A Day of Driving

We've arrived in Bandon, Oregon. We picked a restaurant for our celebratory dinner out tonight. We've had our margaritas, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, you know. Mike is taking a nap. Kitties are dealt with and content, and I finally have a minute to myself to write to y'all. Hey...how are ya'? It's my birthday, and I'm having a most excellent day. The weather is beautiful. We're RVing. What more do I need?

There were so many barns I could have photographed on the way to Bandon, but I wasn't in the mood. Sometimes I just want to watch the scenery and veg out. I did take a picture of all the blooming California poppies along the road. You're not so tough, California. We have poppies in Oregon too!

When we stopped for lunch, Mike surprised me with some little red velvet cupcakes to have with our afternoon cup of espresso.

Back on the road, we drove for about five hours today. I couldn't miss an opportunity to photograph this bridge. This is the Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge, just north of Coos Bay, Oregon. (You know we love a good bridge.)

According to Wikipedia, when it was completed in 1936 it was named the Coos Bay Bridge. In 1947 it was renamed in honor of Conde B. McCullough who died May 5, 1946, exactly 73 years ago today. This and 10 other major bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway were designed under his supervision. The Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge replaced ferries that had formerly crossed the bay. The bridge is outstanding for its attention to form and detail, and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its design and cultural and economic importance.

So, here we go...

Up and over.

Sorry for the buggy windshield.

In about another half hour, we reached the state park that will be our home for the next three nights.

We have a nice site with a good bit of privacy. There is no neighbor to the south of us. Smitty might be able to get out for a walk here.

Backing up to yesterday, I got started on the borders for the pansy mosaic. I made these square-in-a-square blocks for the cornerstones. Only, I cut the center piece too small. So then, I made them again, only the outer corners were cut too small. So, third time's a charm, right?

Finally, I got them sewn together right, and I added them to the top and bottom borders. I figured with having the Universe set to rights temporarily, it was a good time to stop there.

And it's as if I've passed into senility virtually overnight as I turned a young and vibrant 65 years of age. As I was making dinner last night, I lost track of the no-stick spray. I found it right where I left it...in the refrigerator...right where it belongs, obviously.

So Mike surprised me with yet another camera for my birthday. I'm still working on learning to use it. It's a tiny little thing, the DxO One camera. It can be used as a stand-alone camera...

 or attached to my iPhone.

I kind of remember sending Mike a link from Massdrop, as I often do, saying "Is it anything?" He never answered, but apparently he thought it was something because he gave me one for my birthday. I'll have to get back to you about how it works and how well it works because it's something quite different from anything I've ever seen. The user's manual has been downloaded to Dropbox, and I'm reading up as I have time. I'll say more about this eventually. For now, it's still very mysterious.

As for today's adventure, we've selected a restaurant, and we're going out to dinner for my birthday. I'll say more about that tomorrow. Looks like my internet connection will allow me to post, and so I'll be posting as I have time.