Santa needs all the help he can get. He was going to send Rudolph to find some elves but Rudolph is very busy this time of year so he had to send Kruzer, the kitty elf. He is a rookie elf so we have to cut him some slack. Here are some of the elves Kruzer Elf found:

First there are the princely elves:
Then there are the princess elves:
And last, but not least, there is the littlest elf of all:


This is presented with love by the Grandma Elf.

As most of you know, our daughter Beth lives in Jackson, Wyoming. She has the wonderful opportunity to see all kinds of wildlife from her living room!!! Thought we would share some of her experiences. Remember, these are taken from inside her home.





We saved the cutest critter for last!

We had a major windstorm here on the Oregon Coast on December 2nd and 3rd. There was a lot of damage to the Schooner Creek Fish Trap which is one of the traps our Fishing Club helps to check and maintain. On Friday, December 7th, several members of our LVH Fishing Club went up to the trap with ODFW to assess the damage. We had to clear the road before we could even get down the road to the trap. There was some sawing of tree limbs (to get them to a size we could work with) and a lot of clearing off of branches and wood. There was no way anyone could look at the damage done and not be in awe of Mother Nature's wrath. We were lucky no one was hurt.

To view more photos on the damage to the trap go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/barbdud/SchoonerCreekTrapCleanUp120707.

Also, please click on the link on the left that says LVH Fishermen's Club to learn more about what we do.

Wayde and I were involved in a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) drill here at Longview Hills several months ago. That drill made us realize how important it is to be prepared to take care ourselves as well as others. We attended the CERT classes, graduated and got our certificates. Here's a picture of our "graduating class."


We had a meeting of all the members of Central Coast CERT (Newport and surrounding areas) at our clubhouse a few weeks ago.

Some of you may be aware that we had a big windstorm here last week, December 2nd and 3rd. Thanks to planning and teamwork the CERT group was able to help a few people here who had problems and give a little comfort and reassurance to many who were listening to the events on their FRS radios. Not bad for a bunch of old guys!

Note: If you would like to learn more about CERT, click on the Longview Hills link on this webpage. After you are on the Longview Hills blog, scan down until you see the CERT link on the left hand side and click on it.

A few of our friends in the LVH Fishing Club approached Wayde about going out and doing a little "target practice." You know Wayde and guns, he certainly didn't need to be asked twice! They all went out to a quarry not too far from our house a few weeks ago and had a ball. Our friend, John Spangler, dubbed the group the LVH Posse. They had so much fun they are already talking about their next outing.

In August we went to Southern California. Wayde met his brother, Parus, in San Diego where they went fishing. He caught albacore, yellow tail and bottom fish. Had a great time, as always, fishing with his brother.


Luckily for me, he dropped me off in Arcadia where I spent the week with my sister and brother-in-law, Bonnie and Bob. I also got to spend a lot of time with my great niece, Marissa.
Then in September Wayde went fishing with a friend of ours from Newport, Hank Bryson. He is a commercial fisherman so Wayde fulfilled a dream of going out on a commercial fishing boat. By the third day he was so tired he could hardly stand up and with the boat rocking Hank said it was like watching a big yellow ping-pong ball going from one side of the boat to the other. He really enjoyed the experience but was glad to get home. His side of the story is further down, keep reading . . .

On September 1st Wayde and I met the kids in Salem. We originally went so we could watch all the kids (Scott, Wayde, Cassidy and Addie) while the "big" kids went to the Keith Anderson concert. If you don't listen to Country music, you may not know who Keith Anderson is but, trust me, Mariah and Bonnie were very excited about seeing him (you would have thought he was Elvis or something . . .) Anyway we watched the kids Friday night (actually we watched Cassidy and Addie, Scott and Wayde were able to stay alone in the room next door and just "popped" in once in a while for a visit) and then went on to the Oregon State Fair on Saturday. Well, all of us but Wayde who had a pistol match that day. There was so much to see it was hard to decide where to go first.

