Farewell

So this week, as all things come to an end (and thing like this seem to happen in threes), we say goodbye to Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Tomorrow I say farewell to Wheeler and the Oregon Coast, for now. Of course, it is the most beautiful night with a gorgeous sunset. I am lucky enough to have a view of it from my room. Sorry about the cell phone shot... I need to get one of those camera adapters. Mine broke a while ago..

Today I spent half the day in my room "getting stuff done" and the other half driving to Neskowin. I went in search of the ghost forest and like my last treasure hunt, didn't find it. I think I went too early and the tide was too high. I feel like I was in the right place. Perhaps the trees were just buried in the salt water waves. Low tide was much too early this morning for me to get to and much too late for me to stick around so far south. After all, I had a wine bar to get to.

Vino. The one and only wine bar in these parts was open tonight in Manzanita. I sat at the bar. Alone. A gay couple on my left. A couple from Vancouver on my right. Later, some guy, a local, that I am pretty sure was hitting on me squeezed in between. He was nice enough, and not bad looking but a little...... mmmm... shaky? Anyway, by the time I left I had met them all and of course made friends with the gays most of all. They live in Portland. One of them is a working artist. They were all wined up and of course very encouraging and engaging. "Your an artist!" they said! They gave me some great tips and really encouraged me to do what I came up here to do. The local chimed in. "This is the time to do it." Funny, you hear that as often as you hear that this is the time to "just get a job." Anyway, it gave me a lot to ponder and was a great run-in for me to have. I think good wine, good food and a good time was had by all. I headed back to my little abode in Wheeler, full on wine, food and homemade marion berry pie. If you ever make it to the NW, you must have ANYTHING that is marion berry. Pie, jam, jelly.. ANYTHING! I promise, you will not regret it. Yummy, berry, flavor explosion.

The room next to me, as of tonight, occupies another solo female. Somehow, that makes me feel less alone. I only know this because they post a little welcome note with your name on it at each door. Nice little touches like this are all over this place. As I was coming home, she was going out for a walk to the benches across the street where you can sit and take in the awesome view (pictured above). I am realizing that I have become a lot more courageous in my life since walking across Spain two years ago. I still have a long way to go but am happy with my progression. Two years ago, I think I would have purchased a microwave meal from the local market and cooked it up to eat/hide in my room. Now, that is just not experiencing life, is it?
When you face little fears like eating alone at dinner time, you never know what might happen or who you might meet, or how great that glass of wine might taste on a night like tonight.

Finally. The sun came out. The wind stopped. The temperature rose. I rested. It has been a good few days on the Oregon Coast.

Peace ~ Renee

“I to the world am like a drop of water
That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself" ~ William Shakespeare