The entrance to Jackie, Kathy and Pepper's community.
We arrived in Florence Friday evening after spending a night near Eugene and doing some birding in the area. We were in time for a supper of Jackie's beans and Kathy's fried potatoes and jalapeno cornbread.

A map of their community
They are #30

After supper, Pepper showed us his lighting in the front of the house: blue solar along the front and a spotlight on 'the bear' that was Jackie's responsibility to turn on each night.

Da Bear

Jackie gave up her 'apartment' for us to stay in and she stayed in the guest bedroom. She has a spacious, homey arrangement.
She left the 'shape' puzzle she'd been working on, for us to contemplate.

She brought some of her furniture with her from Powers.

Including a big TV to watch her Hallmark movies.

It's a nice, big space with big windows that look out to the west.

She has a kitchenette with sink, microwave and refrigerator, and a big bathroom with a walk-in shower. (The room was even prettier before Steve and Mary messed it up!)

They have a covered patio on the back of the house with a golf course on the other side of the fence.

Looking into the dining room from the patio.

Pepper's work shed at the south end of the yard

They have a gate that opens onto a border space between them and the golf course--and Pepper has mounted different kinds of old saws and saw blades on the fence.

Flowers on the patio

They did away with the need for a lawnmower by putting river rocks everywhere in the yard, as well as many rocks that Pepper and his friend Steve Getz loaded up from their place in Powers and brought to the coast.

Pepper made this cart and created a planter in the corner of the back yard.

Pepper also made this planter on the north side of the back yard.

Looking at the northeast corner and north side of the house

The back (east) side of the house and back yard

The living space is open, with a high ceiling.
Looking at the kitchen and dining area

Dining room glass cabinet with lots of crystal and one of their two 'magic' clocks

Looking from the dining room toward the front door, den and kitchen bar

Pepper found a straw hat with a fan in the crown that is solar powered.

Steve had to try it on.

Steve and Jackie, in front of the garage and our rental car.
We ordered a Toyota Corolla but got a Dodge Charger with a 'hemi' engine that peeled out noisily at a touch of the gas pedal.

Steve and Jackie, in the driveway
Note Pepper's fire plug.

Pepper's motorized bike, that he rides around their neighborhood
Notice his parking meter, on the left.

Steve and Pepper, behind their back fence. Pepper was getting ready to trim some tree branches.

Patio plants

More patio plants

Jackie said Patty Sue made this planter - a turtle with shoes and bonnet!

Steve and Kathy, on a trail at Exploding Whale Memorial Park, about 5 minutes from their house.
They took us out to show us some of the local areas where we might find some birds.
The legend/story is, a Sperm whale died on the beach (shore of the Siuslaw River) in 1970. The OR highway division used dynamite to blow up the whale, and smelly parts were spread a great distance.

Jackie and Pepper, at the local park.
It was warm our first day there, but it quickly turned cool.

Jackie, in all her morning splendor--and Pepper

Steve helped Jackie finish the puzzle she'd been working on and she let him put in the last piece.

Showing off our work

It's a 'shape' puzzle, a picture of a woman working at an old-style sewing machine, the puzzle itself in the shape of a sewing machine.

Sunday morning Mary and I went for a walk along the North Jetty of the Siuslaw (sy-'oos-law) River.
When we got back, Mary and Kathy had a cup of coffee and chat on the back porch.

Pepper and Jackie listened.

Jackie enjoying the rare sunshine.

Their patio and back yard

Pepper's work shed
The 'Welcome' sign was cut from a single piece of wood.

Well-organized

Note Pepper's really nice hammock, which he enjoys using.

The back gate. Note the two large fishing floats, part of Pepper's collection.

The front room den/TV/living space - a cozy gathering place with a nice view.

