Adventure 152: Beachside State Park, OR/Post B

Today

Yesterday

The ocean woke up gray and turbulent today. High tide reached its foamy fingers  nearly to the yellow grasses. The ever present wind sprayed constant but intermittent rain, which I know sounds contradictory, but such is the weather on the Oregon coast in late October. Last evening we walked the beach in the glow of an evening sun break. The wind, still strong enough to blow sand, was warm, and the water was cobalt blue as it blended with the sky. Changed, the mood this morning is more like that of a petulant teenager raging against the 'machine'. It's a prelude to the predicted drenching coming in later today. The weatherman predicts up to five inches of rainfall in the next two days. Fortunately, Fric has good wipers because it may be that we'll use them as we journey further down the coast tomorrow. Last night I tried to get a different perspective of the beach. Every shot I took was an extreme closeup. Even the landscape shots I took were with the lens at its maximum. As for us, we're happy campers, thankful for our waterproof aluminum tent, especially when the wind thrusts another of its many sheets of water down upon us. On the cribbage front, I managed three skunks in a row over the Cager, bringing my tally to $317. We've decided that playing for money might not be the best thing for the second place finisher's attitude since she's so far in the hole now we can barely see the crown of her head. We're going to let the stakes ride for this three week journey, but I suspect we'll go back to series play in January. As a parting gift to ourselves, we enjoyed a very nice lunch at the 'Ona Restaurant' in Yachats. We had cream of Chantrelle Soup along with a wild mushroom, goat cheese, and sweet red pepper panini. Good food and the joy of each other makes life good-especially today.


Beachside closeups.

Mrs. Drouin's famous clam bake. Last night's dinner.

 Our shared lunch of wild mushroom panini and cream of chantrelle soup at Ona.

Adventure 151: Beachside State Park, OR/Post A

Just Steps to the Beach

Blessed with an uneventful cruise down the coast and a pleasant stop in Newport for lunch, we arrived at Beachside State Park about 2 P.M. Amazingly, it looked like an Airstream rally. Our neighbors on one side had a model like ours, and right across the road sat a cute 23 footer. We all gave our conspiratorial nods, and one of the neighbors, a chatty Canadian, bent my ear for about a half hour. The weather was blustery enough to blow sand off the beach, but quite warm, so we leaned into the wind and walked the beach for a while.  There is something organic about the roar of the ocean, the smell of the salt, the squawking of the birds, and the way the wind forces a person to shoulder into it. After our walk, I managed to skunk the cager to the tune of $165 dollars. If this keeps up, she'll have to take a loan to pay me. We slept well, easing in to the sound of the crashing waves, and when we woke up, the weatherman's promise of rain hadn't materialized so we took advantage of a nearly windless morning to walk up the beach toward Waldport. The tide was coming in so we had to leap over some rivulets in order to keep our feet dry. High tide reminds me of the power of the ocean, but as the morning fog lifted, it was the clouds that made the most dramatic impression. I don't think I could live on the coast because the dampness would soak my spirit, but as an occasional visitor, I'm always awe struck. Mid-morning, we took a little drive to Yachats to buy some fresh clams so we can make Deb Drouins' famous clam boil tonight for dinner. Once again, the weather held and the sun sprinkled its good cheer all around. We will enjoy this spot for two more nights. There is a promise of a storm front approaching, but until then we'll relish the fact that though the weatherman is always right, he is often not on time. Either way, life is good, especially today.

 A message from the wait staff at the Newport Cafe.

 Dungeness crab salad sandwich on traditional sourdough bread. Yum!

 The path right next to our camp site at Beachside.

 Boy, that God of ours can certainly paint a scene!

 The view from our side window.

 The Bunny!

 Twenty-five to thirty knot winds, enough to blow sand from the beach.

I couldn't resist another panoramic shot.

 Frac as he looked Monday morning before the fog lifted.

 The Bunny getting ready to jump some rivulets.

 Our tracks.

 Birds pecking at the sand for bugs.

 Fog lifted, but the wind up enough to force Judy's hood up.

High tide pounding the rocks in Yachats.

