But it was not the worst of times either. It could have been much worse.
We left Seattle Tuesday in warmth and sunshine, but found nothing but clouds and fog at the coast. It let us know that the seasons had changed. We brought those clouds home with us this evening, on this last day of summer. It is the Autumnal Equinox. Tomorrow is the first day of Autumn.
This was the scene last year at this time, as I marked the equinox with the sun setting on summer between the Twin Rocks.
Then there was the unfinished cabin remodel, with painting that needs to be done outside, and much more inside. With the wood stove removed and not replaced, we relied in electric heaters to stay warm, since there was no sun. We kept blowing circuits, one of which we could not restore, so we had limited light.
My brother had painted some of the new siding, but quit when it got too high for the ladder we have there. Tom decided he could do more. He painted from the top of the ladder,
and from the roof. Now my sister Ilene is contacting someone local to see if they will finish the job. We have hopes that this will work.
You have to take the good with the bad, right? Good in this case is ice cream from the Tillamook Cheese Factory.
With so many yummy flavors, it was hard to choose. Surprise, not chocolate this time. Tom had Marion Berry Pie and I had Wild Mountain Blackberry.
This morning we packed up early, bought more paint to have ready for the contractor, and then poked our way north toward home. We stopped at Wheeler to search the antique mall for treasures.
In Seaside we stopped at the outlet mall. Tom found shoes at the Nike store, and I found long sleeved tees and a purple fleece vest at Eddie Bauer.
In Astoria we had yummy fish and chips at the Wet Dog Cafe and Brew Pub, and then strolled the main street looking through shops and a few more antique stores.
We stopped off at Starbucks in Longview for coffee before getting back on I-5 for the rest of the drive home. I was driving this leg and all was going well until the Nisqually Delta, where it always backs up. There we hit stop and go traffic, which suddenly stopped! I hit the breaks, looking forward and in the rear view mirror simultaneously. I stopped just short of the car in front of me, and the big Chrysler behind me appeared to have avoided hitting me, when Wham! Bam! we felt two blows from the back.
Here's how it looked behind us. The Chrysler was taken out by the big Porsche SUV, whose driver hit the gas instead of the breaks, and pushed the Chrysler into us before pushing it off the road.
Boy, were we lucky. This is the extent of our damage.
This is how it looked behind us, with four cars involved.
We got fire trucks and police and caused an even worse traffic back up. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. The Chrysler driver, a soldier at nearby Fort Lewis, has whip lash.
So this evening we are very grateful to be home safely. Josy is happy to have us back. We are settled in and counting our blessings.
Tomorrow it is Autumn. Clouds are OK in Autumn. We have phone calls to make, including to our insurance company. We might get to one of the grand kid's soccer games. We have a Sounders match in the evening. Everything is good.
It could have been much worse.
Greetings from Starbucks in Tillamook, Oregon, where I am having a latte and pumpkin bread for lunch, to be followed down the road by a scoop of Tillamook ice cream.
I took these photos this morning, just after my beach walk. It's pretty much the scene here on the coast, cloudy/foggy and cool. No wind today, which makes beach walking much more pleasant than yesterday afternoon.
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Inland it is still hot and smokey. All the way from Seattle as we drove yesterday the air was thick with smoke from wild fires burning just east of the mountains. At least here the air is cleaner.
We are roughing it a bit in the unfinished cabin. One thing still missing is a replacement for the wood stove, so we are heating with electric heaters, and blowing electrical circuits.
We've lined up a sports bar for dinner this evening where we will watch the Sounders match in Honduras. Tomorrow we hope to get some exterior painting done. This place is not ready for winter.
But there will also be more prowling around, more reading, and more beach walking. It is a retreat, after all.
We were pokey getting going this morning, because we could be, and suddenly it was time to get to Isaac's first soccer game of the season. We did take time to stop at Starbucks for coffee on the way.
Isaac's team is the Wolverines. These nine-year-olds take their soccer pretty seriously. They actually listen to the coach.
Grandpa has his coffee, Grandma has her camera, and Irene, who is ready for her game later, has a diary just in case she needs something to do. But she mostly hung out with us and her daddy. Mom Jill was on the supporter bus to Portland along with Jake for the Sounders match against our big rivals. But back to that later.
Isaac is becoming quite a good ball handler and passer.
After living near the airport for a year now, he isn't so distracted by low flying aircraft. Good thing, since they were flying right over the field.
Ahhh, I can't believe I let that happen!
Corey and I shooting it out.
Isaac and his cousin Carson are on the same team. (They're actually 3rd cousins, but who's counting.)
That's the look of a boy who has been playing hard.
Good game, guys. One game, one win.
Then we drove west to another local field for the first game of the Mud Dogs, so named, Irene explained to me, because once it starts raining they are going to get muddy. But today they were lovely in their pink and blue with matching hair bows.
Irene's coach was quite surprised to see her becoming so assertive on the field, since at practice she had been quite timid. I guess competition can bring the animal out in a girl.
Irene's supporter section. I gave Isaac my camera and let him go for a while. Some of these pics are his.
Oranges and water at half time.
The kids have these fancy water bottles with a spray mister. Isaac assists Irene with the cool down.
The seven year old girls play four a side, and with eight on the team, they all get equal playing time, so they all get lots of opportunity to learn.
It's nearing end of the game, and she's got the rosy cheeks from running hard.
Yay team!
After the second match we hurried home to watch the Sounders who were playing in Portland beginning at 12:30. At halftime, we had to shut it off and leave it to the DVR recorder so that we could get to the first meeting of a small garden club we are planning to be a part of. We met at a fellow gardener's home on nearby Renton. So far there are just five of us, but we hope to recruit a few more. We spent today getting to know each other and deciding when to meet and future topics.
We got back home about 4:30, not knowing how the soccer match had ended. At half it had been 0-0. We watched the recorded second half. It was intense soccer with Portland playing for all they were worth and the Sounders not so much. It ended in a disappointing 1-1 tie.
Then Tom taped the family room in preparation for painting the rest of it tomorrow before we went out for a quick meal. Back home I had time to get in a quick walk before it got dark.
Tomorrow morning I'm going out for a long walk, and then I'm going to watch some football. I think I'll actually cook dinner, too. Tom is going to paint and mow the lawn. We're heading to Rockaway on the Oregon Coast on Tuesday to spend a few days there at the cabin, so we have things to get done. There, any busyness will be all play. That will be nice.
With a lull in the action here at home, we ran away for an overnight at the cabin on Whidbey Island.
We arrived about 11:00 on Wednesday. After settling in, I went for a walk on the road. It was quite windy, so we lunched inside and read the paper. then tom ran some errands and I went for a walk on the dike, carrying my little Canon camera and a berry bowl.
I picked just enough berries to enjoy right away. They were great with ice cream in the evening and with our cereal the next morning.
Now that the summer season is over, it was so quiet on our sand spit. Only a few ducks and shorebirds, and a lone heron inhabited the lagoon.
The sun was bright and the sky brilliant blue, turning the water into dancing diamonds. I took a walk along the beach, just poking along in the sand.
The Golden Hour is coming earlier now.
And so too the sun set.
I built a fire in the fire pit and we watched it burn down to coals, using the last of the daylight to read.
This morning we did some sorting and cleaning in the cabin, and worked in the yard a bit.
Then we drove across island to Langley just to stroll and find WiFi. I love all of the flowers in the village.
There were diners enjoying lunch in several outdoor locations.
But we came back here to have our lunch.
With views of the sky and water, a light breeze, and overlooking our garden, it was a very special place too.
Tonight we are back home, and the list of chores is growing. It was good to get away.
