Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Oregon

On September, Pears And Alpacas

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

On this first day of September it’s fun to look forward to the fruits of Fall. That’s what I do to distract myself from the coming shorter days when the sun retreats to Bermuda and we get longer nights and shorter light. That rhymes!

Alpacas, sun and a pasture with a view. What more could you ask for?
Alpacas, sun and a pasture with a view. What more could you ask for?

Part of this ritual included escaping the storm we had over the weekend and venturing off to Hood River last Sunday. The promise of sun peeking out after the wind and rain squalls had us driving out-of-town up the Columbia River Gorge, one of my favorite spots in Oregon.

First was lunch at the Sixth Avenue Bistro for the famous Walnut and Pear Salad; which I have threatened to lick the plate to get all the maple vinaigrette. Then on to Packer Orchards and Bakery to the Cookie Bar and picking up some pears and jams and a cookie, of course.

Then the highlight, baby alpacas and yarn at Foothills Yarn & Fiber! Since getting to the alpacas is quite easy with a right turn right after the Cookie Bar, it’s the perfect expedition. The baby alpacas were four to six weeks old and had already been shorn of their coats.

We watched the babies lie in the sun, chase squirrels and chew grass.

Summertime and the liv'in is easy. I'm sure this little guy is singing that song in the sun.
Summertime and the liv’in is easy. I’m sure this little guy is singing that song in the sun.

A fabulous outing! A thorough recon of the yarn shop turned up two skeins of alpaca yarn I had to have, plus a backup pair of my favorite cold weather alpaca boot socks. I use them as slippers. Toasty toes this winter.

Pear a palooza! Are these ripe and ready or what?
Pear a palooza! Are these ripe and ready or what?

On the trek back down to Highway 35 I stopped to take some quick photos of the laden pear trees ready to drop their beautiful bounty.

September is pear month and harvest time in Hood River, so we might have to come back. There are some new hard ciders I need to try to support the local economy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I’m telling you, this harvest season shopping is a great way to enjoy Fall! It might become my new fav season yet. Fresh pears anyone?

Let’s Play Indoor Games!

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

The rains are finally coming tonight and I could not be happier. This unexpected weekend rain storm should really help with the forest fires here in the West. Mother Nature must have heard our prayers for our neighbors, firefighters and Oregon and Washington National Guard troops out fighting the blazes.

So let’s all do our part by enjoying this rainstorm and play inside. Let’s follow the lead of these two buddies, Jet and Emilia, having a fun time in the house. Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday. Let it rain!

Do You Have The Eye Of A Photographer?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

Spent part of last week on vacation at the beach, Depoe Bay, Oregon, one of my favorite spots on the planet. In the quest to get there we ended up in two traffic jams, so a stop at the Oregon State Park Van Duzer Corridor rest stop in the Coast Range was a great idea and a necessity.

Photo 1 - overall scene setting shot. Photojournalism rule - always make sure you get an overview picture.
Photo 1 – scene setting shot. Photojournalism rule – always make sure you get an overview picture.

I love to visit the stream which runs through the trees by the picnic tables, away from the rest stop building. The sound of the gurgling water is so relaxing. Even with low water at this time of year.

There are two rest stops, one North and on South. On on the way back we always check the river on the South side too, since it runs deeper than the North side stream.

I’ve been travelling this road for 35 plus years so I must have hundreds of photos of this stream. Thought it might be fun to show you the series of photos I took that day, in order. Kinda.

Photography, like writing, requires practice. What better fun for us shutter bugs than to take pictures outside by a forest brook? It was late in the afternoon so the light was still bright, so the green in the left side of photo one fades by being bleached out by the sun.

Next up I decided to zoom in and focus on the larger rock in the stream bed in photo three. Normally the water is deep here any other time of the year, so this was an opportunity to use the rock as a focal point in the lower left of the photo.

Photo 3 - yes I skipped two. I put the rock in the upper third on pic 2, then changed my mind and put it in the lower third to draw in the eye. Better.
Photo 3 – yes I skipped two. I put the rock in the upper third on pic 2, then changed my mind and put it in the lower third to draw in the eye. Better.

