Day-to-Day - 3/15

Or - Ordinary People

Doing ordinary things.

This blog, like the Jerry Seinfeld Show, is about a whole lot of nothing. And by nothing I mean it's the day-to-day minutia of life. The little things that flavor a life; the seemingly inconsequential details that add up to the total of your life.

Whoa, Jackie!! Slow down Speed Racer!! 

Getting a wee bit heavy there.

Seriously, though, these are the things that make up life and how you accept them is how you make your life.

So, ready for some real boredom?

Hahahaha, let's go!!

First off, yet another reason to love Lincoln City.

They have a Tanger Outlet here. I don't know what a Tanger Outlet is, but from what I can gather evidently it's a big deal for dedicated shoppers. Regardless, we have one here and the jewel of the whole thing is this store, a . . . 

As Seen On TV Headquarters Store

How cool is that!?! 

Oh. My. Gosh!! 

I've already bought a Folding Helping Hand Long-Reach Pick-Up Gripper. Hahahaha, anything to keep from having to bend over, eh?

But, wait!! There's more!!

I also got one of those small extenders with a magnet on the end so you can retrieve your nail or screw from those hard-to-reach places. Hahahaha, Score!!

But, wait!! There's more!!

We also got one of those wraps that are suppose to ease back pain as soon as you strap it on your leg.

Oh, and I've got my eye on a lot more stuff there. And the icing on the cake? They give a 10% discount to military . . . and seasoned senior citizens. I can get it either way!! Hahahaha, I'll use the military discount.

Vanity thy name is Smilin' Jack!!

               CB

But, wait!! There's more!!

Hahaha, I love saying that!! 

And there is more because as we pulled out, there was a rainbow. 

How cool is that, eh?

               CB

And then we were off to the movies. They have a Coming Attractions Theater here. Not impressed. I know now that I'll be missing my Regal Theater and Popcorn Tuesdays. Ah, you gotta give a little to get a lot, right?

It's an older theater which is alright. I know this is a small town, yada-yada-yada, but my complaint isn't about the seats, although sitting in them was like riding in a low-rider, or the building, even though it was so hot inside that we were both dehydrated after the movie was over. No, it wasn't those nor was it the popcorn butter which was, well, slightly odd-tasting.

No, the greatest sin of all was that they only had Pepsi!!

They only had Pepsi!! 

Argh, the humanity!!

Un. For. Givable.

               CB

But this is what I traded for. Hahaha, the next morning I went out for a morning walk on the beach. The tide was coming in. You can see where it's wiped out the little stream of water that flows down to the beach from the creek next to our house.

I don't think I'll get tired of this scene. I know you won't, either. That's why I'll be sure and include two, three, heck, maybe even four or five shots of it in nearly every blog you read from now on.

You're welcome.

Hahaha, see what I mean!!

Seriously, though, I took the above picture at 1052 and then the picture seen below at 1058. In about six minutes the whole scene changed.

Whup!! There it is!!

I guess I'll be OK with Pepsi at the movies if I can get this everyday. Just barely OK.

Hahaha, the Wells Fargo is just .8 miles away and so we walk over to it now. Carol went yesterday and guess what is next door to the Wells Fargo?

               CB

Time for a treat, nes pa?

               CB

Carol threw out the left-over movie popcorn with the odd tasting butter and then scooted inside to get some pictures. We get seagulls here instead of just crows.

               CB

And yesterday, I took a walk up to the Safeway so I could recycle our plastic water bottles and empty coke bottles. 

Here's the deal in Oregon. Whenever you buy a plastic bottle of whatever, you pay Five Cents deposit. That's right, you plunk down a nickel on the promise that you'll recycle that Bad Boy and get your nickel back. 

Hahahaha, I used to scour fields and roadsides as a kid to find empty coke bottles and get the .03 cents deposit on them and here I am now, 55 years later and I'm scouring fields and roadsides for empty plastic bottles for .05 cents. 

Well, maybe not scouring fields and roads, but collecting up the ones we've used.

