I want to introduce you to a special lady from Florence, OR on the coast. Her name is Deborah Heldt Cordone. Deb is a woman of many talents including writing, photography and video. She is published in all three areas.

Deb lives near the mouth of the Siuslaw River in Florence and about a week ago as she was watching the river, she spotted an Orca breaching and actually leaping out of the water in front of her house not far from the jetties that are the entrance to this river.

Deb grabbed her video camera and started recording. The battery died and she dashed inside to replace them hoping the Orca would still be there. It was a nervous, rushed few minutes. The Orca was still there, but was heading back out to sea breaching and leaping all the way. Deb was able to get more footage of this beautiful ocean creature as it traveled back to the massive body of water it calls home.

Deb contacted OrcaNet and reported this sighting to Orca researchers, along with the video. This particular Orca was easily determined to be a male, based on a tall, straight dorsel fin, overall size and curved flukes on the tail. So, if you were wondering, now you know!

Orcas are a unique species of whale more related to dolphins than whales. They feed on fish and other small, live marine life. Sometimes commonly called “killer whales” they are not a threat to human life in the wild. The term “killer whale” is derived from terms in Roman and Greek Mythology. We are getting away from this term and using the more appropriate Orca. Orcas have no natural enemy/predator outside of humans. They are beautiful, unique and very socially structured, mystical creatures of the sea.

Deb gave us permission to share her special video here with you. Thanks, Deb! Enjoy!

This adventure begins with travel day 3, April 20^th. This is my favorite part of the cross-country drive. Coming out of Pocatello in full view of the snow-topped Rocky Mountains all the way to Soda Springs, ID. A quick stop at the local gas and snack store and then turn left on ID 34.

The highway passes some mining/industry but mostly lush grasslands, a large recreational lake, a couple of ranches, a wide place or 2 in the road with “town” names and small groves of Aspen trees. This picture is from 2 years ago taken in the fall.

 There are definitely bright colors in the fall, but this relatively deserted area is beautiful any time. The snow-capped peaks are visible all the way.

Heading North out of Soda Springs, ID on ID 34 after about 20 miles, the road turns east entering the Caribou National Forest. This canyon follows the Tincup Creek down in elevation into Freedom and then onto Alpine, WY.

While there is a campground and some hiking and fishing and a ranch or two along the way, it is mostly pristine wilderness with a nicely paved road that usually only locals travel. You will not encounter much traffic. The scenery is some of the most beautiful anywhere. The 15 ft snow posts along side the road, though, tell the tale of treacherous winter driving.

Drive slowly and enjoy the beauty, peace and near solitude as it goes, but also so you can watch for deer that are often crossing the road. Stop and get out now and then and take in the air and snap some photos.

Reluctantly the bottom of the canyon appears and the road opens up on ranch land and open prairie with the Rocky Mountains in view approaching Freedom.

Reaching the north/south junction at Freedom, turn south for a short distance (there are signs) and then east again toward the mountains until coming to WY 89 and turn left (North) to travel on into Alpine.

Ah, but you are now high up in Rockies and after a brief stop at Alpine (be sure to take in the fresh mountain air) it’s a right turn (east) to follow the beautiful Snake River Valley through the mountains down in elevation to Hoback.

Snake River

Hoback

At Hoback, take a right and head South to Pinedale with mountain views all the way. Again, slow down, enjoy the majestic scenery of the Rocky Mountains and watch out for deer.

It is once again time for Rhody Days in Florence, Oregon, on the coast!  Starting Friday, May 19 through Sunday, May 21, all the usual, fun activities will take place and maybe a few new ones, too. There will be hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors in town for a day or the weekend as this is a most popular coast event. Come join in the fun. Our post from 2015 below will let you in on many of the activities you can enjoy!

Whew!  I’ve been gone a long time from here and I’m sorry about that but will be regaling you with the latest adventures soon. You’ll be surprised—I know I was!

