Gratitude

If not for the gray-haired man on the beach

who stopped me to ask if my dog could have a biscuit —

his eyes welling with tears over the loss of his Lab just

two days before (leaving him without a dog for the first

time in 30 years and his pocket still full of treats) —

who pointed to a wave at "one o'clock" to site the

huge seal bobbing there and then noted a whale

was out there further, I'd not have walked on

(after wishing his heavy heart peace) with my eyes fixed

below the horizon, and would not have seen the joyous

spout ~ I called back to him and he nodded ~ and then

another spout to the right, indicating at least two whales

were there, and would not have seen the graceful curves

of two whale bodies shining in the early autumn sun.



Were not the three Monarch butterflies puddling in pools

near the cliffs, flocks of celebratory Sanderlings flying

switch-backs along the waves, and the companionship of

my precious dog already gifts enough to me this day?



I honor them all with Gratitude.

Beach time, day two: gulls, whales, a buffalo

My second day of a short getaway trip to the beach began with a good breakfast at the Hilltop Restaurant, a landmark in Lincoln City, where Lenny Carr plays on the weekends. I'm sorry I know absolutely nothing about his bio but having heard him quite a few times now I would bet that he's had quite a musical career. Our family physician (who is about Lenny's age) has a beach retreat in Lincoln City and, according to the doc's wife, Lenny is a favorite of his. This elder musician doesn't miss a beat of any song in his extensive repertoire, that is as varied as the customers at the Hilltop. I saw a large Hispanic youth in even larger clothes walk over to Lenny's tip bowl to add to the good pile of bills there on his keyboard. The next tippers were a couple with gray hair conservatively dressed for church, no doubt. Then I came along with my tip and my camera.




The rest of the day I drove and stopped at different beaches heading north on Highway 101 (the Pacific Coast Highway) before turning around and heading back home late in the day.

At this stop I saw a large Humpback whale spout and followed it along with other whale watchers as it fed in the kelp fields and then began to swim south. It was too far out in the ocean to get a photo. A little girl who was tentatively feeding seagulls never noticed the whale. I thought her mother showed ingenuity or maybe just a sense of humor in her selection of gull snacks.




I had some mini apple-cinnamon cookies I'd bought the day before and thought that spreading them out on a picnic table for the seagulls was a good idea. Unfortunately, the gulls you see in this picture gobbled them up so quickly that the screaming others on the grass around the table didn't even get close to enjoying my offering.




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I love the 500 foot elevation viewpoint at Cape Foulweather.





These visitors at the lookout gift shop .....


.....had spotted a juvenile Humpback whale with a white tail feeding so close to the point that when it spouted we could hear it. One whale watcher advised everyone that the young whale could also hear us, and suggested that we not scream out in our excitement. The whale wasn't much larger than some of the black kelp seen spotting the water in that area.






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I went to Gleneden Beach next, where I parked and took a long walk in the sand. There may have been a total of 20 people scattered along the beach, and they were entertained by one surfer. Surfers in Oregon almost always wear wet suits because the water is almost always cold!



Along with several "For Sale" signs near homes-with-a-view there were about a dozen of these other warning signs posted in the (shrinking) bank, a sad commentary....

(click on photo to enlarge)

I came upon these two seagulls walking and talking together apart from any other gulls. The normally loud call usually heard when seagulls cry was, in their conversation, much lowered in volume and intensity. Only one spoke at a time, then the other responded. They walked, changed direction, stopped -- all the while in what seemed a contemplative discussion. Totally oblivious to me, they never looked in my direction even with the camera pointing in theirs. The scene reminded me of the Two Talking Cats video I posted awhile ago.




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Back at Lincoln City I pulled over at the wayside beach to call Mike and get a shot of colorful kites in a row against the bright blue sky before heading for home.



