POWER SHOTS from around the area...
...taken with my Canon 'Powershort' camera...

First of all, no, the Canon Camera Company isn't sending me any gigantic residuals (nor residuals of any size whatsoever) for my mention of its product; but when you've got a term as definitively emphatic as "Power Shot", well, ya gotta use it...so I did. Okay, onward...many of the photos I've taken are from my immediate area, in the Coos Bay/North Bend area of Oregon. I took a trip up to Florence recently and I snapped some shots along the way. Why some of the following photos are larger than others, well, I don't know. Never said I was any kind of expert. And now, the photos, enhanced (or not) with colorful (or not) commentary...
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Since I live close to the coast much of my life at, or near sea level. But, highway 101 is no flat, easy stretch of road to navigate. Unlike the interstate highways, almost every foot that goes up and down the coast demands intense attention as it twists and winds along. So for those of you who might think the coastal area is level and flat, well, "Hah!" There's lots of hilly country here.

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Next up is Takhenich Lake itself, one of the small freshwater lakes all up and down the coast. Hiway 101 actually borders the lake on the west side. As you can see, this is a peaceful place, and the bullfrogs have just gotta be happy, seeking shelter in the numerous lily pads and other water-vegetation. I'd say this lake is about 5 miles north of Reedsport on the way to Florence.
It's hard, really, to make good time on Highway 101. It's so scenic.
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This next photo is of the bridge that spans the Umpqua River waaay up in Florence, which is 50 miles from where I now live. It was a fairly hot day along the coast, which is fairly unusual in itself. I actually had to use my car's air-conditioning for the first time in over a year. It had to be a good 80 degrees out there. The Umpqua River can be seen below, proving that' it's all 'water under the bridge'. Someone's big deluxe travel trailer is seen crossing the bridge.
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These next two smaller snapshots were taken along the way to Florence...there are campgrounds all up and down the coast, but since I had to get to where I was going, and not be late, I didn't commit to memory every place I stopped. That's why I can't tell you where the small photo at left was taken except to say "this photo was taken at or near a campground located west of Hiway 101". I took it because I liked the view. The small photo at right is the Umpqua River Lighthouse, Winchester Bay, Oregon, just south of Reedsport. It's still in service, as is evidenced by the fenced-in housing provided the government's personnel who man the tower and, I guess, do other government-type stuff in the area.

Below, the photo on the left is one of the huge sand dunes, this one located directly across the Umpqua River from Florence. And the photo on the right is of the big dredging boat which hangs around Coos Bay this time of year. It was taken from a cliff that's about 100 feet above the water. The ship is scooping out the bay, keeping things safe for big ships.

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These last few photos were taken in the Coos Bay/North Bend area, not far from home. This spring-fed, man-made lake is right in-between both towns, and provides fishing and recreational access for those who need someplace beside the Ocean to be. This is a very placid and peaceful place. It's called John Topits Lake. There's actually two John Topits lakes; the other is nearby, and together they form what is known as the Empire Lakes. It's obvious this is a man-made lake; the greenery in the background goes right down to lake level. I wonder how deep they are...
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Next up is a huge boat taking loads of logs from the trucks; this load's goin' to China, or so the Newspaper said. The boat's claw can easily grab a logging truck's entire load, and this boat takes on loads and LOADS of logs, and still it floats. Boggles my mind, for sure. This was taken on the inland side of Coos Bay.
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When it's very hot inland, the cool ocean air runs headlong into the warmer inland air, and when that happens, Bam!!! We get fog over here like you wouldn't believe sometimes. This photo in the 'old town' portion of Coos Bay called 'Empire', and this is an old pier (I guess) that has certainly seen Better Days. A cool subject for a picture. You gotta have something to compare the fog to, or you won't see the fog...
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Finally, it's come time to end another post. We've traveled a lot of miles here, but to put a period on the sentence, there's nothing that says 'End Of The Day' like an Ocean Sunset. Especially when it's not foggy. This was taken from the Bastendorff Beach overlook; Bastendorff is also a county park that's full most of the time in the summer. Hint: Best time to be here is September thru about Mid-November, because there's less Fog.

It's been a long day. We've seen the sights and traveled many a mile. Alas, Day Is Done, and it's time to reflect upon hours well spent with Mother Nature. And now as the Beatles once sang, "And now the sun turns out his light...good night...sleep tight..."