The Journey Home

Before leaving Bandon yesterday, we paid one more visit to see the Circles in the Sand. Here was Wednesday's version:

We took one more look at the view from the other side of the lookout, and it was there we solved the mystery of the Cat and Kittens rocks. Here's the story that accompanied the map of the rocks.

And here, we have the rocks identified.

Here's the image. That's Cathedral Rock in the foreground. Behind that and on the left is Face Rock. Cat and Kittens rocks are off to the right.

I'm not getting a cat and kittens from that, but you have to admire their choice of subjects.

Oh yes, and I got one more image of these things. They grow flat on the ground. Weird flower.

Our last stop in Bandon was to Cranberry Sweets & More candy shop. This is such a fun place. If you're in Bandon, don't miss it. They put out samples of virtually everything, and so it's fun to walk through tasting everything. They have a website (right here), and the woman working there hastened to let me know that they will ship.

I meant to take pictures in the store, but then was so boggled in my mind at all the tasty treats that I completely forgot. You'll have to look on the website. We came away with this "Pie Box."

When our purchases were tallied up, we'd spent more than $20, which meant we were offered a box of the Key Lime Pie Candy for half price. Well, who can pass up a deal, right? So we got that too.

Sorry for the blurry images...I was so excited, I could barely stand still. Inside each box, it looks like this:

Bite into a candy, and it looks like this inside. It's basically a gummy enveloped in delicious white chocolate. The pie flavors are quite different, and they taste like what they are. This was a lemon meringue type.

Also, this was fun and unique. We had to have a small package...two pieces...which we devoured when we stopped for lunch.

It contains cheese, but really, it just tastes like fudge.

Also, this caught our eye as we were paying for our candy, and we ended up with a small bag of that. The chocolate has chipotle and ancho chile peppers. It isn't hot enough to knock your head off, and the heat takes a moment to make itself known. When you notice it, it keeps coming for a few seconds.

It looks like regular chocolate, and so I could see this as a fun party gag. Put out a little dish of chocolates and don't tell anyone...let them figure it out on their own.

On the down side, just the little sample we had of this gave me heartburn.

Okay...so fun's over. Time to head for home. We passed through Coos Bay, Oregon, on our drive north. Coos Bay sounds like a lovely little town by the sea, doesn't it? Actually, it's a very active lumber mill town. Driving through, one is confronted by virtual mountains of debarked fir trees stacked up like so many pencils.

And the biggest mountain of sawdust you've ever seen. I left the building to the right in the image below for scale.

In the image below, you can see how a big bulldozer is dwarfed by the mountain of sawdust.

A little further on, one enters the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. We sometimes go here to ride ATV's.

And I knew you'd be disappointed if we traveled all that way without a single barn photo, so I took a few along the way.

Also, we passed field after field of blooming white clover. There were lots of beehives along with the clover, and so we think there's some honey being made here.

Also, I got another shot of the California poppies lining the center median strip all the way through Salem, Oregon.

Back home, the first thing I noticed was the wisteria in full bloom. It's amazing what a difference just a few days makes.

Also the lilac has burst open, and it smells heavenly.

Beside it, the lavender rhododendron is getting more flowers.

And the azaleas are dazzling right now.

The clematis is simply fabulous.

And this rhododendron was still in buds when we left. Now, it's completely engulfed in flowers.

I'd taken the little seedlings in the house to keep them from getting too warm in the greenhouse. They have to stay covered until they've germinated, and it seems one of them was bursting to get out.

Who's under there? Who else? A zucchini...the most enthusiastic plant ever.

The tomatoes were left in the greenhouse, and they're getting their first flowers. These will need to be transplanted into larger pots this weekend. Ours stay in pots in the greenhouse all season long.

Our sad little apple tree is covered in blossoms. Last year, it produced seven apples. I'm thinking more this year.

But I saved the best for last. Look at that!!! The poppies from Ireland have their first bud!!! Oh my gosh! This is the most exciting thing since my children were born!

They're fuzzy little critters, aren't they? Now I'm on flower bud watch. My first thought was, "Don't let the squirrels eat you, okay?"

So today I have unpacking to do. So far, I've been bringing things in one at a time, which is fairly inefficient. It does give me a lot of steps on my Fitbit though. Also, I need to make a run into town for a few groceries and to run some errands. Also, I'm meeting Mike for lunch. It's going to be a rather busy day, but I'll take some time for more slow-stitching this morning, and I'm still hoping to get the borders sewn on the pansy mosaic.