Carlene's Blog

Every day we explore and find new things to love about Coos Bay, Oregon. We’ve purchased a house, had it inspected and should close on May 14th. We ordered new appliances – washer/dryer, fridge, microwave, and will have them installed on the 18th – we move in on the 19th. Can’t wait.

We found the Coos Bay library and it’s as big or bigger than the one in North Bend. Wow, two great libraries in our area, how lucky can you get? Found the Art Museum and have tried several local restaurants – all good. We’re settling in nicely.

There’s a fabulous city park four blocks from our new digs, so my husband and I went there on Thursday to check it out. There are walking paths, dogs are allowed on leashes and it’s lovely. We walked for a while, greeted and were greeted by many people. This has to be the friendliest place on earth. In the middle of the park is a Japanese garden! There’s a little lake and stream, and a red, Japanese-style bridge across the water with a small waterfall. The obligatory ducks, geese and sea gulls are everywhere. I have to tell you, the garden itself is one of the most beautiful places I’ve even seen. The flowers and landscaping are pristine and literally take one’s breath away. The sun was out all day which only served to make the whole experience all that much better! We will definitely take the dogs for walks there – but not from the house! It may only be four blocks but it’s all downhill – which means at the end of our long walk we will have to go UP hill! I think we’ll just drive down.

Today we decided to walk the critters on the sand dunes instead of in the forest. Dukie, my 110 lb. yellow lab had a ball! He’s used to running daily at the leash-free park near our home in San Diego and I’m sure he missed it. He chased sticks, played with his sister, Tara and generally had a wee of a time.  When the dogs were finally worn out, we started to walk back two blocks to our rental and saw signs posted that there had been a cougar sighted near the dunes, three weeks ago! Now, there are houses all over the place. We’re not out in the country but there are trees everywhere, so I guess that’s where the cougar must live. Sure glad we didn’t see it – Dukie would have wanted to PLAY!!!!!

When we got home, my hubby noticed his cell phone was missing! Oy, we looked everywhere and finally drove back to the dunes to see if he might have dropped it during our walk. I stayed in the car while he searched around for it. I happened to look up to the top of the dunes and saw….five deer! Yup, a hole herd. Their little heads popped up, one by one and then they cautiously started down a path single file. They munched and wandered while I watched. I was hoping my husband would get back to the car before the deer disappeared but he didn’t make it. We both crossed the dunes – quietly and carefully, hoping to see them again, but the small herd had vanished into the forest. What a wonderful treat for me!

And, no – we haven’t found his cell yet!