Wednesday, August 1, 2012

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday - Beach, Lighthouse and Helpful Links

As promised, here are some photos of Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Cobble Beach in Newport, Oregon from my trip to the Oregon coast.  I love it out there!  If you haven't been to a beach in Oregon, I should probably prepare you: the beaches there aren't warm, with soft white sand.  The temps tend to be in the 60's, with a tendency toward fog, and there was a lot of volcanic activity, resulting in black stones in some spots, such as Cobble Beach.  I find it to be just a different kind of beauty from other beaches, though, and those of us who grew up playing on those chilly beaches know that you go numb within a few minutes, so it's perfectly alright to jump on in, no matter the temperature!

 This was just a building on the hillside as we approached the lighthouse, but I loved the different sprays of flowers around it.

 More wild flowers, and a view of the bay and the big black rocks off the shore.  They were all inhabited by black cormorants, sea gulls and harbor seals (but those are for another post...)

 Yaquina Head Lighthouse.  They were doing tours, but the line was loooooong.

 A more distant view of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

 Cobble Beach and the big rocks.  Those black rocks in the foreground are delightfully smooth, and were created when lava flowed into the ocean and was instantly cooled, creating balls of lava that were then worn smooth by the waves.  It is one heck of a leg workout to walk across those!

 View in the other direction of Cobble Beach.

 Another view of Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Cobble Beach.

 A real live cave on the beach!  So cool!

 Yeesh, another shot of the lighthouse and beach.  Tons of drift wood, which is the only thing you're allowed to remove from the beach.

 Sploosh!  The tide was coming in, and I enjoyed watching the waves slam into the rocks.  This isn't a gentle coast, that's for sure.

I hope you enjoyed a little glance at a place from my childhood.  Though this coast is a little more rugged than some are used to, it's definitely worth a visit.  Other beaches in the area have sand, some have a combination of sand and lava rock, and at least one even features small sand dunes and agates (that would be Agate Beach).

Now for some helpful links:

First, some fun stuff from a couple bloggie pals:

DL Hammons of Cruising Altitude 2.0 is hosting WRiTE CLUB 2012, where writers duke it out to see who gets the most votes.  Check out the judges and consider participating.  Though it has already begun, you can still sign up to participate or vote.

Jamie Gibbs of Mithril Wisdom is having a 350 Followers Giveaway Extravaganza.  The prizes are a Moleskine Passions Book Journal and a Zombie Gone Potion Pendant.  

Now, some things I happened across that you may or may not sound interesting.  These are not things I have researched or used myself, at this time, so please be sure to research them on your own before jumping in:

Moshbag sounds interesting.  It's a platform for artists.  You can find a link to their blog for more information at the top of the page I've linked to.

Short Story America is having a contest.  1st prize is $1000.  Reading fee is $15.  Deadline is August 25.

Virtual Writers, Inc. takes essay submissions.  They don't pay, but will link to your websites/blogs/bios.  They also tout themselves as a place for writers to meet each other and get information, and they have a blog.  They seem to have prompts on the blog page, both word and picture.

Any helpful links you'd like to pass along?  This can include blog hops or contests you're running.  They will be passed along next Wednesday.  Ever been to the Oregon coast?  What did you think?

May you find your Muse.

11 comments:

Rebecca said...

i love light houses

mshatch said...

I grew up in MA where there are lots of long sandy beaches, esp those of Cape Cod where I lived for almost 20 years. Now I live in Maine which has a very rough and rocky coast. It is definitely a different kind of beauty. Lovely pics :)

Rosaria Williams said...

We retired to the Oregon Coast for these views. Glad you enjoyed your visit.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Awesome photos! I enjoy a coastline far more than a beach.

Andrew Leon said...

Great pics!
I like rugged beaches better anyway. They're more interesting.

Chuck said...

Very visually stimulating post Shannon...how are things back home in the fire state (Colorado)? Did you make out okay?

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Nick Wilford said...

Oops, I didn't even know Oregon was on the coast! My US geography is a tad shaky. But I'm used to a pebble beach, being from Brighton (south coast of England). I imagine you could write a good MG novel based around the lighthouse and treasure in the cave.

Rosalind Adam said...

Chilly beaches are what us UK folk were raised on. I can only ever remember being frozen on holiday as a kid. And those photographs remind me of the beaches round our coast too.

D.G. Hudson said...

I've adopted the beaches here in the Pacific Northwest (Canadian version)since I moved here years ago. Great beaches for writing inspiration, walking and relaxing.

I've been to Agate Beach and I remember the huge rocks right off the beach. (I have some photos of those rocks from years ago) First time I tried oysters was near there, on a trip back from Frisco.

You've taken great photos, and my faves are the lighthouse ones. At one time I dreamed of being a lighthouse keeper. (I fantasized a lot.)

Shannon Lawrence said...

Becca, me, too! I'd love to do a cross-country lighthouse tour. Rather, bi-coastal.

Mshatch, ah so you know. I almost think the rocky ones are prettiest, but also the least enjoyable for, say, a day at the beach. They have more character.

Rosaria, so did my grandma! I waved at you, by the way, in your general direction.

Alex, I do, too. Then again, I am into a more rugged sort of beauty or I wouldn't enjoy the dessert and mountains quite so much.

Andrew, exactly! They have more character than just a bunch of sand.

Chuck, things are good here! House is in good shape and we are looking at getting our vents cleaned to get the ash out. We've got smoke from Oklahoma here right now, but I can't smell it, only see it, so that is a bonus. Not sure I could deal with that smell ongoing.

Nick, I definitely could! I can't tell you how neat it was to see a real cave there. No one else even looked twice, so I am apparently overreacting, haha. I'm okay with that.

Rosalind, I think Oregon and Washington are similar to the UK, weather-wise. I am no expert, though. Hubby goes out to England for work a lot, so I'll have to ask him to compare. You get used to a chilly beach, though. It has its own charm.

D.G., could you imagine how much writing a lighthouse keeper could get done? The sound of the waves outside, that steady beacon, the isolation. It's a nice fantasy.