Elk are also known to eat blueberry, mushrooms, and salmonberry.
A ten minute walk down to the Salmon River - the mouth of the Salmon River - on a misty beginning of a stormy day - the waves were crashing against the rocks at the mouth of the river.The 3 rocks at the mouth of the river are the 3 rocks giving the name to "Three Rock River Road" that leads to Sitka Center for Art and Ecology.
On my walk along the river I see a boat out here near the mouth of the river - I see many people with crab pots/cages and the floats - all getting DUNGENESS CRABS out of the estuary for some yummy eating! The art residents here at Sitka were invited to a local resident's house for a crab feast and boy was it fun and very good too!
The Salmon River FISH HATCHERY is not far from Sitka, maybe 5 miles or so, and on October 6th Louisa, one of the other residents here, and I went to check it out. This is the very beginning of the salmon spawning season and will most likely last for the next month. All of the fish that were released from the hatchery are now returning to the hatchery to lay their eggs. They had been swimming around in the ocean, are now transitioning from the salt water of the ocean and going to the fresh water of the Salmon River where they swim upstream and find the entrance, a small concrete door into the fish hatchery and flop their way up the fish ladder into the hatchery looking for the place in which they were born in which to spawn.
aerial photo of the
SALMON RIVER FISH HATCHERY
The fish swim out of the Salmon River and into the beginning of the hatchery through the little doorway on the right which leads up to the fish ladder and into the hatchery.
ladder that the fish use to come up from the river to the hatchery
Louisa filming the salmon for her project at Sitka - we will both return to the hatchery again at least a few more times. A bit later the hatchery will start culling the salmon - separating the Chinook from the Coho and then taking the eggs from them to be used for the next generation of hatchery salmon to be released back into the river.
Louisa's blog for while she is at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology:
www.salmonstory.blogspot.com
Two days later, on October 8th, we both return to the hatchery - they are sorting and counting the salmon and then at this time are releasing them right back into the river as it is too early to collect the salmon eggs.
KAYAKING
Kayaking with one of the neighbors - we, us 3 artist-in residents, Dawn, Louisa and Matt, kayaked up the Salmon River and all through the grasslands via a small tributary that was almost too narrow for the kayaks - it was great - about 3 hours up and 3 hours back - a wonderful day!
Dawn dragging the kayak up to the beach while we explore a bit - this is the beach right across from Sitka and immediately across the Salmon river. The ocean is to the right of this photo.
Dawn collecting seagrass
Ahead of Collin and me is Cascade Head, where I hiked up the first day I was here at Sitka. Later on another day we saw the wild elk dotting this hillside.
Tour with SARAH GREENE October 9, 2008
Exploring the Sitka Spruce - see Jalene our Program Director in the left corner of this photo?
We walked back to this place - one of the dikes on the Salmon River - and I took this photo because this is where we had kayaked the day before - low tide now.Sarah took us to SOUTH NESKOWIN BEACH to see these tree stumps that were emerging from the sand - ancient trees - called the ghost trees or the buried trees by the locals. Matt really loved this place and I loved watching him look.
Matt just started a blog with images that he has been collecting here:
www.oregoncoastdynamics.blogspot.com
I love this huge kelp knot that has washed up on shore - a seaweed that I do not see on the east coast - I have to keep remembering that this ocean is the PACIFIC ocean and not the ATLANTIC ocean!
Our day exploring with Sarah Greene was great - we hiked up mountains through moss and ferns and mud and rain as well as the sand and salt and rain on the beach, a great day but a wet and muddy one.
I am thankful for a good pair of rainpants and a good raincoat.
ESSENTIALS / RAINCOAT and RAINPANTS
I am so glad that I have this raincoat that I found just a few days before leaving Iowa at a local thrift shop in Des Moines during days of rain and commuting via bicycle.
TRIP TO WESTWIND
www.westwind.org
October 10th we took a canoe across the Salmon River and then walked/hiked to Westwind.
YWCA Camp Westwind is a 503 acre summer camp on the Oregon coast just north of Lincoln City and south of Cascade Head. Founded in 1937 it is one of only two YWCA summer camps which still exist in the USA. Camp Westwind is also the home of The Outdoor School, a youth camp that recruits high school volunteers to teach inner-city 6th grade students about nature and environmentalism.
Cascade Head
Louisa "squeeking" the invasive American Beach Grass that we find on the beach near the mouth of the Salmon River. We find two kinds of non-native seagrass: European and American Beach Grass.
On our hike upwards we find HUCKLEBERRY bushes that are native to this area and they have very yummy berries.
