Monday

Cloudy but dry morning, sunny afternoon.  We did our morning walks.  I took a few pictures of Depoe Bay harbor, the “World’s Smallest Harbor”.  It has a very narrow entry passageway from the sea under the bridge on the Pacific Coast Highway (Oregon Route 101).  There are mostly private boats and fishing fleet boats in the small marina, but there is also the Depoe Bay Coast Guard Station (The Hole in the Wall Gang).

Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews show just thumbnails of the pictures

Then we took a ride north on the 101 to Tillamook, home of the famous Tillamook Dairy Cooperative.  It’s famous for cheese, but they also make delicious yogurt and ice cream.  Their products are now available nationwide.  They give guided tours and sell their products.  The place is usually packed.  But the Co-op was not our destination.  Rather we visited the Blue Heron French Cheese Company.  Outside chickens run free.  Peacocks roam.  First time I saw an all white peacock. Goats are everywhere.  Inside they sell all kinds of exotic food products, but they are best known for the French brie cheeses made on-site.  We bought some pepper brie and herb brie and some garlic crackers for those afternoons on our balcony.

Then it was home again for lunch, naps, and working on the jig saw puzzle before afternoon cocktails on the sunny but cool balcony.  Dinner was chicken breast wrapped in bacon with baked potato.  Then early to bed with open windows and the sound of the crashing waves under a full moon.

To those who asked or commented about the balcony chairs, yes, those are the Seattle Seahawk chairs that we bought years ago at a Costco near Portland.  We just fold them up and put them in the closet here and anyone who stays can use them.  I’m always a bit surprised when they are still here when we arrive.  They are way better and more comfortable than the cheap plastic chairs provided on the balcony.

TUESDAY

Bright, sunny morning, but chilly – in the 40’s.  Nice bracing walks.  Instead of going into town, I went out to the point that you can see from our balcony.  Nice homes out there, but the entire coastline is open access to anyone who ventures out to it.  There are steep drops down to rocks and the ocean.  No warning signs and no railings.  Care is required.  I took care.

On the walk back to the condo I took a picture of my new mantra on life (and a couple of other shots.)

We drove into Newport, and, on the way, stopped at the Yaquina Lighthouse Outstanding Scenic Area.  I must now have 200 pictures of Yaquina Light! 

After a short stop we continued on through Newport and over the Yaquina Bay Bridge to South Beach to visit the South Beach Seafood Market to get some locally produced smoked salmon.  Alas, no smoked salmon, but we did have some nice hot clam chowder for lunch.  We then drove back into Newport to the harbor area and went to the Fish Peddler’s Market and scored some smoke salmon and smoked steelhead.

Later in the afternoon we watched a mystery show from France on Amazon Mhz Channel.  Cocktails on the balcony were under beautiful sunny skies.  Then we ordered dinner to go from the best seafood restaurant in America, Tidal Raves.  We had seahawk bread and scrumptious calamari for appetizers, plus chowder (clam for me, salmon for Elaine), followed by coconut shrimp for Elaine and pan fried Pacific oysters and fries for me.  It was accompanied by a nice bottle of Pinot Noir.  Then after watching the sunset over the Pacific it was off to bed.