A varied group of friends from around the country – well, around the continent, actually, since Margaret lives in Ontario – decided a few months ago to gather in Tillamook, Oregon, where one of our number lives, and is in less than good health so finds traveling difficult. We spent much of the week trying to figure out whose idea it was initially for us all to go to Oregon, but as is often the way with such things, we never did decide.
Papa Tigs to BWI Airport at 0 dark 30, and while normally a flight is uneventful, this time something delightful happened: When I went to get in line to board my plane, there in front of me was a former coworker/friend who I’d lost touch with several years ago! So Judy and I reconnected, and as luck would have it we were on the same flights both directions, so I got to see her again coming home, too!
We collected everyone at the airport flying and driving in from all over – Margaret from Ontario, me from Maryland, Vicki from Georgia, and Joanie from New York flew in, and then Sunni drove in from Idaho and Dawn drove up from California, Sunni collecting Marie from Tillamook to join us at the airport. The lone man in the picture is Vern, an online friend of several of the ladies who wanted to meet the crazy bunch; he just joined us for lunch and then left. Dawn only stayed a day and a half, and then had to head back, so I never did get a chance to visit with her much.
We then drove over the coast range to Tillamook, which was our base of operations for several delightful days. We had perfect weather the entire time, too, so it made for pleasant sightseeing.
The first day everyone else wanted to go geocaching, but neither Margaret nor I had that much energy, so we just drove down the coast, stopping for lunch at a lovely pub on the beach in Pacific City, where we watched kids flying kites and then Margaret insisted on dipping her toes in the ocean. I knew better so kept my feet dry – that water is COLD!
Another day we all went on a trip up the coast to have a picnic and then make a trip to my favorite childhood playground, Arcadia Beach (which is just south of Cannon Beach, for those of you familiar with the area). While the beach was gorgeous and the rock that has always looked to me like a buffalo lying down was unchanged, and also completely exposed since it was low tide, I was utterly HORRIFIED to learn that my beach has been DISCOVERED!! Even as recently as a few years ago, there were never more than 5 or 6 people on the beach when we’d visit it, but this time there must have been a couple hundred people running around! It was extremely traumatic, I kid you not. How DARE they? And there are even houses built along the beach – although all beaches in Oregon are public, you can build right next to them, apparently. Of course, my biggest complaint about those houses is that none of them are mine. YET.
To be continued in next post
It’s always fun to reconnect with old friends. I think the cow stuff is jake.