Adventure 150: Champoeg State Park

Fall color at Champoeg State Park

Fresh off the glow of a wildly successful grandparent weekend, we headed south about 45 miles for an overnight stop at Champoeg State Park and historical site. It's a bucolic landscape just bursting with fall color, wet foliage, and campers. We were lucky to get a spot, and as we sauntered through the loops dozens of small children could be seen scampering here and there. It could be that these people are from Portland, which would make sense because it's an easy highway drive that ends in a spectacular site, eminently safe for children, and reminiscent of the wilderness. Everywhere we looked, people were gathered around campfires, the crackling of burning wood mingling with chatter and laughter. We had spent the morning with Chad and Sawyer, a little bit saddened that Sawyer's soccer game had been cancelled. Chad assuaged our gloom by treating us to a diner quality breakfast of bacon, blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, and coffee. While he cooked, we played cribbage with Sawyer who is taking to the game just like an Oregon duck takes to water. He's becoming so aware that he's noticing things like when Mimi (The Wily Cager) tries to count her hand twice, and in the ensuing confusion claims that she knows for sure that it is her crib. It's good to have another witness to her seemingly innocent caginess. After breakfast, we took advantage of the fact that the torrential rain of the previous night gave way to broken clouds and a brief peak at the sun to go on a bike ride with Sawyer along a rail trail that traverses Portland. We then gave tours of the Airstream to Chad's curious neighbors. By then, we had just enough time for a late lunch. We dropped Sawyer off at his mom's house and made our way here. Clearly, life is good, especially today.

 I believe the black pegs (Pop Pops') finished in the lead:)

 Two sort of sad faces after being whipped by Pop Pops.

 Biker babe and biker grandson.

 Points west all the way past Boring.

 Points east toward downtown Portland.

 This section of trail is over thirty miles long.

 Mimi and Sawyer learning about the natural world.

 A couple of rare terrazzo salmon.

 Fric and Frac in site thirty-one. A very pleasant one night stopover.

The view from our front window.

Adventure 149: Grandparent's Weekend/Portland, OR/Post B

Sawyer, sporting the big winner's grin

Jimmy Valvano, who coached North Carolina State to the NCAA basketball title in the eighties, and who died young as a victim of cancer, said in a famous speech he gave at the ESPYS, "To have a full day a person must think, laugh, and cry." Today we enjoyed a full day. It began with our grandson knocking on the door of the trailer earlier than a normal middle schooler gets up just so he could enjoy breakfast and a game of cribbage with his mimi and pop pops  That made us think how lucky we were. Then he proceeded to trounce us (Me especially). That made us laugh. We then dropped him off at school, which made us weep a few joyful tears. Waiting for the Grandparent's program to start, we spent an hour at a funky little coffee shop called 'Either/Or' a few blocks from Sawyer's school. The Wily Cager extended her lead over me, stretching her winnings to $23 dollars. We then did the Grandparent thing, which included some music, a brief talk by the principal, and Sawyer proudly showing us around his school. He seems to be enjoying the experience so far, and my impression of the place was favorable. The staff is seasoned, vibrant, and the standards seem high. After a thirty-one year career, it was deja vu all over again for me. Kids are kids, and middle school kids are the same all over. It was fun watching them. The school itself is celebrating its Centennial this year. There is obvious school pride and obvious community involvement. I left feeling that Sawyer has landed in a good place. It was lunch time when we left the school, so we decided on soup and a sandwich at a place called 'Something Different'. The food was excellent, but it was the cribbage that took the blue ribbon. I skunked the Cager, causing her to whimper like a lost school girl and best of all, reversing my money fortunes to the tune of a $62 dollar lead. WhooHoo! After a few hours of needed rest, we picked Sawyer after school, beat feet to "Otto's Sausage House" ( A must stop in Portland) where we bought dinner to go. We had just enough time to get to the Portland Timbers soccer game where we joined thousands of other rabid soccerraniacs to cheer the team to a scintillating 0-0 tie. There was action galore, but still we kissed our sister in the end. Give me hoops any day, but in the interest of true love, it warmed my heart to see Sawyer positively riveted by the action. Home by ten-thirty, we knew that life was good on this very special day.

 The first game of the morning, which I won.

 Sawyer, posing graciously as a second place finisher.

 The Wily Cager pulling some sort of shenanigans under Sawyer's watchful eye.

 Teen kids, the same everywhere, milling about before the first bell.

 An excellent latte served at the Either/Or, and a perfect  image for the day.

 Advanced band: excellent. Sawyer will spend three years under the director's tutelage.

 The Marimba band. Sawyer has joined as a first year, and hopes to progress to this group.

 Mimi Barb, Chad's mom, was in attendance with Emory, Sawyer's cousin: Adorable

 Murals cover every available space in Sellwood Middle School

 Sawyer showing Emory how to open a locker.

 The scene of my biggest cribbage victory in some time.

 Home made lentil/spinach soup.

 Grilled tuna with bacon.

 Don't pass this place up if you ever get to Portland (42nd & Woodstock SE).

 Sausage, cured meats, wine, and local beers on tap. In business since 1912.

 Rabid Timber fans, rain or shine.

 Not bad for a one night fan.

 The action: 93 minutes-no score.

Just think, just laugh, and just cry because life is good.