Pepper and Jackie in the kitchen

The guest bedroom where Jackie stayed while we were using her space

The 'community' bathroom on the north side of the house

A display case with some of Kathy's ceramic bells

Notice the antique trikes and toy truck above the kitchen cabinets

The spacious and well-organized garage

Looking into the garage from the driveway, you can see the totem pole and other memorabilia they brought with them from Powers.

Looking at their house from across the street

Another perspective

Close-up of the sidewalk, front door and more of Pepper's handiwork--the wheelbarrow and flowers.
They hauled that big iron pot and all the bigger border rocks from Powers also.

Looking up the street toward the entrance to their community

A Powers friend painted this rock for Jackie, Kathy and Pepper.

The view of the lots across the street (undeveloped so far), west of their house.

Looking north into their neighborhood

The north side of the house
Anyone in the market for a good used pickup? Pepper wants to sell.

More well-organized tools

Pepper made a bottle tree (left) and has a guitar-playing ghoul ready for Halloween.

Pepper and Jackie, talking to one of their many neighbors who stop by on their walks.

Another photo of Pepper's motorized bike that he uses to tour the neighborhood. No word on whether Jackie or Kathy ride on the back seat.

He keeps a chair in the garage where he sits to greet passersby.

Jackie's Frankoma pottery hasn't gotten unpacked yet.

Jackie was showing Mary their ample supplies; they like to buy in bulk.

Just wait till Antiques Roadshow comes to Florence!

Jackie, Pepper and Mary

Saturday afternoon we went into the Florence business district to look around and they were holding a custom car show. Mary and Jackie were headed for a rock shop and didn't seem to notice the beauty all around them.

Mary, oblivious to the 1936 Fiat she is passing by.

Monday we got out early and Pepper took us to a "secret path" alongside the nearby Coast Guard station that led to a nice view of the Siuslaw River.

Steve finding birds across the river, and Pepper telling him stories.

Next he took us to Heceta Beach.
Pepper and Steve walked out on the beach while Mary took photos of giant driftwood.

Pepper and Steve, on Heceta Beach

After breakfast, we took off with Jackie to Darlingtonia botanical preserve, a place Mary had found in a local newspaper Pepper gave her that had local sights to see.

Jackie and Steve, on the short path to the bog

Looking up at the canopy of trees from the path

Darlingtonia is a preserve for these amazing rare plants, Cobra Lilies. They survive by eating insects, which crawl under the hood, fall into the tube and get digested by the plant's 'juices' in the bottom of the tube.

Mary thought the leaves hanging down from the 'mouth' looked like weird fangs. The Cobra Lily on the left even has an 'eye.'

We were surrounded by them.

Mary thought these two were cuddling; I think it was more like, "You take the one on the left and I'll get the one on the right."

Mary liked the way the light shone on this patch, making the plants glow.

Of course, we had to get a selfie to document our presence.

Steve and Mary, in the Cobra Lily patch

As we were leaving, Jackie noticed this group of trees that looked liked they'd been put in place to form a design.

Our next stop was a little farther up 'The 101' highway to Heceta Head beach and lighthouse.
There are lots of beautiful beaches along the Oregon coast with these huge rock outcroppings in the water, often havens for birds and/or sea lions.

Here is one of several old, characterful (art deco?) bridges along the coast highway.

Mary and I left Jackie to guard the rental car while we hiked up to the Heceta Head Lighthouse.

And here's proof we made it.

Back home for the evening, Steve and Jackie got serious about their next puzzle, 1000 pieces of ice cream cones.

Serious, but having a good time.

On Tuesday, Mary and I took off on our own to do some birding and walk up (and back down) Sweet Creek Trail to see its waterfalls. But when we got back, there was more puzzle work to be done.

Little by little it was beginning to take shape, but I was beginning to wonder if we'd be leaving it for Jackie to finish when we came home.

Wednesday morning Pepper and Kathy had appointments, so we took Jackie and headed out for another day of adventure, driving south, down the coast from Florence. Our first stop was one Mary and I had made the day before, along the Siltcoos River in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
Jackie and Steve, on a bridge over the Siltcoos River

Jackie, on the lagoon boardwalk near the Siltcoos River

Next we drove through the harbor and RV camping area at Winchester Bay. There were lots of gulls and turkey vultures--and campers and fisherpeople--and big wood carvings like this one.

