Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Dog days indeed


Whew!! Thought I'd better check in lest you all would think I'd been long lost or something. No such luck my pretties!! I'm doing just fine - thank you very much. It's August already. In fact, it's nearly the middle of August and it's been just over 3 weeks since my last post. Truly, the Dog days of summer. Busy, busy, busy. Too darned busy if you ask me! But seriously folks, it's freaking August already!! Can you believe that!? Blah blah blah, here we go again with the same old time thing...enough already!! (it's so true though!) Have I mentioned before that time passes a little too quickly for my liking? Oh okay, sorry...I won't mention it again. I'm trying; seriously, I am.


So, what exactly have I been doing that seems to be taking up all my free time lately? Darned if I can remember. My head's positively swimming with the daily grind though. I live such an exciting life. NOT!! We did attend a wedding though, and those are always a lot of fun. One of my best friend's daughter got married. The wedding was held in my friend's yard and it was truly beautiful. The bride was beautiful, the flowers were gorgeous, the food was delicious and the spirits were freely flowing, and everyone in attendance had an enjoyable time. Hubby and I even got to dance. First time in a long time...it was nice. Did I mention that it was FREAKING HOT though!!?? Seriously, everybody there was positively sweating bullets - I kid you not. I don't think I've sweated that much in my entire life...barring spending time in the sauna. Hot. Miserably so.


As you may or may not know, we here in the Pacific NW have been experiencing an unusually long, dry and exceedingly hotspell that's lasted about 2 weeks. We're just not accustomed to this kind of heat. We are heat weinies. For sure. Most of us don't own air conditioners, or swimming pools, and therefore have been wilting on the vine, so to speak...not to mention our vegetation and our animals. We are all quite spoiled and enjoy it that way. Triple digits cause our weathermen to hyperventilate with the excitement of it all. Extreme heat warning in effect. You get the picture.


So, yesterday afternoon when the skies turned grey and cloudy, we all waited with bated breath. And yes, it paid off. A refreshingly cool and most welcome rain began, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. I fell asleep last night listening to the luxuriously soft, soothing sound of rain falling on my roof...and a cool and moist breeze wafting through the open window. So peaceful; and blessedly cool and comforting. I didn't even have to water my flowers or garden plants last night. I love it.


One of my girlfriends and I spent a couple of days down at the beach a couple of weeks ago. We left home fairly early in the morning and stopped for breakfast on the way down. German styled fried potatoes, bacon, eggs and homemade molasses bread with plenty of coffee. Yum!! This particular restaurant is a tiny little place and is well-known for their wonderful homestyle cooking and especially, their pies. Oh my!! Those pies looked absolutely delicious, but we were way too stuffed to indulge further. My friend did take some pictures of all those lovely beauties though. There must have been 30 or more pies freshly baked just sitting there smelling up the place. That kind of thing ought to be illegal, don't you think?? Anyway, we travelled on to our destination. Leaving temps nearing the 90's it was invitingly cool at the beach. The skies were blue and temps were in the upper 60's with a light coastal breeze. Perfect!! We even made a stop at Depoe Bay and were astonished to see a pod of grey whales just offshore. How mesmerizing it is to watch those mammoth creatures swim and break through the surface and blow water and air from their blowholes!! It was amazing and we felt blessed to be witnessing such majestic creatures frolic in the ocean!! Truly breathtaking and awe-inspiring. Before long a crowd of spectators and a couple of boats had gathered to partake in this scenic adventure that just moments before had been just for us. We felt truly blessed.


We stayed in the "Ernest Hemingway" room at the Sylvia Beach Hotel on Nye Beach in Newport. It's an old hotel in the heart of a very quaint neighborhood where you can walk to any number of local destinations. Within a several block radius, there's a neighborhood grocery store, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, pubs and an array of unique little shops perfect for browsing and finding treasures. Our hotel was right on the ocean and we enjoyed leisure strolls on the wide, sandy beach and just lounging in the sand. We had a nice dinner in the local Irish Pub and then breakfasted in the hotel's dining room, where you never know what the chef will be planning. Besides the hot entree', they always serve a variety of baked goods, fresh fruits, juices and hot coffee. On the way home we stopped at a local farmer's market and came away with some fresh fruits and veggies to enjoy later. We had a wonderful time and I would love to do it again sometime with my good friend. One of the best things about summer is ample opportunities for making memories for cherishing later. I have a lot of pictures that I will hopefully be able to post sometime soon. Thanks Miss B, I had a fantastic time!!


