Stitched last week on the Oregon Coast with my mom and sister (who I usually join on the east coast).
We had perfect weather, wonderful views, lots of walks, memories, laughs, and food.
The house was on the beach, a dream place for all three of us.
It was the first time in decades that it was just the three of us for any length of time. Fascinating to observe and be a part of new dynamics.
It seems that the neighborhood heard that I was coming.
There was a night that boats scattered near the shore (and an egret, I think). We made up all kinds of stories of what they might be up to before deciding they were fishing boats. (The stories were much more interesting.)
One day we drove up to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Growing up, the family would stop there now and then. We enjoyed watching the cheese makers pulling giant wires through the cheese, seeing the curds and whey, all through a large window over their work area. Afterwards, there would be sample cheese squares on toothpicks.
Now it is a huge building with large windows, displays, etc. looking down through rows of windows onto modern machines that hide much of the process. There were sealed samples to take, a LARGE eating area featuring cheese sandwiches and many kinds of ice cream, with a huge gift shop nearby, and a cheese truck to pose for a photo op in. A kind of a cheese Disneyland. It was interesting and a fun stop, but the quaintness and charm were missing.
I did love seeing that one of their symbols is the silhouette of the Morning Star.
"1854- Tillamook's farmers had butter and milk to sell- but hauling it over rough mountain roads took so long, that it would spoil. The fastest route to Portland is by water, so they built Oregon's first official ship- the Morning Star- to carry their dairy goods to market."
Home now to a short heat wave, but there's hopefully a storm brewing tonight.
But I keep thinking of the ocean.
And thinking about all of the different kinds of light.
