Changes

We are in Minnesota.  Mankato.  My sister, Karla is in the ICU ward.  Her future is short.  So it was time to go home.
   Thursday morning we had breakfast at our campsite at Cape Blanco.  By 11:15 we were packed and on the road.  We arrived back in Canby a little after 5.  After the trailer was parked, I got oline and secured tickets.  Because they were last minute, they were twice as much, but we needed go.  There were three seats left on the flight when I bought them.
   Our good friends picked us up at 4:15 and dropped us off at the airport.  The airport experience was relatively easy.  The Alaska agent was friendly.  We were pre-checked by TSA, ( the agent said it was because we were "older than him").  The flight left on time, arrived a bit early, picked up by a by a grand nephew, and at the hospital by 4-5 o'clock.  Flying is not the exciting experience it once was.  It's just like a trip in a really fast bus.  But it serves a important need.  To travel across the country quickly.   So it is a good thing.
   

Cape Arago

The Cape Arago lighthouse.  No longer lit but still is a landmark.

Early morning walk

6am   The boys and I are out for our first walk of the day.  It's
6 am and the sun has not made an impression on the darkness yet.  But it's not dark.  The moon is on the downside of full, but it still casts a bright glow.  The parts of the roadway that are not blocked by flora are well lit.  Remember we are nowhere near city lights.  So dark is really dark.  Not this morning. 
    We circle the campground, stopping many times to check out the bushes along the way and to "take care of business" several times.   There are lights in a few of the trailers and campers but I'M m the only one "on the road".   Hunter came over to the bed and convinced me to get up and dressed.  I was not really ready, but the morning walk always makes me feel better.

Auto Flush Toilets

    So we are in Bandon today.  Turning in my old phone.  ( Verizon refurbishes it and sends it the the troops in the Middle East or gives it to women's shelters.  A good thing.  Glad to have a new one.
    Stopped for lunch at Face Rock Creamery for cheess panini and tomato bisque soup.  Yummy!  On the way out I stopped to use the restroom.  From the time I closed the door in the cubicle to when I closed it while leaving, it self-flushed five times.  Now that is efficiency at it's best.  !

Today

A beautiful day at the cape.  The wind is cold and from the north.

Supper

   Tonight we went to supper with friends at a little out-of-the-way place called Ed's in Port Orford.  The choices are limited in this smsll coastal town, but pizza is available there.  So we went.  The half cheese, half Hawaiian was ok.  The atmosphere was small and informal, like a small town pub.  The conversation with our friends was extended and pleasant.
    Going out the front door we strolled along the sidewalk in front of the building heading for our truck where a lady was sitting on a small chair in front of her apartment.  With her was her dog, who appeared to be mostly Healer.  The others had gone ahead but I stopped and chatted with her and petted her dog.  She said to me, "My dog doesn't have much to do, like me."
     After a few more minutes, I said my goodbye and wished her a good evening.   She said to me, "Thank you for stopping and talking to me."  Those words are still in my head.

 

Observations in a campground

The wave.

  The campground is a neighborhood.  We all live, for a short time, in relatively close proximity.  We all have other common traits.  We love the outdoors.  We love the coast.  We are happy to be here at Cape Blanco.
   And so we wave.  As we drive by, we wave.   As we walk by, we wave.  As we meet on the trail, we smile and say hello, or stop and chat.  It is a really good thing.