But, not to worry. Yes, it started out that way, but things improved rapidly and it was bright and sunny by noon. The forecast is amazingly good. We’ll see what happens.

Travel Update

Our plans into next year are as follows:
1) When we get home in October from this trip, Elaine has a couple of weeks to rest and then get ready to head out with Mianne (a regular commentor on here) and two other women for a 10-day river cruise in Portugal. Elaine will fly to Boston and stay a couple of nights with Mianne before they all head for the River Duoro. I’ll be home alone. Scary!
2) Then in December we head back to Dingle, County Kerry for our third Christmas in Ireland.
3) In 2024 we decided that we would not come back to Oregon but instead do an ocean cruise, our first in about ten years. We will fly to Oslo, Norway (via London) in May. We’ll spend four nights in Oslo before taking the (supposedly) ultra scenic train from Oslo to Bergen. In Bergen we will board Viking Ocean Cruise’s Saturn for a 14 night “Journey to the Midnight Sun”. The cruise will stop at five or six ports going up the western coast of Norway before heading east across the North Sea for stops in the Lerwick Islands, the Orkney Islands, Edinburgh, and finally dock on the Thames River in Greenwich just outside London. At the northernmost point in Norway we will be well above the Arctic Circle and the sun will never set while we are there.
4) Now May is usually our spring trip to Ireland. Most likely we will be returning to Dingle, but in October rather than May.

So enough about that. Today we shopped in the morning, filling the fridge and cupboards. And we rested. Three days of driving to get here takes more out of you than it used to. Maybe we are getting old. Anyway, today was a recovery day. Lots of sitting on the balcony in the sun. It was only 68 degrees, but it’s HOT on the balcony, out of the wind and with the sun shining on the ocean right into your face. Naps. Reading. Cocktails, of course. Dinner at home cooked by the resident chef, Elaine. Awesome sunset. Oh, yes, the chairs are still here. Thanks for asking.

Here are a couple of awesome sunset pics. Blue sky above as the sun sets in the west. Cheers! See you tomorrow.

We’re off to a busy travel fall in 2023. More on that later. Right now we are off to our annual Pacific Northwest trip.

Friday

Backroads to Bakersfield, CA. Uneventful ride, no interstates. Overnight at Courtyard Marriott. Dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Ceviche to start. Chili Rellano for Elaine. Marisco Poblano for me. Yum!

Saturday

I-5 from Bakersfield to Redding, CA for overnight at Sheraton at Sundial Bridge. Dinner at their restaurant, Mosaic. Charcuterie Plate to start followed by Pizza Margherita. Beer for me; sangria for Elaine. Delish.

Sunday

More I-5 north to Eugene, OR Costco for supplies and then on the coast and our condo. Weather perfect. Basic shopping. Simple dinner in the condo. Bed.