Stormy Weather

This about says it all -- supposedly taken during one of our recent storms in this area. Helluva photo, no matter where or when it was taken.  All to say that a big -- as in B-I-G -- storm is approaching offshore, due to arrive sometime before tomorrow morning.  Winds of 80 mph are forecast for the headlands.  Glad I'll be inside, safe and dry and warm.  I've lived on the coast during big storms before -- in Waldport, many years ago.  This place feels much sturdier than the place I lived in then. I remember one storm where I thought the building was just going to blow away! The storms are exciting -- the surf wonderful to watch.  They can cause a lot of damage, however.

I just went for a walk despite the forecast -- had to get out, needed to think about a lot of things.  No rain yet, just wind and gray skies. Walked down the street to the cliffs, watched the big breakers coming in for awhile, then walked downtown and ended up at the cattery, where I cuddled a few cats.  I felt a serious need to cuddle some cats and kittens.  They always make me feel better.  Harry is still there -- he's the one I fell in love with when I was helping clean.  It was mutual.  I've had serious thoughts of taking him with me to Georgia.  Still might, if he's still around when the time comes.

Storms have hit the home-buying process, too, although they are not totally destructive.  Yet.  Turns out the place is in a flood plain and I need flood insurance.  I was already on a high insurance rate because of the gas space heater, and this really boosted it up.  I can still afford the payments, although it's a lot more than I was expecting.  Somehow, the cash needed at closing has gone up to a point where I simply may not have enough to do it.  I'm not sure how it's happened -- has something to do with the hazard insurance, escrow amounts, etc.  I trust the banker and my real estate agent, so I know they are both doing the best they can.  For the moment, I had to put a stop to the process and give it some thought, figure out just how gutsy I am going to be in this process.  Going forward with the current estimates would have me arrive in Cedartown almost penniless.  Not a nice position to be in, but I've been there before.  I'd have my next social security payment about the time I arrive, no rent or house payment for February, and stand to get $5000 in stimulus money from the feds after I file my tax returns.  That's all great -- but still a scary place to be.  No wiggle room in there for unexpected expenses.  Or in case the final $$ amount on closing day is more than I have.  That would be a fine pickle!

On the positive side, the sellers have agreed to put gutters in.  They are doing all they can to make it work.  So is everyone else involved.  But I can't manufacture cash, and that's the sticking point.  I'm going to sleep on it, maybe even wait until Monday.  I have until the 29th to back out without penalty.

What to do, what to do?

Susan Hayward

OK. Time for a change of pace here.  Something more interesting than house hunting.

Tonight, courtesy of Netflix, I watched the movie "With A Song In My Heart" with Susan Hayward.  I first saw this movie when it was released in 1952 (in Cedartown) which would have made me just shy of 10 years old. Funny how things change.

I haven't seen it since then.  My memories were almost exclusively of the plane crash, which took, I don't know, a few seconds perhaps, of the entire 2-hour movie. Why do I remember the seeming importance of staying in your assigned seat?  Maybe because the person in Jane Froman's seat didn't survive the crash, whereas Jane did, having switched seats?  My second memory is of not liking Jane Froman's singing voice and my overall impression was a negative one that I nevertheless could not forget over all these years. Strange how the impressions of a 10-year-old still hold sway. I'm glad I got past that to order and see this film.

Susan Hayward was my idol in those days.  I wanted to BE her. I thought she was fabulous. I swooned over her, saw all of her movies. I was ten. My Uncle Ed laughed at me. I didn't care.  If you were to ask me today, I'd tell you that if I could choose some Hollywood star for reincarnation, it would be Rita Hayworth.  In those days, it was Susan.

Back to the movie.  I really, thoroughly enjoyed it.  I must say, it's a movie anyone could appreciate and its standings on Netflix reflect that.  The story before and after the plane crash is wonderful.  And, while Susan does a fabulous technical job of lip-synching to Jane Froman's voice, somehow that part just wasn't believable to me.  Perhaps that's because Jane's singing voice and Susan's speaking voice are so very different.  I loved the music (sorry, I was weaned on music of that era) but I have to admit, I still don't care for Jane's singing voice. Maybe the impressions of a 10-year-old are not that far off.

On the other hand, all that fuss and bother about a leg seems rather ridiculous in this day and age.  Not that I'd be happy to lose one of mine, but still -- after 40 years or more of maimed soldiers who would no doubt be happy to have only lost one leg, it seems a bit fussy.  I guess they didn't have the terrific prosthetics then that they have now.

Ahhhh -- Susan. She ended up marrying some dude from Warner Robins, Georgia and living out her life there.  And frankly, for her beauty and elegance and all the rest of it -- I still wouldn't mind being reincarnated as Susan.

