T & J Come to Washington

Taylor and Julian came to visit me at the Moby Dick last week, and man did we have us a time.

I drove to Portland last Sunday and spent the day with my dear friend Travis and his partner Glenn, who I haven't seen in a long time. It was great to catch up with them and meet their friends and have dinner together. I spent the night in their cozy guest room and in the morning headed to the airport to pick up Taylor and Julian. I was so excited to see them coming down the escalator when they arrived.

Julian was pretty wired too. He wanted to touch everything, the moving stairs, the moving luggage belt, wanted to play on the moving walkway....jeez. So many moving, fun parts. They had a good flight and were happy to be here too.

We loaded up in the car and headed out of town towards the Oregon coast. We ended up in Tillamook, where we had a yummy lunch, visited a petting farm and sampled a lot of amazing cheeses. We had a nice drive up the coast on a gorgeous, sunny day and arrived at the Moby Dick in the afternoon.

Taylor and Julian both loved this big old house and wanted to explore all the nooks and crannies. We got them tucked into their room and decided to make some dinner in the wonderful kitchen. In fact, the three of us spent a lot of time in that kitchen making the most delicious meals, listening to music, drinking wine and being creative with food. Julian is especially creative in his culinary endeavors.

The next day we went to Long Beach and Julian was in heaven. He loved the feel of the sand in his toes, watching the waves crashing, chasing seagulls and making sand castles for the king and queen, with a little flag on top. And a side door for nana :). I think he would have run for miles down the beach if we hadn't reeled him back. I could see that his little 3 year old heart felt so free and untethered. We have so many rules in our lives, starting from when we are young - necessary rules - but rules nonetheless. To run or walk on the "world's longest beach" on a sunny day is a very freeing feeling indeed.

After a couple of hours on the beach, we had lunch in the port town of Illwaco. We walked among the boats and fed the seagulls our leftover french fries. There was one seagull who was missing a leg, and this bird made quite an impression on Julian. Julian kept repeating that the bird's leg was gone. And later when he woke up from his nap, he was still talking about it....

We came home that night and made a scrumptious meal of Indian butter chicken and samosa. It was amazing. We cooked for several hours and had so much fun. Julian had his own bowl of things he was preparing - it included water, salt, pepper, leftover onion skins and tomato parts, some milk, sugar and whatever else was close to him. He was having a blast.

We set up our table with candles, silver and napkins and some nice wine and enjoyed our meal so much. It tasted amazing and was filled with love.

The next day was rainy and cold out so we stayed in for a good part of the day. After Julian's nap, we went out for a drive and picked up some movies at the library and made some dinner.

The third day was a another nice sunny one and we enjoyed the beach again. Julian loves nature and the outdoors. He's very connected to it....he should maybe live on a beach someday...

All too soon it was time to drive back to Portland to take them to the airport. We had a such a great visit together and I'm glad they could come and have adventures with me at the Moby Dick. It was definitely a time we will never forget.

An angel named Thomas

On a glorious Tuesday morning, I am out for a walk on the beach boardwalk. The sun has been gracing us the last few days here in Long Beach, Washington and I want to squeeze every second out of the warm day. I have been walking the Discovery Trail that stretches 8.2 miles along the Long Beach Peninsula, through sand dunes and across wooden boardwalks alongside the Pacific ocean. There are a lot of fun things to look at along the way, including interpretive signs telling about the journey of Lewis and Clark, various sculptures and a grey whale skeleton. Tomorrow I think I will rent a bike and do the whole trail. If I can remember how to ride a bike. It's been years. But you know what they say about riding a bike.....

I have walked about three miles and am heading back toward my car with visions of a hot spinach and cheese omelet and a steaming cup of coffee at the cafe down the street.

I stop to inspect a log that has inscriptions on it - most of them start with "Dear God" and are signed by someone named Danya.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small figure bounding toward me. His skin is so white it almost blinds me in the bright sun. He is wearing bright yellow swim trunks and a blue and green striped towel wrapped around his bare shoulders. He stands next to me and begins to read the inscriptions out loud.

