After the rain.....

It rained, and rained, and rained.......and then it rained some more.  There was a little lightning and thunder (a rarity here at Cape Blanco) thrown in for good measure.......yep Wednesday came in like a bear!

Before we went on duty at 12:30 we drove into Port Orford to drop our newly printed tax returns at the local Post Office.  Debbie weighed each envelope carefully, placed the appropriate postage on each, and then we were done.  Then, while we were in town, we decided to have a late breakfast at the Paradise Cafe.  Yelp gives them 4 stars on 20 reviews........we liked it, but I would be closer to 3.5 stars, especially when comparing the food to the Original Breakfast Restaurant we ate at in Albany, OR the day before.  don't misunderstand, the food was good, and I can understand why the 'locals' frequent this place.

Of course, any trip into Port Orford must include a stop at Ray's Food Place to pick up a few items before heading back to the Cape.  We arrived back at the coach by 11:30, and were on our way over to the lighthouse to relieve Paul and Nina by 12:20.

The weather continued to be blustery, but by the time we arrived for duty the clouds had somewhat parted and the sun was out.  The wind was in the mid 20's (mph) with gusts into the mid 30's, so it was fun trying to walk up the hill to the lighthouse whilst being buffeted by the gusts of wind.

There had only been 25 visitors in total when we relieved Paul and Nina, but I don't think all those visitors to the greeting center had actually taken the lighthouse tour, so it looks like the October slowdown is happening.  We had probably another dozen, or more people who took the tour in the three hours we were on duty......I think most of them showed up in the last 30 minutes of our shift.  We locked up the lighthouse for the night around 3:25, and were out at the gate by 3:30 to prevent any further vehicles from entering the property while we awaited the departure of the remaining 5 vehicles.

It looks like the current storm has punched itself out, and we'll have a day of no rain on Thursday, but it will return, according to the weather guessers, on Friday, and then again on Monday, and so forth.

On the sports front the K.C. Royals finished the 4 game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles and are headed to the World Series for the first time since 1985.  The S.F. Giants won game four of their series with the St. Louis Cardinals to take a commanding 3 games to 1 lead in their series.  It's looking more and more like a World Series matching two 'wild card' teams....I wonder if that has ever happened before?

Thanks for stopping by!

Home again.....naturally!

I went to bed at 9 pm Monday night, and was wide awake by 6 Tuesday morning....probably even a little before 6. We had about 243 miles to go to the Cape, and our home.  TLE was able to do some shopping after we arrived in Salem Monday afternoon.....Costco was right next door to the La Quinta Inn where we stayed, and a local store that carries a special salad dressing TLE loves was only a few blocks away so she headed out in the car while I turned on MNF, and set my computer up for the night.

Tuesday morning we had plans to meet our good friend Claude at a local breakfast place in Albany, OR.....just 22 miles south of the La Quinta so we left around 8:20, and were at the 'Original Breakfast Restaurant' by 8:45 exchanging hugs with Claude, and then enjoying a great breakfast and conversation.  Yelp gives them 3.5 stars on 83 reviews......we would give them at least 4 stars.  The food was 'home cooked' and fresh.  The restaurant is just off I-5 and it is an 'easy off and on'.

By 9:45 we were back on the road heading south into the coming storm......we hit the rain about 40 miles south of Salem, and had rain pretty much the rest of the way home to Cape Blanco.

Driving along the Umpqua River towards Reedsport

The drive along HWY 38 paralleling the Umpqua River was delightful as the traffic was very light, and we merged on to HWY 101 southbound by Noon.  We filled up in North Bend, OR (on the north side of Coos Bay) for the last time on this trip averaging 30 mpg for the stretch from The Dalles.  We were very pleased with the performance of the Beetle on this 1300 mile round trip drive.....we just per her on cruise control and held on to the steering wheel.

We were home by 1:45........should have been home by 1:20, but southbound traffic was a little slow due to the heavy rainfall.  Fortunately, it stopped raining for about 30 minutes just as we arrived home allowing us to empty the car without getting soaked.  Within minutes after closing the coach door for the final time the sky fell again.

We spent the late afternoon and evening catching up on programs that recorded while we were gone, and were in bed by 11 pm......so nice to be back in our own bed after a week!

Thanks for stopping by!

