Train at the Portland Zoo

Our three grandsons, on the train at Portland Zoo. The zoo was one of the highlights of the trip for the boys.

Harbour at Newport

Newport has a genuine working harbour, albeit with a few tourist attractions like Undersea Gardens and Ripley's Believe it Or Not scattered among the fishing boats and packing plants. You can find a good seafood meal in this area, including exceptional clam chowder.

Bridge at Newport

The bridge at Newport, Ore., as viewed from the town's working waterfront. State parks on the ocean on either side of the city make for a great base camp for a visit. Can't rave enough about Oregon's state parks - clean, a fair price, and you can even overnight in a yurt if tenting or RVing aren't your thing.

Sea Lions Everywhere

The view from above at Sea Lion Caves, near Florence, Ore. This is a great roadside attraction where you can take a long elevator ride into a seaside cave jammed with sea lions. Great dune counry around here, so consider staying a few nights at one of Oregon's fine state parks to get in some dune-buggy touring and a swim at Cleawox Lake.

Jack and the haystack

Our trusty dog Jack, looking like he's posing for a "Wish You Were Here" postcard. The beaches along the Oregon coast are perfect for high-energy dogs and kids - lots of room to run.

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

Haystack Rock is the scenic centrepiece of Cannon Beach. The guy who owns the little service station on the main road in Cannon Beach has some terrific photos for sale of the rock and other local scenes that are definitely worth a look.

Cannon Beach in the fog

We spent two weeks in the summer of 2006 doing a slow trip in our motorhome down the Oregon coast with our three grandsons. Cannon Beach is always spectacular, whatever the weather.

Birds at the feeder

On a cold day, the bird feeders provide a regular United Nations of varieties to look at. That's a chestnut-backed chickadee on the suet, a red-breasted nuthatch on the black feeder, a song sparrow on the branch and a downy woodpecker flapping around in the bottom centre of the shot.

Crow in snow

I've developed a new interest in birds, and would eventually like to be doing more photography of them. Crows are handy because they don't mind the attention.

Yard rat

The problem with putting out food for the birds and the squirrels is that sooner or later, you attract new friends. Like this guy, who we took quite a shine to. Unfortunately, so did the cat down the street.

Grey squirrel at feeder

Grey squirrels commute along the fence in our Esquimalt backyard, so we've taken to putting out peanuts in an old bird feeder for their enjoyment. Some can be coaxed to take a nut from your hand, but most have a healthy skittishness.