Busy Moments of an Idle Man - 7/15/15

Or: I Don't Know, What Do You Want To Do?

As the title suggests, my life has become rather idle. And as I chose that title, I wondered if 'idle' was the right word to define my life right now. So, quick!! To the Bat-Internet!

And here's the definition: 

adjective  1. (especially of a machine or factory) not active or in use.

                2. without purpose or effect; pointless.

Hahaha, there are many who would argue, convincingly, to the second definition and they would, begrudgingly, have a valid point. However, I'm going with the first definition and qualify it, slightly, by applying it to a life in retirement rather than being a factory or machine.

And there you have it...Busy Moments of an Idle Man. Or, what a retired old man does with his days.

And, first off, he watches the birds at the bird feeder. And tries to get a semi-decent picture of them. I'm continually amazed and delighted with the pictures the fellows I've met through the bird-watching group have taken. They have taken some, "Oh, WOW!!" pictures.

And I've got this. Well, it's fun and I'll keep on trying...and I will be content, for now, with pictures like this of an early morning Cowbird having breakfast at my place.

But that was the morning and the big question was, what to do with the rest of the day. We've been a bit sedentary these past few days and the urge to get out and about was great between us and so, I thought we might drive down to Beverly Beach or, maybe, Fogarty Creek. 

But we've been there and we know the lay-out, so to speak, and it didn't really excite either of us. (Wow! Can you tell how jaded we are with all the opportunities around here!?!) And I had the thought that we should drive up north to Proposal Rock at Neskowin.

Hahaha, what a great idea!! We are so clever. Anyway, we had a destination and we were ready to go but, as always, we needed sustenance. And since it was a day where we've broken the mold, we decided to go and get lunch to take with us rather than making it.

And we were off, Fighting for Freedom One Sandwich at a Time at the Deli 101!! 

An uber-friendly place, Deli 101 celebrates the military with a 15% discount. (Did you catch that, Matt and Michelle?) I like that!! And, if that weren't enough, they give you this Freedom Card!! Hahahaha, we're well on our way to that free 7th Sandwich!! And this is on top of the discount!!

Thanks, Deli 101!!

(Oh, it helps that the sandwiches are tasty and the portions ample!! Hooah!!)

And here's our friendly hostess. Neither of us caught her name, but we sure did catch her spirit!! I think she was geniunely happy to be there, working, because that meant she had a job. Great attitude. And it was her third day on the job and we were the number three order! I know, freaky, eh!?!

We were also her first Military Discount and her first Freedom Card. Hahaha, she was almost as excited about punching our card as we were in having it being punched!!

Hahaha, Good Times!!

And, while we waited for our sandwiches, we browsed around the shop.

Oh, I got the....Rueben!! Hahaha, so predictable. Carol stepped outside her comfort zone and got herself a Ham and Swiss on a Nine-Grain homemade bread.

Meanwhile, we were getting some good advice on how to work our Tsunami Evacuation Plan.

Good advice.

And checking out the current fashions in LCO.

I saw this the first time we were here and even put it into a post...from way back when...and it's still there and still working. Original parts and a great sound...with modern speakers.

It's a nice place. Right there, strangely enough, on The 101. And right next to the...

....the WindDriven Kite Shop.

And the owner photo-bombed me while I was trying to get a shot of the front of the store. I'd gone out to the car to put away two coffee mugs the owner of the Deli 101 gave to us and wanted a shot of the kites.

Well, this led to some witty repartee and an excuse for me to get some pictures inside the kite store.

It is a color riot!! I can see where a three or four-year old would go into sensory overload in an environment like this.

Too. Much. To. Handle!!

And the kites are something else. And they all fly!! The folks here are cool. We were going to buy a wind vane and they advised us against it because the wind and elements where we live next to the beach would shred them in a short period of time.

So they talked us out of a sale. Fantastic! Good people and, as a result, we do ALL our kite-shopping there. All of it!!

But let's get back to The Deli 101.

Uh, really? Soup of the Day is ~ Cabbage Patch.

I'll pass.

The owners, Roger and Glenys Rada, celebrate their parents service. His Dad was in the Army and hers in the Navy during WWII. More currently, their daughter and son-in-law are both serving on active duty with the Air Force. Their store reflects their pride.

And they've got a big gift shop inside their shore with some, well, less serious stuff, too. I've never had one but I've always felt an affinity with these sock monkeys.

Don't ask, I don't know. Can't explain it.

And some adult beverages. 

Good name for this wine, Hot to Trot.

And some other stuff. A big selection of touristy stuff...for the tourists.

To be honest, we'll probably walk up to the store tomorrow, Carol has her eye on one of the Beach Totes they had for sale there and I'm thinking I could use a new T-Shirt...cuz I'm such a classy dresser and all.