"Are you a Christian?" he says. Taken a bit by surprise, I turn to look at him. "Well, sort of. I do believe there is a higher power than us, but maybe not the same god that Christians believe in".

"God does exist." Says my tow-headed friend. "And I can prove it." A big smile spreads across my face as I look at his. "Before my dad went to prison, he told me about a time when there was a gang of men surrounding him and they were going to kill him. And then they just ran away. My dad said there was an angel there protecting him."

I say I definitely believe in angels and I think his dad was very lucky that his angel was there that day.

This skinny little cherub tells me his name is Thomas and he just turned 11 a few days ago. He will have a party next weekend with his friend and he hopes his mom will be able to get him a cake from Albertsons. The chocolate with carmel frosting. "But it will have to be the small one" he says, "because the big one will be too much for me and my friend and my mom."

He tells me he is here with his mom and his sister, visiting from their trailer park home in Portland. I ask if his mom knows he is at the beach alone and if she will be worried about him. He tells me he stays outside pretty much all day when he's at home. His mom doesn't want him inside for too long.

I look into his beautiful blue eyes and I don't see sadness. He is very manner-of-fact.

He wraps his towel more tightly across his shoulders and asks if I will walk with him to the water's edge to look for seashells. He gets a worried look on his face and says in a whisper "I'm scared of a tsunami."

"Sure Thomas. I would love to." I say.

We walk along the beach, his superman towel-cape fluttering behind him. "I won't see my dad until I'm 16. And even after he gets out I probably won't see him because of what he did to my mom." My mind is racing and I wonder what adult words of wisdom I can dredge up to sooth a boy who has a rough time. "He does write letters to me from prison, so that's good......but I don't want to talk about my dad anymore. It makes me really sad."

We walk along in silence for a while and search for interesting rocks and shells and pick up bits of crab and clam shells. He is very excited for each one. He wishes he had a bag to put them in but instead wraps them carefully in his towel.

"Have you seen the whale skeleton?" I ask. His face lights up like a Las Vegas neon sign. "REAL whale bones? Where are they? Can I actually touch them?" I tell him that they are just up the path a little and ask him again if he should let his mom know where he is first. He tells me she's having a nap and won't expect him back for a few hours. I'm feeling a little bit weird about this situation but also see a little boy who needs a bit of happiness in an otherwise hard life, and if laying his eyes on the bones of a whale will bring him some joy, then we should go and see them.

As we walk about the length of one city block, he tells me that he gets made fun of a lot in school and he only has one friend there. "I guess it's because I'm so skinny. I only weigh sixty pounds and I'm 11. And I will never do jumping jacks in front of anyone again. That was awful."

As the whale bones come into view, he starts hopping from one foot to the other. "Let's run!" he says. I make my best attempt but it's more like a lop-sided gallop. I could run a lot better when I was 11. Thomas streaks past me in a colorful blur of bright swim trunks and snowy white skin, bare feet not caring as they land on the rough wooden boardwalk planks.

Thomas reads the sign about the whale in a very poised, confidant voice. He is an excellent reader. He touches the bones and we talk about whales for a while. My whale knowledge is limited, so I don't have much information to share.  I just know they're really cool, and Thomas thinks so too.

Thomas says maybe he better get back to the hotel now and I tell him I'll walk with him. He smiles big and says "Maybe you can come and meet my mom and my sister. I would really like that."

I have to pause and think about this one...what will his mother think of him bringing back a stranger  from the beach? What kind of situation would I be walking in to? Or on the other hand, she may feel better to meet the person that Thomas will surely tell her about later.

We walk toward a nice time-share hotel on the beach and down a long hallway. I take off my hat and big sunglasses and Thomas stops to look up at me and smile. I realize it's the first time he's seen my eyes and most of my face.

We get to the door and Thomas knocks, and then knocks some more. He kicks at the door a few times. It takes a long time for the door to open. When it finally does, there is a tired looking woman standing there. She looks very annoyed and when she sees me, a look of surprise crosses her face.