On the road again.......

Today's post will, of necessity, be a little shortened as we will be back on the road in just a few minutes.......we had our 'until next time' hugs with Hilary and Bob a shade past 9 am, and were back in the VW headed west and south for Cape Blanco.  I had filled up the tank two nights before on my way back from dropping my Mother at her apartment, so we did not have to stop again for fuel until The Dalles, OR.  I drove the first 140 miles, and switched with TLE in Kenniwick, WA who drove the last 140+ into The Dalles, then it was my turn to make the final run across I-84 to I-5 and south to Salem, OR.  We took a few minutes in Kennewick to get a cup of coffee at the local Starbucks, and a bagel, then we were back on the road again.

The drive was scenic and uneventful which is all one can really hope for......while TLE was driving I spent time reading the book I mentioned a few days ago.....The Light Between Oceans.  Every time I open that book time just melts away.......it seemed like very little time passed, but in actuality over 2 hours flew by as we pulled into the fuel station in The Dalles.  I managed to finish it about 9 pm Monday evening in our hotel room while TLE finished watching a cooking show .  It is the kind of book that makes you think about what you would have done in their place.  There are so many twists and turns along the way to keep you just enough off kilter, and all the time fascinated with what the outcome will be.  I am not a crier by habit, but I double dog dare you to read this book and not be overcome by emotion at its conclusion.  A big 'Thank You!" to my sister Hilary for recommending it.

In just a short while we will pile back into the Bug to cover the last 243 miles to Cape Blanco.....the weather forecast indicates rain the rest of the way, and for the next two days.  Judging by the smell of the morning air I think it has already been raining.....we are on the fourth floor of a hotel here in Salem, so it's a little hard to tell.

Thanks for stopping by!

First and Last

The first day of the new week, Sunday, was also our last full day here in the land of the children of the sun.  Of course, Sunday is also NFL football time, and my favorite team, the Denver Broncos, was playing the N.Y. Jets in New York, so theirs was one of the early games.  As their game edged toward half time my sister, Hilary, came down stairs to see if TLE and I were interested in driving up to Green Bluff, WA with she and Bob to attend the Fall Harvest House activities.  I was a little torn between watching the Bronco game and taking a road trip, but the idea of someone else driving, and the prospect of getting to sample some of the famous, amazing 'pumpkin donuts' sold at Harvest House made the decision easy in the end.

We departed Spokane for the short drive up to Green Bluff just before Noon, and arrived in the vicinity of the farm in about half an hour, but it took another 30 minutes to get into the parking lot.......apparently we were not the only ones who chose this outdoor activity this Sunday as there were literally thousands of people cramming their way into the farm.  This is an annual Fall event that runs the last two weeks of September, and every weekend in October each year.  There are pumpkins for sale, apples to pick, pies of all varieties, a corn maze, tractor rides, pumpkin donuts (the star of the show), wine and beer tasting, good food, etc.

Beck's Harvest House

By the time we had disembarked from the car it was approaching 1 pm, and we were all hungry so we all gravitated to lines featuring food we were interested in consuming for lunch.....for Bob and I it was pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, and for TLE and Hilary it was chicken.

As we sat eating we noticed the long line for pumpkin donuts was getting longer by the minute so I volunteered to go get a place in the hour long line.  They apparently sell 10,000 of these amazing donuts per day on the weekend at a cost of $10 for a baker's dozen. Each person is limited to a baker's dozen.

Eventually Bob joined me in line, and then as we crested the hill and had the donuts tent in sight TLE and Hilary came to relieve us so we could go over to the wine/beer sampling area.  I chose a pumpkin beer by Uinta Brewing Company out of Salt Lake City which was amazing!  I was getting close to finishing my beer when TLE  left the line to come over and let us know they were 'entering the tent', and did one of us want to come and get an extra dozen donuts.....I volunteered as I had been smelling those donuts for over an hour by now and really wanted to get my hands on a few.  Of course, they were making them as fast as they could sell them so when you are handed your bag of donuts there are still quite hot, and the aroma tends to make one weak in the knees.

