Gliders and Beaches

A simple Wednesday. We drove first to the Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla to watch some hang gliders. No dice. Not enough wind. So we decided on a drive up the beaches and got a couple of Christmas beach pics. Stopped for delicious fish and chips. Then while heading home, we swung by the Gliderport again. The winds had picked up and we saw lots of fliers. The Gliderport has quite a history. Then home for cocktails on the balcony and a quiet night. Simple but enjoyable.

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The Beaches

Lunch

The Torrey Pines Gliderport

A Nice Tuesday

Weather forecast was iffy but it turned out to be a fine day. We had two destinations in mind for today.

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First, we drove 15 minutes to the Mt Soledad National Veteran’s Memorial right here in La Jolla. La Jolla is, of course, at sea level, but the Veteran’s Memorial is atop Mt Soledad. A salute to veterans. Beautiful views over San Diego. Pictures tell the story.

Then it was 30 minutes south to Cabrillo National Monument and Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. The links will tell you all you need to know. Again, spectacular views and sobering thoughts about those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Lunch was at El Pescador right in La Jolla. It’s a fish market thats serves food. YUM! We could eat here every day. We both had delicious clam chowder – not New England style and definitely not the abhorrent Manhattan style. Let’s call it La Jolla style. Elaine had fish tacos. I had grilled Mexican octopus. OMG good.

Then it was naps, cocktails on the deck, and cheese and crackers for dinner. See you tomorrow.

Hola from La Jolla

Easy drive to La Jolla. We were here by 12:30. Did some shopping and checked into the condo around 1:30. Then walked about and had a late lunch in La Jolla. Beautiful weather. Lots of sea life – seals, sea lions, sea gulls, whales, pelicans, etc. Pictures tell the story. You’ll see our building. I thought we were top floor, but there is one condo above us. Our place is on the right as you look at the building – one balcony down from the top. Great view. Pictures are all from our walk about with the last few from our balcony as the sun went down. Love the Christmas cars!

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Saturday – Bye Bye

Fog. Surprise? No.

Walks in AM. We met at Depoe Bay Coffee Shop for coffee/hot chocolate.

Quiet day at home. Packing.

Mo’s clam chowder base with half and half added for dinner. Garlic bread. Nice.

And off at 7 AM on Sunday for Redding, CA on the way home.

Posts on the way? Maybe.

Home on Tuesday afternoon.

Thursday – Fog

. . . except it hasn’t moved on. This is day eight. Not even a glimpse of sunshine. Oh, well.

Lunch was at Local Oceans, our last visit for this trip. Smoked Salmon Bisque and Grilled Calamari Salad (roasted fennel, poblano pepper, shiitake mushroom, orange, onion, Niçoise olives, queso fresco, fresh herbs, and white balsamic vinaigrette) for Elaine. Roasted Garlic & Dungeness Crab Soup and Fishwives Stew (Dungeness crab, Oregon pink shrimp, wild prawns, scallops, clams, rockfish, wine, saffron & garlic herb tomato broth, and toasted garlic bread) for me.

Call it a day. Cheese and crackers for dinner.

Thursday – All About the Food

OK, we are permanently socked in with fog. No sun since last Saturday. We’re not complaining. We had two very good weather weeks. The third week, not so much. But it’s what you get on the Oregon coast. Fifteen miles inland the sun is out and it’s 20º warmer. We’ll take the ocean.

We went today to the Lincoln City Outlets. We browsed around Pendleton, North Face, Columbia, and a tool store. The only thing we bought was a $12 tool that supposedly makes cleaning the inside of your windshield easy. We’ll try it before we go.

Today’s big event was a return visit to the Bay House, one of Oregon’s most prestigious dining establishments. We discovered it years ago when it was located right on the coast road. It has since relocated to be part of the Salishan Coastal Resort located just about five miles from our condo. It’s still run by the old owner. So today’s pictures (courtesy of my phone) are all about the food. we’ll start with a picture from our booth.