My good friend Shannon is still staying in her motorhome at our house. We have enjoyed a bunch of great conversations, lots of horseback rides and quiet times on the deck. It has been very enjoyable for me to have such a good friend spending the summer with us. In years to come, I do believe that I will refer to this summer as "the year with Shannon". With someone at home, it has allowed my hubby and me to be more free to travel on the weekends without having the worry of caretakers for our horses. I will treasure this summer and all the wonderful memories we are storing away for later.


Well, I had intended for this to be a brief summary of what I've been up to over the last several weeks of my absence from blogging; but as usual, I've rambled on and on...always the chatterbox. Some things will never change.


There's still plenty of summer adventures to come...more horse camping, trail riding, peach canning season, jam making, barbecues, suntanning on the deck with my friend, two more weddings to attend...and our trip to Kailua, Hawaii. *sigh* I cannot wait!!!


Life is good...


Blessings from Cingspots!!




18 comments:

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Sounds like a wonderful summer so far! (except the heat and no rain) I have missed you Laurie! But fall will come soon enough, so post when you have time and we will keep in touch!

Tracey said...

I think time is flying so fast for you 'cause you are having so much fun!!
I bet seeing the whales was AWESOME!!! Someday I hope to experience that!
Tracey

Gail said...

I agree with Tracey, time flies when you're having fun.

Lea and her Mustangs said...

Have missed you. Yes, time does fly when you are having fun. I saw whales one time off the coast in San Diego. They were awesome. We have not done anything exciting this summer so far. Got the house sided though. Maybe this fall we will get away for a little trip of some kind or the other. Good to have you back.

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Always nice to know that when someone "disappears" that they are simply out enjoying life and all is good.
I also cannot believe summer is nearly over. But I'm worn out. All the running with horse shows and barrel racings. Been taking it pretty easy this month. Everything will kick back off in September.

Carolynn Anctil said...

Wow! You HAVE been busy.

I confess, I'm a real party pooper when it comes to the rain. I swear, I live in the wrong part of the world. The heat got a little too much for me a couple of days too, but we get so much of the rain in the winter, I really hate to see it in the summer. Enough already, bring back the sun.

Your trip to the beach sounds great. I'm looking forward to seeing a few photos and Hey! give up the name of the restaurant, the one with all the pies. *wink*

Anonymous said...

nothing like good friends, good horses and good coffee - and an early evening chardonnay :)

blessings
gp

C-ingspots said...

hey everybody - thanks for the nice comments! I've missed you guys too...I have been haunting some of you though, just haven't had time to post.
C - I forget the name of the pie place, but I think I took a pic of the place. It's in a tiny little spot in the road called Otis. You have to go behind the counterm through the kitchen and pantry to get to the bathroom.

Chelsi said...

Sounds like you've been having a good summer...that heat wave was something and it's odd for us Pacific NW people to praise the coming of rain!! LoL. That pie place sounds wonderful...there is a place like that in Lynden, WA called The Dutch Mothers! Yum! They have the best pie.

Molly said...

It's nice to have a vacation and know that you are missed. We are all glad to see you back.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

I was wondering if you had been to Hawaii yet. You've been so busy, no wonder there's been no time for blogging. I'm glad you're enjoying the summer and spending time with friends and family...and making special memories, too.

~Lisa

Melanie said...

We have had a warm summer, haven't we?? Glad to hear that you have been keeping busy and having fun with friends. :)

Oh, and don't worry...you did not offend me with your rant. I was ranting right along side ya'! Anyone who says animals don't have souls has never been close to one, right???

Betty Fitzgerald said...

Oh Lorie,
A blessed time indeed, thank you for such a lovely time and being so much fun my good friend.
Miss B

Anonymous said...

thanx for checking inn today... miss ya... been a mixed bag here i can tell u.... have a great great time in hawaii

blessings
gp

Molly said...

Lori~C-ing,
I'm so excited for you with your upcoming trip. Paradise times like a million. Enjoy. Relax. Take some of your lovely photos. Drink Mai Tai's.
Happy Travels.

Lisa said...

It sounds wonderful spending time with your good friend like you have. It's kind of like a grown up, extended slumber party!! Wishing you a fabulous trip & travel safely my friend.

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Just popping over to say Aloha!! Have a wonderful time in Hawaii!

Remember your sunscreen!!!!
And I f ladde is missing when you come home... he is not here , yeah thats it, not here!

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