But soon enough we had our sandwiches and we were on the road, again.

Neskowin, where Proposal Rock is, is around 12 miles from our place. We have to go through the mountains in the Siuslaw National Forest but I always enjoy it as it's a scenic and pleasant drive. As it always is. I am still not tired of driving either direction on The 101.

In a short period of time, we were there. This one was a wee bit excited. I was thinking, 'Don't drop the food, Carol Anne!!" I admit to being a slave to my belly, Bruno. Yeah, my kids named by belly Bruno. He was a constant presence in their childhood. He called the shots in many a family trip.

The little town of Neskowin is totally tourist. Small homes for the locals and a lot of rentals for the Touristas. Plus a motel, restaurant and gift shop.

But the locals have done some neat things with their yards. 

This one little stretch was worth a couple pictures. We'll be back here later on in this blog. You've been warned.

From the parking lot, you have to cross the street and then walk along the Hawk Creek on a path for a hundred feet or so to get to the beach. And along that path you pass the restaurant also sitting alongside the creek. 

There's the path, to the right and the motel on the left with the creek down the middle.

A better view of the creek. The Hawk Creek flows down toward the beach but drains into the Neskowin Creek before it gets there. The Neskowin is up to the left just around that bend in the creek.

We've been here before, but we didn't really explore it. Today we'd venture a bit further into the mouth of the beast. Hahaha, I'm feeling a bit dramatic today.

What you see is Proposal Rock to the right. To the left is the Siuslaw National Forest running down to the coast. In the middle is Neskowin Creek as it runs to the Pacific. The neat thing is this is a fresh water stream running along the beach that the Rug Monkeys can play in safely. A great place to bring a bunch of littles.

In fact, here's one of the wee creatures now, braving the heady waters of the creek.

You can see that there's a lot of room for letting the sand rats run free here. I'm always thinking that this would have been a great place to bring all my Yard Apes when they were younger.

There's Proposal Rock. It's a sea stack, one of  many along the Oregon coast. A sea stack is a block of erosion-resistant rock isolated from the land by the sea.

My first thought when I rounded the sea wall was, Treasure Island!!

Right!?! You see it, too, right!?!

Hahaha, Carol said her first thought was Tom Sawyer's Island at DisneyLand. 

I can see that.

Fun Facts: A popular spot in Neskowin, the Proposal Rock legend begins with our hero, who goes by the name, Charley Gage. He may or may not have been a 19th Century sailor.

His paramour, the distaff half of this tale was Della Page, the comely daughter of a homesteading family that tended a farm along the Neskowin Creek.

Not much detail is known and, as is with legends, it changes according to who you're speaking with at the time. What's important is that one day, in the late 1800s, these starstruck lovers headed out to a basalt sea stack above the Pacific Ocean where Charley proposed marriage to young Della.

Della's mom was so thrilled at the pending nuptials that she promptly named the large sea stack, Proposal Rock, a name that remains to this day. Hmmmm, maybe young Della wasn't as comely as I thought after seeing the unexplained excitement and, possibly, great relief, of her mother.

How much of this tale is true is up for debate, according to the Tillamook Historical Society, but the allure of the landmark to young lovers is not. Proposal Rock has become a place associated with romance and popping that most important of questions.

So, ladies, if your young beau asks you out for a picnic at the beach in Neskowin you might want to be very sure you want to go...if you get my drift.

Looking south of Proposal Rock towards the open beach as it runs towards the National Forest. There's a natural arch, along the port (that's left for you land lubbers) side of the Rock. And, of course, the kids all make a bee-line for it so they can climb through from one side to the other.

Kids, so predictable. Like me and Reubens...happens every doggone time!

Another view of Proposal Rock. Love me a wide-angle lens. Plus some dramatic sky with some well placed wispy clouds.

Ah, one of the several Sand Monkeys that were out and about today. See what I mean about this being a good place for the wee ones to play.

We found a place along the sea wall where we could spread out our blanket and enjoy our lunch. Not much of a breeze today which always improves a day at the beach. Most importantly, it had a log for me to rest my rather ponderous rear end. I'm not much for sitting on the sand even with a blanket.

Carol, the show-off, is so limber that she can sit anywhere she wants comfortably. Show-off.

After lunch, Carol stayed, to my great surprise, by the sea wall. She wanted to soak up, as she put it, some vitamin D. I walked out to the beach and The Proposal Rock where I got this shot of her, taking a picture of me.

Hahaha, we are such wild and crazy people!!

And this is the first time this has happened in Oregon but I was actually glad that I had decided to keep my flip flops on!! Man, that sand was HOT!! I guess summer has really come to the Oregon Coast. I was surprised.

And, no, that's not a giant spider or an out-of-place lobster there on the beach. Just some driftwood that I caught at an odd angle. this shot is of the starboard (OK, you lubbers, that means it's on the right) side of The Rock. 

