There will be a five-station radiothon on February 1, 10AM-5PM, on the New Northwest Broadcasting stations. All five of the stations will link up to broadcast an appeal for donations from listeners. The donation money will go to the International Red Cross. Regular programming that Monday will be interrupted for this event.

The NNB stations are: KAST AM 1370, KKEE AM 1230, KJOX FM 99.7, KVAS FM 103.9 and KCRX FM 102.3.

The century-old North Head Lighthouse, completed in 1898, sits atop a bluff in one of the windiest locations in the United States. Winds frequently clock at over 100 mph, guarding ships through the trecherous waters, known as the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” The Lighthouse is a favorite stop for visitors and one of my favorite places in the world. This 65 foot tall conical lighthouse sits north of the mouth to the Columbia River in Southwest Washington.

Since I live in close proximity, the Lighthouse is one of my favorite escapes, whether it be for sharing with friends and family or if I just need a break from life. A short stroll through the rainforest-like terrain provides numerous opportunities to view nature at its finest. We especially love to walk on the tiny Lighthouse Keeper’s path which provides especially beautiful photo opportunities. The Lighthouse was designed by German-born engineer C.W. Leick and sits on solid basalt more than 190 feet above sea level so it provides glorious views of Oregon to the South and the Long Beach Peninsula to the North.

Each changing season provides a new and unique experience. We trekked to the lighthouse after a freak snowstorm when the ground was covered in a lovely blanket of white.  Without a single other soul to be seen or heard from, the area was quiet, still and peaceful…even the ocean. During one of our summer visits we got caught in a fast moving rainstorm.  The storm produced fierce winds and rough seas that crashed loudly upon the rocky terrain below, however the Brown Pelicans flew around in utter delight and amusement. It was a sight that I’ll not soon forget.

Before there were lighthouses on the Peninsula, ships bound for Portland and Astoria navigated their way through high waves and shifting sandbars, focusing on fluttering white flags and notched trees along the shoreline by day and flickering signal fires by night. These methods were crude at best and, despite heroic efforts, the sea offshore of the Long Beach Peninsula became known as ‘The Graveyard of the Pacific’.

North Head has a neighboring lighthouse, Cape Disappointment, that is similar in shape, and painted in a unique stripe pattern so that the two can easily be recognized during daylight. This marking is called a daymark. Both lighthouses are fully functional and were taken under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939.

After the last keeper left North Head in 1961, the lonely lighthouse began to deteriorate. Luckily the Coast Guard restored the lighthouse in the mid-80s and opened it to the public under the direction of the Cape Disappointment State Park. The keeper’s dwellings are nestled a half mile into the woods from the lighthouse itself, and have also been restored. Today, half of the dwellings house park personnel, but the other half and a single-family house are available for overnight stays.

If you venture to the Southwest Washington region, I highly recommend you stop by the Cape Disappointment State Park and especially the North Head Lighthouse where you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world.

From SallyLeeByTheSea.com, where you can “Escape to simpler times and a world of cottages, beaches, lighthouses, interior design and general loveliness”.  Visit the site for wonderful decorating items and ideas!

See also:  http://www.funbeach.com/attractions/lighthouse-northhead.html

By AMANDA FRINK, Observer Staff Writer

Since the late 1980s or early 1990s, Dennis Roberts has been collecting ceramic Christmas village pieces. And for the first time in five years, he’s taken them all out of their boxes and set up a large snowy village in the back of his Hungry Harbor Grill for the community to appreciate during the holiday season.

Approximately 150 square feet in size, Roberts says it took him about 40 hours to construct the village.

“I felt like ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ as I was setting it up – like someone should’ve tied me down,” he jokes.

Featuring numerous Department 56 collectibles, the village has five scenes – mountain, rural, residential, commercial/downtown, and the wharf – among the snowy hills, cliffsides and frozen ponds.

Though Roberts says he hasn’t kept a tally on his collection, there are easily 50 or more little ceramic buildings to enjoy, such as fiber-optic houses, a post office, churches, a barn, treehouse (complete with a tire swing), retro McDonald’s, movie theatre, backyard greenhouse, Chinese restaurant, Christmas tree vendor, an outhouse, fish market, bed and breakfast, boat builder, lobster restaurant, banks, newsstand, toy stores, real estate office, fire house, lighthouses (two of which have a rotating lantern lights), library, grocery, train station and a couple trains.

Along the wharf, fishing boats are festively decorated with tiny Christmas lights while a couple of sea lions sit atop a bright red buoy.

