A miscellany like Grandma’s attic in Taunton, MA or Mission Street's Thrift Town in San Francisco or a Council, ID yard sale in cloudy mid April or a celestial roadmap no one folded—you take your pick.
Happy Tuesday evening, all (or Wednesday morning, as the case may be)! In case any of you were wondering what deserted spot we'd found last week & this weekend with no internet access, it was Manzanita, OR, or more precisely, our favorite vacation rental there, which stands right next to the dunes & has many charms & amenities but no wi-fi or any other hook-up.
We had a grand time! The weather was stormy (both rain & wind) much of the time, but we played music & explored the surroundings by car, & got to eat at our favorite coast eateries, Cranky Sue's Crabcakes & Cannon Beach Thai. We also did a little house hunting in Garibaldi, & have even made contact with a realtor—but I assure all our friends, local & otherwise—that nothing's imminent.
I'm posting some of our vacation pix below (the pic above shows shorebirds at Cannon Beach). But first: a couple of new blogs to check out—Kat of the wonderful Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes has started a haiku blog called Kigo of the Kat—check it out right here. & my San Francisco pal Ray Halliday has started a wildly adventurous blog called 12tuna. All I'll say is the adventure concerns cans of outdated Chicken of the Sea, so it's not for the faint of heart.
Cannon Beach gull & crow
Some traveling companions show the view from the rental's front porch
Dunes, driftwood, breakers: the beach at Manzanita
There was some big surf that day: the winds were very stiff & probably approaching a gale
Eberle on the beach
Me, likewise
Eberle on the path home; our rental is the lighter colored building to the left
Howdy folks, & thanks for all your good wishes. I’m percolating along, tho admittedly at a bit less than 100%. Without going into too many gory details, a review of my symptoms (in combination with the fact that this condition is very prevalent locally) leads me to think I have a fairly mild case of West Nile Virus. Apparently it’s pretty unlikely (tho not impossible) that a mild case such as this will develop into the scary severe sort. Interestingly, the vast majority of folks who are infected with the virus get no symptoms at all, with the sort of mild symptoms I have being the next most common result. I do feel quite a bit better today.
With Eberle’s okay, I thought I’d talk a little today about one possible future she & I are giving serious consideration—actually, it’s an idea we’ve been tossing around for a few years, but it seems quite possible that we may be moving from the “idea” to the “implementation” stage. The pictures you’re seeing in this blog definitely aren’t from Indian Valley—no, they’re from a little fishing town called Garibaldi, OR (& of course, you can enlarge them by clicking).
We first came across Garibaldi on our honeymoon; we’d left Portland & headed west, with our ultimate destination being a condo in Lincoln City, one of the Oregon Coast’s big tourist towns. As we were winding our way south on US Highway 101 in the mid morning, we felt the urgent need of coffee, & we pulled over into one of those ubiquitous Shell convenience stores/gas stations. We’d veered away from the open Pacific at this point, but I can remember the fog rising up from the big harbor with its fleet of boats. To the eastern side of 101 a small village rose on a gentle slope toward forested hills.
This didn’t feel like a resort town—it had the feeling of a “real place” in a way that resort towns seldom do. I presume this is largely because it is on Tillamook Bay, & not on the open ocean; in some ways, it reminded me of Cascade, ID—a working class town in the midst of a resort area. (It’s a bit smaller than Cascade, actually—about the size of Council, ID in terms of population, tho Garibaldi seems to have more services than Council).
We headed south, & had a lovely honeymoon in Lincoln City, but both Eberle & I filed Garibaldi away in our memories. When we returned to the coast for vacations in 07 & 08 (we skipped 06 due to commitments with The Grub Stake score), we took day trips to Garibaldi from our rental just a bit north in Manzanita; & we both continued to like the feel of the place very much….
We’re now talking pretty seriously about buying a house there. Now for local readers: don’t panic—if we do, it’ll be a “second home” for the foreseeable future; we don’t intend a permanent move away from Indian Valley any time real soon—we both love our house & our surroundings. But Indian Valley has certain very specific drawbacks for someone with a lung condition. Although this hasn’t been the case too much this summer, the way Indian Valley is situated relative to surrounding areas make it an ideal collector for smoke from wildfires during the summer—because its low-lying, we routinely get significant amounts of smoke even from fairly distant fires on the Snake River, for instance; this in addition to the very real threat of local wildfires (there was one exactly one mile from our house the weekend we spent in McCall). In addition, while I’m aware that coastal winters are rainy, the winters here tend to be gloomy as well, as Indian Valley is very prone to inversions—i.e., the warm air stays high & the chilly damp air—often accompanied with frozen fog—lies low. The frozen fog—or pogonip, to use its Native name—is beautiful to look at, but I can tell you there’s a reason the Native Americans believed it to be injurious to the lungs.
