Musings On A January Day

I know it’s been a few days since I wrote a blog post.  There has been a lot going on around here.  First of all I want to thank you for your sweet words to me when I shared about Miss Savannah.  I miss her a lot but I’m beginning to adjust to days without her.  This morning was the first morning I haven’t walked down the hall and expected her to meet me and ask for a bowl of milk.  We have such sweet memories of her and your kindness helped the hurt.

My sweetheart and I celebrated our forty-first wedding anniversary last week.  We wanted to do something special but we knew time away would be limited.  The weather was cold and foggy, snow had fallen all around us and roads to places we love were, at times, not the best.  We got up on our anniversary morning, had breakfast at home together and – on the spur-of-the moment – we decided to drive to the beach.  If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you know how much we love the Oregon Coast.  That was the perfect decision.  It was a cold, gray day where we live in the valley.  About five miles from the beach – suddenly, the sun!  Shining bright – warming the car as it came through the window.  We laughed and talked about what we would have missed if we had stayed near home.  It didn't take us long to find our favorite place to have lunch.Mo’s is a well-known Oregon Coast restaurant  with six locations – famous for their chowder.  And that’s exactly what I ordered.  A bowl of clam chowder and, my favorite, their cabbage salad.  Shredded cabbage topped with bay shrimp and blessed with their house creamy garlic dressing.  My sweetheart and I sat at a window table (the third window from the left).  Our view was perfect – the water on the bay rippled with each wave that washed up on the ocean beach nearby.  The old, wooden pier outside our window is a wonderful viewpoint. (In the photo of the pier above, I used my round lens hood.  It was a trial to see how it would shield the sun and what effects it would give.)  After lingering over lunch we wandered out onto the pier for awhile.We weren’t alone – we had company!  Mr. Joey was with us.
And he was watching the other fellow who joined us!When we turned to walk back, in the opposite direction we could see our next destination.From the beach below we had a good view of the pier where we had been just minutes before.Sun, fresh air, the sound of the waves – just what we needed!Clouds began to drift in from off-shore.  We kept walking and loving every minute we were together in this special place.
Seagulls and gentle waves – all a part of the coast.
The beach beside the bay is covered with driftwood and logs that have washed ashore from stormy winter seas.

There’s more to share but I’ll do that another day.  Our day away together was great!  We stayed for several more hours – we didn’t want the day to end.  We wished we didn't have to leave so soon but we knew we had to return home after dinner.  We shopped a bit and walked on another nearby beach to watch the setting sun.  Then dinner and a nice trip home – relaxed and refreshed and ready for commitments and responsibilities waiting for us the next day.

The last days have been busy and filled with activity. I have things to share with you.  I won a very special give-away from a dear blog friend.  I can’t wait to show it to you.  Over the weekend I had a fun day away with some of my ‘Sisters’ from Sisters On The Fly.  I have photos for you to see and tales to tell.  I’ll be back soon. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
(I don't know what Blogger is up to today - sometimes the font is exactly as I want it, and at times it becomes so small you can hardly read it.  Then, as it is today, it's huge. And it's adding spaces and wrapping text in ways I didn't choose!)