By The Beautiful Sea

I wish you were sitting beside me so you could see what I see!  I am in a gorgeous condo watching the waves of the Pacific Ocean crash on huge rocks below.  The Oregon Coast is so diverse – and gorgeous.  Just a few miles either direction from here are wide, sandy beaches and waves that are more gentle as they come ashore.  Here, not so much!  Especially today.  There is a storm brewing outside and I’m loving it!  I just wish I could stay!Three days ago we brought my dear, little mother to the Oregon Coast.  This trip was a gift from her family for her ninetieth birthday.  She was so overwhelmed when we told her of this gift that she was nearly speechless.  She was born and raised on the coast of California.  I think the sea is in her blood!  Two months ago she told me she didn’t think she would ever get to see the ocean again – she just couldn’t make the hour and a half trip over and back in one day – the way my sweetheart and I often do.  Our family wanted to give her a gift – something special – that would have meaning to her.  As we talked, I suggested this trip.  What a perfect choice we made.  I wish you could have seen her face when she first saw the ocean the day we arrived.  And the condo we rented is gorgeous.  Just above the waves.  This is the view we enjoyed the first two days after we arrived.We were blessed with a beautiful sunset the first evening we were here – we’ve had a bit of everything.  And we’ve loved every change that’s come.  We’ve had a front row seat!The weather began to change yesterday – and we loved it!
 
No matter the weather, we’ve enjoyed every minute here together.  We’ve been so thankful that we brought my dear mother to this special place.  No regrets about our decision.  Ever!  This trip will stay in our hearts forever.

I'm Back - Almost!

Hi, dear friends -

I'm almost back in business.  There was good news - and bad news - about my computer today.  The good news?  The hard drive was in great shape and all of my data could be retrieved.  The bad news - there had been a failure of the motherboard.  Now, if you don't know about motherboards, they are to computers what our hearts are to our bodies.  They run everything!  Without one, your computer is dead-in-the-water!

So, we headed to the computer store.  First, we stopped by the service desk to ask a question.  What would it cost to replace the motherboard.  Well, two questions, really.  Would it make sense to do that?  First answer - w-a-y too much money for the part, plus labor, equals more than it makes sense to pay for repairs.  Almost the price of a new computer with new technology.  That answered the second question.

Tonight I am typing on our new computer.  We're up and running.  Almost.  There are things to adjust and learn and log-ins to do.  The wonder is that there are familiar places appearing in front of my eyes.  Things that bring comfort - like your blogs.  The unsettling part is that I've lost all of my email addresses.  Yes, I know, there are places I should have backed them up.  But.I.didn't!  I'll rebuild my contact list as you leave comments or email me - and, believe me, I'm a firm believer in backing up systems and contact lists and things that are important.  Especially when they disappear.

I'll be back again soon.  I have things to tell you and photos to share.  Once I figure out all the bells and whistles of this thing I'll be here often.  In the meantime I have my blog reader up and I'm trying desperately hard to catch up.  It will happen and soon it will all be a distant memory.

(I notice Blogger is playing with font sizes again.  I don't know how it will all turn out when I press 'Publish' - maybe I'll be able to read it without my glasses!)

Trouble

There's trouble in these parts!  My computer has decided she doesn't want to start.  Yes, I've turned her off and tried to reboot several times but nothing seems to help.  She's on her way to the emergency room today.  I'm reading your blogs on my phone and on my little netbook - which is extremely s.l.o.w.  At times my phone doesn't seem to want me to comment.  I'll be by to visit as I can - and I hope to be up and running again as soon as possible. 

A Paintbrush, A Peek And A Party

I've been missing in action from my blog over the past several days - for good reason.  My sweetheart and I have been working hard.  Day and night.  Working on long over-due projects that need to be finished.  This is the first time we have been able to work on them since he retired.  Over the past few years life came at us and often took us away from the plans we had for our little home.  And my sweetheart's employment became more intense, requiring longer and longer hours.  Most of the time there was nothing left to give at the end of the day.  Now we are making progress again.  Slow, but progress.  We work well when there's a deadline.  A goal!  And we have one.  More about that later.  Here's what we have been doing.  Our home was built in the nineteen sixties.  All of the trim and cabinets were birch with a honey stain.  Over the years we began to change the look of each room as we could.  Paint was the way to go without the expense and tedious work of adding all new trim.  A few doorways and windows had not yet been finished.  What used to look like this. . .

