Beach Life

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Rick and I are in Gold Beach, on the coast of Oregon. He had 3 days off this week, and couldn't bear the thought of staying in the campground, so here we are. Believe it or not, he actually had to beg me to make this trip. I love the ocean, but I was so tired from my trip to San Jose, I just couldn't get excited about packing my stuff again and getting in the truck for another long drive. I'm so glad I can't say no to my sweetie. He said he needed some beach time, but what he probably knew was I needed it too. I feel more alive here, in this lovely, breezy coolness. The sun comes out every day after a foggy morning, and we spend most of our time walking the dogs on the beach. OK. Sure, I should be working, but come on... why would I want to do that when I can do this instead?
We took a little drive north this morning, as far a Cape Blanco, which is the farthest western point in Oregon. I don't know if it's beautiful or not. We saw a lot of fog, and the wind was freezing. I had to wonder how it might be there in January if it was so wintery in July. The Cape's other claim to fame is its lighthouse. It's one of the oldest in the country, truly beautiful, and still in operation. We took the tour, climbed the tower, and saw the very splendid Fresnel lens, an irreplaceable glass wonder made in Paris.
Another highlight of the day was the big dinosaur we spotted on the way back from Cape Blanco. These  are a very popular Oregon coast roadside attraction. Somebody must have made a passel of theses dinos a few decades ago, and driven them up and down the coast, selling them to adventurous entrepreneurs who would plop them into groves of lush Oregon greenery in hopes of luring passing motorists into their "prehistoric gardens". 

Later, we hit the Curry County Fair, which just happens to be right next door to our little cottage on the beach. We saw lots of dear little animals, some fine pies and jams, a lot of glorious quilts, and some darn fine bull riding. I love that county fairs still exist, and that people still care about growing the biggest sunflower for miles around, or entering their child's self portrait in the competition for the coveted blue ribbon. I love it. I really do.
Tomorrow we have to go back to Ashland, to be available camp hosts on Friday night. They need us, and we care about our campers, so we'll be there. But not before we go back to the beach to let the dogs run in the sand again, splash our own toes in the waves again, and toss a few more beads on the beach for anyone who might wander along and spot them. It's really one of my favorite things to do, bead scattering. I did it a lot last summer at Grand Canyon, and I'm doing again here in Gold Beach. I'll bet I've planted over 100 beads on the beach this trip, and I have another bag to distribute tomorrow. This is fun for me. This is the real joy in making beads. Follow me around. You might find some. But don;t ask me to give them to you. That would be cheating. The Secret Bead Fairy needs to be at least a little bit anonymous, and the giving has to be up to me. But I find I do become a lot more generous when I've had some time on the beach. I keep wondering... why don't we live here?

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 30, 2010 at 8:27 AM

    I'm glad you let Rick drive you to the beach! What a great contrast to the campground. But are you sure you want to live with that cold wind, salt and sand year round? When I lived in Oceano it was a constant battle and expense with those elements - new radiators, frequent house painting - grit everywhere. Then you get your windows blown out in a NW winter storm. It's a nice place to visit... I'm too lazy and cheap to want to make that a career. Soooo, back to trash pickup for you, lady :-). I'm going to stalk you one day for beach beads - what good gift to the world. Norine

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kim MilesJuly 30, 2010 at 8:44 PM

    You're probably right Norine... some places are best left for vacations... but I'll keep you posted on where the Secret Bead Fairy strikes next!

    ReplyDelete

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