Even though we lived there for 18 years, I never fully adjusted to the frequent gray skies over the Willamette Valley. Yes, there were truly beautiful days and the landscape had an almost exotic quality suggestive of a Japanese woodcut – – the distant, conical outline of Mt. Hood against the eastern horizon suggested Mt. Fujiyama in many respects. But lying in the storm track where seasonal low pressure weather systems continuously rolled in off the Pacific ensured we would have lots of moisture aloft, and temperatures guaranteed to condense all that water into impenetrable clouds. Especially in Fall and Winter. So skies were often a solid gray, significantly diminishing the amount of sunlight and flattening the depth of our vistas. I found that aspect of life in western Oregon depressing.
Later we moved to Eastern Oregon, at the edge of the Palouse, where clouds would still gather, but with less density, as I recall. And they seemed to move more swiftly by. Beautiful sunsets were our reward, and clear days came more often. Later than that, we lived in the Sierra Nevada of California, Clear, blue skies were almost monotonously in their regularity, even in winter. Not that I minded; in fact, I reveled in the feelings that a kind of crystal clear, azure daylight brought with it.
Now we have returned to Oregon, although on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains. Many times those mountains block the westward flow of all that moisture off the Pacific, keeping us drier for sure, and less cloudy. Those sparkling clear days are simply glorious, gilded by the views we have of the Ochoco Mountains out our front door, But there are also times when the skies are once again filled with unbroken gray clouds. Except the feeling now is different. These clouds don’t seem to press down so hard on you. The air remains relatively dry under all that moisture lying up there in that cloud deck. And the horizon isn’t so restricted and claustrophobic as I remember from those Willamette Valley days.
The gray has returned. But I can live with this kind of day grayness.
The Barneyville Blog 
When we lived nearby where you are (in Alfalfa, OR) we noticed gaping holes in the clouds overhead. The thermals created those large peepholes just over our little ranch. Oh, I loved those rents in the sky that allowed us to see the sparkling blue of Central Oregon heavens above us!
We’ve seen some lenticular clouds overhead sometimes, too. The atmospheric currents over the high Cascades can create downdrafts and “waves” of air on the lee side, making these distinct clouds. Some of them look like giant flying saucers. Such interesting sky! Thanks for sharing your remarks, Catherine.