Now looks like this!

I've been busy doing all kinds of things, including the transformation of a cute, little piece of furniture I found awhile back.  It has been in a spot in my living room - untouched - and, may I say, a bit ugly not looking too good!  For much too long.  It's not completely finished but it is much more presentable.  Here's just a peek.  Soon I'll share more - from start to the almost finished!  Then, when the final touches have been added you will get to see it again.

And the best news is - the reason for all of this flurry of activity!  My dear, little mother will celebrate her nintieth birthday in a few days!  Tomorrow we are having a small open house here at our home to honor her and share part of the celebration with very special people in her life.  I'll share more about the 'party' after it happens, complete with some photos.  There is more planned over the next days - and weeks - but it all begins tomorrow.  I must get back to work.  I have things to do.  I'll return soon with much more to share.

The End Of An Era

I love books!  I love the feel of a book in my hand! And I love bookstores!  There's something special about being surrounded by books and quiet, little spaces where I can browse and read - and maybe find something special that makes its way into my bag to come home with me.  I've shared before that my sweetheart and his siblings have an annual Labor Day reunion at the Oregon Coast.  We meet in Tillamook - famous for Tillamook Cheese - and the time we have spent there has always included a stop (or two) downtown at Rainy Day Books.  Recently I was sad to learn that Rainy Day Books closed their doors forever at the end of last year.  After twenty-six years in business, it was time to say goodbye to the community and the travelers who always found their way into a place where everyone was welcome.  Independent bookstores are closing all around our country.  No matter how hard they try or how many changes they make, they have a hard time competing with electronic readers and online book sales.  That's what happened to this sweet, little shop that was a haven for many people through the years.  Shortly before the store closed, the owner reflected, 'What people can’t get shopping online is the chance to wander the aisles and discover books that you never knew existed, to find a treasure, and encounter an author you haven’t read before. That’s what is lost in the digital age. . . It's sad. I never imagined books would go out of fashion. Independent book stores are like the canary in the coal mine. When we’re gone it will mean something drastic has happened, something is lost, and it will be too late to bring it back.'

I could never just walk through the front door of this special place!  The building was old and quaint, with angled bay windows on each side of the entrance.  In the angles of the bay on each side of the door were huge chalkboards that always captured my heart.  In the window on one side of the door - this. . .

On the other side . . . this.

Inside you never found the latest decor.  It was an eclectic mix of historic things from around the area.   It was a charming and personal place to spend a few minutes or a few hours on a rainy day - a place filled with local furnishings. An antique table and book cases from an old tavern in a nearby coastal community. A huge glass-fronted case from a long-gone local jewelry store. A pitcher and a clock from a laundry and glass cases and book shelves from an old creamery in a town a ways to the south. The wainscoting on the walls was from the old city  hall.  It was a place of treasures and history and memories.  Filled with nooks and crannies. . .

 And room after room filled with books from floor to ceiling.

But the dearest treasure of all when I visited was Webster, the resident cat!  Webster often met you at the door - or you could find him curled up nearby on a chair or a comfy stool.  He was a gregarious fellow.  He lived for greeting the customers and usually talked them into petting him. Some folks came to visit him often - and he seemed to remember every one of them.  Some of them brought gifts of catnip but what they didn't know was that catnip didn’t excite him at all!

Webster died about a month before the store closed. The local paper said he was the heart and soul of Rainy Day Books - and he was. The article went on to say that he was an extraordinary spirit who was loved so very much. He was eighteen years old.  He had lived his whole life at the bookstore and he made many friends from far and near. I wonder if he died of a broken heart.

The end of an era has come and gone.  My next trip to Tillamook will be bittersweet.  The joy of being at the Oregon Coast will fill my heart but something special will be missing.  Webster and Rainy Day Books won't be there to greet me - but they will always be treasured memories of time spent in a world away from the noise outside the door.  It was a world of books that took me to far-away places and a friend I always looked forward to seeing again. 