The 'evil' pumpkin donuts

We were home by 3:30 clutching our bags of donuts, of which we managed to only eat a few.  The cell phone coverage up in Greenbluff was minimal, so I did not find out the Broncos ended up winning their game 31-17 until then.  I was in time to watch the final quarter of the Cowboys vs. Seahawks game which the Cowboys managed to win.....this is only the second time in the last 21, or 22 home games Seattle has lost, so, no doubt, many of my Washington friends are in mourning as I write this post.

Around 5:30 TLE drove over to pick up my mother for our last dinner together before we return ourselves to the south Oregon coast, and our current home in Cape Blanco.  Our Seattle interlude is coming to a close, and soon it will be time to say our 'until next times'.  It has been very special to spend so much time with my sister and her family, and especially with my mother.  As the years continue to pass from the present into history more quickly with each passing month one can't help but begin to realize our time left to spend with loved ones is becoming more finite.  You do not know when your time will be up, so these moments in time are becoming more precious......please don't let those opportunities slip away!

Thanks for stopping by!

Children of the Sun.....

This valley called Spokane was named for the Spokane (pronounced Spo-caan-ay) Indians who inhabited this valley before the white man arrived, and after whomever they took it from.  Spokane means "Children of the Sun" in Salishan, the language of the Spokane Indians.   Until Saturday we had enjoyed nothing but sun, but Saturday dawned blustery, cloudy and cold......a perfect day for.......wait.....wait......watching college football!  And that is what I did from 9 am to 2 pm.......well, of course, there was a nap thrown in for good measure, also.  

At 2 pm we piled into my brother-in-law's Range Rover, drove over to pick up my mother, and then over to my niece's (Caroline) high school to see her high school volleyball team play.  The private school she attends has only 400 students total, so, as as you can imagine, the talent pool is not as deep as most of the larger schools they play against.  Nevertheless, they play with a lot of heart, and ever improving skill.....even though they lose most matches 3 games to nil, as was the case Saturday.

When we visit my sister we have our own "suite" down stairs in the finished basement, which has a California King "pillowed" mattress, a small kitchen/dining area, a full bath, as well as a laundry with a washer and dryer.....what's not to like?  Then there is the ever present view south that is spectacular any time of day, and was so again last evening as we watched the sun set once again over the 'people of the sun'.

Shortly after sunset we sat down to dinner talking about this and that, as well as a book I have begun to read by the name of "The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman.....I'm only 70 pages in and I'm hooked.   That we are currently 6 weeks into our lighthouse hosting duties makes this book even more interesting!  The author obviously knows a great deal about lighthouses and their amazing, multi-prism lenses that focus light at great distances.  Apparently it is being made into a movie.....this will be one of the rare times I read the book before seeing the movie.

Some good news for me on the college football front.....my USC Trojans beat #10 Arizona in a close game last night 28-26 after losing a heart breaker the week before.  On the baseball front the amazing Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants (both wild card teams) continue their winning ways.....could it be that we will have a Royals vs. Giants World Series this year?

Thanks for stopping by!

Spokane Interlude.....

It is so rare that I wake up somewhere other than the bedroom of our Newell that when I do wake up in a 'strange' place I am somewhat disoriented for a few seconds, and Friday was one of those times.  I always so enjoy coming here to my sister's home.....the view out the back of our guest suite is beautiful!

 Our view from the 'guest' suite

 The leaves are changing here

Around 9:30 we headed into downtown Spokane to get our drug screen test done for our upcoming Amazon job in November.  We were in and out in about 15 minutes, so decided to stop off at the local Goodwill store......one of our all time favorites.....to see if they had anything we could not live without.  As it turned out we each found one clothing item for a total of $6.00.  Then it was off to Target to pick up a few things, new black ink cartridges for our HP printer, and a few other things TLE likes to buy there....makeup, lotion, etc.

After dropping off TLE at my sister's home I drove over to my mother's apartment to pick her up for lunch, and then headed to Rockwood Bakery, which is situated smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood near Manito Park......you don't even know it's there until you are right up on it!

We were able to secure a table outside on the patio were we sat eating our lunch, and sipping a couple cups of their awesome 'coffee of the day'.  This is the first time in over a year I've been able to sit down with my mother and have a long, uninterrupted conversation, and it was delightful.  From there I drove Mom around town on a couple of errands, and then returned her home for a few hours before returning to pick her up for dinner at my sister's home that evening.

