Paulina, Oregon

This weird rock formation in out of Paulina, Oregon headed towards Prineville Reservoir. I called it the pipe organ but I don't know the name of it. I always wonder what caused this out here in the middle of no where. It is on a back road towards the lake, the road comes out just between Post, Oregon and Paulina

Mustangs

I love that Oregon is a state that you can still see the wild horses, kind of scary when they get out in the road. Horses are so dangerous when hit, they are tall enough they go up onto the hood of the vehicle and end up kicking the windows out and the occupants of the vehicle.

A horse when spooked run without reason for the first 200 yards or so, part of their survival instinct. I have seen them get scared and run right into the side of a vehicle as they are watching something else. They usually run then stop and look. In the old days I am sure that saved them many times from cougars, bears etc. but in this modern age it costs a lot of them their lives.

The highway going to Kahneeta on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation is really bad for horses. We have several killed every year. They have tried fencing them off the road but it does not work, all of the reservation is open range which means you are driving in their pasture or the cows pasture and it is your fault if you hit one.

So much rain this year that the horses have a lot of feed and are fat and sassy.

Oregon receives a good man today

The ground of Oregon receives a good man today as I go to my friends funeral. I find comfort in the fact that he will be buried in the same cemetery as my dad into the ground of a state he loved.

I know when dad was accepted into the ground of beautiful Oregon and we were picking out his grave site he wanted one picked before he went. He said one day "I think it is time for you to find me a motel room". It was a hard decision, it might be stupid as he could not see his beloved land now but I had to have one that you could see the Cascade Mountain Range he loved plus the farmland he wanted. We finally found the plot we wanted and got a family plot of 8 so I know my motel room awaits me near my mom and dad and who ever else of our family that wants one. The mountains, the farm land and half way between two big juniper trees farm enough away from the tree to be in the sunshine we both loved. 

I love Oregon and am glad when one of my loved ones remain here when they go home to God, a piece remains in Oregon forever.

Diversity is Oregon's middle name

I was driving down the road and found this old round up corral out in the middle of no where in Central Oregon and when I went to put the camera out the window to get a photo for reference for painting I saw the snow covered mountain in the mirror and thought, yep that is Oregon, everywhere you look is a different view.

Oregon has it all, snow covered mountains year around, history, ghost towns,desert,ocean,big cities. Our people are as diverse as our landscape. Even our weather is diverse. People think of rain when they think of Oregon, well this side of the mountain gets about 12" a year.  We have rainy areas, dry areas and everything in between.

Whatever you are looking for you can find it in Oregon, the most beautiful state in the union. I love Oregon and so proud of it roots and its people.

Old Barns and homesteads

I am headed out to take my daughters dogs back home but wanted to post some photos as I try hard to post every day. These are a bunch more old homesteads houses and barns. I love all the old buildings in Oregon

Cloud burst

This happened in just 3 minutes. It was raining so hard my dog and myself looked like we had been thrown in the lake by the time we ran to the Jeep. The road was flat where the next to the last and last photo were taken. It was quite an interesting experience, this is the high desert, where the sky opened up and a waterfall to earth developed.

Deschutes River and Trout Creek near Gateway, Oregon

When I was small no one even knew where Trout Creek was except the locals. The road down to Trout Creek was rough and could not be done in a car, you had to take the pickup or truck and many times we went on the trailer behind the tractor.

When we were haying we would unload the hay off the trailer and go to the house and get the cooler and picnic and fishing stuff and off to the river we would go. Us kids loved laying on that trailer staring at the sky as we bounced our way to the river.

My dad was one of the hardest working men I have ever known and he would get so tired but instead of resting when he had time he would take us fishing. When we got there he would throw his fishing line out in the river and then take off his shoe and wrap the line around his big toe and lay back and go to sleep while mom fixed the picnic and fished and us kids ran and fished.  He was really good at jerking that leg up in the air when he had a bite and he caught a lot of fish that way.

One day we had left over watermelon and on the way home all us kids got in a big watermelon fight on the trailer and had to stop at the bridge and jump in the creek and wash off.

One of my most favorite places in the world, partly because of the beauty and partly from all the memories of the  place.

It is selfish of me but I hated it when the city people found Trout Creek as now during the fishing season there is a big campground and sometimes 200 people will be there. No longer our private little play ground for local farmers.