Shadowfax and Her First Pup Cup

I'll get this out of the way now. Yes were are horrible dog parents. Shadowfax is 13 years old and has never had a pup cup before. In our defense we almost never go through drive through coffee shops, the kind of places that would hand out a pup cup.

Here at our new homestead on the Oregon Coast, there are a couple of drive through coffee shacks. On weekend mornings we will often pile in the car to visit a lighthouse or state park and stop by a coffee shack as a special treat. Our favorite place always offers Shadowfax cookies, which she has now come to expect. We never thought to request a pup cup and were always happy that Shadowfax was excited with special cookies.

But today we hit up a different spot that offered us a pup cup. "Of course, we'd love one!" we immediately responded. Shadofax was initially skeptical but quickly realized that it was tasty deliciousness and gobbled it down.

We'll return to this coffee shop for sure and post additional pictures of future pup cups.

Wildlife Sighting - A Bear in the Yard

We knew that our little corner of the Oregon Coast was more rugged and wild than any of the places that we had lived before. A few weeks after moving, something was cruising through the backyard in the middle of the night that Shadowfax could smell through the open window. Her crazy barking fit sent whatever it was scampering on their way.

Chatting with our neighbors also alerted us to regular bear activity in the area. Supposedly there are cougar and coyote as well, but we haven't seen any sign of them. Other than the occasional deer sighting on our early morning walks, we hadn't seen much else either. Until yesterday.

I was pouring our evening tea and looked out the kitchen window, spotting this bear eating grass or (maybe grubs) in the lawn. Alycia decided that the bear had probably recently woken from hibernation as the bear looked a bit dazed and spacey. Some hurtful comments followed comparing how I look when I first wake up in the morning. Those comments will certainly not be posted here. 

Don't fret though, we take all necessary bear related precautions - removing our birdfeeders in Spring and Fall, securing our trash cans, and making sure there are no fruiting trees in the backyard. And when we venture out on our walks we always carry bear spray, just in case. It's fun to see cool animals like this bear, and with a few small adjustments on our part and a little bit more situational awareness, we can all coexist happily. The bears were certainly here before we were.

The View From the Back Porch

 This was our view from the back porch yesterday. 

A day of showers and wind cleared out by the end of the day and left a dramatic evening sky. The lights from the back porch illuminated the trees and made for a spectacular photo. We are very much appreciative of the beauty of the Oregon Coast.