For now, I want to share this unique photo of the Oregon Coast with you. This was taken by my grandson during the 2015 Christmas Holiday Season. We visited Devil’s Churn on Cape Perpetua (Hmmmmm….if there isn’t a blog about the cape yet there will be). The adult grands hiked out on the wet, slippery rocks where the surf was spraying up over the rocky shore (while we worried a bit about them being gone so long) and got this great photo. The young have no fear.

Grandson said I could share his awesome photo with you. Enjoy!

Update

On Monday, we left Umpqua River Haven and headed east. An annual jaunt to spend time with family and friends. We drove through the beautiful Umpqua River Valley—a river valley that challenges all river valleys for beauty—to Eugene and then on east through the beautiful, but not as beautiful, McKenzie River Valley to Sisters, OR. Sisters is a quaint, touristy town with many interesting shops. It is also part of the skiing community near the Sisters mountain peaks. We gassed up and headed on to Bend.

Bend, OR is a thriving community also with proximity to skiing and many other winter activities that require snow. We passed on through heading east again only pausing for a moment at Brothers. Brothers is a wide place in the road with a café and other services. The desert stretches out to low hills as you travel this rural state highway. Traffic was very thin. We like that!

Because of all the rain we’ve had this year, even the desert is green right now. Sagebrush, grass and more. The hillsides are green, green,green.

After an enjoyable day of driving, we settled for the night in Burns, OR (remember our blog post about the siege at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge?https://umpquariverhaven.com/2016/02/09/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-occupied  The locals are still talking about the “invasion”).

Tuesday we continued on the remote state highway that crosses Oregon into John Day Country. This area of Oregon offers a wide variety of scenery and things to do from desert to snowy mountains. We drove the river valley. In spite of this being desert country, there was so much moisture this year that even the desert is green and blooming.

It seems incongruous to have a river running through the desert but it does.

And it is so very green….

Eastern Oregon IS a desert in spite of all the irrigated crops. Every once in awhile the desert insists on being seen. Got sand?

Eventually, we came to the Oregon-Idaho border and picked up I-84 for the rest of our day’s travels. We spent quality time visiting and noticed how green the Idaho prairie was. Often it is just brown driving across the prairie.

Stay tuned for our next adventure that will take us through the mountains of Idaho and Wyoming—undoubtedly one of the most beautiful drives anywhere.

Did you know that you can travel around the world without ever leaving the United States? Enriching and informative travel happen right here at home through the world of International Dance. And you don’t have to dance!

Formerly known as “folk dance,” this style of dancing consists of ancient dances and music as well as modern choreography and music. International Dance can be social, recreational and also of performance quality.

As a traveler within the United States, there are many places around the country that offer a chance to participate in or just be an observer of International Dance. Let’s take a look at the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon and Washington offer a variety of opportunities for finding International Dance groups. Along the I-5 Corridor, there is a recreational folk dance group at Ashland, Oregon. One can discover a great deal about the music, dance, dress, food, customs and traditions of many different countries even through recreational groups like this one.

Traveling north along the I-5 Corridor to Eugene, Oregon, you will find two very different International Dance groups. One is the Eugene Folk Dancers, a recreational dance group. The other is Veselo. Veselo is a Bulgarian dance group. They are recreational but also have a performance group. Veselo sponsors a three-day Bulgarian workshop in January with guest instructors from Bulgaria.

You will meet so many people along this dance adventure, not the least of which are the teachers from other countries. You can get to know them and about their home countries, the people, the traditions and more. And the music is not only different but often beautiful and always interesting.

Traveling further north on the I-5 Corridor will bring you to Portland, Oregon where the Kyklos International Folk Dancers reside. Portland also is home to Portland Israeli Dance otherwise known as Rikudei Am (Dance of the People). Israeli dance is not as old as Bulgarian and others but the steps are often the ancient steps brought to the Middle East when the Jewish people started migrating to Palestine in 1882.

