Long time no see...

Hmmmm well I had coffee today with a familiar face who expressed to me that my blog is dry. Yes indeed. I'd love to tell you that I've "found myself," "fell in love," or "won the lottery" but I haven't been searching, tripping, or buying tickets respectively. "What have you been doing?" you ask. Well, that's also a complicated answer.

A picture is worth 1000 words. (I once asked a high school English teacher if I could just draw the essay rather than write out the 1,000 words; she was less than pleased with me at the idea.)

March 2010 Zihuatanejo Mexico.
The only picture that's missing here is the one Shanthi so so so badly wanted to get (well other than the one of the crocodile, but that's another story). We were entering the water after letting ourselves bake all morning and she commented on how high the waves were. My response? "They're fine. We'll be fine." The final sentence of "What could possibly go wrong?" didn't actually make it out of my mouth because I was too busy swallowing heaping amounts of salt water while desperately trying to hang on to (1) my contacts and (2) m'bottoms. As I was coming to, a photographer appeared from NOWHERE only to ask if we wanted a photo. Only to never see him again, we waved him off, thankfully for me, but Shanthi was kicking herself for not capturing the moment where I was a mess and she was still put together. I have assured her--as I will all of you--that we have many many years in front of us that will include many such moments.

For highlights that were documented, please visit the below link to see me, Shanthi, Bernie, Kendra, Katina and Marlene enjoying the weather, sites, and stairs of this beautiful Mexican fishing village. And its one Greek restaurant (I swear they find me, I swear) where they played the theme to Zorba and I danced and Katina was nowhere to be found...how convenient.

MEXICO Highlights:
Photos from a Plane!
Shrimp Tacos
Life is a Beach
Olga's home cookin'
Fun about town
Helping Marlene with her Beachtime PB


June 2010 Depoe Bay, Oregon and environs
Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good pun. I might even say that from time to time I upset people I love because I simply cannot control my verbal response (shots of punicillin don't help). So when I had trouble finding a B&B on the Oregon Coast, is it any surprise to you that I shouted "SOLD!" to myself, alone in my apartment, when I found "Pana-Sea-Ah," the B&B to "cure your ills"? The innkeeper was a great guy and reminded me of my friend Jamie. I felt at home immediately there. I took about 3 days to drive the Oregon Coast and back, to take in what I could from Astoria to Newport. Do I remember the crazy native names of the points? No. Can I recall the places where I ate (well other than "Tidal Raves")? No. Do I remember the stretches of roadway where I had the most fun? Absolutely. Below is a link of some points that I really enjoyed, and yes, those photos are taken from the driver side of a fast-moving vehicle, and joyfully so.

OREGON Highlights:
Bridge to Astoria over Columbia River (I love bridges so you will see many photos of them)
A rainy Cannon Beach, but lovely nonetheless
CHEESE!
A plane that's mounted above ground (this one made no sense)
My "Garden Room" at the B&B. If you have to ask why it's called that...
Views from the room, the day of arrival and the next day when the sun came out
Driving down the coast from Depoe Bay to Newport, and stopping along Yaquina Bay and Otter Crest Point
The inside of a lighthouse where the technology that was developed to reflect light is still used today
A dead seal. I watched kids throw rocks at it. I also was downwind from it, and I do not recommend that.
Newport's marina, home to some of the loudest seals I have ever heard
And really fun road signs (another travel interest of mine)


More to come. I PROMISE!!!!