& there are general maintenance issues with a 10-acre parcel, with a relatively big driveway (snow shoveling) & even bigger lawn (mowing, etc). In addition, there’s a pretty significant difference in oxygen between Indian Valley (3,000 feet) & Garibaldi (22 feet above sea level).
As folks who’ve followed this blog for some time know, I’ve felt drawn by the ocean since I was very young, & there’s something about the sea that has always filled me with a sort of serenity. When I lived in San Francisco I loved going to Ocean Beach. For a few years I used to bike out there thru Golden Gate Park on Sundays.
Being on the north side of 50, I think I know pretty well that wherever you live, there are good points & bad points. But we’re both excited thinking about this, & we wanted to share a bit of this dream with you folks.
I’ve written this in a pretty leisurely fashion this morning—in between playing the banjo & a few light household chores—point is, I actually think I might be on the mend, as I’m feeling the best I’ve felt since Thursday. Hope you’ve enjoyed the Garibaldi pix; I’m looking forward to catching up on your blogs in the next couple of days.. We’ll keep you posted as things develop regarding the Oregon coast!
We all have times when some intangible part of us needs to be soothed—whether we call that the heart or the soul or the mind, etc. & we all need ways of being soothed; some like to cook, some like to exercise, some like to take quiet walks, some—like me—love to play guitar or some other instrument. These ways & others like them all seem pretty positive; of course, there are destructive ways that some of us have sought this heart’s ease, too—sadly, those ways don’t ever seem to work in the long run. That’s my experience at least.
There are also landscapes, I believe, that can bring this heart’s ease. For some, it’s the mountains in winter; for others, the open space of the rangeland. Some find joy & peace in the bustle of a city neighborhood—its markets, its shops, its streets & buildings; other find it in a farmhouse. For me, the most soul-nurturing landscapes have always involved water in general, & the ocean in particular. I’ve written about this before, so today rather than elaborate points I’ve made before, I’m posting a slideshow of photos Eberle & I took at the Oregon coast last fall. The background music is an untitled guitar piece I composed last summer. The word “composed” is used somewhat loosely here, because nothing was ever written down. This is just an improvisation on a chord progression that’s odd but actually quite simple.
Hope you find the music & images peaceful on this Sunday afternoon.
When you live in Indian Valley, ID a big part of any vacation has to be dining out. Local options are limited, to say the least, so unless necessity dictates otherwise, we’re eating in most of the time—well, we both can cook, so not a huge problem. Still, good restaurants are the acme of exoticism for both Eberle & me, & we’re not talking three-star Michelin restaurants or anything remotely as high-falutin’ as that; just good, memorable food at a place we hope won’t break the bank. So one big pleasure on our trips to the Oregon Coast is the great food; we hit four spots this weekend (because we were having supper in most nights): Roseanne’s Café in Oceanside, Cranky Sue’s & Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine in Cannon Beach, & the San Dune Pub in Manzanita.
Roseanne’s Café & the San Dune Pub are great (the latter particularly for fish & chips), but I’m going to focus on the two Cannon Beach spots. First, I have to say that although Cannon Beach seems to be the place to go on the north coast, I don’t care so much for the town itself. It’s swarming with tourista’s, even in the off season & especially on weekends, so you can’t take a leisurely stroll down the street or find a place to park (I know, I know, we’re touristas, too). I’d also have to say that the actual beach at Cannon Beach strikes me as the least attractive piece of shoreline on that part of the coast—again, lots of people, & other than the iconic Haystack Rock, it’s humdrum in comparison with a lot of nearby spots (though we did enjoy watching pelicans there on Sunday morning).
Having said all that, however, I’ve also gotta admit that as long as we go to the Oregon Coast, we will go to Cannon Beach because we both adore two restaurants there: Cranky Sue’s & Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine—& believe it or not, they stand right next to each other on Fir Street. If you’re coming from Portland, you’ll find them off the first exit from 101 South; if you’re coming from the south, you’re gonna have to wade thru the Cannon Beach madness no matter which entrance to town you take off 101.
