Port of Bandon

We’re on the Oregon coast in Bandon. Cool ocean breezes bring fog wisps along the beach, sea lions sun on the rocks,

 the camp is

 in the pines back from the beach.  The old Bandon lighthouse sits by the river mouth.

 Yesterday we rode our bikes up a road along the Cocquille river and it turned into a “bike/bird watch”….osprey, cormorant, seagull, heron, swallow, 

 

 and of course, raven and turkey vulture.

From the "This really happened " file:

   While I was registering for a campsite at the drive-up booth  at the campground near Bandon a couple walked up. The man handed the attendant a twig with some berries on it and asked “What’s this”. The attendant said “That’s twin berry, see the picture in this brochure?” “Is it edible?” the man asked. “No it says here it’s toxic and the reaction varies by person” The man says “ I ate some, my throat hurts and it feels swollen..” The attendant and I are staring in near disbelief. “You ate some?”. “Yeah, the birds were eating  ‘em. Now my throat feels like I ate a hot pepper” The attendant asks if they’d like to have the brochure. “Yeah” the wife says “I’ll put it on his tombstone”. They wandered off ....(looking for more berries to taste?)

            I realized how valuable this guy would be to an early tribe of gatherers. Someone has to eat  the questionable berries to see what happens. How else can we find out. With the hot pepper effect I think maybe twin berry could be used as a spice, but decide that, no the swollen throat effect sounds too sketchy.

            I come away deciding that twin berry should stay off the edible food list, and that this guy should get a Darwin award.  Evidently not all humans come equipped with common sense.