We were a team on a mission of great importance today. Of course, we had to wake up at a leisurely hour and get ourselves mentally and physically ready for our Mission Possible(?). This involves a cuppa coffee...or two and some excessive yawning, stretching and moanin' and groanin' on my part.
Hey, there's a certain ritual to appropriately greeting each new day as a Man of Leisure, AKA An Old Retired Coot. And I always stick to my rituals. Always. Yawn....
But we were off, finally, to the Lincoln City Farmers and Crafters Market. You see, a week or so ago El Presidente, Señor Jack, had remarked that the ASLC should grow its membership by at least 100 people and so I, the intrepid, idealistic, investigative cub vice-president for a large metropolitan non-profit organization, set myself to trying to figure out a way to do that; to grow the membership without breaking the bank or causing myself too much work.
And, I think, I hit on a good idea which led me to my current quest to obtain some space at the Farmers Market. I wanted to set up a table from which to badger fellow Lincolnians into joining the ASLC.
Woo-Woo!! Easy-Peezy, One-Two-Threesy!! I was on it faster than green grass through a goose!!
Wanting to look semi-presentable, I left my cameras in the Mini. To compensate for not having taken any pictures of the Market, I swiped these off the website for the LCO Farmer's Market on the Internet. Many thanks and apologies to the good folks with the LCFCM.
And, for no apparent reason other than they were on the same camera when I downloaded these pictures of our lunch, I have some random shots taken while I was exceedingly bored and looking for something, anything, to do while waiting for my show to come on TV.
Like this tendril from the Spider Plant Carol has in the window by the sink. She got the plant a while ago at a Crafts Fair in Bay City, and it's still alive!! Hahaha, success!!
And a willing subject for a bored houseplant, me.
And a willing subject for a bored houseplant, me.
This is the book I'm reading now. It's the seventh entry in the 19-book series and it is as exciting and entertaining as the first one I read...which was the #2 entry, The Boy Scouts of Pioneer Camp.
And, should you want to get the series for yourself, here's the list from the 1914 book.
Fun Facts: I wasn't able to find any biographical information on Scout Master Robert Shaler but I did finally learn that he had at least 19 titles in this series. What's amazing is that it appears all of these titles were published between 1914 and 1916. Not only was he well-versed in Scout Lore and tying knots, he was also a prolific writer.
As you can see from the Table of Contents here, there's a lot of excitement happening in this entry in the series!!
"Gosh, Hugh, who do you think will win the Prize Pennant?"
Hahaha, OK. Enough. I'm enjoying them and I hope you enjoyed that little side trip down Nostalgia Lane. It was fun for me.
So after we had finished at the Farmers Market...oh, the upshot of this foray was that I got the website for the Management of the Market and I need to contact them to get the necessary approval for the ASLC's table.
Whew!! After all that work, I was feeling a bit peckish and so I cajoled Carol into going to lunch with me and, as you might have guessed, that took a heap 'O Cajoling, there, Bucko!!
So, having seen the Nauti Mermaid Bar & Bistro on the way down to the Market, I thought we'd stop there on the way back and see what adventure and taste treats this restaurant held for us. So I found a safe place to park the Ol' Mini under a sprawling shade tree and then we headed on over to the Bistro on The 101.
Here's the over-busy, highly congested, super-slow Oregon Coast Highway...The 101, as it oozes, seeps and dribbles...slowly.
The summer has arrived in LCO and The 101 is showing it; or, should I say, slowing it.
And there's always time to stop and enjoy good street art.
This interesting piece is, appropriately enough, to be found in the sidewalk right in front of the Birkenstock Store.
Get it? Hahaha, Birkenstock and feet!?!
Oh, good grief, I am too funny!!
Then, just a short walk down the street we came to the Nauti Mermaid, Bar and Bistro for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
It is, honestly, one of the most unusual and interesting bars I've been in for quite a while. Had I found this bar as a young man just out of the Marines, I would have felt that I'd found home.
In we went, ready for adventure and whatever comes our way.
And found their menu...
OK, without a lot of background here in this bistro, lack of experience and all, I can say that although the menu is small, the two sandwiches we got were well worth the money.
Carol got the Patty Melt and I, hahahaha, I got the Reuben - Nauti Style!!
Both of them were....GA-OOOOD!!!
OK, so we were in and we had ordered and now was the time to do some exploring. What a place!!
First off was the decor. Truly original and pleasing. You'll see more of this later but there's a fireplace there and a little reading nook. Yeah, that's right. A reading nook. I remember when I had gotten out of the Marines, I had briefly entertained a silly notion about opening a bar and having a reading library there plus chess sets for the patrons to play. Hahaha, I know, pretty damn stupid, eh!?!