Farther down the coast, we came to the Umpqua Lighthouse, operating in the morning fog.

The lighthouse light

Umpqua Lighthouse

In the parking lot, we found people feeding the birds, like this Oregon Junco.

One fellow was throwing peanuts out the window of his SUV and the Steller's Jays were grabbing them as soon as they hit the pavement.

The sky cleared as we drove through the town of Coos Bay and we pulled over to take photos of the giant piles of logs between the railroad tracks and the bay.

End view of some of the stacked logs

Lots of logs

And more logs, with one of the cranes they use to move them around

While we were taking pictures of the logs, eagle-eye Jackie spotted a Cedar Waxwing in a nearby tree.

Steve got out to see if he could find any other birds...

...and was rewarded by finding a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets in the tree with the waxwings.

Our next stop was the South Slough Reserve.

We thought this trail would be too long for Jackie, but one of the workers told Mary we could borrow a 'clicker' that would open a gate and allow us to drive down to the trailhead. We asked how difficult the trail was, the staff looked at Jackie with her walking stick, and assured us she could hike the trail. So, off we went.

The trail on the right, the one Steve and Jackie have started down, was the short trail we intended to walk.

However, when Mary finished getting her gear together and taking pictures of signs, she started down the left trail, thinking we were already out of sight. After much back-tracking by Steve and Jackie, hollering without getting a reply, driving up the hill to the gate and back, Mary wandered back up the trail she was on, we were reunited and all 3 made our way down the short trail to the slough.
[Mary: I am sorry and embarrassed that I took the wrong trail, and I enjoyed it thoroughly!]

There was a large observation deck and viewing area at the end of the trail.

Jackie, on the observation deck at South Slough Reserve

Steve climbed the stairs to the upper level for a better view.

Mary and Jackie

The deck was big enough to host a large party.

South Slough--the area is a research center for studying coastal waterways and is a refuge for migrating waterfowl, but the birds had not arrived for us this day. Still, beautiful habitat.

Jackie and Mary, headed back up the trail to the car

They look like seasoned hikers with those walking sticks.

Another of Mary's photos of the forest canopy above us

Is that a bird up there?!?

After working up an appetite at the South Slough, we headed for the dock in Bandon and fish tacos at Tony's Crab Shack.

The crab cooking shed at Tony's in Bandon, OR

The outside of the shop

And the inside, where you place your order

Bill and Jackie had taken us here for fish tacos several years ago and we had very pleasant memories of how good they were. We were not disappointed on our return! Jackie got 3 and I was determined to eat as many as she did. Mary got 2, but she had some clam chowder on the side. Delicious!

Mary, chowing down on a *perfect* fish taco.

Back in Florence, Jackie and puzzle-box-head got serious about finishing that 1000-piece ice cream puzzle.

Jackie works by the shapes of the pieces and their colors; Steve looks at the picture of the puzzle and tries find where the pieces go. Different strategies, but they work well together--except when one of them has a piece the other one needs.

Finished at last! Ten o'clock is not too late to stay up to finish.
Pepper and Kathy admired the finished product.

The puzzle.

A last look at the Harris-Howard compound before loading up to leave.

It was so foggy, Pepper had his traffic light on.

Pepper's welded chain name hanging on the back fence

Their gravel yard

Kathy had baked us a special breakfast casserole--with meat on one end and vegetables on the other.
It was yummy!

Our final morning spread--Kathy setting it out, Mary with plate in hand, ready to eat.

Then it was time to take off.

One last photo

We stopped by the river one last time on the way out of town; the fog was thick.

Mary on the foggy shore of the Siuslaw River, our last stop on the way out of town

And an interesting piece of driftwood to close with