Cedrus is Thirteen!

A year or two ago, the California grandkids started a tradition of birthday presentations by Zoom, since we could not get together. That seemed to go by the wayside in the last half of 2021, maybe because we couldn't believe we were still isolated. But the tradition has been given new life by Cedrus, who did an amazing presentation for us via ZOOM today, the day before his actual birthday.

Cedrus eating Tiramisu

Below is our zoom screen with the California family, including Cedrus, top left, Auntie Fudge (best Auntie ever, says Cedrus) top right, and Grandma and Grandpa (that's us) at the bottom. Grandpa was working at setting our house on fire by lighting candles to celebrate Cedrus bday, then holding them up to the screen for Cedrus to blow out. (I'm not sure Grandpa quite has this Zoom thing figured out.) Of course, they were relight candles anyway so it took some effort to get them out.

Cedrus' talent knows no bounds. He showed us some of his art work. It is amazing. I don't know how to steal from his web site so here is the URL: https://haupieekeewie.wixsite.com/cedrusbukhari/art

The photography part of his website is equally amazing. https://haupieekeewie.wixsite.com/cedrusbukhari/photography

 Cedrus shares his January 17th birthday with Kinnera, our surrogate granddaughter, who is, unbelievably, 22 and a college senior at Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma, Washington. She is going to graduate with honors, then take a free 5th year that the college is giving to their students because of the whole year they had to do classes online. We see Kinnera even less often than we see the California kids, but she and her mom did visit us briefly this past summer.

 

In my dreams, Covid is in the past. Cedrus and Kinnera both come visit us for their birthday on January 17... some year. Until then...

Happy Birthday!

 

January Bird Surveys

 With December's snow and wild weather mostly gone, we have been doing our monthly bird surveys whenever we can. Saturday, Jan. 8, we did the Grand Ronde raptor route. The white-tailed kites apparently left when the snow fell. They have done that in the past. I guess they don't like snow. Red-shouldered Hawks were still around, though. Such lovely birds.

Monday, January 10, had reasonably good weather, too, so we did our North Santiam raptor route. I took a photo of a light phase Rough-legged Hawk but it was a long way away and I did not get a good photo.

 

Today, Jan. 12, tide and weather cooperated to let me do my January beached bird survey. On the way, I stopped, as always when the streams are running high, to take a photo of Gunaldo Falls. In the summer, it is a trickle, at most.

 
I'm glad I waited to get to the beach until two hours after high tide. Any earlier and I would not have been able to walk the beach to my starting point. I think it must have been higher than the 7.7 feet predicted.  The white foam is where waves were reaching when I was there. They had been lapping at the foot of the dune. 

This bumpy log, looking into the sun, was bumpy with resting shorebirds: Dunlin.

 

 

I walked past and took more photos. These Dunlin looked annoyed at my intrusion.

 But maybe that's just how Dunlin always look.

There was only one "beached (aka dead) bird" to tally. The high tide was pretty efficient in washing away most small items. But it sure deposited a lot of driftwood.

Now it's time to stay home and get some work done here. Although I would rather be birding...