A Living Magazine - Day 39 - Down by the Seaside

I had quite a nice sleep. Part of the night, Susanne and Bob's cat, Benedict Arnold (a female whose loyalties change with the wind), slept beside me. She must have left when I started snoring--something Buddy used to do.

I got up and Susanne made us some espresso, with a neat thing; I think it was called an Aeropress. Working for a while, I was able to catch up on a few things. Susanne mentioned that maybe we could take a trip to along the coast. I loved the idea. She needed to do something with Bob first, and I wanted to take a quick walk around that part of town. Before I headed out I took a picture of her full sized loom...

Being on the coast was nice, no matter what town. But Newport certainly had its own unique feel. As I'd mentioned in the last post, the wind was a continuous force whipping across the beaches and streets unrelentingly. It was nice for me. I'd been in so many hot, dry, dusty places in the last two months. To see mist in the air, a vast ocean breaking over the gradual slope of Nye Beach and to feel an air temperature that rarely got as high as 70° F, all made for great walking... 

Loved this slide! I would have been all over this as a kid.

This white flower mimics the appearance of a Morning Glory, but it is actually

the bloom of an invasive weed, sometimes called, "bindweed" (Convolulus arvensis). 

If I had a large piece of rural property, I might think of getting an all commando car like this guy.

This reminded me of my nephew (different spelling thought).

The photos above are of an extremely rare find. These are opium poppies (Papaver somniferum).

I returned to the house right after Susanne got back. We got ready, while I admired the many quilts and artistic fabrics she had made. What a FANTASTIC talent!... 

She also had many versions of this symbol--something very significant to both of us...

Before long, we were in the car and ready to go...

Not far away, was Seal Rock, just one of many beautiful coastal wonders near Newport. We parked and stared down the path toward the ocean...

We came around a bend and there it was...

The cliff sides were a dense sand, perfect for people to leave their marks.

Someone's hard work.

A neat little kid's shelter.

Fresh water flowing from the land into the sea.

We speculated upon why the wind-ripples in the sand form in the way that they do. Chaos Theory suggests that although no exact reproductions are made in nature, there are certain limits which their forms must follow. In this case there are no 12 inch wide ripples. There are no great chasms or valleys. The size, direction and shapes will always be this way when under these same conditions. Also, it did not escape our notice that the action of wind is indeed a metaphor. It is invisible, but we are absolutely certain it is there, because of its influence on visible things--like sand.

Ten minutes later, all of these ripples had transformed into a new set, and such has been the transient state of this sand for literally millions of years. Much can be gleaned through the observation of nature. It only takes stopping and paying attention for a little while...

A lava flow.

And then there comes the human influence.

All the beaches have these signs. They are, of course, absolutely necessary. But, still, I do find them humorous sometimes. I can imagine each figure as Homer Simpson, saying, "DOH!!" My favorite one has to be the: Beware of Incoming Tides. I love the guy's arms, "Oh shit!"

We walked quite a way down the beach and climbed over and around some fairly precarious rock formations and rubble. When we got back to the car, Susanne suggested some other nice sites, back in Newport...

Yaquina Bay Bridge.

It was getting near the time for us to be heading home, and Susanne made another terrific suggestion: ICE CREAM! While we waited, I clicked a few shots of the many messages around. The second was was my favorite...

And talk about fudge? We both agreed it was way too sweet, but it sure look purdy!...

A coconut cream sundae, with caramel, whipped cream, almonds and a cherry.

After enjoying our sundaes out on one of the stone benches, we went home. I still had my post to publish, and Susanne worked with a small spinning wheel, making wool yarn by hand. When I came out to the living room for a break, I sat and watched her do her thing, while the three of us talked about a broad range of subjects.

A little later on, she finished cooking delicious lamb shanks that had been simmering all afternoon on the stove. We ate it and enjoyed every bite.

After dinner it was back to the computer for me. And, since Susanne and Bob's computer was in the guest room, she worked online along with me. At some point we checked the weather around the Northwest and saw that all the valleys from Oregon down to California had been in the triple digits. It was a great day to have been on the shore. It just worked out perfectly.

I worked until I began to nod, just like the night before, and then hit the sack. What a great time. I had a lot of vivid dreams that night, but as has been the case for weeks, I couldn't remember them, even as I woke several times trying to recall what was going on in them. I miss keeping track of my dreams, and I'm not exactly sure why they are not as prominent in my experience on this journey as they were on the last. Something tells me they will be more so in the coming weeks.