I'm Back ! ! ! Part One

I have been gone a whole week, although at times it seemed like seconds and other times like years, depending on what was going on for the day. Riding hours in the back of a jeep, or even in the front, is not the most comfortable ride in the world, but, it does get you where you're going. We left Brookings bright and early on Monday morning (July 26th) and headed north for the familiar ride along Route 101 past familiar scenes which you have seen many times. I tried for a few new ones as we passed through the small 'summer seaside resorts' crowded with tourists from all over. Those land whales can make your temper flare when the driver insists on hogging the road mile after mile without a thought to those creeping slowing behind. I think I heard a new word from Pat but she insisted it was an 'old' one.

We passed through Gold Beach, Port Orford, Bandon, Florence and finally arrived at Newport forgetting the stores were in Lincoln City another thirty some miles up the road. The fog had chased us up the highway sometimes thick as pea soup and other times as filmy and hazy as ghostly threads. The sun came out as did the temperature and our sweaters and jackets were left behind as we traipsed around the huge complex looking at real true stores. I managed three shoe stores but found they don't make any after size ten, those of us with Longfellow's have to find another area or go barefoot. . . well, I do that often enough and that is probably why I have trouble finding shoes to fit my feet today. We found our way to a lovely hotel , the 'girls' (Pat and granddaughter Erin) went to the Dory restaurant to have fish and chips. We were surprised to find that the original Dory restauant had burned to the ground and now they are located up on the main street, still as good as ever and the fish and chips are to 'die' for. I, of course, had other 'fish' to fry as there is a large casino there and I wanted to see what machines they have added and play awhile. It is a rather large casino and they do have the latest machines and some were tied together so that if you are playing on one and three others are playing their machines all hooked together and one gets the 'word' to say go 'fish' then all four machines do it. It is fun and two of us caught a fish so got some extra points, not enough to suit me, but at least something. That was day one. To be continued . . . .

Meanwhile, I hope that you all had a great July monday and did something good, like getting to work on time, or if you are retired, you got up early enough to feed the dog, or at least wondered what I was up to . . . well, I missed YOU!