Dipping In to Say Hello in Everyday Ramblings

I took this yesterday afternoon out here at the Oregon Coast. A storm is blowing in now with fierce winds but it has been astonishingly beautiful since we arrived Thursday afternoon.

I managed to get out for a lovely solitary walk early this morning.

When we got here there were a couple of Coast Guard helicopters flying over and around the cape and they kept it up all afternoon and early into the evening. We didn’t find out until this morning that a 25-year-old man had secured a rope between two points on the outside of the cape and attempted a tightrope walk over the ocean just before we got here.

His family watched as a big wave came up out of nowhere. And now they can’t find him. They are out there again looking two days later. It is disturbing and sad. But we are all hoping they find his body before it washes up on a beach with curious kids on it.

In spite of that we are having a lovely getaway. All of us are a little distracted and having trouble concentrating but that is to be expected with three very tired people.

I’ve been walking and reading and eating and practicing yoga.

It is interesting to note that I am feeling this strong aversion to any sort of decision-making.

We’ve been talking and sometimes it hasn’t been easy but some important “stuff” is surfacing. Not fun but useful and good. But there is also a lot of laughter.

We all did this bird identification quiz, we’ve talked about Brown Adipose Fat (BAT) when is part of the system that helps keep a body warm, brain training games, Introverts, wine openers, what to call a pistachio nut that won’t open easily, gait and stride length, car safety standards in the U.S. vs. Europe, cool short knitted shawls, flashlight strength and the perfect size for each type of occasion a person might need a flashlight, chopping vegetable technique, studies that show that taking an aspirin now and then can help prevent colon cancer in about half the population, personal finances and the eye color of Grackles (which are rare here in the Northwestern United States).

It is nice vacationing with someone else participating in Weight Watchers. We are having a good time putting together meals that are yummy but also filling and full of protein and fiber. Kes has been so busy she didn’t have time for the usual pre-trip meal planning and prep. I promised that next time we come out here I’ll bring the slow cooker and all the ingredients to make something that will be hearty and good as leftovers. Our key ingredient this trip is Trader Joe’s Brown Rice that one can just microwave. We are building all sorts of interesting meals around it.

I am hoping for a good night’s sleep (it is disorienting after being on such a tight schedule with Sammy’s meds and fluids to not have to do it) and an easy day transitioning home tomorrow.

We are so lucky, so so lucky to have this beautiful place available to us.