Living in the isolated town of Brookings, Oregon, one has to travel two and a half hours to get to a sizeable city. We can ride south to Eureka through the Redwood Forests and ride along the coast in and out of fog and sunshine, or we can ride north to Coos Bay where the Mills Casino entices us with cheap rooms and a city filled with antique shops and a few thrift stores to go 'junking'. Of course we could, if we chose, go inland to Grants Pass then on to Medford, but this time I took advantage of a free ride up to Port Orchard, Washington where my daughter Christine lives.
Riding along two lane roads, without heavy traffic, views of rolling hills and open fields lead to a feeling of peace and serenity. Old barns standing proud as they continue to house the animals and the hay, but there are some leaning with the wind, decrepit as a stack of old boards thrown into a pile of rubble. Still they have a beauty all their own and an artist would love to set up an easel and create a masterpiece .
The rain bounced off the pavement and I felt sorry for the cows in the fields . My son laughed and reminded me they have leather coats. I never thought of that and would have been more content if their owner had called them home to their barn. There are small towns all the way up the coast, about thirty miles apart, each with a sign beckoning a traveler to stop and visit. We stopped in Florence and found it to be a delightful small town with shops of all kinds. I found my way to a kitchen shop as I wanted to purchase some kitchen towels for the new kitchen my daughter is having done. The shop had so many new and different items that I, of course, found fault with, as I have never outgrown my love of the small paring knife that does every kind of job imaginable. I just do not feel the need for all the fancy small knick nacks that take up so much space and are used occassionaly. There are more shops to visit but we are on a long trek north so I will keep Florence in mind to visit at some future date. The names of the smaller towns greeted us and we would smile as we saw a gas station, a few stores and a few homes and that was it.
The stop overnight at Lincoln City where I visited the outlet stores which I found cater to those with a large bank account and petite of size. Four shoe stores and not one size eleven! So I have 'Longfellows" as the teasing goes, but they get me where I need to go. The thrift store has not improved with age as those who run it have decided that the free booty they get in must go out at an absorbitant rate. The big casino hotel rooms proved to be special as we had one with a kitchen with glass doors and windows right on the beach. Even through the teeming rain we could enjoy the ocean pounding into shore. The machines are set very low so it is not worthwhile trying 'your luck' and the new machines we wanted to play were not set up yet. We opted for dinner in town where we had salad served in a soup bowl and fish and chips that were very delicious.
Early the next morning, we rode on to Tulamook and visited the Cheese Factory and checked out the cafeteria there. We decided to stay for breakfast and the oatmeal was course grained and very delicious. Son John had an omelet that satisfied his hunger. We went into the show rooms where the sample cheese was and tasted several varieties which gave us a heads up on which one to choose to share with Christine. A sharp cheddar, a hot pepper and a creamy white which later turned out to be a very good choice. It was here my son decided to go away from the two lane highway onto the major highway leading further north. The storm moved in, the highway was filled with trucks and semis and, I think, every car in America, all spewing a spray from the road which swallowed the road and going seventy miles an hour was not my idea of a peaceful ride. A white knuckle ride would be more like it and it was endless. We eventually got to a turn off for Port Orchard. We pulled off at Gig Harbor nine miles from our destination and found a Costco store so stopped to check it out and exercise our legs for awhile.
The key was hidden where my daughter told me she would hide it and we entered her home to find a large plastic sheet between what was her kitchen and her living room. She had three small leaks to take are of and it escalated into a full blown replacement of her kitchen. It will take months as it is completely gutted at the moment. Not a good idea this time of year as the wind blows through and the plastic sways with the breeze and takes the heat with it. It is cold, even snow fell the next morning. We settled in and waited for her to come home from work. Her days are long as she travels to the ferry boat to go from Port Orchard to Seattle. If she misses the five o'clock ferry then it takes her another hour and a half until the next ferry so her day can be a twelve hour day. She doesn't seem to mind.
This is the last day of February, 2009, my time has a way of fleeing. Tonight is the annual dinner affair in which twenty ladies decorate twenty tables for the Soroptimist fund raiser. They are a great organizaton and do so many good things for the community. The theme this year was Soroptomist Secret, and my daughter chose am International Theme and we used some of the items we had collected over the years. One of our tables turned out whimsical with a globe of children from around the world circled around; the primroses were colorful and the little straw circlets added to the whimsey. The second table had Cleopatra on her barge and a huge black elephant with a large potted palm plant where a Spanish doll and a Bohemian lady stood. The little black trunks with their travel labels added a lot and were filled with delicious cookies. All in all it was a successful affair with raffles and an auction that made over thirty-five thousand dollars for the work they will continue to do in the community.
I had a whole day with my daughter and we had lunch at the Tea Room, one of my favorite places to go. They serve a special every day which is a cup of soup, a half sandwich and a piece of pie. Of course apple custard pie cannot be left behind, believe me, not a crumb. It is too long between visits and I found I treasured every moment we shared. Christine is a busy lady, both at work and at home, and although I think I am not a nagging mother, I do manage to drop a hint or two about 'taking care of yourself'. Dark circles under the eyes have a way of getting my attention.
We walked through the new big store housing the small booths and saw many beautiful items from another era. It is such fun to go into antique stores and enjoy so many memories from days of yore. I always see items I either had owned or had given away and instantly recall where I lived and what was going on when I owned that particular piece.
We didn't stay long because my daughter had to work and the fact that she really didn't need company or family at this particuar time when her home was really upset. We went out to breakfast and then headed south to the major highway until we got to a cut off to take us back to the two lane country roads and the familiar scenery. The rain played soft or teeming, bouncing or sprinkling depending on its mood. We stopped to walk a beach and look for agates and found the wind blustery, pushing us along as if we were weightless. If there were agates we didn't find them but we did find a couple of fossils. We drove on to Lincoln City where we spent the night and visited the Casino and enjoyed the buffet dinner. We found they had hooked up the new machines and "The Wizard of Oz" proved to be fun to play. I got my money back that I played out on the visit up there. I think that's only fair, don't you? I'm smiling as we left the next morning and went on to Coos Bay where we stopped at their Casino and had lunch sitting by the window overlooking the big lake. We missed seeing one of the larger boats out in the lake turning around. They too had the same machines so we tried them but no luck. They are fun though and I would play them again.
Home . . . such a good feeling to drive in the driveway and open the door to peace and the familiar. Shoes off, daughter Pat has bought some necessary food items for us to enjoy so we didn't have to take time to go to the store to shop. How wonderful and thoughtful she is and how thankful we are. We both headed for our computers to check our e mail and here I am telling you all about our travels.
Now life becomes normal again until there is an offer for another ride somewhere. I have many places I wish I could travel to but it takes time and money together and the energy to put it all together. I'm working on it.
I hope you are planning your travels and when you are ready to leave, call me, I'll be happy to carry the bags. Enjoy your day, make it a good one.
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