Cassidy loves animals and the goats were really cute, especially this one. It would be hard to say which made her happier, seeing the animals or being with her Aunt Bonnie. She loves her Aunt Bonnie more than just about anyone.
Mariah and Addie couldn't resist the goats either.
Addie loves John Deere tractors and, even though this wasn't a green John Deere, she was pretty excited to be sitting a tractor of any kind. Her dad had to stick close by because if there was any way she could, Addie would have started the tractor and driven off.
West and the boys enjoyed the rides. Our little Wayde rode everything in sight. Grandma even rode the sky tram with them (of course, she did it so she wouldn't have to walk from end of the fairgrounds to the other but they don't have to know that).
All in all, it was a fun couple of days. I am hoping we can make it an annual event.

Hi, my name is Kruzer. This is my first full, official day as a Dudley. Mr. and Mrs. picked me up in Portland yesterday and brought me in the car to Newport. I am about two years old (I was abandoned and rescued so my exact birthday is unknown - August 6th is my "Aunt Bonnie's" birthday so I think August 6th will be my birthday, too). My previous owner loved me very much but developed allergies and had to find a new home for me.

Yesterday, on the ride from Portland to Newport, Mr. said I should be allowed out of my carrier and run loose on the trip home. Mrs. wasn't sure this was a good idea but Mr. won. I think Mr. is going to be a pushover and I am going to have to work very hard to wind Mrs. around my little paw like I do Mr. Anyway, it was a GREAT ride! I got to see lots of cars, people, trees and farms. I even got to see the ocean!!! One time I tried to steer the car and Mrs. had to get me and hold me on her lap for a short time but other than that it was great. My favorite place was riding on Mr's shoulder.

My new house is about three times bigger than my old apartment so I get to explore everything . . . They have lots and lots of windows so I get to play with the cool things with slats that really make a neat noise and they have a string hanging down with a ball. I mean it is a cat's Heaven! Nothing better than sitting in a window sill. I haven't knocked too many things over getting to the windows. I tried to climb the big shelf in the living room and knocked over a couple of pictures so Mrs. made me get down. (I REALLY do have to work with her more).

I got to sleep with them and they didn't seem to mind too much when I walked on their faces at 3:00 in the morning (even Mrs. didn't get mad).

Mr. took me out to the garage with him today and there were sooooo many places to hide and to jump on. He said I did really good. I came when he called me and I got to lay down close to him. Maybe he'll let me go with him again.

Well, enough of my adventures for now. I miss my old person but I think I am going to do just fine as a Dudley. Talk to you soon!!!

Wayde has always wanted to go on a commercial fishing boat. A friend of ours, Hank Bryson, has a small boat and was kind enough to invite Wayde on a fishing trip. Here is Wayde's story:

FISHING WITH CAPTAIN HANK

I had the opportunity to go commercial fishing with Hank Bryson on his boat, Christy Belle. I had asked Hank last spring if I might accompany him on a fishing trip and he agreed to call me when the weather and fishing were better. On Sunday 7/15 Hank called and asked if I would be ready to go the next day. I said yes and made a few arrangements for the time I would be gone.

I met Hank at the boat slip on Port Dock 7 in Newport, Oregon near noon on Monday. We got underway before long and went to the South Beach Marina for fuel then to Trident Seafoods to get a ton and a half of chipped ice. Hank filled four boxes on deck and 5 bins in the hold. We had enough ice for 5 days or so depending on how many fish we caught. Hank lowered the outrigger poles and we headed under the Yaquina Bridge on our way west. We cleared the bar and set a westerly course on the Murano auto-pilot which is a very nice piece of navigation gear. Hank asked if I would watch the helm while he stowed gear and prepared the equipment to troll for salmon. I did not have much to do except watch for crab pot buoys and other boats of which we hit neither. I watched our progress on the Murano screen and ate half a sandwich. 3 hours later we stopped to fish near the north end of Stonewall Banks which is known locally as "the rock pile". The salmon trolling gear consisted of 2 steel wires on hydraulically driven reels. One had a 60# lead ball and the other a 50# ball. The lines were let down and a lured line was attached every 2 fathoms (12 feet). 4 lines were set on each wire which was also attached to the outrigger pole. The identical setup was on each side of the boat. I had the port side to tend and Hank had the starboard side. Hank showed me how to operate the hydraulic reels and told me the things to do and not to do. I remembered most of it. We used rubber hoochies and barbless hooks for lures and began trolling at 2 knots or so. We had 16 lures out to attract any salmon in the area. The lines are tended by standing in a small well at the back of the boat. We caught our first King Salmon before long. A nice fish. We also caught a few coho, ling cod, 1 small halibut and some yellow tail rock fish which all went back in the water. We fished till 9:00 pm and then brought up the gear and stowed it for the night. I believe we caught 16 kings that afternoon. I was pretty tired from trying to maintain my balance while managing the fishing gear. I got through the day without any major problems. Hank asked what I wanted for supper but I just opted for the other half of my lunch sandwich then went to bed. I slept in the bow on the starboard bunk and Hank made the table into a bunk in the cabin. Seas were pretty mild that night and I slept good except for hearing the vhf radio a few times.