Eberle & I went to Cranky Sue’s on Saturday afternoon after a morning of exploring Manzanita Beach. It was a glorious day—sunny & warm, just a gentle breeze off the water, so we sat outside with the dog owners; Cranky Sue’s is very dog-friendly, & though we’re not dog owners, we like dogs & enjoy that. For the less dog-centric, there’s dog-free seating inside. It’s a good idea to be in a mellow mood & not have a lot of plans when you dine at Cranky Sue’s—it’s a popular spot, the food is made to order, & the wait can be a bit long. Those are the only real minuses—despite the restaurant’s name, the staff is pleasant, & when the food does arrive it’s out of this world. Crab cakes, of course—actually, there are some other really tempting items on the menu, like fried catfish or oysters, but until we swing it so we can stay on the coast longer or more often, it has to be crab cakes at Cranky Sue’s. This is the sort of food you dream about after you’ve had it. We both got the crab cakes on potato flour rolls with Jamaican tartar, & also a side of some nicely tart coleslaw. Just to top this off, we ordered onion rings—a guilty pleasure from my past that I haven’t had for years. These onion rings (with homemade ketchup & basil dip) were amazingly fried. It’s true that almost any food tastes better fried, but Cranky Sue’s has the art down, like the late, great Gravy’s in Daly City, CA. Another treat is the raspberry lemonade (we know from last year)—sadly, they were out of it this time around, but there are plenty of soft drinks for teetotalers like us, & plenty of beer for the rest of y’all.On Sunday, we just headed next door. I’ll admit that Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine is not the most inspired restaurant name, but that’s the only thing about this place that isn’t inspiring. I don’t recall exactly what we had a year ago—I think I had some type of yellow curry; all I can remember is Eberle’s dish was great, too. This time around we ordered Gang Pra curry, a country style curry with carrots & bamboo shoots & basil & pepper & zucchini, & Eggplant Delight, a fiery dish with eggplant (natch), onions, peppers & carrots. In both cases, the meat was chicken. The Eggplant Delight came with a small, but fresh & tasty side salad. The service at Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine has been prompt & friendly each time we’ve gone there. Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine cooks vegetables just about to perfection—crisp, but flavorful. Eberle believes that in the case of the curry, the meat & vegetables must be added (after themselves being cooked) to an already existing stock & then served immediately. However these folks do it, the flavor is wonderful—more food to daydream about during the Indian Valley winter….
Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine is also modestly priced—those two dishes, flavorful tea & a more than respectable tip only set us back around $25.00 (remember when you consider these prices—neither of us drink alcohol). Cranky Sue’s is a fair bit more than this—I believe the meal ran in the $50 range—but it’s worth it. So if you’re over on the Oregon coast & near Cannon Beach—forget about Haystack Rock—check out Cranky Sue’s &/or Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine!
Top pic: Crab cakes at Cranky Sue’s Second Pic: Cranky Sue’s Third Pic: Eggplant Delight at Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine Fourth pic: Eberle & curry—a happy eater! Bottom pic: Cannon Beach Thai Cuisine
Eberle & I are just back from a lovely three days & four nights at Manzanita. Our rental was located right at the very edge of the dunes on the south side of the village; the weather was mostly glorious—we arrived & left in the rain, but otherwise the sun was shining on the ocean by day & the moon by night. There were just enough clouds to make the sky a spectacular canvas, & we were able to explore the beach quite thoroughly, even as far south as Nehalem State Park. Of course, each beach is a world of sorts—the features are often generic—surf, sand, flotsam & jetsam, but always have some unique elements. Here are some of the things we saw—both generic & unique—on Manzanita beach.
Small succulents growing out of the sand
A large driftwood log charred black at the root end & still smoldering
A red Bic lighter almost buried in the sand near this log
Broken crab shells—both bodies & claws
Broken clamshells
Broken mussel shells
Broken sand dollars
An intact dead crab, smaller than my thumb
Jellyfish
Gulls wading at the water’s edge
Gulls flying singly or in flocks
Pelicans flying in flocks & landing beyond the breakers
Crows flying & walking along the sand
The breakers becoming a brilliant foamy white as they catch the eastern sun in the morning
Breakers turning a glossy orange as they catch the setting sun’s spreading glow
The sunset
The moonrise
Feathery white clouds & fluffy cumulus clouds
A river of gray & orange clouds streaming off to the south as the sun was setting
Three boats well offshore, each seen singly
The light from a distant boat on the horizon at sunset
Two bicyclists
Two women in full riding attire on horseback—the chestnut horse striding along the water’s edge has a relaxed gait; the black horse seems tense & skittish
Any number of dogs—running, digging, fetching balls, etc.