So, you take them over to the Safeway and they have a station on the outside of their store where you go up to the machine and feed the bottles in one at a time. The machine scans the UPC and you get a credit and then it scoops the bottle back somewhere inside where it gets recycled. 

The key is, it's gotta be able to scan the UPC code and I've learned that if you scrunch up the bottles, so you can get more in a bag, you also knock the chance that the machine will successfully read your scan down to about a 1 in 20 chance. Pretty slim.

Hahaha, I had to go in and get someone to come out and hand-count my bottles. I also had to be chastised, gently, by the store folks for scrunching up the bottles and then I had to promise to never, ever do that again.

I did.

Hahahaha, Oregonians are as PC Liberal Loony Left as the Washingtonians in Seattle. Gotta recycle, Baby!! Ya gotta!!

Whew, that was a long rant. So I walked up to the Safeway to recycle some bottles and rather than walk up the beach and then cut over to the store like Carol does, I decided to walk up the streets and then cut over to the Safeway. Just to be different.

I bet they don't park the family sedan in this garage.

Oregonians . . . they're a wild and crazy crew.

Look!! You're walking along and this, this is what you get to see between each of the houses.

Coolio!!

I saw these two doves and I thought, What a neat idea. A couple of doves for decoration.

Then they moved!!

OK, this is new. They're Eurasian Collared-Doves.

Fun Facts: During the 1600s this Indian Species began to expand its range until today it occurs in all of Europe and most of Asia. After introductions in the Bahamas in 1974 and Guadeloupe in 1976 they soon expanded throughout the Caribbean and reached Florida by 1980. They're now expanding into other parts of North America. They reached Oregon in 1988 and they are expected to eventually colonize most of North America.

And they have tulips!! Alright!!

Walking back, I got this shot of our place. Well, of the Mini. Our place is kinda obscured by the big yellow apartment building just opposite from us. 

But there's the Mini!!

And today Carol and I took a stroll along the beach in the afternoon.

Hahaha, I got this selfie off the sand. The shadow adds 10 pounds to me. 

Honest.

I was feeling my Indiana Jones self today. Otherwise I would have had a Skipper hat on.

Hahahaha, I love living at the beach cuz I can wear my Skipper hats and they fit right in!!

And here's Carol playing Catch Me If You Can with the waves. Judging by how wet her pants legs are I'd say she's lost a couple rounds.

This phase will pass so be patient. I am, for right now, just really fascinated with the water crashing over and around the rock formations along our beach.

Hahahaha, it'll pass.

This was really cool. I looked up and it was a beautiful blue sky and then the gulls came over and were hit with reflected light on their undersides. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have my super-duper camera cuz I am still a wee bit wary of bring the BIG $$ camera down on the beach and so I had no viewfinder. I just pointed the little Point 'N Shoot and hoped for the best. 

It worked out. 

A little.

But I got a picture of this one.

And she returned the favor.

               CB

You know I likes me some reflections and so that's what I was trying for with this shot. Plus the mist and the folks in the distance.

Cuz I can. 

Besides, I sorta like this one. It might go in the Facebook Thingie.

Even though it's a Thursday, there were still plenty of folks out and about on the beach.

Most everyone has the good common sense to stay dry except, maybe, for their feet.

But not these two rockheads.

Yeah, it's the last day of Winter and they're out there in there swim suits. 

Ah, youth.

Ain't too smart, are ya?

No, you're not.

Hahaha, it has been some pleasant days. I don't know about Carol but I'm still recovering from our Big Road Trip the other day. Whew, who would have thought that getting in and out of the Mini could be so tiring?

Not me.

The days have been pleasant but they tell me that the rains are coming back tomorrow. Ratz. Well, we'll find something to do.

Thank goodness for the Internet, right?

Hahahaha, life is good.

     Hooah!!      

FYI - Whenever you see the initials, 'CB' in the upper left corner of any picture then this is a picture that Carol took . . . usually with her cell phone. So, look for the 'CB' as you browse through the blog. And enjoy.