Seattle, Washington is about 173 miles north of Portland. Seattle is home to many different International Dance groups. Greek dance, Balkan Dance, Israeli and more. One large dance community is Skandia. Skandia is a non-profit, educational and cultural organization founded by Gordon E. Tracie in 1949 for the preservation and teaching of Nordic traditional dance culture and music.

If you want to travel the beautiful Pacific Coast, there are International Dance groups up and down the Oregon Coast. The Coos Bay Folk Dancers are based in Coos Bay, Oregon. The Oregon Coast International Dancers are in Florence, Oregon. The Port Orford Folk Dancers are at Port Orford, Oregon. This style of dance can be found in many other Oregon and Washington communities as well.

If you have a desire to travel but don’t want to wander far from home, come visit us at Umpqua River Haven. We will point you in the right direction to discover people, dance, music, culture, ethnic food and recipes and more from all over the world through International Dance.

In keeping with my promise of posting concert reviews, here is the latest. It was unique in the construction—just like pressing the shuffle feature on a CD player. The musicians didn’t know what was coming up next! 

Shortly after 7:00 P.M. on April 7, Nancy Pearson, Seacoast Entertainment Association Board Member, walked onto an open stage set with piano, chairs, microphones and soft, violet lighting and introduced one of the most unique instrumental groups found anywhere.

Shuffle Concert is an eclectic group of instrumental musicians and one singer. Their main goal is to give their audiences the experience of great music in a variety of musical styles, and the experience of participation. A menu of music choices from multiple styling venues is passed out. Attendees were advised to memorize their number.

Dressed in concert black, the musicians took their places. They called out the first number and a participant voiced their selection. Shuffle Concert musicians flawlessly executed Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s “The Star-Crossed Lovers.” This slow, beautiful jazz piece expresses the sadness of Romeo and Juliet. Violin, Clarinet and Piano together are unusual and most of the music is arranged for particular instrument groupings playing duets, trios, quartets and ensemble.

Director and Founder Eliran Avni and Clarinetist Moran Katz are both from Israel. Hassan Anderson, Oboist and Mr. Personality, is from Florida. All three are graduates of the famous Juilliard School in New York City and knew of each other at Juilliard. They did not come together in their music until after graduation.

In the upbeat manner of the ensemble, Katz expressed her joy and the love of what she was doing in every piece she played. Katz invoked the soulfulness of this instrument as she magically worked her woodwind.

Sofia Nowik sat center stage expertly plying her bow across the cello strings, and only left center stage when the cello wasn’t required. She never missed a beat. She was constantly watching each musician as her cello, along with the keyboard, carried the rhythms for the ensemble.

Harmonics on a violin can sometimes sound like a fingernail scratching across a blackboard. There was none of that when Brendan Speltz played them. This technique is difficult to perfect but not for Speltz. Everything he did on that violin was done to perfection. He was not quite as good with the shakers as Anderson in one piece, but did have a definite violin wrist technique with them. They were both amusing.

Soprano Adrienne Pardee has an absolutely lovely voice. When she turns up the vocal volume, it can probably be heard out in the parking lot. She often sang without a microphone and her voice was just as lovely soft, but not always heard by the back row.

A highlight of the evening was “Far From The Home I Love” from Brock and Harnick’s “Fiddler On The Roof,” performed by Pardee, Anderson on oboe and Avni. Anderson introduced this piece as being about a “hot boy” and then proceeded to unbutton his shirt a bit while eyeing Pardee. Shortly after Pardee started singing, she broke up and asked to start over. She stated, “I can’t stop thinking about the hot boy.” Everyone cracked up then. Anderson excused himself from the stage, returning with his shirt buttoned and a great deal of decorum. The piece started again and Pardee sang this sad, emotional song beautifully. When it ended, Anderson crossed the stage and gave Pardee a kiss on the cheek.

Perfection in playing one’s instrument and then in playing in a group is accomplished by a great deal of practice, along with a lot of talent. The intonation of instruments may be even more important. A string can be played on a sliding scale. Winds can also hit various parts of a single note. Perfection is achieved in intonation by listening to each other and not letting notes slide. Shuffle Concert has unbelievable and exquisite intonation and clarity of tone.

