Oregon Revisited – continued

Wherever you live, there is beauty all around you, history to learn, and good food to eat. To a traveler, ordinary things seem exotic or, at the very least, different from what you see at home. The comparisons are good and the differences delight. When I go to Oregon, I absolutely immerse myself in everything that is coastal and part of Oregon so I can take that back to Oklahoma to absorb into my existence there, enriching my life with the comparisons and the vast diversity of our country.

More reflections on my latest visit to the Pacific Northwest…

They have signs we don’t have or need… This one made me wince. Isn’t that common sense? I guess not since I’ve seen people do crazy things to get a photo or to see a view. I’m overly cautious myself and that toddler would be on a leash.
And there are the people who disregard the signs – same as everywhere. Really! You think your climb for the view is more important than the wildlife?When I’m on the coast, I can’t get enough seafood because, well because it’s right there and it’s delicious. This is a trash can in downtown Astoria.

This is Mo’s where the clam chowder and garlic bread are delicious and they still have film?

And Fresh means Fresh. This fishing family brings in their own.

And you can watch them steam your crab while you wait. Again – right from the crabbers.In Oregon, I can watch the ships come in, wondering what wondrous cargo they contain.

These boxes are in Newport and I love the colors. I have no idea what they’re for. I don’t have to worry about tsunamis in Oklahoma. In Oregon, I stay on a tsunami evacuation route and have a tsunami alarm right outside the condo. This sign is down the street and kind of sums of my plan.The wildlife is definitely different in Oregon. They have whales that I can watch from my window…
Harbor seals down the street…and loud California sea lions I can watch while I eat in Newport.This year, the sea lions frolicked in the port, doing some kind of synchronized swimming and leaping in the air for fun.When you live in a comparatively new state like Oklahoma, the history of the coasts puts time in a better perspective. This trip, I visited the Maritime Museum in Garibaldi, where I learned about Robert Gray, who discovered the Columbia River from the Pacific side, making it easier for the United States to stake a claim after Lewis & Clark made their reports. In Garibaldi, I also got up close and personal with the Oregon lumber industry. Here’s an old smokestack which kept the smoke from the townspeople in its day.Reminded me of the pines in southeast Oklahoma. Bet some of you didn’t know we have pine forests, too.  We don’t have the lush ferns and moss in our woods that I enjoy in Oregon.The crops in Oregon are bountiful with fruits and vegetables and grapes for wine… and hazelnuts (filberts)…There were seagulls on oysters shell hills that I don’t see at home…And lighthouses up and down the coast. On a glorious day at Yaquina Head, I went down (and back up – pant, pant) these steps to the cobble beach (rough walking) and the tidal pools.
I can never get enough ocean sunsets..   

And I can never ever ever get enough pounding waves. My place in the universe is put into perspective with the power and beauty.

My visits to the coast always restore my soul, widen my perspective and bring me pride in this great land. I’m excited to go and excited to be back home. Isn’t that always the way?