The Lighthouse and the Octopus
On an unplanned detour in Newport, Oregon,
we discovered the lighthouse at Yaquina Head.
A peregrine falcon circling overhead welcomed us to its cliff-side home,
And kindly park hosts invited us to join the lighthouse tour.
With a storm blowing in, the lighthouse was soon to be closed.
So we pushed against wind gusts to reach the front door.
Once inside
and out of the wind and the rain,
The quiet and calm caused our voices to lower.
With white-washed walls,
Ironwork,
And centenarian glass
All around and above us,
We learned of lighthouse fuel,
Time-proven design,
And the life-saving lens.
First order Fresnel lens
The original destination of the day was
And our arrival was perfectly timed with
an octopus feeding.
Sashay, a female giant Pacific octopus. Watch the live Octocam
She gave quite a show,
cavorting and coloring herself to show
she was pleased with the attention and food.
After shaking one of her hands,
we moved on to touch other
creatures of the Pacific
Tidepool touch tanks
And wonder at the details
Sea stars and anemone
The color,
And textures of the underwater world.
This very full day
rounded out with treasure-hunting fun,
A pirate & his octopus sidekick at Pirate's Plunder
And we drove toward home
(as we now call our rv)
Talking of celluloid and crepe
Carved celluloid bangle, available in the 4 Birds Vintage shop
1930's crepe dress, available in the 4 Birds Vintage shop
And the beauty we saw from the lighthouse stairs.