Enough cannot be said about Avni. He is the consummate piano accompanist playing with perfection in the background letting the rest of the musicians stand out, never overpowering them with his vast talents. It was a treat during “The Eleven O’clock Train,” by A. Barbosa and arranged for the group by Oran Eldor, to hear his command of the keyboard. It would be good if he did more of that.

Presented by SEA producers Pat McArdle and Nancy Pearson, Shuffle Concert was the sixth in this seven-part series of SEA’s 35th concert season. Don’t miss SEA’s next exciting concert, The New Hot Club of America, on May 13 at FEC. For tickets call 541-997-1994.

Left to Right:  Adrienne Pardee, Sofia Nowik, Brendan Speltz, Nancy Pearson, Eliran Avni, Hassan Anderson, Moran Katz

Windy Bay! Remember a previous blog about this unique, busy-with-lots-to-do Oregon Coast place? https://umpquariverhaven.com/2015/04/25/visiting-windy-bay/ The Bay is more than dunes, beach, lighthouse, lake, fish, oysters and boats. The community has a social center where they hold potlucks, receptions, socials and other events. Not the least of these happenings is the annual Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association Fiddle Music Jamboree.

Musicians from all over Oregon, Washington and Northern California travel to this beautiful coast place for a lot of Jammin’. There is Jammin’ here, there and everywhere inside and outside and around the center and even on the boat docks. You just can’t miss it when you visit as the melodies drift out over the bay.

This event grows bigger every year and 80 – 100 musicians will find their way to Windy Bay mid-August for four days starting on a Thursday. They jam with fiddles, banjos, double basses, mandolins, harmonicas, guitars and you might see some creative instruments, too, like a washtub single string bass. A wide variety of music is on the program. You will hear bluegrass, swing, folk, Cajun, country, pretty waltzes and, of course, old time music. And listen for some exciting Celtic music! You probably won’t hear any rap music but there will be lots of singing to go along with the fiddlin’.

Open jam sessions happen every day, all day long as described above. In the evenings starting at 6:00 P.M., there is a concert on stage inside the center. There might be a dinner available one evening and Sunday morning there is a Gospel Show starting at 9:00 A.M. that closes down the jamboree.

There are lodging accommodations in the bay. We like the Harbor View Motel right on the bay.  It is older, but nice and very clean (we know the owner) and the rates are reasonable. Tell Cindy that Ellen sent you! There are additional accommodations, too.

Several restaurants reside in the bay, including one that one floats, but our personal favorite is Bedrock’s Pizzeria. It is directly on the bay with two windowed walls. It’s not fancy but it is pleasant, clean and the service is friendly. The food is good, too. We love the clam strips! You are practically sittin’ on the water watching the ducks, seagulls and loons. http://bedrocksrestaurants.com/index.html

We wanted you to know about this happy, fun event now so that when you plan your Oregon August trip (do call ahead to stay with us here at Umpqua River Haven – 541-587-4406 – www.umpqahaven.com) you can plan to attend the jamboree. The weather will be gorgeous and the ocean breezes gentle. Oh, and you might meet one or two of the Coast Chamber Ensemble members. Yes, CCE is mostly classical but some of us fiddle, too.

Now, come set a spell and enjoy some of the music of the 2014 jamboree in this video. At about 12 minutes in there are some cute kids performing.

Spring has sprung along the Umpqua River and on the Oregon Coast. The Crocuses have come and gone and the Daffodils are in full bloom. All of this signals that it’s time to go fishing for Spring Chinook Salmon! These tasty beauties can average 25 to 50 pounds in the Umpqua River and that’s a lot of good eatin’!

The best months for fishing are April, May and June. The best times-of-day are one hour before sunrise until 2:00 P.M., except in tidewaters.