Step Two

Just got word from Georgia that I have an accepted offer.  Now, the inspector does his thing and we look at details.  I really don't expect to find anything -- this place has clearly been very well maintained -- but we have to look and be sure.  We have a 20-day period to get this done, will hopefully get it done sooner and then get on to step three -- appraisal.

I am surprisingly calm -- or is it sudden fear? :)  I think it's just acceptance that there is nothing more I can do from here.  I've been telling myself for a week now to just chill out, be patient.  Maybe that's working.  Or maybe I'm just in a state of shock.

Brookings is cool and damp today and, apparently, for the foreseeable future.  That pretty much means I won't be out and about doing anything interesting. My camera is still in the hands of Nikon, anyway (it's on 'parts hold'). It is, however, time for me to head upstairs and hit the treadmill. Yesterday I started my weight training routine again -- I stopped while I was doing yoga, but don't want to let it go too long.

Home Sweet Home?

I've been really quiet about this because I didn't want to jinx anything, but today I am making an offer on this little house in Cedartown. My realtor checked with the seller's daughter and she's sure her mother will accept the offer we outlined to them.  The bank has pre-qualified me. Now, it's just a matter of getting the paperwork to me and me getting it back to Georgia.  The place isn't fancy -- just a small older house -- but it's located right downtown Cedartown where I can walk everywhere PLUS the Silver Comet Trail is just a couple of blocks away.  The place is in immaculate condition inside and out, all appliances remain including washer and dryer, and all closing costs will be paid by the seller.  The Rural Development Loan is a no-down-payment loan, so the estimate is that I'll have to pay $45 at closing, plus my inspector, and that's it.  Not half bad for a poor person!

I love that big screened porch, will keep the swing if possible.  The lot is a little over 1/4 acre, level and not shaded except at the rear property line.  Lots of room for gardens and fruit trees and all kinds of good stuff.  A few laying hens, if the city allows that.  Most do, but I don't know for sure about this one.  The payment is really low -- much less than I would pay for rent anywhere that would be habitable.

It's just 4 rooms -- but all except the kitchen have this beautiful hardwood floor.  I love that big gas heater, too -- that thing will put out lots of heat for low cost.  Unfortunately, it's in front of the fireplace, but the fireplace might not be usable anyway PLUS there is also a fireplace in the front bedroom.

I like this big country kitchen, hope to be able to keep the table and chairs.  Will try to buy them at any rate.  I don't love that the washer and dryer are in here, but I can certainly live with it.  I'll switch out the electric range for a gas one at some point.  The door on the left is for a really large walk-in pantry, which is super.  Next to that is a back entrance.

Not fancy, but it has everything I need, and that's all I can ask.  Now I play the waiting game. And I'll probably end up moving sooner than February, alas.

Better Than a Treadmill.....

I used to run.  I loved to run.  Granted, it took awhile of forcing it before I learned to love it, but I did.  In Atlanta I ran lots of 5K races -- often every weekend,  between hikes and backpacks -- and the occasional 10K.  I'd run the wooded trails in a park near home before or after work, or along the road or sometimes, if forced, on a track.  Didn't matter.  I was training for a half marathon in 1993 when an auto accident ended my running career via a cervical injury.  Think 'paralyzed' if it had been any worse.  My orthopod was a dedicated runner, but he told me not to run. Not to take the chance of shifting something. Period.  Eventually, he thawed a bit, shook his head, and told me to try it, but stop if there was any pain.  I'd jog lightly around the blocks near my home in Grant Park, but yes, there would always be a bit of pain.  I couldn't do much at any rate so the fun went away, but I've missed it more than I can say.

Harris Beach back in May

Lately, I've been using the treadmill here in our building, and have done a little light jogging on that to test the waters, so to speak.  No problems.  Impact is the issue -- I can't do anything that will jar my spine.  Today, I was going to walk Harris Beach for a little exercise, but decided to try running barefoot in the wet sand and see what happened -- et voila!  I ran right at the water's edge, often getting my feet washed by the surf, and there was no impact because my heels sank slowly into that silken-soft wet sand, followed by the rest of the foot.  Deep into it -- a couple of inches, mostly -- but while it was soft, it was also firm enough to be supportive.  Perfect.  I ran south as far as the high tide would allow, turned around and ran back, and it felt wonderful!  I can tell this is my new obsession. Assuming there are no after-effects by morning.