The water completely surrounded The Rock but on the leeward (the downwind, or protected side) side of The Rock the water is very gentle and not deep. I was able to wade through it easily without wetting my shorts. Which, as I look at that sentence, was kinda good in several different ways, y'know, given my age and all.

Looking north, up the coast.

And, blessed are the wide-angles for they make these shots possible without having to run back to get it all in. Yet another view of Proposal Rock.

I waded down here enjoying the cool water after that hot sand. Hahaha, I'm such a wuss!!

Just a random shot of the trees on The Rock. Cuz I can.

And I got closer to the arch. No, I didn't climb though it. Why do that when I could just as easily walk around it to see it from the other side.

Man, I am old, ain't I!?!

There's a lot to see and experience there. The arch, for reference, is just to my right.

An interesting shot, to me, of the south end of Proposal Rock.

It was a good day for being at the beach. Someone should come on down and visit.

As I was walking back, I ran across a clam-encrusted log washed up on the beach. Ugly little things. It bugs me seeing the shell growing out of that long foot. 

OK, let me set the stage. 

When we arrived, I noticed and commented on the lack of gulls flying about the beach. I thought it was strange. Well, when I was walking back to Carol, I glanced over and saw this gull, sitting on the side of The Rock.

Wow! Mind you, I was about 150 feet away from this gull. "OK," I thought,  "I'm gonna get a picture of at least one gull today" and so I whipped out the trusty camera and fired away, secure and smug in the knowledge that I'd met my quota for gull pictures today.

I get home and download the pictures and discover I'd taken a picture of some oddly posed wildflowers with one well positioned dandelion for good measure.

You can see how I'd made that mistake, can't you? I mean, doggone, it sure looks like a gull outline to me. Hahahaha, I had a good laugh, anyway.

Carol's to the left in this picture. There's the creek and the motel in the distance. You get an ideal of how beautiful this place is from this picture. In between the motel and the hill is Highway 101.

And Carol got this neat picture of moi, as I moseyed on back from my little walk. Great picture.

CB

I walked back to the car to drop off the food while Carol was sunbathing and while I was trekking back to the mini, I spotted these two goldfinches. They wouldn't sit still long enough to allow me to get a decent picture. Hahaha, I felt lucky to just get this shot.

Looking up Hawk Creek towards the small bridge. Kids could have some fun in this creek, too.

Just a nice view of the al fresco part of the restaurant with the motel to the right.

Remember those houses I showed you at the beginning of this saga? As I was over that way, I decided to amble on over and see what there was to see.

And I did.

And there were tons of flowers.

And so I got busy.

Very busy.

There were three houses in a row and each one had a unique tool shed in their yard. This one looks like an Old, Wild West Saloon.

So, I got me a couple of pictures of the flowers in these yards.

One of my favorites. And the neat thing was, it was all lined up for me where I stood. I didn't have to bend or stoop or whatever...it was there and, POW! I shot it.

I also liked these coneflowers.

Another one of the sheds...this one with an Irish Dublin Door.

They really put some effort into these gardens.

OK, I was thinking artsy-fartsy when I shot these with the fence.

Like shooting nerds in a barrel.

And some long shots...

As I was heading back, I met Carol coming out. She was done with the sun and so we put it all back in the Mini and headed on back towards LCO. 

And we enjoyed the ride.

Rather than go back the same way, I took the turn-off for the Old 101. It was the original Highway 101 and was bypassed for the current road which is shorter and easier to drive as it goes closer to the coast.

The old road goes through the mountains. Here's where the road narrows to a single lane over an old bridge. 

It's longer, but it is definitely worth it. 

An enjoyable ride.

Which comes out on Hwy 18 at Otis. And since we were there at the Otis Cafe, we stopped so Carol could get a loaf of their fresh-baked bread. I stayed in the car while she went in and, because I am easily bored, I began taking pictures in the sideview mirror.

And caught Carol unawares as she came out toting her booty!! A loaf of some fresh sourdough bread. 

Mmmmmmmm.....

When we got home, I got the mail and was surprised (have you noticed how often I've been 'surprised' today!?!) to see this article about the ASLC in it. And, even more, I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my pictures being used. There it is, the smaller one on the lower right. It was taken when we walked up the Mountain of Death, AKA The Knoll. 

Such a benign name, The Knoll. It doesn't adequately convey the grueling march, hike, trek it takes to get to the top. I think Mountain of Death might be more appropriate...any thoughts?

I am not sure, but, and this is a big, remote, but, that second, larger picture might be mine, too. I'm probably wrong but it does look familiar.

Hahaha, who cares!?! I'm a published Picture-Taker!!

Well, that was fun. 

