Holiday time, winter weather conditions and a myriad of reasons not to travel exists, but, my son John is going to visit a job site he has an interest in, which is in Eastern Washington. Port Orchard, where daughter Christine lives, is not out of the way so I hitched a ride and it didn't take me long to pack and off we went on a very rainy morning, a harbinger of what was to come.
Riding along the Oregon coast is famliar now, but never dull, never without beauty all its own. We stopped off at Bandon for breakfast where my favorie "granny breakfast" is . . . biscuits and gravy with one scrambled egg and a link. We rode on until we got to Lincoln City where I had a chance to visit the outlet stores only to find they cater to the big spender and the petite folks. We stayed at the Casino Hotel where the room was posh. It is laid out with a short wall with an etched glass of sea gulls and sea lions dividing the room. The back half had a small kitchen and glass doors and windows bringing in an ocean view to calm a weary traveler. John had some computer work to do so I decided to walk over to the Casino and try my luck. When I reached the outside, the winds and rain pushed me along and by the time I got to the Casino door I was sopping wet. Oh, the Dauntless One, nothing stops me as I found a machine to play . . . and also found that it didn't pay enough to play. John joined me and we took off for uptown and found a wonderful restaurant where we had fish and chips then went back to the hotel to watch NCIS and catch those illusive 'z's'.
In the morning we rode along the old two lane highway with very little traffic. The scenery is rural, fields, lakes, ponds, horses, cows, goats and signs for elk which we never did see. The old barns waiting to be painted, by an artist, as they would never stand up under a coat of new paint. The trees budding, some far ahead of others telling of the coming of Spring. We rode in and out of rainy blustery spells but nothing lasted very long. We stopped at Tulamook for breakfast and looked around the shops, tasted the samples of cheese and chose a variety pack to share with Christine.
Then my son headed for the major highway, no more biways as it is the slowest way to go, and into a huge storm. We drove in really heavy traffic with the cars and trucks spewing clouds of steam from the road so you could hardly see in front of you and this is going seventy miles an hour. Talk about your white knuckles. Not my favorite way to travel. The ride seemed endless and finally we got to Gig Harbor which is about ten miles from our destinaton. We found a Costco store and went in to check it out. It was marvelous to grab hold of a basket and walk around the store to stretch the leg muscles. and added a few more tasty treats.
We arrived at Christine's house to find the key in her porch planter box, just where she said she would put it. When we opened the door we faced a huge plastic hanging between her kitchen and living room and found the kitchen completely gutted. She had three small leaks she needed to fix and one thing led to another and now she is living with, and waiting for, a brand new kitchen. Her young worker, Bill, is doing a great job. He is a quality worker and takes time to make sure every beam is in the right place. So we are 'camping in'. The California shushi, cheeses and salad came in handy. The red wine hit the spot.
Riding along the Oregon coast is famliar now, but never dull, never without beauty all its own. We stopped off at Bandon for breakfast where my favorie "granny breakfast" is . . . biscuits and gravy with one scrambled egg and a link. We rode on until we got to Lincoln City where I had a chance to visit the outlet stores only to find they cater to the big spender and the petite folks. We stayed at the Casino Hotel where the room was posh. It is laid out with a short wall with an etched glass of sea gulls and sea lions dividing the room. The back half had a small kitchen and glass doors and windows bringing in an ocean view to calm a weary traveler. John had some computer work to do so I decided to walk over to the Casino and try my luck. When I reached the outside, the winds and rain pushed me along and by the time I got to the Casino door I was sopping wet. Oh, the Dauntless One, nothing stops me as I found a machine to play . . . and also found that it didn't pay enough to play. John joined me and we took off for uptown and found a wonderful restaurant where we had fish and chips then went back to the hotel to watch NCIS and catch those illusive 'z's'.
In the morning we rode along the old two lane highway with very little traffic. The scenery is rural, fields, lakes, ponds, horses, cows, goats and signs for elk which we never did see. The old barns waiting to be painted, by an artist, as they would never stand up under a coat of new paint. The trees budding, some far ahead of others telling of the coming of Spring. We rode in and out of rainy blustery spells but nothing lasted very long. We stopped at Tulamook for breakfast and looked around the shops, tasted the samples of cheese and chose a variety pack to share with Christine.
Then my son headed for the major highway, no more biways as it is the slowest way to go, and into a huge storm. We drove in really heavy traffic with the cars and trucks spewing clouds of steam from the road so you could hardly see in front of you and this is going seventy miles an hour. Talk about your white knuckles. Not my favorite way to travel. The ride seemed endless and finally we got to Gig Harbor which is about ten miles from our destinaton. We found a Costco store and went in to check it out. It was marvelous to grab hold of a basket and walk around the store to stretch the leg muscles. and added a few more tasty treats.
We arrived at Christine's house to find the key in her porch planter box, just where she said she would put it. When we opened the door we faced a huge plastic hanging between her kitchen and living room and found the kitchen completely gutted. She had three small leaks she needed to fix and one thing led to another and now she is living with, and waiting for, a brand new kitchen. Her young worker, Bill, is doing a great job. He is a quality worker and takes time to make sure every beam is in the right place. So we are 'camping in'. The California shushi, cheeses and salad came in handy. The red wine hit the spot.
Next morning Christine had to go to work so set the coffee pot for me. She was in a hurry and left the old filter with coffee in the base so when she put the new filter in the coffee did not brew properly. I had my first cup of coffee at five o'clock when Bill helped me to get the pot cleaned out and we brewed our first pot for the day. Picture me without my crank oil all day, but I have a strong desire to head for the nearest restaurant. I want a hot meal . . . I'm so deprived. That is not what Christine's scales say and they change by five pounds every day so I am thinking they don't know what they are saying and I don't have to know the true figures. It snowed last night and there are two very big hills to walk down to town, so that is not an option.
John e-mailed that he made it to the job site and the roads were clear and the sun was beaming all the way. He is hoping to help the client to get 'on line'.
Christine is working from home this moring and soon we will be off to find a restaurant, a thrift store to browse in, then back to my book....book, Christine has a family room loaded with bookcases filled with books, boxes with books, books on the tables, books on the chairs so if you are looking for a special title, check with Christine, I'm sure it is here somewhere. It is wonderful to share hugs and time with my daughter . She looks good but tired. Her work days are long yet she seems content.
Make your day a good one. Do some one thing for YOU. Know I am thinking of you with love and hugs.
John e-mailed that he made it to the job site and the roads were clear and the sun was beaming all the way. He is hoping to help the client to get 'on line'.
Christine is working from home this moring and soon we will be off to find a restaurant, a thrift store to browse in, then back to my book....book, Christine has a family room loaded with bookcases filled with books, boxes with books, books on the tables, books on the chairs so if you are looking for a special title, check with Christine, I'm sure it is here somewhere. It is wonderful to share hugs and time with my daughter . She looks good but tired. Her work days are long yet she seems content.
Make your day a good one. Do some one thing for YOU. Know I am thinking of you with love and hugs.
Sounds like quite an adventure!
ReplyDeletefun fun fun! hugs to aunt chris~
ReplyDelete