Of course, it helps that this is one of those incredible sunny, warm, clear, sparkly days  here in Brookings.  The tide was also higher on the beach than I have ever seen it, effectively cutting off both ends of the areas I'm used to walking, but still leaving enough for a good run.  Spectacular to watch.  More than once, when I wasn't paying attention, the water swirled much higher up my legs which felt great, but left me with wet capris. A small price to pay.  The little rivulet that normally requires wading through is now flat sand, leveled by the high tides.  All the driftwood on this beach -- and others -- is washed high up at the base of the bluffs, far from the water.  I've often marveled at that, wondering how it got so far up.  I have a feeling I'll soon see the answer to that one, as the winter high tides come in with storms.  I'm guessing that one day I'll walk down the path to this beach and be faced with the ocean, right there in front of me.  No beach showing.  I look forward to that. Realistically, of course, that would be a really stormy day and I'd be home safe and warm, but still...

Another day when I craved my camera -- so totally beautiful out there.  But -- it's in my memory, and that is, perhaps, the best place for it.

Eugene and.....

Earlier this week I made a fast trip to Eugene, primarily for a doctor's appointment, but also to run a few errands, do some shopping I can't do anywhere near Brookings.  I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, as I always enjoy the drive up the coast and this time took a different road home, the Umpqua River  Road, or Highway 38, which runs from just south of Roseburg on I-5 to Reedsport on the coast.  All the reports and photos are on the Southern Oregon Coast blog.

Above is the Amazon Canal in Eugene, with the bike path alongside and some lovely, if fading, fall color.  The ducks were happy this early morning.  How I miss that bike path, which runs from downtown way out to the edge of Eugene, mostly along this canal and then through wetlands.  If I recall correctly, it's about a 16 mile round trip and I rode it as often as I could.  There is, of course, another bike path along both sides of the Willamette River through Eugene, but for the most part I avoided that one if I only had weekends to ride, because it tends to be overcrowded with families and kids and dogs taking up the entire path, leaving little room for bicycles.  I rode that one often, too, but made a point to be out early in the morning, or mid-week, or during colder weather, to avoid the crowds.

Had a wonderful visit with my friend -- a fine dinner at the new location of a Eugene landmark, the Cornucopia.  Hours of time to visit and enjoy.  I arose Wednesday morning feeling very dizzy, a sense that didn't go away completely all day.  Made for a tough doctor's visit, and a tougher drive home. Since it's likely I won't return to Eugene at all (if I decide to move to Georgia) I wanted to really see the areas I drove through, take the opportunity to see new places, so I actually did a good bit of hiking in loose sand once I found my way back to the coast.  I was pooped by the time I got home!  Still am not feeling up to par, but I'm sure that will right itself in time.

Nikon has 'recalled' my camera back to its service department, with a pre-paid UPS label.  The problems with the thing seemed to multiply like rabbits over the last week, particularly on the drive home from Eugene when I was using it a great deal.  So, I expect I am camera-less for another two weeks.  Alas.  I have no major uses for it in mind, yet with my tendency to 'go' at a whim, such a use could arise at any time.  I really want to return to the redwoods before I leave, in case I leave.  I want to go back to the Tall Trees Grove once more.  That's south and east of the redwoods we visited a week or so ago, and only a limited number of cars are allowed into that area per day.  You have to make a reservation, get a gate code number, at various forest service or national park stations on this part of the coast.  I visited twice back in the summer of 1996, and feel the need to go once more.  Hopefully, there will be some nice days to come in the next month or so, as it wouldn't be much fun in the rain and cold.

Our weather is still bouncing around -- today is cool and grey and rainy, yesterday was warm and sunny and clear as can be.  This has been the pattern for a few weeks now, so I expect it's likely to continue.  What will tomorrow bring?

Cedartown Bound?

It's really not such an exciting place, any way you look at it.  Just a little town nestled in the rolling hills of north Georgia. I'm drawn back there for a myriad of reasons, the most tangible of which is this trail.  It is I believe the longest paved trail in the country, at about 100 miles total.  For a cyclist, this is paradise!

This photo takes me back deep into childhood.  When my father returned from the Army after WWII, I remember him working at this railroad station, loading big cotton bales into boxcars.  At least, I think that was his job.  I remember those big bales, at any rate, and seeing him out on the platform doing something.  I was maybe 3 or 4 years old.  Most of the trains that came through town were the big, black coal-fired steam engines, chug-chugging their way, smoke billowing, whistle blowing.  That was big entertainment for us kids back then.  I also rode the train from time to time and in fact remember several trips I took alone when I was 6 or 7, traveling back to Cedartown from Atlanta to visit my grandfather, aunt and cousins.  By then, my dad had been back in the Army for some time and was stationed at Fort McPherson -- I guess loading cotton bales wasn't too exciting.

