Rocks, sea and sky

You can watch the roiled sea up close on the rocky headlands at Cape Perpetua, just a few miles south of the shanty.

The authentic coast

It's debatable that the Newport bay front represents the "authentic" Oregon coast, as the author of this article contends, but it's still definitely worth a visit, especially in winter when the tourists thin out. Read this first, then go and decide for yourself: http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2009/01/newports_piece_of_the_authenti.html

Seafoam gnome

This little fellow loves ocean air and the smell of brownies in the oven. He's the creation of our whimsical, artistic and mischievous friend Leetra Taylor. We've discovered that Ol' Seafoam likes to move around the shanty, so you may have to search for him when you come for your visit.

Leetra also included some wonderful sketches in the entry she made in our guestbook earlier this year. This guestbook is a treasure, so make sure you add stories of your own, and embellish them as you wish.

Bringing home dinner

September and October are peak crabbing months, which happens to coincide with some of the best weather of the year on the Oregon coast. Alsea Bay is famous for its Dungeness crab, which can be caught, cooked, cleaned and eaten in an afternoon. If you don’t have a boat and crab rings, you can rent them (plus bait) for $70 at McKinley’s Marina. It’s a great day’s entertainment, and you come home with dinner.

Portrait of the shanty

This colored pencil sketch of the shanty was created by Hannah Wagner, the 17-year-old daughter of our friends Steve and Michelle Wagner. She captured the essence of our cabin, right down to the dead lawn in the foreground. Thanks, Hannah, for adding to the art we have displayed in the house.

Sea dogs on the beach

I used a 150-mm telephoto to photograph these harbor seals earlier this week at their haul-out near the mouth of the Alsea River. The herd fluctuates in size, but there were about 60 on the beach the day we saw them, with who-knows how many bobbing around in the water. It’s a federal offense to harass seals, as they need rest on shore to survive. You can usually find these “sea dogs” by walking a mile south on the Bayshore beach to the end of the spit. For more information about harbor seals, click here.

A Wee Ogle Shanty Chantey

How many beach cabins do you know that have their own theme music? Well, the Sea Shanty does. This tune was composed and performed by Corvallis musician Tom Demarest, who was inspired while visiting the shanty with his family last year. He even gets air time with it as background music on OPB. Click here to listen.

Best beach in Oregon?

You be the judge. The beach is wide, clean and flat for miles along this stretch of the coast. The yellow pin locates our shanty. We're west of Hwy. 101, so you don't see or hear highway traffic--just the roar of the ocean.

The basics

So when you stay at the shanty, what can you expect?

First, understand that this house is also a home. It's totally furnished, and has most of the amenities you'd find in your own home. The kitchen is fully equipped, the furniture is comfortable, and the structure itself snug and welcoming. There are two bedrooms and two full baths. The master bedroom has a California king-sized bed, and the back bedroom a double bed and bunkbeds. The baths both have shower-tubs. The house can comfortably sleep as many as seven or eight, assuming someone is willing to sleep on the floor (we also have a futon).

A few of the outstanding features:
1. The house faces west, and the living area has a vaulted ceiling, so you'll find the front of the house bright and airy most days. When it's stormy, you can relish the sight and sound of nature's fury with a front-row seat.
2. There is a wood-burning stove, and plenty of firewood. The electric heat works fine, but the warm glow of a fire on a cold winter night is one of life's simple pleasures.
3. A sliding glass door opens to a glass-enclosed deck, which is a great place to enjoy the sunshine and not be chilled by the wind. We have some inexpensive patio furniture, and a gas grill, if you care to cook outdoors.
4. There's a great collection of both books and board games. We don't have a TV. This is intentional. Talk. Enjoy the company of your friends. Beat the stuffings out of them at Monopoly. It is sometimes possible to pick up a wi-fi signal inside the house, but we make no guarantees. If you must check your email, you can usually hijack a connection at the top of the hill near the convenience store.

We don't currently have a washer and dryer. Our guests are requested to take linens and towels home to wash them, and to return them to us when clean. This saves on electricity, which helps us to keep our costs low.

Our neighbors on both sides of the house are quiet, friendly people. In fact, the whole neighborhood is extremely peaceful. If there were sidewalks, they would be rolled up at night.

Feel free to use any of the toys or recreational equipment in the closets, which includes croquet and a clam gun. Have fun.

Welcome to our shanty

We have slowly come to the realization that our little beach house is more than just a place to stay at the coast. It's also a destination, a haven of rest, and possibly even a state of mind. And, above all, it's worthy of having its own blog.

So we'll be using this blog to post bits of information and pictures that we think you--the Friends of the Shanty--might want to know about. It's shameless promotion, but also an act of love for a place that's dear to many people for many reasons. Please refer us to information you think we may want to post. It will no doubt become an eclectic collection of unusual debris--like the flotsam and jetsam that washes up on the Bayshore beach.

We hope you enjoy your visit here as much as the shanty itself.

Peter & Ellen Ogle
Corvallis, OR