Tuesday started about 6:00 am. Hank cooked us some bacon, eggs and toast. A good breakfast but I think when he is alone he mostly has cereal. With breakfast out of the way Hank checked our position and found we had not drifted much over a mile during the night. We each put out the salmon gear on our respective sides and began trolling for salmon. It was a long slow morning with only 1 king caught. Hank decided to pick up the salmon gear and head north to try for albacore tuna. We knew the area where some fish were from all the radio chatter. It was 5 hour trip. The tuna set-up was different from the salmon rigs. For tuna we set out 5 lines off each side of the boat and 1 line in the center. The lines were attached to the outrigger poles and had a hand line back to the tending station to pull the fishing line in to where you could grab it and pull in the tuna. The troll is fast at 6 knots and the lures are near surface. You can see the tuna when they get hooked. We were fishing with the stabilizers in the water which greatly reduced the roll of the boat. I still had a hard time keeping balanced and upright though. I often resembled a giant yellow ping pong ball as I caromed off various objects, Hank included, as the day wore on. We were catching tuna slow but steady and fished till near 7:00 pm. We pulled all the lines in, coiled the lines and strings and hung the lures in a fashion that should make it easy to put it all out the next day. We had 27 tuna on ice for the afternoon. I was a little concerned because my side of the boat did not look as neat and tidy as Hank's side. I did not want a huge tangled up mess in the morning when we went back in the water. We were back in the house near 9:00 pm. Hank asked if I wanted a hamburger but I was so tired I just ate a quick sandwich and went to bed. The water was a little rougher that night but I slept better and woke up less. A result of the days activities I am sure.

Wednesday started out again around 6:00 am. Hank fixed us bacon, eggs and toast. It seemed particularly good that morning. I was kind of dreading the trip to the back of the boat and putting the tuna array back in the water. I was pleasantly surprised when everything went back in without any serious tangles or problems. I was fishing before long at all. Hank pulled the stabilizers out of the water because many fishermen think they scare the fish. The boat rolled further and more sharply which increased my difficulty in trying to stay erect. We in tuna most of the time and pulled a few fish steadily. By noon we had boated 20 tuna but the sea was kicking up pretty good. The forecast 2 to 3 foot swells were more like 4 to 6 foot with wind waves to boot. I was having a very hard time staying on my feet and finally resorted to kneeling to pull the tuna lines in. I think near 1 or 2 in the afternoon Hank said ok, lets quit. I was exhausted and did not quibble with his decision. We had boated another 20 tuna that day. I took awhile to take down the tuna gear and get ready for travel. The plan was to go back to the "rock pile", spend the night and fish for salmon on Thursday morning. The weather was supposed to get better but we did not see much improvement. Hank said he did not care if we stayed out or went home and it was up to me. After some thought I said lets head in. I did not think the weather was going to improve all that much. We crossed the bar just before 10:00 pm and were tied up at the dock shortly. Barb came down and picked me up. My first commercial fishing trip was over. I greatly enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. I also gained more respect for the people who go to sea every day to make a living. Pretty hard work.

My final observation is that marine heads must be some form of punishment for past misdeeds. I won't elaborate on that one.

Wayde Dudley

July 23, 2007

January 11, 2007. We have it all in Newport!