Roses For His Lady

I want some red yellow roses for a blue lady
Send them to the sweetest gal in town

 

This old song comes to mind every time I think of the sweet surprise from my sweetheart a few days ago.  He left home on a mission.  He went to buy flowers for one of our granddaughters.  It was her birthday and we were about to attend her birthday party.  Last year he gave her flowers for her birthday – because it was something she really wanted.  The night before her birthday last week I received a text message from our daughter.  It said, ‘Miss E. is hoping Papa will give her flowers for her birthday again.’  Now how could he ignore that? 

 

A while before we planned to leave for the party he left home to buy flowers but when he came back I could hardly believe my eyes – he had two bunches of roses.  Yellow roses.  My favorite!  I thought maybe he had gone a bit overboard.  I thought he planned to give them all to her but he handed one bunch of roses to me.  When I asked why he bought roses for me he said he just couldn’t buy yellow roses for Miss E. and leave me out!  The next morning I walked through my yard to find something to add to my roses so I would fill a vintage glass – now a vase – that I found recently at a favorite thrift store.  There isn’t much of interest in my garden this time of year so I clipped bits of Cedar and snippets of Douglas Fir.  And I just couldn’t help adding a few shiny holly leaves.

 

When Miss E. saw her Papa walk through the door with flowers in his hand, the smiles on her face was priceless.  This Papa is getting a reputation.  It’s a good one.  It’s no secret that he loves to give flowers to his girls.  And we aren’t complaining.  Not one bit!

A Book Of Dreams

For quite awhile my sweetheart and I have talked and dreamed about going to Alaska.  It’s something we really want to do but it hasn’t happened yet.  It’s on our list – near the top!  So, while we think and dream and plan, we love to read all we can about the beauty of our state to the north.  And when there’s a chance to see photos – especially those of someone we know – it’s an inspiration to keep planning to make our dream come true.
I have a friend – a dear blog friend – who has been to Alaska and brought it back through her photography.  Donna began to share Alaska photos shortly after I discovered her blog (Cottage Days and Journeys) - and I must say that I was mesmerized!  I was enchanted and as I studied each photo she shared I commented and told her of our dream.  She encouraged us to go – even suggested that we should join them on their last trip!  Since that wasn’t possible, I was content to see Alaska through her eyes.  Donna continued to encourage me and inspire me – and then one day last fall she announced a give-away.  She was giving away two photo books she had ‘published’.  All I had to do was comment often through the months of November and December – and hope and pray that my name would be drawn.  The first place winner would have her choice of books – one was a variety of photos from around Alaska and the other was all about the brown bears of Alaska.  I would have been happy with either book, but my heart really longed for the one with a variety of photos from all around Alaska.  The day came for the drawing and then – Donna sent me an email telling me that my name had been the first drawn.  Oh – oh – oh!  I could hardly believe it.  Soon the book was on its way to my home and when it arrived there was a sweet, little note tucked inside.  On one of Donna’s handmade notecards.When I removed the tissue paper – there it was.  I’m sure I must have squealed with delight!I knew exactly where this beautiful book belonged.  It is at home on my vintage trunk/coffee table – for everyone who comes by to see.  And it has been seen.  And admired.The first page sets the scene for the rest of the book. Then – pages and pages of gorgeous photos.  My photos of the pages can’t possibly do it justice.  There is wildlife and breathtaking scenery. . .And some of the brown bears of Alaska.Flora and Tundra and exquisite carvings. . .And the most fascinating rustic towns and photos of ice and snow so real you can almost feel the chill.At the end, a graphic and a few words that wrap it all up. . .And a sweet note and autograph.I love beautiful coffee table books.  I’ve gathered a few – some by famous photographers.  But this one is the best.  It’s a treasure – a gift from the heart of a dear friend.  Given with love and a note that encourages us to enjoy the photos.  With hopes that we will see them in person someday.  Soon.  I placed two special pieces of my Willow Tree collection beside my new book.  One piece (Wisdom) was given to me by my dear, little mother – and one (Spirited Child) was from my daughter.  A mother, reading, and a daughter, listening.  And I smile every time I walk by.Donna also made two desktop calendars to give away.  You can see one of them here.