A tepee made out of driftwood, with a pallet as a floor, & hung with long decorative strands of kelp
A driftwood fort on top of a dune
Sand dunes, mostly thick with various dune grasses
Small shreds of kelp, looking vaguely like excelsior in Easter baskets, caught by the wind & skittering across the sand, leaving small tracks behind them
A middle-aged man flying a kite
A middle-aged man constructing an elaborate sand castle with square turrets
An abandoned sand castle with a feather capping one of the round towers
A middle-aged couple embracing—both somewhat portly
Various declarations of love carved in the wet sand
Gull feathers
Long strands of bulbous kelp
A deer
Horse hoofprints
Deer hoofprints
Dog pawprints
Gull clawprints
Human footprints, both with shoes & barefoot
Dandelions
Windsurfers
A paddle surfer
A man pushing a stroller
A toy hockey puck
A piece of white plastic marked with wood grain, such as is used for fences
A bench made of Trex boards with a pressed metal salmon as the back
A trashcan made of plastic wood-grained boards, almost the color of redwood, with two metal gulls on top
A man in a wet suit wading into the surf to take photos of his son on a boogie board
The son carrying his blue boogie board into the surf with a shy or desultory gait
A girl, apparently his daughter, sitting in a red wagon at the water’s edge
A young girl wearing a melon-colored hoodie running down to the water’s edge & holding a multi-colored ring, which she alternately used as a frisbee, a hula hoop, or simply held around her waist
A white metal sign almost buried in sand—the faded black letters once read “Dune Restoration Project”
Eberle & I took over 150 pix—I really don’t recall which of us took the pix accompanying this post
‘Morning folks. Eberle & I are off to the Oregon coast this morning, but don’t despair—there’ll be daily posts during the time we’re gone thanks to the magic of Blogger post scheduler. I gave it a test run earlier this week, & it worked just fine. Things you have to look forward to over the next few days: a new installment in the “Life of Objects’ series; the weekend poem; a post about a 100-year old uke player; & my thoughts on two very famous mystery writers. Should mention also that I won’t be able to moderate comments while we’re away, but promise to check in on those the first thing when I get back.
In case you don’t know, Manzanita is a gorgeous little town on the coast just south of Cannon Beach & a bit north of Tillamook. Eberle & I vacationed there last year, & we’re headed back again to a cozy beach rental (with ping pong table in the garage!) The weather forecast is as good as you can expect for the coast this time of year—looks like the weather may be spotty on Friday, but perhaps will be fine after that.
The ocean has always been one of my great passions. When I was very young, we used to visit my great aunt & uncle, Arlene & Merle, at their cottage on Cape Cod. Merle was a doctor, & I remember him as a very good-humored & kindly man. Arlene was also a kindly person, & also quite talented; she was a painter & also a skilled & versatile musician who played a number of instruments—I can faintly picture some of them hanging on the wall in the cottage. Mostly, I loved the dunes & wading in the water & wandering along the beach looking for shells.
When I was a bit older, my parents occasionally would go camping at Hermit Island in Maine. This was a whole different ocean—tidal pools, rocky cliffs, chilly water even in summer, lobster boats. For a few early adolescent years, Hermit Island became my favorite place in the world.
Fast forward to the last 80’s—1988, when I first saw the Pacific at Bodega Bay in California, on a very delightful excursion with a gal friend. Though all the particulars & associations of that trip are now just a distant memory, it was really that trip that decided my future, because I fell deeply & passionately in love… with the West, & with the Pacific Ocean. Just over a year later, I was living in San Francisco….
While living in San Francisco, I had lots of chances to visit the Pacific, of course. I remember walking to Ocean Beach from Monterey Boulevard on Christmas 1989; I remember the bonfires on the beach & the bike rides I’d take to Ocean Beach on Sundays, cycling thru Golden Gate Park. Eberle & I would go to the beach during our courtship days, & we always try to visit there when we’re in the Bay Area.
We first checked out the Oregon Coast in 05, for a honeymoon stay at a Lincoln City condo. It was late September & rainy, as the coast can be in autumn & winter, but we had a wonderful stay, ducking out onto the beach between the storms, exploring the tidal pools, eating at the wonderful restaurants.
& now we’re off again, with some instruments (including beach ukes—an old Hilo baritone & a Kay soprano!) & some board games & some Lord Peter Wimsey dvd’s. If you’ve never seen the Oregon coast, you don’t know what you’re missing—it’s spectacularly beautiful, & even compares well with the California coast in the greater Bay Area. The forest comes right down to the coastal cliffs in many places, there are lots of gorgeous rock formations & glorious surf, & wondrous tidal pools; & the towns are quaint & trim, the restaurants superb.
We’re looking forward to a break & a fun getaway, & I’m sure we’ll be telling you about it once we’re back. I also have a camera & a notebook packed—a digital camera of course, but no, not the kind of notebook made of circuits that you run with mouse & keyboard, but one made of paper that you run with a pen. Sometimes we’re appallingly low-tech at Robert Frost’s Banjo…
Post title is a line from e.e. cummings’ “here's to opening and upward”
You’ll find the full text of the poem at this link
Happy Tuesday evening, all (or Wednesday morning, as the case may be)! In case any of you were wondering what deserted spot we'd found last week & this weekend with no internet access, it was Manzanita, OR, or more precisely, our favorite vacation rental there, which stands right next to the dunes & has many charms & amenities but no wi-fi or any other hook-up.
Cannon Beach gull & crow
Some traveling companions show the view from the rental's front porch
Dunes, driftwood, breakers: the beach at Manzanita
There was some big surf that day: the winds were very stiff & probably approaching a gale
Eberle on the beach
Me, likewise
Eberle on the path home; our rental is the lighter colored building to the left