Looks like a "horned owl" to me

While we were sitting outside on the back deck enjoying the coming sunset TLE spied an owl on top of one of the pine trees.....no doubt in anticipation of finding his/her evening meal. 

We sat around the dining table on the deck eating, talking and laughing......mostly laughing.......until close to 9 pm before it was time to return my mother to her apartment.....a great day, and evening....

Right after I got back home I saw that our good friend Nina had posted a sunset picture of the Cape Blanco Lighthouse......what a great way to end the day!  Thanks Nina!

Great picture of the Cape Blanco Lighthouse 

(courtesy Nina Fussing)

Thanks for stopping by!

Now, for the rest of the story......

I had to be secretive in my last couple of blog posts, because TLE and I were planning to surprise my mother by driving the VW up to Spokane, WA for a few days.  We were able to swap out a couple of days with Paul and Nina so we would have enough days to make the round trip and spend an adequate amount of time with my mother, as well as my sister and her family.  It's been over a year since I last saw her and my sister, and I felt it was important to make the drive, so we left directly after the end of our "top" shift Wednesday and began our overnight drive to Spokane.  The total drive is around 640 miles, and there might have been a day a couple of decades ago when I would have driven it straight through, but those days are long gone.  Instead we chose a point about half way to aim for......Hood River, OR....right on the banks of the majestic Columbia River....as our overnight stop.

Gone, also, are the days when I would do all the driving......TLE and I switched off every 70,or 80 miles making the 6 hour drive a 'piece of cake'.   We arrived at our hotel just as the sun was setting, and were in our room just after 7 pm getting dressed for dinner. We picked the Best Western Plus Hood River Inn for two reasons.....it is right on the Columbia River, and has two on site restaurants......we chose the Cebu Lounge for dinner since we weren't that hungry, and just wanted salads.  Of course, for me, I was also looking for a good craft beer, and I was not disappointed......I got a Chocolate Pumpkin Porter (seasonal) by Oakshire Brewery (Eugene, OR) and it was simply exquisite.

We were finished eating and back in our room by 8......of course the gorgeous full moon was in evidence just coming up over the Columbia as we walked back to our room.

We watched a little TV to wind down and were asleep by 10 pm.......we were up by 6, and in the Riverside Restaurant eating breakfast a little after 7 am.  A full breakfast is included in the room charge, as well as the view.....in this case the sun rising over the Columbia River.

  Sunrise over the Columbia

We were on our way east by 8 am, and soon we merged from I-84 to I-82 into Kennewick, WA where we eventually picked up US HWY 395 north.....

 Crossing the Columbia River in Kennewick, WA

Thursday's drive was totally uneventful......just the way we like it......and we arrived at my sister's home just before 1 pm.......the whole point of the aforementioned secrecy was to surprise my mother.....I mean totally surprise her, and we did.  I called her from my sister's home to let her know she would be receiving a 'package' today via FedEx, so she needed to be home all afternoon.  Of course, who doesn't like a surprise package, so she readily agreed to be home.  TLE and I arrived at her apartment door just before 3 pm......TLE held the camera while I knocked on the door.....she didn't look through the 'peep hole' because she was expecting FedEx.....and the surprise was complete!

The surprise!

What doesn't show up in the picture is the FedEx envelope I had worn on my head like a hat, but all the subterfuge was well worth the result.  We sat and talked until 4 then left my mother to take a nap, with a promise to return to pick her up for dinner around 6.  In the interim TLE and I got haircuts at the local Supercuts, and then visited TJ's which is in the same shopping complex.....ironically, the only TJ's in this area is just a couple of miles from my sister's home.

We were back to my mother's apartment just before 6 and headed for our favorite hangout when we are in town.....MacKenzie River Pizza Co., for some appetizers and beer.  We talked for another 2 hours and then took Mom back home.  Friday I'll pick up my mother again, andwe'll head over to another favorite haunt....Rockwood Bakery for an early lunch, and some of their wonderful coffee.

Moon over Spokane

My brother-in-law and sister were sitting on the deck on the back of their home enjoying the balmy night air waiting for that full moon to reappear over the top of their home when we arrived so we sat outside with them talking, and sipping some single malt scotch when the moon finally arrived!

I love it when a plan comes together!  Thanks for stopping by!