"Mom, this is Christine. She took me to see some whale bones."
I smile and stammer "Yes, he was alone on the beach and I was a little worried. I wanted to make sure he got back to his hotel ok."

The woman looks confused and then very annoyed as she pulls the boy inside. "Yeah, thanks" she says as she is closing the door. The door then springs back open and Thomas walks into the hallway. He takes my hand in his. His face is complete calm and goodness. His eyes are alive and smiling. He says in the most genuine, grown up voice: "Thank you Christine. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Thomas. I'm so happy that I met you today." He turns and slips back inside and the door closes with the familiar click-lock of a million hotel room doors.

The beach boardwalk

Adventures on the Long Beach Peninsula

It's been about 2 weeks since I arrived in this interesting little part of the world.

I knew it was off season here on the Long Beach Peninsula and there probably would not be any guests at the Moby Dick, but I guess I didn't realize that the whole 25 mile radius is pretty much shut down as well.

It gives the word "quiet" a whole new meaning. Not that there's anything wrong with quiet. I like quiet.

When I go to a shop or a restaurant here, it's a gamble whether it's even open on any given day. Most things are closed on Monday, after staying open Saturday and Sunday hoping for the wayward, brave winter traveler to grace them with their presence and their dollars.

I have enjoyed driving around and exploring the outlying areas here. Especially with my friend Minette who has been coming here since she was very little with her mom and spending time with her grandparents who spent summers here. She knows the peninsula intimately and it is a joy to tromp around with her. Last weekend we went to Cape Disappointment, The Graveyard of the Pacific, since so many shipwrecks have happened there.

Cape Disapointment

We went to Minette's favorite place, Mermaid Cove and spent time sifting through the mounds of driftwood, rocks and creatures there. Then off to the lighthouse for a most spectacular view of the end of the peninsula. Then lunch in Ilwaco and back to the MB to settle in for snacks and movies. The next day we hiked around Leadbetter State Park, which is the opposite end of the peninsula and was magical. Around the Bay side and into the forest and back out for a nice little loop. You can easily hike over to the ocean but we were a little limited on time that day, so we did a short version.

Leadbetter Point

Astoria Column

Yesterday I went to Astoria, Oregon which is across the Astoria Bridge and is about 22 miles from Ocean Park, my temporary home. I had a great time there. It's a sweet little town on the waterfront with lovely victorian homes perched along the hillside over the water. It was a gorgeous sunshiny day with lots of people about. I poked around in cute little shops, had lunch on the water, saw the maritime museum, the house where the movie "The Goonies" was filmed, toured the George Flavel House which was built in 1886 and was stunningly beautiful. Just before I left town, I drove up a windy street to the top of a hill where the Astoria Column resides. I was so glad I did. The view from there was breathtaking.

Goonies house

I drove back to Ocean Park and made a delicious meal of beans with onion, carrots, broccoli and indian spices and settled in for more movie watching. Needless to say, I've been watching a lot of films and doing a lot of reading and have enjoyed it very much.

This morning I went for a long walk along the beach boardwalk with the warm sun at my back and not a cloud in the sky. Everyone was smiling and happy, black tailed deer munched on grasses and everyone wanted to chat.

beach walking

Every day is such a gift and I am always counting my many blessings. Life takes us in such extraordinary journey when we can loosen our grip on long held beliefs that keep us bound.

I am letting go and free-floating down the river of my life.

sunset at Ocean Park beach

Sound and Silence at The Moby Dick

I have been here at the Moby Dick Hotel inn-sitting for one week now, and I'm falling into a nice routine that looks like this:

I wake up each morning around 7 turn on the heat in my little corner room and wait while it gets toasty warm. I trod downstairs to the big kitchen and make myself some tea and some toast, arrange it on my little silver tray and take it backupstairs to my warm room. I read for a while, write in my journal and enjoy the coming day through the two big windows that look out on the back of the property and the Willapa Bay. There are two Buddhas sitting under ancient trees in the yard and I can see them both from my room. They comfort me.