This is a SALAL plant that is also native to this area and has edible berries too.
View from the way up to Westwind - this rock formation ahead is where Matt, Louisa, and I later went exploring in the caves at low tide - amazing sea caves lined with orange and maroon starfish and the most incredible turquoise sea anemonies and goose-neck barnacles! It was a wonderland of odd creatures and black volcanic rock and sand and seaworms and waves and seaweed.
see the person on the beach - the tiny black spot
It was such a nice and sunny and warm day. The top of this rock formation was a great spot to hang out - grassy coastal prairie. I just wanted to lay in the grass and hug the mountain - which is what I did.
Lincoln City
Louisa and Matt
squint and you can see Matt and Jalene at the tip of this jutting land formation - they are waving at usCRAB FEAST INVITATION
Us three resident artists, Matt, Louisa and Dawn got invited to a CRAB FEAST at a neighbor's house and it was a good time - good people and good food. Jack and Collin went out in the boat and caught these beautiful DUNGENESS CRABS in the Salmon River near the mouth and they were so very yummy!
Collin the crab co-catcher!
Louisaartist-in-residence at Sitka
Mattartist-in-residence at Sitka
3 artists-in-residence Matt, Dawn and Louisaand
Jack and Laura Doyle, neighbors and good friends of Sitka, and they treat us artists so very well with warm open arms and generosity
October 11, 2008
Grand Opening of the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge near Cloverdale which is not too far from Pacific City and both are north of Sitka and Lincoln City. The refuge was established in 1991 to provide sanctuary for a portion of the declining Dusky Canada Goose population and for the endangered Aleutian Cackling Goose.
Beginning at sunrise the Lincoln City Audubon Society will sponsor "The Big Sit" which is a nationwide bird-a-thon where the object is to tally as many bird species seen or heard during a 24-hour period while those recording sit in a 17-foot circle.
Nestucca Bay National Wildlife RefugeOctober 21, 2008
I just got a great email from my very good friend Jay. He had been looking at my coastal Oregon photos and made a comment that I really liked and thought that I would pass along:
"I enjoyed your photos. I believe they can be identified as Pacific (as opposed to Atlantic) by the ratio of the size of the vista to the size of the humans seen. Humans seem bigger in Atlantic vistas because of the nature of the terrain."
Louisa filming the harbor seals that are hanging out in the sun on the spit - and the 3 rocks in the water that stamp this location.This is the spit from above and on another day, October 28th, during higher tide - this is the mouth of the Salmon River where the river meets the ocean - a pretty wave tumbling place - and the seals catch the salmon that are coming out of the ocean and up into the river to spawn. These guys in the boat are pulling in their crab pots. I am getting to know the nooks and crannies of this place - the spit and the line of the coast and the caves and ridges to the left. It looks different every day, but it is seeming more familiar to me now.
bike trip down the road to the marsh to collect plants and explore
HIKE UP THE SLIPPERY-SLOPE-SADDLE
Another trip in the canoe across the river to the ocean - it was almost low tide and we all wanted to climb around in the caves again to see those amazing turquoise sea anemonies - but the water was still too high to get to the caves. Matt had climbed this gravel mountain, or saddle before - up and over the top and then we could get to the caves on the other side. Louisa decided to stay behind with her camera and film the waves, but Matt and I headed upward. It does not look like it in this picture, but this was a very tough climb - the rocks are just gravel bits and they slide downhill, so no place to put your feet and the climb is STEEP. I got all the way to the top, but I did not think that I would make it at the end there as it got scary - I was sure that I would slide off! And I decided not to go down the other side as the climb up and over again would have been too much. I made it once and am proud that I did, but would not do this again. It was tricky to get down too. I made it a quarter of the way down, started to slide, and grabbed onto a root. I hung there for quite awhile trying to think if there was a smart way to do this, to get down, and I figured, no there isn't, so I just let go of the root and slid - slid on my butt and my forearms and hoped that I would not go end-over-end and break a bunch of bones or bring down an avalanche of mountain with me as I slid. It was a rush and I made it, but not as graceful as Matt did - he skipped down the rocks like some webbed foot lizard skipping over the hot desert sand. I am calling him tarzan from now on.
The view down from the top of the saddle - I tried not to think about how I would get down. The spot down there on the beach is Louisa filming the waves.
That spot down there in the shadow is Louisa filming the waves - little does she know how scared I am to sit up there trying not to think of how to get down. Cascade Head is on the horizon glowing in the sun.campfire on the beach, sausages, a local beer, and roasted bananas on a stick
