Retirement Diaries 2023: It’s Fall Y’all!

It’s Fall Everybody! Summer passed by in the blink of an eye, what with moving mom across the country, frantically unpacking things day after day at her house, and then heading back out to Washington and Oregon for some good times with friends.

After leaving Washington on September 7, I headed back down to Oregon as a jumping off point for my trip back to Minnesota.  I had about a week before I had to be back, in order to have a few days for the turnaround before mom and I were scheduled to head to Knoxville, Tennessee for a jewelry making workshop.  I had a great time on the way back, digging for thunder eggs in Eastern Oregon, spending time at John Day Fossil Beds, having lunch with my friend Kiera in Boise, Idaho, and visiting Virginia City and Nevada City in Montana, before finally doing a beeline for home.  Of course, I did make a stop in Eastern Montana to to hunt for agates on the Yellowstone River.  It was wonderful to be on the road, and I can’t wait for my next trip!  I will definitely post in more detail about my goings on…

I did a 3-day turnaround, arriving at my house on Thursday afternoon September 14, and then departing for Knoxville on Monday, September 18.  Mom badgered me into signing up for the jewelry workshop too, even though I consider myself to not really have a crafty/creative bone in my body.  We drove down, and it was two solid days of classes and peopling.  But, a bit surprisingly, I enjoyed it! I did six classes and made 5 pieces of jewelry.  The 6th I did not finish because we ran out of time, but everybody in class ran out of time too, so it wasn’t just me.  Mom will help me finish these earrings when I’m ready.

The drive to Knoxville was long, and if we do it again, I definitely want to take a few more days each way so we have time to do some sightseeing.  As it was, we didn’t really have much time for stops along the way.  We did happen to meet up with my cousin and her husband in Louisville, Kentucky, as they were heading home to Michigan after a trip to Texas and Louisiana.  It was a fortuitous coincidence and it was great to see them!  We even had a chance to try the famous Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel in Louisville.  I had Hot Brown once before on my 2018 trip, but had never tried it from the source, as The Brown Hotel “invented” the Hot Brown in the 1920s.

On the homefront, I find myself with a gloriously empty home, after two roommates moved out.  It’s so quiet and relaxing!  I’m working on cleaning up, rearranging, and unpacking things that I didn’t have the space to have out before.  It’s nice and I’m loving it. The oak trees are changing color and dropping their leaves, the feed corn fields are about to be harvested.  Cora and Yellow are loving having me home, and are adjusting to the moving furniture and flurry of rearranging and cleaning.  The only downside is that I feel like I’ve been fighting a cold for a couple days so I’ve been moving pretty slow and taking a couple of naps, but I feel like I’m on the upswing now.

And the best news is that now that I’m home, I’ll be able to write more regularly and get back to my travel posts!

How are you all enjoying the first week of fall?

 

 

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! 

 

 

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!

 

2023 West Trip…

Today is day four on the road and I’m in Montana.  I’ve been enjoying the solitude, and choosing a few interesting places to visit each day along the way as I travel west.

I have sampled a few new hard ciders, had a great restaurant French dip, and eaten granola bars, apple sauce, tuna, fruit, oatmeal and peanut butter and honey sandwiches the rest of the time.

It’s been hot.  In the low to mid 90s to be precise.  It was a welcome change when the high only got into the low 80s today, and then went down to 74 this evening!

Solo road tripping has its own set of challenges.  It is always an opportunity to reflect on life, to think about everything, and to devise your next plan in life.  It’s a challenge for a thinker like me, whose mind takes me to many places in the silence of the car, with just the sound of the tires gliding over the road. I think about the things I’ve done right, the mistakes I have made, and the people who have made life easier or harder along the way. 

When I’m done thinking, I listen to audiobooks.  I’m currently listening to The Teahouse Fire, which I only made it halfway through on my trip with my mom; now it is almost done.  It’s been nice to have time to devote to a book after all of the flurry of mom’s move. 

I have once again noticed that tent camping and living simply is a dying art.  Everywhere I’m surrounded by giant RVs and their owners’ toys.  No wonder everyone carries so much debt these days…  The most I have seen is three other tent campers in a campground so far.  I guess to a purist I’m not really even a tent camper, since mostly I sleep in my car. Although the temps in the 90s really tempted me to give up the comfort of my car bed.

In a few days I’ll be in Washington, and I’m looking forward to catching up with friends, seeing some of my favorite Northwest places.  I’m so excited!

 

Retirement Diaries 2023: Getaway

Mom’s house listed last Wednesday, and there were open houses Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Now it is mostly a waiting game (although we still have plenty to purge).  Her neighbors had generously offered us the use of their vacation home on Whidbey Island, so we took them up on the offer and are having a lovely little getaway.

The first day we were here it rained all day long, so mostly we just hung out at the house and read, and napped.  I did take a short walk out to the neighborhood beach and found a few shells.  The picture is from the next morning when it wasn’t raining.

Since the weather broke, I have been visiting all of the local beaches and collecting cool rocks, shells, and agates when I can find them.  So far, I have found three agates.  They definitely are not as plentiful in Washington as they are in Oregon or Minnesota.

Yesterday I went to Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve, parked up on the bluff and hiked down to the beach.  It was a sunny, beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I also checked out the exterior of the Jacob Ebey house (it doesn’t open for the season until Memorial Day weekend).  Jacob Ebey was one of the first white settlers on Whidbey Island, after he and his wife Sarah followed their son Isaac out in 1854.  This home was built in 1856.  Isaac Ebey was murdered in 1857 by one of the tribes in retaliation for the murder of 27 tribal members the year before by the U.S. Army.  He was basically in the wrong place at the wrong time.  It is an interesting and tragic story if you want to explore further.

The Ebey’s had a land claim on what is probably the most beautiful and fertile land on Whidbey Island.  This land has been preserved since the original 1850s, and many of the farms have never been subdivided, so the views are incredible and the history is so interesting!  There are also two blockhouses (built in 1857) and a pioneer cemetery with graves of many of the original settlers up on the bluff.  I have visited here before, but it had been a while, and usually I park down below to go to the beach.  It was worth the hike!

I have also had several afternoon naps, and finished the book I started right before I left Minnesota three and a half weeks ago.  The Monuments Men was such a good book!  I found a Little Free Library just up the street from the vacation home which has a good selection, and I picked two books as my next reads.  There is never a shortage of books in my life.

We were originally going to come home on Monday afternoon, but with the encouragement of our hosts, we finally convinced mom to stay and relax a bit longer.  I think tomorrow we are going to check out another one of the little tourist towns down here, and I’m going to make a stop at the beach where I found two agates a few days ago.

We head home Wednesday morning and then it will be back to the grind of cleaning out the pole barn.  There is never a dull day when you are moving.  Meanwhile, I have one more day to enjoy!