I take a shower and head downstairs again, put on some music, roll out my yoga mat in the parlor/living room with the old piano and funky chairs and stretch my stiff body. The bed is a little bit hard for my taste in beds and I'm a little achy when I get up. But I've slept in so many different places in the last year or so, that it doesn't bother me too much.

Antonio arrives every day around 11 to feed the chickens, gather the eggs and tend the garden. On the weekends he's been busy painting all the trim on the hotel. His wife Lupe comes to clean the hotel and do the laundry once a week. Today, we chat a little when he's done. His english is limited (he says) but I think he understands a lot more than he lets on.

Today he asks me "jew no husband?" I explain to him that I've had two delightful husbands, but now I am single. I tell him I have a daughter (about 3 years younger than him, it turns out) and one grandson. He thinks about this a while and shakes his head "but jew beddy no old. How jew have grandson?" God bless him. And finally he asks "jew no boring here alone?"

Good question, Antonio....

Moby Dick and Me

Last month I was asked by a friend if I would consider coming up to Nahcotta Washington and "inn sit" for her friend's bed & breakfast. I didn't hesitate before I said "yes". She was as surprised as I at the quick response and asked if I wanted to think about it. I said "No. I'll be there."

I'm pretty much always up for an adventure and don't want to let anything pass me by....and since I really didn't have anything pressing planned for October, I thought why not? Maybe Richard Gere will walk into the B&B and we'll ride off into the sunset on his bicycle built for two. Hey, stranger things have happened...

I left California and drove almost 500 miles the first day. Spent the night in Roseburg, Oregon at a lovely little motel. The next day I headed north for a while into the deeper splendors of Oregon. It's so green and lush and gorgeous. Much like Bali, but with freeways and McDonalds off every exit. 

I headed North and West through the most glorious wine country and was soon on the Oregon coast and crossing the Washington state border where I quickly arrived at the Moby Dick. 

The hotel was built in 1929. It was always a hotel and a happening restaurant. It's big and square shaped and yellow, with red trim around doors and windows, which is very welcoming indeed. 

When I walked through the front door, I felt very comfortable. Coming down the hallway and into the large double living room was like coming to grandma's house. There are funky, overstuffed chairs and couches everywhere. Wacky, mis matched lamps adorn every flat surface while power cords snake under each rug and chair to the few wall sockets they can find. 

Two separate sitting areas make for great places to sit and talk. One has a fireplace as its centerpoint and the other is has a television and a piano. There are more books and magazines here than a library. I could be here for years and years and not read everything. 

The dining room and restaurant style kitchen take up the whole front of the building. The dining room will hold around 25 people and has a lovely view of the gardens and the driveway. 

Upstairs there are 10 bedrooms, each with its own theme. They are lovely but seem a bit rundown. In fact the whole place could use a big hug and a bigger scrub. I'm not sure what's happening with the owners, but it seems they have run out of steam for right now. This place could be even more brilliant and fantastic with a little love. 

In the back of the large property there is a beautiful yurt with a heated bamboo floor. Just perfect for yoga classes and retreats. Further back, facing the Willapa Bay, there is a Japanese sauna in a cute little wooden building.  The property is edged by a dense forest on one side and the coyotes make themselves known at night as they bark and howl at each other.

There is a good energy here. It's quiet and calm and I'm glad to be at the Moby Dick. I've spent two nights alone and it's ok so far. It's a big place to be a alone in, but I go upstairs to my little corner, lock myself in and sleep quite well. 

Antonio comes each day to feed the chickens, gather eggs, tend the large organic vegetable garden and do other odd jobs. His wife Lupe comes to clean once a week. 83 year old Dean comes each day just to say hello and to have a cup of tea. He's a funny guy and seems hungry for a little company. After just a few visits, I know everything about his kids, grandkids, great grandkids, his health, his life and travels. 

I'll be here for another four weeks and look forward to getting to know this little peninsula of Long Beach. There is a lot of great history here and greater walking and hiking to be done. If it ever stops raining, that is.