Desert Diva

I need to clear up something. Yesterday’s post had a photo of the “wine dog” sitting on the porch of Flying Dutchman winery - a cute pooch but not my beloved Cali. Sometimes I write quickly since I’m posting mainly from WiFi coffeehouses, and I don’t proof. Yes, I still have Cali (if you hold your cursor over her name you’ll see her picture).

I drove to Portland late yesterday afternoon and had dinner at Dingos Mexican Restaurant on funky Hawthorne Boulevard. I had an “excellent” grilled halibut taco with spicy black beans and brown rice. I have a “new favorite” brew - Blue Moon with a slice of orange. I took a walk after dinner along Hawthorne Boulevard and picked some fragrant lavender, later tying it into stalks to dry. It was late and I didn’t want to try to find a campground so I just parked on a wide street under some big trees. It was nice, peaceful, and quiet.

Portland is green and lush, and it seems to rain gently every few minutes. Today I’m going to call my brother Greg who apparently lives in Portland. I haven’t seen him in years and I’m more than a “little nervous.” Greg has a “colorful past,” but that’s all I’m going to say on that subject. He’s still my brother…

No, this sleepy-eyed pooch isn’t the reincarnation of Houdini - this is the mascot dog at the Flying Dutchman Winery. “Houdini” is my “terror-mix” Cali. While “on the road,” I’m not as careful about keeping things out of her reach - i.e. food. Last Christmas vacation she managed to get inside a maze of plastic and bags to a rotisserie chicken. Yesterday, I had several oatmeal raisin cookies in a small Tupperware container that I left between the front seats of the RV.

The last two mornings I’ve woken to the soft sound of rain falling on the cab (my bed) in the RV. It’s such a soft, quiet sound that it lulls me back sleep. I finally arise and go to a local WiFi coffee shop for my morning latte. It’s a nice, overcast, “lazy” type of day.

Yesterday I replaced my set of keys and did my laundry. I drove to Newport and “puttered around,” visiting a winery and taking some photos along the way. I find I’ve developed a “penchant” for the Columbia Outlet Store here in Lincoln City…

It seems that life is filled with bad news and goods news. If we’re lucky, the “good” triumphs and outweighs the “bad.” Yesterday was one of those days. There’s another WIN member here in Lincoln City. I got up to walk Cali, but got in a conversation with him and decided to take a morning walk along the beach. I have a small black nylon travel type purse that I generally hook my keys on. However, since the walk was “impromptu” I put my keys in my pocket. Cali pulls on the leash when she’s excited and sometimes gets tangled. In the stooping and “untangling,” my keys apparently fell out of my pocket.

The bad news is that my keys are probably “lost at sea” by now, but the good news is that the RV window was slightly open and I had a spare set inside. I “flagged” down a ten year old in the parking lot and he crawled inside the window and unlocked the door. (Thanks Conner!)

To “sooth my nerves” I drove to Dundee to the Argyle and Erath Wineries to do a wine tasting at both. I like the wine at both, but find the Argyle somewhat “pretentious” and I much favored the “laid back” Erath tasting room. However, I do like both Pinot Noir’s from each winery.

On the way back to Lincoln City, I stopped at the grocery for a few minutes. Note: I’m in an RV - not a car. It’s a mobile “house” for the summer. When Cali is alone inside, I leave the front windows open about one third of the way, open the roof vent, and make sure she has her water bowl filled. The temperature yesterday was in the seventies, and somewhat “muggy.” If there’s sun, I try to park under trees and put up the sun shade in the front windshield. Some nosy overbearing concerned, jerk sorry excuse for a human being citizen put a photocopy of an article about leaving a dog in a car. My advice - mind your own  business and get a life - somewhere else! I’m not an idiot (except for losing my keys on the beach) and would never do anything to endanger an animal.

Once again in Lincoln City the WIN member told me he was going to grill his steak. It might have been nice to have been invited for dinner (or at least a drink) after taking this person with me on a 120 mile round trip and stopping by the grocery for him. However, he’s a man and if you’ve read my previous diatribe you’ll note that I don’t have much faith in that species anymore.

It’s Saturday evening and I’m sitting in McMenamins Brewpub in Lincoln City,Oregon having a pint of their delicious Ruby ale and using the free WiFi. I don’t know if I could live in Oregon, since it’s cloudy a great deal of the time. However, in the summer it’s beautiful.

I suppose I’m feeling a little “road weary” since I slept in today and “puttered around” at the barbecue and brewfest at the Chinook Winds Casino. I got up, took Cali for a walk, and then walked to the “strip mall” to a little coffee shop for a latte. At the coffee shop, I met a man (about my age) with long (but nice) gray hair and a beard. I learned he had a stroke and walked there everyday for coffee, etc. He was a nice guy, and I felt somewhat sad to learn “his story.”

For some reason, I think I’m a little down since I’m currently reading “The House of Sand and Fog.” It’s a good read, but I know from hearing snippets that the ending is tragic. The characters are “fleshed out” perfectly and the author does a wonderful job of making them appear human on the written page.