Kir Royales to Start

Amuse Bouche and Wine

We chose an expensive bottle of Eyrie Vineyard’s Pinot Noir. Eyrie is our favorite Oregon vineyard. The founder is the man who brought the pinot grape from France to Oregon. The vial contains a Chamomile Tea Infusion. The spoon contains a salmon concoction.

Appetizers

Elaine: Beet Salad (Chevre, Edible Earth, Pomegranate, Hibiscus, Seed Cracker, Oregano Vinaigrette)

Joe: Pork Belly (Soft-Poached Fried Egg, Polenta, Carrot Crumb, Salted Caramel Apple Butter)

Mains

Elaine: Pork (Brined Pork Chop, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Heritage Beans, Broccolini, Salted Caramel Apple Butter)

Joe: Beef (Piedmontese Beef Tenderloin, Pave Potato, Cherry Tomato, Cocoa Demi-Glace)

Desserts

Elaine: Chocolate Delight – Joe: Lemon Sponge Cake

Yum. Home to bed.

Wednesday – Winding Down

We leave Sunday, so time is running short. Wednesday was, as expected, cloudy and foggy. Blah. I think that’s what we’ll see until we leave. We decided to visit Nye Beach in Newport to visit the shops and galleries. We.ve been there numerous times to eat at Pacific Kitchen but have never really strolled the area. After walking the area, we had lunch at the Gyro Guys, a family run Greek/Mediterranean restaurant. Falafel sandwich for Elaine. Lamb shawarma for me. Baklava for dessert. Delicious. We got baba ghanoush to go for tonite’s appetizer.

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Around Nye Beach

Petunia’s Place Gift Shop

An interesting place. Petunia loves dogs. Lots of rules. One rule: no photography inside – I broke the rule. Elaine bought a gift for someone.

Archway Market

Archway Market is everything. It is a market – sodas, toothpaste, medicines, groceries. And it’s also a gift shop. Lots of interesting stuff. In fact, amazingly, I bought a few things! (for stocking stuffers at Xmas). We chatted up the owner.

Yaquina Art Association

Yaquina Art Association displays art work by locals. We chatted with one local who does underwater photography. She has some amazing shots. Another photography artist on display is Walter Duvall. Great photos! Here’s his Yaquina Bay Bridge shot. We bought a 2023 Duvall calendar.

It was so foggy it was pointless to have cocktails on the balcony. You could barely see the ocean. So it was extra episodes of Silent Witness before dinner. (We’re up to Season 11 of 25 now). After the baba ghanoush appetizer, dinner was at home – smoked salmon (from Local Oceans Fish Market and Restaurant, our go-to lunch spot) served with sour cream & capers and toasted baguette. Caesar salad on the side.. Nice wine. Rocky Road ice cream for dessert.

Tuesday – Meh

Fogs, clouds, drizzle. Not much else to say.

We had lunch at Local Oceans in Newport. Halibut ceviche to start. Fried oysters for me, Salmon sliders for Elaine. We each had a local draft ale,

Other than that, I’ve got nothing! The fog is not conducive to ocean photography. We still enjoy the ocean on the balcony with our cocktails. Not many whales about today.

We were full from lunch and skipped dinner but not dessert – Tillamook Rocky Road ice cream between two episodes of Silent Witness.

Alas, more of the same predicted for tomorrow. Inland it’s sunny and warm. But there’s no ocean inland.

Later!

Monday

A do nothing kind of day.

No rain but cloudy and foggy most of the day.

No pictures (almost).

No food reports (almost).

No road trips.

No shopping.

We DID go to breakfast at the Surfrider. Snapped a couple of pics of the food (with a view) with my phone.

Then we went home and listened to the last few hours of The It Girl. Phew! It’s over. The insufferable Hannah prevailed.

Lunch at home.

Naps.

Cocktails on a chilly balcony with lots of whales about.

Leftovers for dinner.

Two episodes of Silent Witness.

Bed.

For those who love photographs here are some random shots from around Depoe Bay that (I think) I have not included before.