Travelin’ Week

 After my far too adventurous drive back from Salem to Depoe Bay, there were a few lazy days that could have been warmer, but otherwise were restful and fun. Cy still had a couple of weeks of teaching to finish, plus he’s working at the harbor on Saturdays, and Amanda usually has afternoon or evening shifts working at Pelican Brew Pub, but there is still plenty of time to see the sights and do fun things together.

Another lovely sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Depoe Bay

Amanda and I went to Newport one day to pick up some things at Walmart, but first we decided to go on a gallery walk around Nye Beach, which is sort of an “old town” of shops and restaurants near the ocean beach (there’s also another area like it down on the bayfront). We visited the Yaquina Artists Association, and both of us found art to buy. I found a charming print that looked like Cy and Amanda’s dog Chloe teaching a bunch of sheep how to help her win the sheepdog trials.

Yaquina Artists Association and For Art’s Sake galleries in Newport

Amanda found some really nice prints of fish, and a glass-fused bug that was delightful. The wandering and looking at the artwork on a sunny day (at least in Newport) was a great way to pass some time before doing our more humdrum errands at Walmart.

That evening, we had another excursion, this time all four of us (and Chloe the dog) went to a neighborhood being built on the north end of Depoe Bay, called Depoe Bay Heights. As far as we could tell, none of the new houses and condos are occupied yet, so we availed ourselves of the amazing views, both back toward the coastal range and out to sea, plus we could look down on most of the town as well. We tried out the Adirondak chairs on the patio of what we think will be the community center, and checked out a few of the house decks, too. The views were a bit vertigo-inducing, but they were also amazing.

Views from our surreptitious trip to Depoe Bay Heights where
the houses are newly built and empty, as far as we could tell

I’ve been otherwise occupied during the day with activities such as making breads, sorting beads that Amanda bought for a song at an estate sale (because they were all mixed together), and seeing how the flowers I’ve collected along the way worked in my flower press. As you can see, they turned out great. And sorting the beads is a very zen-like activity. As for making bread, since I use a bread machine it is not that zen-like, but it tastes great!

Some of the flowers I collected and
pressed while we have been traveling

One afternoon I walked down to Depoe Bay and visited the shops; I found a nice pair of socks, a couple of paperbacks, and of course some movie treats, including caramel corn, which is sold at about a half-dozen shops along the bayfront. I went to look for whales, as one does when one is down in town, but they weren’t very obvious as far as I could see. We heard there was a pod of orcas playing in the bay a few days ago, but we didn’t have the luck to be down there that day.

A view of the Depoe Bay harbor through
blooming rhododendron bushes

Mid-week, we headed back to Salem for a longer stay. We are staying with Amanda’s parents for a few days, and then they are leaving on a trip and we’ll be house sitting—and we’re going to take advantage of the time at a house to clean and organize everything that’s gotten a little messy in the van and the camper. Amanda’s parents, Paul and Crystal, moved from Redmond, near Bend, to a house where they used to live in Salem. It had been rented for many years and needed some remodeling, which is almost finished. It is looking great and/but I am intrigued at the strange angles of the walls in the house. You open a closet and find it’s a triangle, and there are other places where the walls make unexpected turns. But it’s a lovely place with beautiful plants all around it (Salem and Portland both are inhabited by dedicated gardeners, I think). I’m in charge of watering the plants for a week; thank heavens it rains a lot in Salem.

When we first arrived, we went out to dinner with their friend Rick and my sister and brother-in-law, Amy and Rob, to a new restaurant in town called Chopstick Brothers, and had some tasty Chinese food. A friend who lives in Olympia, Robert, came down to visit and we all (except Crystal) went out to play pool one afternoon, with a delicious cookout after we played. Pool was fun, but none of us were great at it. Even so, Mike won two out of three games.

At the pool hall

We also went back to Portland on Saturday. We did not know that the Rose Festival, another festival, and Fleet Week were all going on in Portland that day—so the traffic was pretty wretched. Apparently Seattle’s terrible traffic has spread south, alas. We were heading to a fundraiser for a friend of our niece Jesse and her husband Ray, across the river from downtown in a neighborhood with the fetching name of Sullivan’s Gulch. The fundraiser was held in a beautiful old house; the food was delicious, the cause was good (a free mental health clinic), and we even made some communal artwork that they auctioned off. And Ray won some Portland Timbers and Thorns tickets in one of the raffles. Though it rained on our way there, the sun came out later and it was enjoyable to see Portland being Portland, a crowded but fun and yes, slightly weird, place to visit.

We went to a neighborhood across the Willamette River from
downtown Portland for a fundraiser that benefited a clinic that
was started by a friend of our niece and nephew-in-law

Later in the week when we were staying in Salem, my sister Amy took a day off and we went out for coffee and visiting thrift stores. That was fun, but for lunch we picked up Rob (Mike was having lunch with his friend Robert) and went to a vineyard that is only about 10 minutes from their house. What a view! What a lunch! The vineyard sits on rolling hills, with the restaurant at the top of one of the hills so there is an amazing view that includes three Cascade peaks, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Adams. I think I would like to go back there again while we are in Oregon. Or were we somehow transported to Tuscany? In any event, it was a lovely day.

Vineyards, charcuterie, and a view of Mt. Hood, oh my!

I also went to the Saturday Market in downtown Salem while we were there. The weather forecasters were warning of a heat alert because it was supposed to get up to 90 degrees. I don't think it got that hot, but I finally did venture out without a sweater! And I got beautiful berries, sparkling spinach, ridiculously large radishes, and more. It was another lovely day, and the Market made it even better.

Salem’s Saturday Market was busy (and warm) this week