Al's Journal
August 20, 2007
It’s a dark and rainy day here at Cape Lookout State Park. Here we are at one of the scenic wonders on the Oregon Coast and being the creatures of comfort that we are, stuck inside. Perhaps tomorrow we can hike the shore where reportedly we may even see whales. Right now, though, I’m watching birds out my window as I write. There are three beautiful bright blue birds playing in the tree. After checking a bird book, we learned they are Stellar Jays. Apparently, they’re the western version of our blue jays. They are smaller and a deeper, more brilliant blue, but otherwise look similar; especially their heads with that little tuft on top. Other than the rain, I like being in Oregon. I don’t miss the hot, muggy weather back east and I enjoy seeing the ocean and mountains. It seems like all of Washington and Oregon are forest and mountains. We’ve been by some logging yards and it’s astounding to see the enormous piles of long, straight logs ready for milling.
Looking back, we’ve had a really special time here in the Pacific Northwest. After leaving our assignment at Warm Beach, we pulled our rig to Tom and Jerilyn’s yard where we enjoyed three weeks of being neighbors with family. Aside from all the good meals and movies we shared, we enjoyed a couple of nice trips with them. Tom took us to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle and it seemed that everyone else in the world had the same idea. It’s a popular attraction and for shoppers a real delight, I’m sure. Anitarae would say that the salmon she had for lunch was probably the best part of her day. We also took a cruise boat to Victoria, BC and spent a couple of days there. We toured the Bouchart Gardens, but there is no way to describe that other than in photos. Words like beautiful, colorful, and spectacular seem trite. We also saw the Titanic exhibit at the BC Royal Museum, had dinner on the waterfront, enjoyed street performers in the evening and enjoyed the comforts of The Royal Scott Hotel. On the boat trip back to Bellingham, WA, we were treated to a whale watch as we saw the Orcas off shore of the San Juan Islands. Anitarae and I had a chance to see one of those islands, Cypress, close up on the day we took a kayak tour. We didn’t see whales that day, but I’m just as glad. Being in a kayak makes me feel rather vulnerable. We did see a bald eagle and he was gracious to pose for us so we could get several good shots. I miss kayaking and that was a special opportunity. It also made me appreciate owning a kayak.
There is one bad news/good news story to relate. Since we would be in one spot for a while, I tried to have a root canal and crown procedure again. I was diagnosed in Colorado Springs and was unable to have it done because my blood pressure was too high. I went to a doctor and had a check up with a cardiologist and my medication was changed. My blood pressure was somewhat better, so I tried again to no avail. The dentist wouldn’t do it because once again it was too high. The good news is that after being on a South Beach diet, thanks to Anitarae, and buying a bike so I could exercise, my blood pressure is down to a very good level and I’ve lost several pounds and feel better. Hopefully my next attempt will be a go. At any rate, I have found a way to exercise that I enjoy. There was a great bike trail in Arlington and there was a good one in Nehalem Bay. I hope I continue to find good trails. That will help my motivation.
There were several other nice times that I enjoyed and will mention for the sake of memories. The Tyner family is pretty close. They try to get together often and when they do, they enjoy each other and have fun together. We were included in a couple of dinners at Dan and Delaine’s and a family picnic to celebrate Andrew’s birthday. After the picnic, Matt invited me to go skeet shooting with him. There are still a lot of safe pigeons, but I had fun trying. Later in the week, the four Tyner brothers went golfing and invited me also. I shouldn’t have gone for several reasons, but suffice it to say it wasn’t my best day.
After getting the “all’s well” message at my scheduled dermatology appointment, we said farewell to Tom and Jerilyn and headed south to enjoy some tourist travel and rest before arriving for our assignment in Grants Pass, OR. We stopped for a couple of nights in Castle Rock, WA where we toured the Mt. St. Helen’s Visitor Center and went to the church Pastor Art Williamson came from when moved to Auburn. We tried to get in touch with him since he is reported to be back in that area, but were unsuccessful. We camped a few days at Nehalem Bay State Park and enjoyed walking the beach. Jacque behaved totally out of character as he ran wildly up and down the shore chasing waves and birds. We moved south a little to Tillamook the home of Tillamook Cheese and had a tour of the plant. The best part of that was going off diet to have some Tillamook ice cream. There is a blimp hanger there, which was built to house the blimps used in WW2 to scout out enemy subs. Now it is a museum housing many antique and modern fighting planes. I enjoyed seeing these planes up close and reading about them. I used to build models as a kid. Now we are at Cape Lookout …
It’s a dark and rainy day here at Cape Lookout State Park. Here we are at one of the scenic wonders on the Oregon Coast and being the creatures of comfort that we are, stuck inside. Perhaps tomorrow we can hike the shore where reportedly we may even see whales. Right now, though, I’m watching birds out my window as I write. There are three beautiful bright blue birds playing in the tree. After checking a bird book, we learned they are Stellar Jays. Apparently, they’re the western version of our blue jays. They are smaller and a deeper, more brilliant blue, but otherwise look similar; especially their heads with that little tuft on top. Other than the rain, I like being in Oregon. I don’t miss the hot, muggy weather back east and I enjoy seeing the ocean and mountains. It seems like all of Washington and Oregon are forest and mountains. We’ve been by some logging yards and it’s astounding to see the enormous piles of long, straight logs ready for milling.