Hey, now this is looking a bit more like a beer bar. The Ol' Pool Table. I was never any good but my brother, Curt, was. One game he was playing for money and losing so he told the guy, right in the middle of the game that he'd bet him an extra $20 that this guy, who'd been pretty much running the table all night, wouldn't get another shot. Well, the guy looks at all the balls on the table and then back at Curt and he says, with a smirk on his face, "You're on!"
Money comes out and Curt lines up his next shot and promptly shoots the 8-ball into a pocket. Hahaha, the guy doesn't get another shot and Curt grabbed the money and we left, quick. Every time I see a pool table in a bar, I think of that night...and laugh.
Looking from the rear of the bar, from where the pool table was, towards the front of the bar. Plenty of room there. And clean, too. With a carpet on the floor.
Here's the Book Nook again. It sits on the front behind a large storefront window. Looks comfortable, nes pas!?! In a BAR!! Hahahaha, love it!!
And, even though you're in a good place (Hahaha), life goes on around you and it isn't always fair or always nice, as this ambulance shows.
Plenty of good books to read, borrow, exchange, or donate to.
And this fine, handsome fellow, looking over your shoulder as you read.
Argh!! You best be turning the page now, Matey!!
And the decor ties in neatly with the name.
Feeling bad for her, I used my keen iPhoto skills to help this young lady lose her Cantiflas-like mustache (see the above picture). It does help.
And the Dodgers were spanking the Nationals on the tube.
Hahaha, Boogie Boards for the bathrooms.
Guess which one this is for...
Hahaha, OK, too easy.
Saw this on FB just today...
Always be yourself.
Unless you can be a Pirate.
Then always be a Pirate.
Hahahaha, done and done!!
And, along one wall, some great original artwork. With a nautical, mermaid theme.
This one had better be a merman. Whadya think?
And yet another...on the bar.
This was just interesting. Nicely done, Angry Orchard.
OK, I've seen some odd things in the bars I've frequented during my life, but I can honestly say I've never seen this before...in a bar.
And, yet, there it was....a ping-pong table.
An honest-to-goodness ping-pong table.
I am, truthfully, at a loss for words.
I can't imagine what a game must look like after an evening spent drinking. I wonder how many balls they go through in an average evening.
Dammit!! I knew I should have stuck with my accordion lessons!!
I coulda been a CONTENDER!!!
Someone was bored and had a camera handy. I left the camera on the table and snapped this shot.
Hahaha, don't ask. I don't know.
Hahaha, one of the best signs I've seen here.
A play on the Las Vegas sign. Great!!
Then it was time for lunch....
Mmmmmmmm
A healthy and delicious Reuben, Nauti Style for me....
And a Patty Melt for Carol. She'd been tempted to get the standard CheeseBurger but I gently persuaded her to live on the wild side and try something new....for her.
And they wuz good.
Yes, they were very, very good.
In fact, we've decided that this will be one of the many options for entertaining guests when they come a-visiting.
Want to get a little Nauti, y'all?
And there's the manager, owner, bartender and CCBW (Chief Cook and Bottle Washer) for the Nauti Mermaid.
I'd seen this guy earlier while I was exploring and wanted to show him to Carol.
He's the guard dog for the bar at night and during the day he guards the parking lot. Right now, he's all alert cuz he saw another dog in his lot.
Just a general view of the bar.
And as we left, we found the time and the opportunity for a Reflected Window Selfie!!
I'm gonna say that these two businesses, sitting side-by-side, probably gin up a lot of business for each other. Have a beer...or a dozen and hey, getting a tattoo all of a sudden sounds like a real swell idea.
And a thoughtfully placed bench for those revelers who might have to wait for a taxi to show up. Again, with some good and original art work.
Wow!! Who wouldn't want to visit here!?! Free WiFi and it's Biker Friendly, too!! To be honest, I saw this before I went in and while I was there I was wondering about the bikers because, well, it didn't seem like a bar bikers would normally frequent, I thought. But, y'know, I'm just going off the stereotypes I see in the movies and on TV. Hahaha, no ping-pong tables in the bars in those shows.
And another LCO Landmark that I want to visit someday, The Cruise Inn. Sorta looks like its seen some hard times.
Uh, those weeds are painted on, folks.
Well, it was a great lunch. The sandwiches were fresh and tasty and, again, worth the money. I think we'll be back just, maybe, not in the evening on a Friday or Saturday. Neither of us are that kind of party animal anymore.
Unless, of course, they have a Frank Sinatra or a Barry Manilow cover band. Then we'd think about it.
An easy day and an enjoyable lunch. Who could ask for more?
Life is very good.
Hooah!!
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