Well ...

Well, clearly I didn’t take the laptop so I could blog and comment on blogs, and I didn’t use my phone except for pictures, boarding passes for flights, car and hotel reservations  and directions to restaurants, so I really was unplugged and I really loved it. And that made the trip all the more peaceful and relaxed, even with plane delays both going and coming home; peaceful.

And that was the trip. We had a nice visit with my Dad … Carlos hadn’t been out since the pandemic ended … and we enjoyed our first real vacation together in a couple of years … other than weekends away and such.

We strolled the old town of Newport; it’s quite touristy but I love the views of the old bridge, even from underneath. Strolling through town I saw these two figures outside of Ripley's Believe It or Not! … or as I called it, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not They Still Exist. But I did like the lion and the gorilla outside the building seemingly crafted out of tires.

And of course you have to see, and hear, the sea lions in the bay. During a particularly bad storm their little sunbathing spot had been damaged and the town fixed them up a new perch almost instantly. They may be loud, but the people want what the people want.

Even better, though, was a glass of Dead Guy Pilsner and a bowl of Clam Chowder at the Rogue Brewery overlooking the marina. We always stop in there for a beer or three and a good lunch.

We took morning and afternoon walks along the beaches up and down the coast; the water’s a wee bit cold, but the days were mostly sunny and cool, and the sea is good what ails you. In that last photo is a teeny tiny view of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse …

And there’s the lighthouse up close; still in operation though unmanned these days, it’s sits in a spot called Cape Foulweather … doesn’t that sound lovely. The coastline is especially rugged—for people—but the birds seem to love perching on the rocks; along one side of the Lighthouse you can hike down to the beach for a totally different view.

And we’ll take a moment for the I Don’t Like People segment of the tour. The lighthouse has designated paths and trails, all fenced in to keep humans from trampling on the native vegetation. 

But please to explain these fools standing off the path to take pictures, having walked over this sign to do so? Seriously, I don’t like many people.

Another scenic peaceful sight was the walks along the Willamette River, where we had a couple of drinks, a nosh of two, and then relaxed in a beautiful garden of native plants and flowers at the water’s edge. The geese were out that day, heads turning in unison if they thought someone might have some breadcrumbs. 

I love this message on a lamp post … ‘You have five days,’ it said, though someone edited it to say, ‘You haven’t five days.’ As it turned out we hadn’t five days left, but just one last night and another dreamy cock-a-tale at Twigs Bistro in Vancouver: I give you the Lunazul Reposado Jalapeno Cilantro Margatini.

What a way to end a trip … hic.

So, we’re back, and getting back to the home routines of animals and lawns and life. All in all, it was a beautiful peaceful fun trip, and so glad we got a way.