KaaaaaBOOM
Sent: Saturday, July 06, 2013 11:56 PM
To: Friends & Family
Subject: KaaaaaBOOM
If you are thinking my subject line aligns to the fireworks of July 4th ….. you would be wrong. Rather, that loud explosive sound is related to what we have now officially done to our current planned summer schedule…. "KaaaaaBOOM"!!!!! But more about that later; back to the fireworks.
Yes indeed, 4th of July in Newport Oregon (OR) was “just lovely”. News of this event was the initial reason we decided to come here in the first place and then the locals we met all reinforced our decision… “better than New York” … “Washington DC doesn’t come close” …. “Oh My Guawd… one word, just one…. FANTASTIC!” … “we make a special trip to town every year just for the fireworks – you will LUUUUUVE THEM”
Yes, a little splendor was added by virtue of location; shimmering waters of Yaquina Bay , a spattering of fishing boats and the BIG bridge but come on now…. NY? DC? The anticipation was palpable, and despite the howling wind and blazing sun, the excitement from the kids in the RV park grew as the day wore on. They were giddy, noisy, full of energy, riding their bikes and skate boards, screaming and yelling and throwing ball… their parents, as my good friend Sandi would say, chillaxing out by their campers, indulging in hotdogs and beer… for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Yes, this is what the 4th of July is all about… freedom… in this case, freedom to be ones ‘self and to indulge in the pleasure of abundant joy and good times with friends, family and the solidarity of being an American on Independence Day. So…. what did we do? We joined them. We sat outside for about ½ hr. in the blazing sun… Alan with umbrella in hand (because it was too windy for the awning)… looked around and said “why don’t we have beer and hot dogs for lunch and dinner …and hey, in between we can walk over to the Rogue Distillery and sample a few of their spirits? We are big people… we too can make questionable ‘it’s a holiday excuse’ food and beverage choices. “ …and so it was.
But the days are long here. Do you know how late dark-time is around here? 10, 10 p.m. That’s way past bed time for most … young and old… and for the young who have been playing in the sun all day, well now that is definitely way past zzzzzzzonk time! The park and surrounding area were strangely muted by the time we stepped back out to watch the display. The sun was finally down and that wind was now a strong cold breeze blowing off the ocean. We sat out front of the rig, freezing our arses off as we watched a modest, dare I say ‘very nice’ display of colorful fireworks… which lasted about 10 - 15 minutes … and then they were done. NY, DC, it was not … but for a small coastal town…. ‘Fantastic’….just ask one of the locals. “Well, so much for that then. Ready for bed Alan Love?”
All relative I guess, but now I am being unkind to our gracious host town which has actually offered quite a few fun activities, restaurants and brew pubs during our stay. Newport has been a great base of operations for sampling Oregon coastal life. The weather has been a standard mix of cool wind, rain, cloud, bright sunshine and early morning fog… often all in one day. Our location is perfect, just behind the BIG bridge on the shores of the Newport Marina, the slips filled with an assortment of working fishing boats and a NOAA base just around the corner. The South Beach State Park is within a walking mile, offering forever beaches and views of both Yaquina lighthouses; the Rogue Nation Brewing operations is located just across the parking lot and there are a couple great little restaurants in and around town offering a fabulous assortments of seafood and awesome BBQ. Oh yes, and Newport carries the distinction of being a Coast Guard City.
Our month long stay here was highlighted by two sets of friends visiting which only served to enhance the experience…. that… and walking on NYE beach with said friends very early one morning, in the rain, during the lowest of low tides due to the position of the moon. Yes indeed, Newport OR is a nice little town, as are Florence, Depoe Bay, Lincoln City and Toledo all of which we have visited while here. Wish I could say we will be back, but that is something I am not certain of … especially in light of our recent change of plans.
So…. back to the subject line…. "KaaaaaBOOM"!!! We just blew up our current summer schedule and are headed for the EAST coast. Our original idea was to spend this summer retracing our 2008 west coast trip, this time travelling up the coast vs. down; all the way to Anacortes WA revisiting some of our favorite spots along the route. We would then turn east and take a leisurely drive cross-country via Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas on our way to Alan’s Marine Corp Reunion scheduled for late October in San Antonio TX; with plans then to end the year in Florida, spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in the Keys.
We have instead decided to start moving toward the longer-term future sooner rather than later … to that place that will finally tame us and have us settled. Not certain it is possible to break the streak of wonder lust within us, but we have an idea of a life after full-timing that is unexpectantly drawing on our attention. Destination, the Carolina’s. We are meeting up with friends in Cannon Beach and Astoria OR over the next week but after that, we begin adjusting to the new itinerary. The passage east will be fairly swift and direct with brief delays in Colorado, Missouri and Arkansas to see family and friends. From there it is a straight shot which should put us in the Carolinas by mid-August. This will be a ‘look and see’ tour… giving ourselves the opportunity to experience the last part of summer and early fall in the place we may one day soon call home. We do still intend to make the Marine Corp Reunion in TX and pick-up on the original Florida plans for the winter… but come next spring, we may be looking to finally settle down.
Well, this note has turned out to be a long one so I think I will end it now. Alan is working on an update to our blog that will give much more news and a few more pictures on our activities while in this area, don’t forget to check it out too… (http://www.twobyroad.com/blog/index.html)
To paraphrase a friend of mine … July is the first month of the second half of the year! A chance to review and renew! I guess that is exactly what we are doing. Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th .
Much Love and Hugs
AM