And, speaking of fun, I noticed an announcement about a Lincoln City Cribbage Club (LC3, again), meeting on Wednesdays at 1730. I've been looking forward to going. I wasn't able to last week but today, I made it.

Here's the LC3 (Lincoln City Community Center) (I'm thinking that with the other LC3, the Lincoln City Cultural Center, I'm gonna have to stop using that acronym. It's way too confusing for someone as simple as I!! #bummer), where the Club was meeting.

I had no real idea of what to expect. I was sorta thinking it'd just be a bunch of old people playing crib. Y'know, where you go up and say, 'Wanna play?' and they say, 'OK' and you have a fun game.

Hahaha, OK, I was wrong. There was no way that I expected what really happened.

First off, when I came in the guy at the desk asked for $7. 

WTH, I thought, but I was there and so I ponied up, reluctantly, the money and he gave me a card.

Then, he announced they'd get started and assigned everyone a seat number. We were gonna have a tournament!! Hahaha, WHAT!!?!?!!

Yeah, these guys are like semi-pro and they were playing in a tournament....for money!!!

Again, WHAT!!?!?!!

I didn't quite realize what I'd gotten myself into but, hey, it started out OK. I won my first game and learned that since I'd won that round by the largest score, I got the 'Skunk'. Whoever won by the largest margin got the 'Skunk' and if they were still holding it at the end of the tournament, then you won $11. 

Hahahaha, let's just say that wasn't me holding it at the end of the tournament.

Although, it was fun for a while.

I was feeling a bit cocky, right then. Time would disabuse me of that particular feeling.

CB

And poor Carol. She had gamely decided to come along...curiosity is a powerful thing...and, like me, she didn't know what to expect, either. She did bring a couple books but, well, the whole thing lasted from 1730 to 2115. Yeah, nearly four hours of cribbage.

During my 'bye', I pestered Carol. I was so bored that when she showed me a picture she'd taken earlier, I had to take a picture of it. 

Don't ask. I don't know.

And she spent a good deal of the time texting with her sister, Allida. Who suggested she find something, anything, to do.

Meanwhile, a hot and heavy tournament was going on.

CB

I have to say that even with money on the line, these folks were very patient and very fair. Unlike my father, who delighted in 'stealing' my points every time I missed them in counting, these guys, to a man (and a woman for that matter) pointed out my error before I pegged. Very decent folks.

And they didn't groan whenever I had to recount, several times, to make sure I'd gotten it right.

CB

Here I am playing against the eventual winner of the tournament, Daryl. He was even slower than I at playing his cards. Hmmmm, a method to his madness? He did win.

CB

Welcome!! But beware!! 

You ain't leaving for a long while!!

CB

I did pretty good. I won my first six games but then I began to flag. I mean, I was getting tired of playing. I won 1 and lost 3 of my last 4 games. At the end, I was happy, very happy, to be done.

That's Stan there with the plaid shirt and black cap holding his chin. He joined the Marines 6 days after Pearl Harbor and served as a member of the Marine Detachment aboard the U.S.S. Nevada, an old wooden deck battlewagon, during WWII. He was aboard when the Nevada pulled so close to the coast to provide fire support to Omaha Beach on D-Day that her hull scraped against the sand.

Well, for some inexplicable reason, maybe because the Gods love fools, I placed third for the evening and won myself $10. 

Hahaha, I got my $7 back plus $3 to boot!! More importantly, I was free and could leave. I was tired!!

It was fun. I might go back but, honestly, I doubt it.

CB

After we left, we drove over to the brand-new, opening day festivities at the Dutch Bros. Coffee Kiosk that was opening down on The 101 near the LC3 (Lincoln City Cultural Center). We thought it'd be fun to be a small part of the opening day fun and, besides, they were giving away free coffee to everyone who showed up.

Well, apparently, about 500 other people had the same thought.

OK, OK, maybe there weren't 500 people there but there was a line of cars backed up outside the kiosk that was about 15 cars long...which was about 14 cars longer than I wanted to wait and so we reluctantly passed on that opportunity to be a part of LC History.

Carol was ready for bed when we got back but I was still buzzing a bit from the games. They were intense, folks. Intense!!

I was cooling down by reading and listening to Meagan Kelly on the TV when I glanced out the window and saw this...

BAM!! I dropped the book and ran outside with my camera to get myself a couple pics.

Sunset over the Pacific.

What a kick in the pants.

Whew!! It was a busy day. 

And a pleasant one. And it really didn't require much effort at all. Well, maybe some effort to finish those last few crib games. But, in total, the day just sorta flowed and aren't those the best kind?

From early morning Breakfast Buddies to a Sunset over the Pacific, it was a great day. 

Anyone who wants to visit the coast, just let us know.

Because, as we all know, life is good.

     Hooah!!