Oregon Coast: August 2023

Oregon Coast, Sunday & Monday, August 20 & 21, 2023

A few months ago, I checked to see if there were any state park campsites available in August along the Oregon Coast.  The coast is popular in the summer, and things tend to fill up quickly.  But surprisingly, there was a five day stretch available on the central coast!

I headed down on Sunday, and was there until Friday.  I had the chance to walk the beaches, look for agates, visit some breweries and restaurants, and enjoy the beauty of the Oregon Coast.  It was so relaxing and peaceful (other than the drives there and back!).

My first day, I drove down and went to Astoria, Oregon.  I got there shortly before three, and went to Buoy Beer Company.  They are operating temporarily out of a smaller space in downtown Astoria, after the roof on the brewing facility and restaurant on the pier partially collapsed into the river in June of 2022.  Repairs are underway.

I ordered the fish and chips and a beer, and both were delicious!  I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of my meal!

I still had several hours to go to get down to my campground at Beverly Beach, so as much as I wanted to spend more time in Astoria, I had to get back on the road.  There was a traffic backup for a bit, but I finally got there at 7:30, and set up camp.  I had just a little bit of time to check out the beach in the fading light before snuggling into bed for the night!

My first morning, I woke up after a fitful night’s sleep.  It was windy all night and cold.  I got up, and decided to check out some beaches. 

I went north, and poked around at some beaches between Newport and Lincoln City.  It was almost all sand, which is typical for summer, but no gravel means no agates.  I did find a few little ones, and saw some beautiful beach views.  I had lunch at Pelican Brewing, and my cheeseburger and Hazestack IPA were delicious! 

Gleneden Access

Me Gleneden

Pelican Brewing Cheeseburger

Pelican View

Roads End Rock View

Roads End Driftwood

I made dinner at the campground, and had a walk on the beach in the evening.  All that beach walking made for a 22,000 step day on my FitBit!  What a wonderful couple of days! 

 

 

Book Review: The Teahouse Fire

The Teahouse Fire, by Ellis Avery

I picked up this audiobook at the local library book sale back in May.  I was getting ready to drive across the country with mom for the move, and I have to be honest, there are large stretches of eastern Washington, Montana and North Dakota that leave one craving some stimulation…

The Teahouse Fire is the story of Aurelie, an American girl who travels to Japan with her missionary uncle prior to Japan’s opening to the West.  She runs away from her uncle during a fire right after she has arrived, and finds herself in the garden of the Shin family, merchants who have taught the art of tea for hundreds of years.  They don’t quite know what to make of her, and take her in as a servant and sort-of adoptive sister to the only child of the family, Yukato.

Aurelie grows up and remains with the family for decades, learning the art of tea, the culture of Japan, and watching the family saga unfold.  As with any family, it is complex, emotional and not without its share of drama along the way.  All the while, Aurelie (Urako as she has been named by the Shins) longs to be truly accepted as a member of the family, a dream which will never be realized.

The family saga is set against a backdrop of the Westernization of Japan, and the changes occurring within Japan in the second half of the 19th century.  For a culture that is so deeply ingrained, there is certainly a sense of loss associated with the modernization of this ancient land.  Avery does an excellent job describing the changes occurring during the period, as well as the characters’ reactions and attempts to adapt to their new circumstances.

This novel was interesting, but at times very slow…  The characters are not well defined, which often lead to confusion about the relationships among all but the central characters.  The Japanese tea ceremony was beautifully described, but was an overused theme in the book.  It felt as though several hundred pages were dedicated to description of the ceremony, and it got a bit tiring.

Overall, it was an interesting book, but I felt it could have been heavily edited to reduce redundancy and take out large scenes that didn’t seem relevant to the overall story.  Avery’s writing style is beautiful but verbose, and the novel might have been more universally enjoyed if it were a bit more succinct.

3 stars.

Retirement Diaries 2023: Goodbyes and Hellos

I have been back in Washington for a week and a half, and it’s been fabulous!  I do love the Pacific Northwest, especially during the summer and this year is no different.  The only real drawback is the gas prices.

At the beginning of last week I spent a couple of nights at my mom’s house.  It closed on August 3, so I had a few days to spend a little time there and say my goodbyes to a home that my parents built, and played such a big role in my adult life.  I also had to coordinate moving the couch and California King bed to new homes.  I found a friend who needed some furniture, and a dear friend with a truck who was willing to help, so it ended up being working out nicely for everyone.  Plus there were popscicles to be had afterward!

The last morning I was at mom’s house, I wandered and took photos to remember it by.  It has been interesting to see it empty for the first time since it was brand new, and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t emotional.

After the work was done though, it has been time to play!  I have met friends for meals and happy hours, taken walks, gone on a hike, did a little thrift store shopping and walked the beaches. I had dinner and a sunset walk on the beach, and I had Cryo Rolls ice cream on an afternoon walk.  I have felt like I have finally had a chance to breathe…  It has been so much fun to relax and truly enjoy a vacation, with no work on the agenda!

Plus, today I’m going on a short hike in the afternoon, and then doing a wine cruise this evening with friends!  I’m so excited!

 

Book Review: Women Talking

Women Talking, by Miriam Toews

This is the story of a group of eight women from a fictionalized Mennonite community, coming together in a hay loft while the men are away, to talk about a big decision. 

The women have been attacked and brutalized in their own homes for years by a small group of men.  Raped and tortured during the night, after being anesthetized with a spray form of veterinary anesthetic.  The women are illiterate, and know nothing of life outside the community they live in.  To make the decision to leave the only community they have ever known is to venture into an unknown world of uncertainty, without skills or contacts, and without any idea of how to survive in the outside world.

As the women are illiterate, they ask a young Mennonite teacher, August, to attend their  meeting and take minutes.  What he transcribes is a complex, emotional conversation of women discussing their fate.  They share their thoughts and opinions, their frustration and anger, and their fear of deciding to venture into the outside world without a safety net. 

I really wanted to love this book.  It is a fictionalized version of a true event.  Between 2005 and 2009, at least 151 women and girls were sexually assaulted in the Mennonite community of Manitoba, Bolivia, after their attackers has rendered them unconscious with veterinary sedatives.  The sedatives wiped out their short term memories, so they only had hazy memories of what had happened, along with the physical evidence of the rapes.  They were afraid to share their stories and were told their homes were being visited by demons, which further stigmatized them. 

Eventually, when two of the men were caught in the act, the elders of the community decided to go to outside authorities.  The story is shocking and surreal, and Toews could have done so much to capture the true horror of this tragedy.  Yet, the characters were poorly introduced and tended to run together.  It was challenging to distinguish one voice in the story from another.  Additionally, the book is narrated by August, the male teacher.  The women’s voices are once again suppressed by the fact that they are filtered through the lens of a man.  He interjects his world view and stories into their dialogue, but it is often irrelevant or too complicated for the women to comprehend.  These flaws lessen the story significantly.

The book has been made into a film in 2022, and I am interested in seeing it.  It may just be one where I like the movie more than the book!

2 stars.