Tuesday, July 2nd
E had lunch today with C1 and her daughter C2. C2 was a childhood friend of Becca and thus is currently the age that Becca would be if she were still around. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two boys, the older of whom is starting college in the fall.
Saturday, July 6th
Jam!
Monday, July 8th
Well it’s definitely summer now. Corvallis temperatures have been around 100 for the last four or five days. Only the early mornings are cool. It’s very nice out before 8:00, so that’s the only time we’ve been doing much outside.
But that’s no way to live, so today we went to the ocean for an overnight break from the heat. Last night we decided to go to the area around Cape Meares and made a hotel reservation in the town of Tillamook. This morning we packed up a few things–including a lunch–and set out at around 10:00. We decided not to use the Ioniq 5 because fast charging stations are few and far between up there. Instead we drove the mighty Jaguar, but not with the top down. It was already getting hot and we’re wimpy about that.
Based on information in our favorite Oregon coast guidebook, M had planned a couple of stops. The first was the Munson State Natural Area to see Munson Falls–the highest waterfall in the Coast Range. A trail leads up toward the falls, but the upper part of the trail was destroyed during a severe storm in 1996. These days you can’t get close enough to get a really good look. But the whole place is beautiful, lots of rugged terrain covered by profuse rainforest vegetation. And there are some nice picnic tables at the parking area. And today, just as we had hoped, the temperature was twenty degrees cooler than in Corvallis.
After lunching at Munson, we went to nearby Oceanside, a tiny but now heavily developed hamlet, just one headland south of Cape Meares. We stopped to see Oceanside because of something that E found out from C2 at their lunch last week. It turns out that C2‘s father’s family has a long history in Oceanside, beginning in 1910 when the Rosenberg family arrived in Oregon and made a home there. By 1920 the chief property owners in the area were two brothers: Judson and Hudson Rosenberg. The brothers were both married and in fact had married two sisters. In 1922, this foursome–Judson, Hudson, Dora and Dolly–donated one acre of land to the State of Oregon for the purpose of giving public access to the Oceanside beach.
The beach is only a few hundred yards long and is blocked off at both ends by steep headlands. To the north the formation is called Maxwell Point. In 1926 the Rosenbergs dug a tunnel through Maxwell Point which gave access to another small beach, one that was otherwise inaccessible by land. In 1968 the family donated an additional 1.9 acres, which included most of Maxwell Point itself.
From Oceanside we continued up to Cape Meares to see the lighthouse. It’s a short, stubby building and almost looks like a toy light. It is perched, however, at the top of a 200 foot cliff, which gives it the highest elevation of any Oregon lighthouse.
Tuesday, July 9th
After a night in a Tillamook motel whose name we won’t mention, we started our return to Corvallis by heading east on Oregon Highway 6 toward Forest Grove. On the way we stopped at the Tillamook Forest Center, a really great place that turned out to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. But we were able to take a little hike along the Wilson River trail and get onto the suspension bridge that crosses the river at the Center’s rear entrance.
When we left, we continued on Highway 6 until eventually turning south in the direction of Yamhill, Carlton and McMinnville. By then we were back into 100 degree weather. Feeling adventurous, we had lunch at a place in Carlton called The Horse Radish. E liked her veggie sandwich and her house-made potato chips, but she loved the iced tea.
Wednesday, July 10th
Cooler today, with a high of only 90. Cool most of the morning.
Thursday, July 11th
Tomatoes!
Saturday, July 13th
Our front yard delphinium is finally blooming. Too bad it is nine days out of sync with the red and white roses that grow behind it.
Sunday, July 14th
And finally, E installed this in our back yard. The frosted glass bowl is from a thrift shop and contains half an inch of water; the purple part is from Pennsylvania. But what is it for?
The whole oceanside journey sounds awesome, as well as the story about the Rosenbergs and the Octopus Tree.
I’m not sure I’d be a candidate to walk inside the tunnel at Maxwell Point! You two are such creative travelers – very inspiring!
ohhh i just want to jump in that water!! Its SO stinkin hot here i can barely breathe and poor Bodieodie is MISERABLE!! we would both be in the water!!
Love the tomatos…and the jam…i process mine as i never have freezer room. just did a pile of strawberry..had to stick all my raspberries in the freezer to make jam later, and i havent taken a ride a mile up the road to see if the blueberry farm has any yet but if not now i’m betting in a few days. i’m going to be busy! have rhubarb to make jam out of, too…
as for the pretty purple thing…wasp trap? it says theres water in it so not a bee or hummer feeder….wasp or skeeter trap is my guess.
The “B Tomato” is totally proud to be within the lineage of other noteworthy pincushions!!!! It sends its most profound appreciation for its selection into such a prestigious gathering! 🌿
Youse gyze know how ta live! Trips to the coast, waterfalls, seven foot foxgloves, lotsa stuffed tomatoes. Keep on.