MY OREGON

It hasn't exactly been writer's block. More like what to write about. Idea have come, are still there, but are sort of in the not right now file. Politics/religion? My interests are off the mainstream and while valuable leave me with a "where to start" problem. A real where to start problem. 

On the the other hand I love this state. My Oregon. Some parts more than others. Especially the coast. Heaven knows there's more to see than I realized. Someone pointed out a few years ago that most Americans say "we're going to the beach." For most Oregonians and folks from Washington its "we're going to the coast." Partly because once you get north of Coquille the beaches get smaller and smaller. We got 'em but rhey don't really invite you to slather on the sunscrean or camp out in a beach chair or on a blanket under an umbrella. 

Outside of the last part of July and most of August it's too damn windy most of the day.And even if the wind isn't blowing just below a gale it's chilly. And if  it's broiling east of the Coast Ranges it's foggy on the north coast. Seriously foggy as in "damn I wish I was on the 5 instead of doing hairpins near Heceta Head and Cape Perpetua." We're talking no shoulders on either side of the road and guardrails on the cliff side can be few and far between. The drive was interesting enough before the birth of the big ass pickup and the super size RV's. 

Now the beaches can be fun. Tide pools, bird watching, really cool kites. There are even kite flying festivals. Those are just an example. I've seen dragons, what looks like space ships, birds, a whole menagerie. I believe these kites were shot around Rockaway Beach. 

You can go to our beaches but most of use stop at the edge of the water. The Pacific off the Northwest is seriously chilly. We're talking temps in the forties to sixties. A few minutes and your feet are numb. Heck most of the picnic tables are up behind the dunes in a secluded spot near some trees where the wind is reduced to a breeze instead of a gale. The sea gulls are interested but not beggars. They let you get so close and then amble off. 

Wise folks check the tide tables and the weather forecst before heading out to make sure if it's t shirt weather or time to haul ouit the goretex. Mom and I fetched up at Washburn state park a few miles north of Florence. We were the only only ones there and the beach walk lasted about ten minutes. I mean it was blowing. So we move up to the top of the parking lot where we could at least see and hear the oceran. BTW these gulls are on rocks near Seaside. Up the coast a bit. Anyway we noticed that gulls were flying south, agains the wind and weren't makeing much of a headway. 

Anyway a few minutes later some what looked like gulls flash by the window heading north. They were moving at wind speed and sort of blurry. A few minutes later it was fight the headwind (beak wind?) again. And then the bird shaped blurs. Those gulls were surfing the wind. And acting like they loved it. They put on quite a show. Pretty soon we headed north to Newport, back through the mountains to the 5 and home.