If you're thinking all this means I'm going back, you would be correct.  At least, that's the current thinking after letting the idea settle and rest and percolate for a week or so.  As I say so often, one never knows what the next few months will bring, but all else being equal, I'll be driving south sometime in February.

Lots to do between now and then -- mostly, trying to earn some $$.  That's not as easy as it sounds, in this town, but I have to believe it's possible and if it's not, then we go with what we've got.

Whatever happens, I surely don't regret this layover in Brookings, costly though it was.  I really needed this time to transition away from all that I love out here.  When I was in San Francisco, I knew I was saying 'goodbye', although I didn't know why.  But I absorbed that fabulous city right back into my body, enough to keep me going without it another 20 or 25 years, surely.  Things happen the way they are meant to happen, I believe, and in the end all will be well.

Brookings Bruin Fest

This has turned out to be a wonderful day. First of all, the weather is sunny, warm, clear and fantastic.  One of my neighbors invited me out to coffee at a favorite place of  hers, atop an art gallery on a deck overlooking the town and ocean. Actually, it's called the Snug and is depicted in the mural above. Lovely.  Then, when I got home my camera was waiting for me!  I have missed it more than I would believe possible.  Naturally, I had to go out and try it, see how it works after being repaired.  Besides, the weather won't last long.

We've had a bear invasion along the main drag of town so I walked the length of town on both sides of Highway 101 and tried to capture them with the camera. They really are lovely.  The one above is titled "Pierre Bear the Arteeste".

This guy is, naturally, the Pear Bear.

This fella is simply entitled "Dinner". 

There were lots more -- and I had a great time walking in the sunshine and checking them all out.  I'm not sure just what it's all about -- all I've learned is that they will be on display until January and that one of them will eventually be auctioned off with the proceeds going to a local food-share program.  Whatever their purpose, they are definitely fun!

Julia's Boeuf

Today, I made Julia Child's Boeuf Bourgignonne.  I am eating it as I write this, actually.  I've had the ingredients since my trip to Eureka to see "Julie & Julia" a couple of months ago -- mostly Eel River Organic Beef, which may be wasted in this recipe.  It's still healthy however -- as healthy as a recipe so loaded with fat could be at any rate.

How it is, you ask?  It's pretty good -- sauce is to die for.  Is it worth 4.5 hours of cooking and cleaning time?  I'm not so sure, but then, I've never been a big beef stew fan.  So now you ask, if I don't like beef stew, why did I cook this?  Reasonable question.  This recipe is featured strongly in the movie and I found myself swept away with the need to try it.  I'm glad I did, but doubt that I'll ever do it again.  Don't get me wrong -- it's really, really good, but also a lot of work.  Bacon to be boiled then sauteed, beef to brown, veggies to brown, and while all that is in the oven, small white onions to peel and boil in beef stock and red wine, a pound of mushrooms to quarter and saute in butter, sauce to boil down to the proper thickness after it comes from the oven,  and potatoes to boil.  Lots and lots of pots and pans to wash -- I even had to mop the floor because all the grease spatter from the browning process made it slippery.  A lot of work!

I can't believe I chose to prepare this while my camera was in the shop -- it really should have been documented -- but by the time I thought of that, it was too late so you will just have to use your imagination.

What I really need is some good french bread to sop up this sauce with!  And now, I am happily filled to the gills, sated and happy.  And there is plenty left for the freezer.

Good Energy on the Beach

The nature gods smiled upon me today and presented me with a river otter.  I'm still trying to get out and enjoy this phenomenal weather while it lasts, without expending too much energy, so I went down to Harris Beach and walked a bit, but mostly sat in the warm sand against one of those big beach rocks, near the surf.  Nobody around -- just me and the gulls and pelicans.

Suddenly I spotted something in the surf not 20 feet away from me -- an otter, swimming in the shallow waves, disappearing when they rolled in, reappearing a bit further down the beach.  Then, he walked out of the water and sat in the sand, sunbathing perhaps.  A wave rolled over him, he rolled with it.  Walked around a bit more then walked up the beach nearer where I sat motionless, mesmerized by this apparition.  He went back into the surf, then emerged again almost in front of me but stayed close to the water's edge, a little further up the beach.  Finally, he headed across the sand inland, stopping often to look for danger this far from the water's safety.  Finally, one last quick scamper took him to the brush and wildness of the hillside. I didn't have my camera, of course, but found this photo on a National Park Service site.  The one I saw had a darker, reddish-brown coat, but it's the same critter. This was a first, for me.

What a treat!  Such a joyful, happy little critter.  A man I met as I was leaving the beach said that otters have a very good energy and a sighting is always a joyful occasion.  I have to agree.  He sure perked me up! I hope all that energy is a good omen, a good luck sign. It was certainly a gift, and I'm grateful.