The longer you look, the more details you’ll find – such as decorated Christmas trees, an outdoor fireplace, deer, an ice fisherman, garbage cans, ducks, stacks of firewood, a fountain, covered bridge, Santa and his reindeer, and kids sledding through the snow and having snowball fights.

In addition to Hungry Harbor’s fun year-round beach décor, their front room also has numerous snowmen and a Christmas tree on display. The back room, known as the Kite Room, is available to rent for parties, and the village will be on display until the first of the year. Hungry Harbor is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Wildlife Center of the North Coast recently released 40 of the birds who were lucky enough to be rehabilitated at the Center after an algae bloom caused oil-stripping foam to cripple thousands.  Daily Astorian has the full story, with video.

From “The Little House By The Sea”

So when we got to Cape Disappointment and it turned out to be quite an mushroom-extravaganza he couldn’t have been happier. Though picking was forbidden (there must be some magic ones out there, because mushroom is just the fruit of an underground organism, and picking those doesn’t hurt it much), he got many a lovely shot.

See for yourself!

Marsh’s Free Museum!  Part nick-nack store (one and perhaps the original of many many in this little tourist town), part curiosity show, complete with hundred dollar sea shells, stuffed wildebeasts, mechanical canaries and of course Jake the Alligator-Man, Marsh’s Free Museum is well-worth spending some time, as well as nickels and dimes in olden-time-y peep machines.

Don’t forget to look at the Politically incorrect music box photo!

“IIwaco is a quaint little town on the coast of Washington State just across the Washington – Oregon boarder. Took a few photos at the marina before an early morning meeting last year.

Ilwaco, Washington… Located at the mouth of the Columbia River, Ilwaco is the gateway to one of our nation’s newest national treasures, the Lewis and Clark National & State Historical Park. Lighthouses, pristine beaches, fabulous campgrounds and breathtaking hiking trails all invite you to experience the unparalleled natural beauty of the area. The Port of Ilwaco is the Pacific Northwest’s premiere sturgeon, salmon, halibut, crab and tuna fishing destination.”

From http://colorizedphotos.blogspot.com;  click to see the photos.

One sure bet around this part of the country is that if you have a hankering for an oyster treat, you’ll probably be getting an oyster from Washington’s Willapa Bay.

The Willapa was carved out by glaciers long ago. When the ice retreated, the ocean rushed in to fill the void. Eventually, sand collected, forming the Long Beach Peninsula, a 24-mile spit that protects this shallow bay and creates a unique cool rich upwelling of marine water mixed with fresh water from the many streams draining the Willapa hills. It makes a perfect place for algae to grow, and shellfish happen to love the stuff.

Depending on whom you believe, Willapa Bay supplies either one in six oysters or up to 30 percent of the oysters that oyster lovers throughout the United States crave. Either way you shuck it, that’s a lot of oysters.

Oysters are packed with nutritional goodies: They’re rich in proteins, vitamins and such trace elements as iron, iodine, copper, phosphorous, cobalt and manganese – all of which make for a healthier body. But above all, these little bivalve mollusks are tasty and fortunately very available here in our area. I’ll get to that a little later.

[Read the whole article at the Daily Astorian]

Washington has seen an increase in the number of fishing licenses sold this year, beating a national trend.

The number of fishing licenses sold from January through September is up 18 percent compared with the same months last year. Through September, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has sold more than 1.06 million licenses, including annual, temporary and shellfish licenses.

[read more]

From Bob & K.C.’s Travels:

“While our motorhome was in the shop, our friends Roxie and Rus loaned us their place at the beach. We drove over to Long Beach, Washington.”   [Read More]

and, from BMX trickster Justin:

“Two weekends ago we went to Long Beach, WA with some friends (haha i’m sure that I got some of you on that one). Us guys had some free time so we went out for a little photo shoot.”  [Read More]

Coast Weekend put together a great guide to the haunts and happenings in our area this Halloween.  Check it out!

Even more Halloween happenings on the north coast are on this page of CoastWeekend.com.

Here on the Peninsula, churches are working together to host a community harvest party from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Pacific Bible Church, U.S. Highway 101 at Advent Avenue in Ilwaco (across from Black Lake). Have fun in a safe and friendly environment. Kids will enjoy playing games and earning candy; get your face painted or grab a piece of pie and some coffee at the concession. There will be door prizes. Dress up or come dressed as yourself. Admission is by donation, or one large bag of candy.

Sadly, there is no haunted bunker this year, but the Elks in downtown Long Beach are doing a Haunted House!