More tripping

This was the view outside the condo we rented on the Oregon coast in Depot Bay. We saw 3 orca but I was not fast enough with my camera to catch them. The coast was just as beautiful as I imagined and every view seemed like a postcard. I got a crick in my neck from constantly looking up to see the giant trees. It did rain every day but it wasn’t enough to stop us(or anyone else) from just going on with our day. We drove to Newport and had lunch down on the docks in a lovely restaurant. It was very modern and the food was fresh off the boat. Did some exploring and some shopping on the way back to Depot Bay in time for cocktail hour. On the way to our rental we had made a stop at Tillamook Dairy for some cheese. My son had taken a trip out West with Uncle Bob years ago and still remembered the ice cream at Tillamook. We brought cheese curds, sharp cheddar and a few other things for cocktail hour. Our purchases from The Flying Dutchman Winery the day before  made a delicious time for everyone. What could be bad…wine, cheese, good company.

The people that owned the condo were very nice and verrrry fonnnd of glass. The whole time we were there I kept thinking that someone was coming into the room when it was just a reflection in all the glass everywhere. More than I wanted to see of me but that’s a small complaint. Everything else was lovely and spotless.

One of our days there we decided to go see the Seal Caves. It was a little rainy and the temps were about 55-60. As time progressed the wind picked up and the rain came down sideways. By the time we walked out of the caves to return to the entrance the wind had picked up to 60 mile an hour gusts. At one point I couldn’t move standing up. We had to walk bent at the waist and hold on to the railings for dear life. Cousin Susan started laughing and then we all started laughing and couldn’t stop. About half way up(did I mention it was uphill?) there is a ladies room and all four of us piled into it and just stood there in tears from laughing. My fingers were frozen since it had suddenly gotten colder. It was 42 degrees people!! 42 freaking degrees. I’m used to winter but the girls from Florida were feeling like they landed in the arctic. Anyway, we tried to calm ourselves down and the little room was heated so the Florida gang finally warmed up. When we opened the door to make our way, it turned out we only had a couple of feet to go to our destination…more laughter.

Here are the rocks outside from the balcony. We were sorry to leave this place. It was really beautiful. I will definitely go back. I was so sorry to miss seeing my good friends in Portland and Beaverton. The plane trip is long and fortunately went smoothly. BIL Bob got us first class tickets and they served us breakfast and then lunch on the next flight but it’s a long time to be in the air. We flew into Seattle and drove down to Oregon the first week. Then back up to Richland Wa.via the Columbia River Gorge(breathtaking) where my niece was getting married. Richland is part of Tri-cities and is a big fruit and wine growing area. James and Dani flew into Pasco, one of the Tri cities. It’s also very much like a desert. So we went from rainy 50s to very warm 75-80s temps. The wedding was so beautiful. It was in a vineyard in late afternoon and everything was well done and sweet. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I never got my camera out. Everyone else has pictures so I will eventually get some and show them.

Day after the wedding we headed for a week in Seattle. I can’t tell you how hard it was to pack for this trip. Three different temperature zones. Very challenging. Of course, I packed too much and my suitcase weighed a ton. Lesson learned.

That’s it for today. The contractor is coming in a few moments to show the project to a possible excavator guy. There is so much happening before they even get to the house building. We are on a slope and we have to have a stone wall dismantled and rebuilt 3 feet back in order to pass some stupid permit. Sadly, it’s the wall in which my chipmunks live and I’m sure they will go elsewhere for the duration. Kind of wish I could go somewhere too. So far all the guys I have met are very nice and seem to want to make these transitions as smooth as possible. These are the moments that I miss Roger the most. I need my engineer right about now. I am glad I paid attention to some important things while he was here.

More tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.

thea quilts

thea quilts  This blog is coming to you from Windows Live Writer. I spent too many hours trying to get the cursed blogger to work and this seems like a dream in comparison. Still finding my way around but infinitely better already.

The first week we were in Depot Bay in a lovely condo right on the water. I’ll get those photos in the next few days. We saw Orca and had a very funny incident at the Seal Caves where 60 mile per hour winds nearly knocked me into the Pacific(which it was not that day) and it was 42 degrees. I cursed my stupidity in taking out the sweatshirts I had planned to pack and instead packed more summery stuff. Freezing and sideways rain. More on that another day. I fell in love with Oregon though. Rain or no rain it was fabulous and breathtaking. Here’s a shot of the incredible Colombia River Gorge.

Our niece Michelle married her fiancé Cody in Richland southeast of Seattle. The wedding was amazingly beautiful. The area is a big agricultural region for wines and fruit. Michelle and Cody were married in a gorgeous vineyard-late afternoon. It was so much fun. Great DJ, great music, great drinks-hold on to your hats…I danced. Just enough to embarrass the kids. Lots of laughs.

We celebrated Dotties 70th by having dinner at the restaurant on top of the Space Needle. It was momentarily challenging since the movement of the place took a tiny bit of getting used to. One whiskey sour later I was fine. Dinner was very posh and very delicious.

Among the many things we managed to squeeze into our week was the Dale Chihuly glass installation below the Space Needle. It was so beautiful we went back late in the day hoping to see things lit up. It was still a little to early but some of the pieces were beginning to twinkle. Wow it was everything I imagined his work to be and then some.

Of course we had to go to Pike Place Market and sample our way through there. We went to International Town next day and went to Uwagimaya, a Japanese store. Everything Japanese and a market within the market. Great fun.

I’ll be back with more pics and stories soon. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed seeing Oregon and Washington. Love!! The endless plane ride….not so much.