Meandering on the Way — August 29 to Sept 11, 2024

Thursday, August 29th

The story of the origin of the COVID virus has become clearer in the last few years, based largely on information that has become available via Freedom of Information Act requests. M has been looking at two YouTube videos. One is an Aug. 2023 interview with Jeffrey Sachs, chairman of the Lancet COVID 19 Commission. The other is a Nov. 2022 interview with Emily Kopp, an investigative reporter for U.S. Right to Know, an organization that initiated some of the Freedom in Information Act requests. One suspects that it was Kopp herself who sifted through thousands of pages of documents in order to find evidence of what was really going on. She’s an interesting young woman. Overall, the sequence of events that Sachs and Kopp reveal makes for a fascinating story. For M–the old lit. major–it is very reminiscent of Greek tragedy.

And here’s another science news update, this one related to the two astronauts on the space station.

Friday, August 30th

We had a few people over for dinner, which consisted of paella from E, salad from B, and a flourless cake from Ma, all of which were awfully good. We had dinner inside, then dessert outside when the weather had improved. Ma and J have just returned from a year in Brasilia, where Ma was an English Language Fellow. While she kept busy teaching university classes and doing other ELF-type projects, J improved his Portuguese, did yoga, and went adventuring into the fascinating world of Brazilian visa requirements.

Saturday, August 31th

We went over to the coast again today because S invited us over to stay at a house he was renting at the beach just north of Yachats. The little house was in the “fish district” on Perch Street. We were able to walk from there to the Gerdemann Botanic Preserve and Public Footpath, where a trail through the preserve links to a trail into the Suislaw National Forest. S is a tireless walker and we also walked back to the ocean. There we followed a path along the edge of the bluffs that lie between the fish district and downtown. S told us how this route was once part of the very early coach and wagon road that provided the only access to the town of Yachats. The road led down from Waldport. The first seven miles of the road were on the beach and then, when the beach ended at the place where Salmon Street is now, it climbed up to go along the bluff. In the 1970s there was a long struggle to make the old bluff road into a walking trail. The effort was mostly successful and was only settled after the case went to the Oregon Supreme Court.

Tuesday, September 3rd

We took a drive up to Salem today and took the Ioniq 5 to the Hyundai dealership for a system update. While that was going on, we got a Lyft courtesy of the dealership and went for lunch to the Thai Beer restaurant. Thai Beer is a place that we really liked when we visited a few years ago. Was it still as good? Well…we gobbled it right up, so maybe it was. Both of us agreed, though, that everything was just a little sweet and more than a little salty.

In the evening, we watched two episodes of Dark Winds on Netflix. The series is based on the novels of Tony Hillerman that feature Navajo Tribal Police Lt. Joe Leaphorn. Leaphorn is played byZahn MacClarnon, whom you will recognize if you ever watched Longmire. Dark Winds has received lots of good reviews and we can understand why. The stories, characters, and scenery are all very absorbing.

M is also giving some attention to the Korean series Crash Landing on You. It is only occasionally absorbing–every hour and ten minute episods seems interminable. E watched one and a third episodes and then gave up, as most rational people would.

Wednesday, September 4th

We did a little garden clean-up this morning. This was prompted by the fact that one of E’s friends from her book club was coming for a tour at noon. The back yard is dry and rather dull this time of year, but it’s still interesting to us and it was nice to have someone who wanted to look at it.

Thursday, September 5th

M had an eye appointment this morning and learned that his macular swelling has receded completely. He will be tapering off his anti-inflammatory eye drops for the next few weeks, which with hopefully prevent it from coming back. While he was doing that, E went up to the Portland Airport to pick up C and Z, who have come up from California for a visit.

Friday, September 6th

We dragged C over toward the coast today, but we didn’t quite make it to the ocean. Instead we went into the mountains near Lincoln City and hiked down to the Drift Creek bridge. Naturally, once we were there, we had a picnic. In the brief video below we’ve just finished the main part of lunch and are about to have a bit of chocolate for dessert.

We had a minor emergency on the drive home when it was determined that one of our party had been too long without ice cream. We solved this with a stop at the Monmouth Burgerville.

Saturday, September 7th

E took C to the Corvallis Saturday Market. As a Farm Advisor for UC Davis, C was involved with many a farmers’ market down in Placer County, CA. So she was interested to see what was going on up here.

For lunch we went out to Gathering Together Farms, which is the only place left–as far as we know–where a person can get a decent Sunburger.

Sunday, September 8th

In the morning we went for a walk at Finley Preserve. We noticed that one section of the Woodpecker Loop has a striking number of unusual looking trees.

In the afternoon A came down from Vancouver to meet Z. She said hello to C also.

Monday, September 9th

While hiking on Mary’s Peak, we found that C has an eye for unusually formed trees, this one for example:

Tuesday, September 10th

A quieter day. E and C poked around downtown. M starting preparing for his trip the wilds of northern Nevada. Z dozed on the couch.

Wednesday, September 11th

After days and days of nice weather, we’re starting to get some rain. C and Z, both Californians, immediately headed back south.