Close ups are good, but I also wanted to see what a mid-range photo would look like so I pulled back the zoom and framed shot five. Liked the filtered light coming through the trees and into the water and the better contrast between the water, rocks and trees.

So the last picture is my favorite of the five I shot in this series. I checked the times on the photos and I shot them all in two minutes.

The great thing about digital cameras is you’ve always got pixels to spare; as long as you carry an extra charged battery and memory card.

Spent part of the trip trying to use my new Canon PowerShot Elph 340  HS camera. Somehow managed to shoot video when I hadn’t planned on it, so more time is needed with that camera. It has a much longer zoom and greater pixels, the better to get harbor seal close-ups!

These stream photos were shot with my trusty old Canon PowerShot Elph SD800 IS. It’s so hard to give up an old reliable and move onto the next one. I’m talking about cameras here, by the way, just to be clear.

Have you played with your camera today?

Picture 5 and my favorite. I can count, I just skipped two other photos in between.
Picture 5 and my favorite. I can count, I just skipped one more photo in between.

Been On A Weekend Shopping Safari?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

Spent this past weekend dashing around like a maniac. Zipped over to Craft Warehouse for their tent sale on Saturday, then managed to get stuck in our first rain storm in two months on the freeway. The downpour created two traffic jams and two car wrecks I avoided in 75 minutes trying to get to my writer support group; but All’s Well That End’s Well. Made it!

A favorite sign at Craft Warehouse. I may have to go back and get this....
A favorite sign at Craft Warehouse. I may have to go back and get this….

On Sunday I zoomed over to the grocery store to hand off a wedding gift and try to beat the after church crowds at the same time. While waiting at the designated outside meeting spot, I noticed the bees busily working away on the flowers in the garden center. Go bees! Took out my ever ready camera and got a few pics.

Then finished up Sunday by binge-watching three “Who Do You Think You Are” shows on The Learning Channel before the start of the new season that night. It’s like a cozy mystery for every show and so fun to follow the genealogy trails.

I enjoy when they use military records, since heaven knows there is always paper involved when serving in the military. A nice by-product of the tv watching was Spec Ops Cat approved of the lap time.

So we got some rain, had a cool weekend, and here comes the heat again. Seriously, Mother Nature is having hot flashes and I can do without temps in the 90s. Let’s hope for cooler temps than predicted and if not, keep your cameras ready for the outfits! In high heat I see the most amazing clothes combos.

Bee on the job. Even on Sunday!
Bee on the job. Even on Sunday!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Beatrix Potter today. Her “little bunny book” as she called it, “Peter Rabbit,” helped her preserve hundreds of acres in the Lake District of England. The little bunny that could!

Happy Birthday America!

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by Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

The high temps keep rolling here in Oregon and it’s going to be a firecracker holiday weekend without any pyrotechnics! I’m going the route of watching the official fireworks shows and not lighting a thing with flames or sparks due to our tinder dry conditions. Let’s all help out our firefighters and neighbors by being safe this Fourth of July!

It’s also a time to consider vets and pets. With National Guard, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans back from deployments, firecrackers and loud booms can be unwelcome reminders and triggers of combat. Heck, my first Fourth of July visiting home after basic training a loud firecracker went off to start the fireworks and I was half way to the ground; reflex training.

Pets of all kinds, dogs and cats particularly, get upset by the noises too and can run off. So watch the sponsored shows and keep the noise out of our neighborhoods.

So, if we don’t fire up sparklers at home, what can we do? Eat! Check out the tiny hamster’s BBQ party! These patriotic pets have the perfect recipe for a fun-filled weekend – picnics!

Have a safe and sane Fourth of July and Happy Quirky Friday!

Conserve Energy, Eat Lying Down!

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

It’s going to be a scorcher here this weekend in the land of the Douglas fir trees and rain. We’ve got heat warnings, fire weather warnings and low rivers. So I’ve decided to follow the skilled teachings of Nala, a Norwegian Forest Cat/Maine Coon from Norway. In this video her classic moves of eating while lying on the floor must have taken years of practice and study.

Following her lead, the sun tea jar is outside making tea, my beloved air conditioning is set to 75 degrees to not kill it and I plan to eat lunch lying down. Nala can’t be wrong!

Stay cool and be safe in the heat this weekend. Happy Quirky Friday!