Looking back, we’ve had a really special time here in the Pacific Northwest. After leaving our assignment at Warm Beach, we pulled our rig to Tom and Jerilyn’s yard where we enjoyed three weeks of being neighbors with family. Aside from all the good meals and movies we shared, we enjoyed a couple of nice trips with them. Tom took us to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle and it seemed that everyone else in the world had the same idea. It’s a popular attraction and for shoppers a real delight, I’m sure. Anitarae would say that the salmon she had for lunch was probably the best part of her day. We also took a cruise boat to Victoria, BC and spent a couple of days there. We toured the Bouchart Gardens, but there is no way to describe that other than in photos. Words like beautiful, colorful, and spectacular seem trite. We also saw the Titanic exhibit at the BC Royal Museum, had dinner on the waterfront, enjoyed street performers in the evening and enjoyed the comforts of The Royal Scott Hotel. On the boat trip back to Bellingham, WA, we were treated to a whale watch as we saw the Orcas off shore of the San Juan Islands. Anitarae and I had a chance to see one of those islands, Cypress, close up on the day we took a kayak tour. We didn’t see whales that day, but I’m just as glad. Being in a kayak makes me feel rather vulnerable. We did see a bald eagle and he was gracious to pose for us so we could get several good shots. I miss kayaking and that was a special opportunity. It also made me appreciate owning a kayak.
There is one bad news/good news story to relate. Since we would be in one spot for a while, I tried to have a root canal and crown procedure again. I was diagnosed in Colorado Springs and was unable to have it done because my blood pressure was too high. I went to a doctor and had a check up with a cardiologist and my medication was changed. My blood pressure was somewhat better, so I tried again to no avail. The dentist wouldn’t do it because once again it was too high. The good news is that after being on a South Beach diet, thanks to Anitarae, and buying a bike so I could exercise, my blood pressure is down to a very good level and I’ve lost several pounds and feel better. Hopefully my next attempt will be a go. At any rate, I have found a way to exercise that I enjoy. There was a great bike trail in Arlington and there was a good one in Nehalem Bay. I hope I continue to find good trails. That will help my motivation.
There were several other nice times that I enjoyed and will mention for the sake of memories. The Tyner family is pretty close. They try to get together often and when they do, they enjoy each other and have fun together. We were included in a couple of dinners at Dan and Delaine’s and a family picnic to celebrate Andrew’s birthday. After the picnic, Matt invited me to go skeet shooting with him. There are still a lot of safe pigeons, but I had fun trying. Later in the week, the four Tyner brothers went golfing and invited me also. I shouldn’t have gone for several reasons, but suffice it to say it wasn’t my best day.
After getting the “all’s well” message at my scheduled dermatology appointment, we said farewell to Tom and Jerilyn and headed south to enjoy some tourist travel and rest before arriving for our assignment in Grants Pass, OR. We stopped for a couple of nights in Castle Rock, WA where we toured the Mt. St. Helen’s Visitor Center and went to the church Pastor Art Williamson came from when moved to Auburn. We tried to get in touch with him since he is reported to be back in that area, but were unsuccessful. We camped a few days at Nehalem Bay State Park and enjoyed walking the beach. Jacque behaved totally out of character as he ran wildly up and down the shore chasing waves and birds. We moved south a little to Tillamook the home of Tillamook Cheese and had a tour of the plant. The best part of that was going off diet to have some Tillamook ice cream. There is a blimp hanger there, which was built to house the blimps used in WW2 to scout out enemy subs. Now it is a museum housing many antique and modern fighting planes. I enjoyed seeing these planes up close and reading about them. I used to build models as a kid. Now we are at Cape Lookout …
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