From February 1 to June 30, you can harvest 2 salmon “springers” per day and up to 5 total “springers” for this season. July 1 to December 30, 2 salmon are permitted with up to 20 total fish in combination with other species of fish that can be caught.

Hatchery salmon can be recorded on a separate hatchery harvest tag that is available. There is no limit to the number of hatchery harvest tags that can be purchased but daily limits still apply.

From Umpqua River Haven it’s a short 4-mile drive to the Scottsburg Park where you will find a large parking area that accommodates boat trailers. There is a very nice boat launch area. Picnic tables and a restroom are also available. When the fishin’ is all done, you won’t have far to go to get home if you are staying with us! Bring your smoker or just enjoy grilling that fresh caught Spring Chinook Salmon! Could you find a prettier place to go fishing than the Umpqua River in Oregon???!!!

“The band is here only to support the trombones!” That was the delightful introduction by Maggie Doud, Seacoast Entertainment Association’s producer and ex-trombone player, for an evening of dancing on the flat floor at the Florence Events Center. The March 18 event brought the big band music of the official Glen Miller Orchestra to the Oregon Coast.

Under the direction of the multi-talented Nick Hilscher, the smooth tones of traditional big band era music sounded exactly like it did on the radio back in its hey-day. The band’s opening was their theme song, “Moonlight Serenade,” composed by Glenn Miller. As the evening progressed with tunes familiar to most of those in attendance, memories came flooding back to many. Not every eye in the room remained dry.

“Chattanooga Choo Choo” is a fun song written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon in 1941. Hilscher and the Moonlight Serenaders, consisting of three band members, and solo vocalist Ginny Swoish, joined together to sing this well-known tune with the band. They all had a fun time with this one delighting the audience.

Hilscher is a handsome family man who both directs the band and sings solo. His singing style and phrasing are definitely reminiscent of Frank Sinatra. He knows just when to step in and actually direct the band and when to step out of the picture and let the band play. When you have musicians that are among the best in the world, it isn’t necessary to mark the beat much.

Swoish first took the microphone to sing “Get Me To The Church On Time,” from Lerner and Loewe’s “My Fair Lady.” Aside from being pleasing to watch, Swoish presents great personality with her voice. She has a beautiful voice and uses it to have fun and entertain. She harmonized well with the quartet and Hilscher.

The musicians make what they do look easy, but they have years of practice behind them that earned them frequent applause. They are also entertaining with their instrumental antics. The horns have Derby hats to accent their music. The trombones almost dance at times as they play. The saxophones joined in with similar antics. These excellent musicians are all amazing but the sax players were fascinating due to their ability to play multiple, but very different instruments. In addition to the saxophone, they all had clarinets and flutes waiting for a turn. While the music is much loved, the band makes it very entertaining for those watching.

There was more than just watching. There was a lot of dancing going on. Almost everyone in the room hit the dance floor at least once to “cut a rug!” One couple approached the dance floor and abandoned their walking canes to a friend as they took ballroom position to glide around to their favorite Glenn Miller tune.

Hilscher was the consummate band leader introducing each musician during the course of the evening. There isn’t space to name them all individually, but there wasn’t a sour note in the bunch. The lead musicians shone out and everyone was given a chance to stand out a bit.

One younger attendee was very much “into” big band music. She relayed the story of Glenn Miller’s mysterious disappearance during World War II. At one point she texted her brother in Nevada a picture of the band. He texted back that he was jealous. She gives hope that big band music will never die because it’s that good.

One nice thing this band always does is to recognize the veterans in the room. They are asked to stand and always receive hearty applause. As they sat down, the band played “American Patrol,” composed by Frank White Meacham and arranged as a swing tune for the band by Jerry Gray in 1941.

This excellent evening of music and dance was concert number five in SEA’s 2015-2016 series. Don’t miss SEA’s next concert, Shuffle Concert where the audience gets to pick the music, on Thursday, April 7, at 7:00 PM. For tickets phone the FEC box office @ 541-997-1994.