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On the road to our town some good people have raised this magnificent pet buffalo, a beast we've been slowing down to talk to for about ten years now. He's really tame and alert, and responds to a kind human voice. I think he's very much loved by his people. When I drove home Sunday afternoon the buffalo had just been fed a mound of hay which he was enjoying near the fence. Since I had my camera I took a quick shot as cars sped past me on the narrow two-lane road. There's something about this guy that nearly always brings tears to my eyes. He has a beautiful verdant pasture with large shade trees and a little creek running at the edge of the back fence. He has his own barn and I've never seen him left out in a storm or late at night. He's made the news. He is not being raised to become buffalo steaks. He has a family. A human family. When was the last time he saw another buffalo? Does he, deep in his DNA, have a knowing of the grandeur of the bison's past in this land? Of the bison's slaughter to near extinction?

What does this lone animal have to do with a two-day beach trip? Only that seeing him was proof that I was back home where the buffalo roams.

Beach time, day one: hazy, lazy and delicious

I've returned from two days and nights at the Oregon coast and feel refreshed. What a sweet thing for Mike to hold down the fort while I stepped away from the same-o, same-o routine here at the house. He enjoyed finishing up his week's vacation right here at home puttering and relaxing.

Here, then, is what my short trip entailed (in two installments: Monday and Tuesday). I arrived on Friday night in time to have a late dinner then checked into the motel in Lincoln City. The room was nice, but the people next door partied until 3:00 a.m. so I slept in on Saturday morning. When I woke up I was surprised to see how foggy it was, and it stayed that way all day in spite of a strong wind. Outside my window one seagull stood against authority.




After breakfast I parked the car at the 26th Street Access and took the steps down to the beach for a long walk. I love the beach when it's hazy-foggy but bright, and not cold. The weather on Saturday fit my mood perfectly.






I liked this sand teepee, complete with feathers, pebbles, shell, and petroglyph marking.



By the time I was headed back from my walk down the beach, waves had stolen the teepee's shell adornment. Sand sculptures are lovely, and fleeting -- reminding me to enjoy the moment now.









I walked down to the driving beach. There aren't many of them along the Oregon coast, thankfully. This one, however, served a special purpose for us in 2000, when Mike and I were able to get my mother down on the sand for a final time. Her wheelchair was really difficult to push in the sand, but we got her down to the shoreline.




The strong wind and waves masked all other sounds, except one buzzing-whirring sound that led to a fun discovery.






Back at my starting point I thought the remnants of the original 26th Street access steps were picturesque, but I wonder why they haven't been removed.





After some minimal shopping at the factory outlet shopping mall for basics (The Gap and Hanes got my business) I spotted a restaurant that I decided I'd try later on. I returned to the motel room to read and relax before dinnertime. I brought along the four books that I have on my next-to-read list, not knowing which one would appeal once I was at the beach. I curled up in a chair and started reading Free Play - Improvisation in Life and Art, by Stephen Nachmanovitch and it totally won my attention the rest of the trip.



I brought it with me to dinner and read while I waited for my meal, then tucked it away to enjoy this beautiful and superb repast. Yellow curry with tofu, ordered medium-plus spicy (4 of 5 on the hot scale, said the waiter). White sticky rice shaped like a star, topped with roasted seeds. Thai cucumber salad (rice vinegar was the secret). Green tea infused with herbs and flower petals (individual black iron teapot is between tea cup and timer-that indicated when my tea was steeped to perfection).



I recommend Andaman Thai Cuisine in Lincoln City, Oregon, to anyone living in the area or planning on visiting. There was a highly favorable restaurant review from The Oregonian near the front waiting area that called it one of the best Thai restaurants in the Pacific Northwest ("For better Thai food, go to Bankok"). The owner is originally from Thailand and has a Masters degree in food science. She's a master alright!

Next installment, day two at the beach: What a difference a day makes in the weather, or, my sunburned arms really hurt!


(I'm anxious to catch up on reading your blogs and will hopefully have use of the computer sometime Monday afternoon once the window installers complete the windows here in the office.)