Saturday, May 15, 2010

There is much going on.  

As a wine rep, I’m going up and down a 170 mile stretch of coastline.  And let me say, there are worse routes to travel.  But one day I’m north, the next south, then north again.  Back and forth.

I was pet sitting next door to where I’m staying, so I would hang out with the pooch and sleep there and come back here to shower, change clothes and have a meal.  I’m also moving again at the end of this month---temporarily, again---so I’m putting more into storage.  Back and forth. 

All this stirring about---looking for apartments, paring down belongings, shuffling from place to place, long hours of drive time---has stirred up enough memories to span the length of the coast.  I seem to be going back and forth in time, too, trying to come up with a more efficient work and travel schedule, meeting new clients and looking forward to settling somewhere while memories of my Rochester house and long ago travels and old friends keep bubbling up.  I realize that my life is getting shorter as I try to calm the whirlwind and steady the pendulum. 

The past couple of weeks I’ve been trying to take some quiet time, even if it’s just to sit and read by the ocean.  This afternoon I poured out more than six pages of emotion, observation and memory in my journal---sitting at the Tolovana Wayside. 

The photos are from two “time outs” this week.  I was at the Cove in Seaside wondering where all the seagulls were, when an eagle flew in front of my car.  Aaahh.  That’s why the seagulls were hiding.  I kept an eye out, and there they were.  Three bald eagles, actually.  They are fairly common here, but three at once is a real treat.  I managed to photograph two as the third flew towards Tillamook Head.  It was really breezy, and they were having a great time coasting and soaring on the wind.

The seagull and I were in Yachats, about 150 miles south of Seaside, on Friday.  What a beautiful day---breezy again---for flying around.  Though it’s on the central coast, there’s a distinct, laid-back California feeling about Yachats.  I’m looking forward to spending more time there.  Meanwhile, I just made this photo my laptop wallpaper.