Pretty Close To Paradise

The drive to the Oregon Coast on Sunday felt like driving one long stretch of the same road over and over. It wasn’t at all like last year, which felt like no time had passed and voilà! Beach! Family! Wine! No.. this year it was like I wasn’t getting anywhere, but add in driving behind an RV or slow-going truck that was moving 10 miles under the already 55 mph limit the whole way on a two-lane windy road that made it impossible to pass anyone. Snore..

I literally drove in on fumes having no luck in finding a gas station even 25 miles before I reached Arch Cape. Only the diesel station for said RV’s holding me up from arriving at my destination. But once I was finally out of the car, there were only welcoming arms of my family extended in big hugs and offering a much needed glass of red wine. Then almost immediately, a small voice came from behind all the adult legs, and my teensy little five-year-old cousin, Maeve, said, “Welcome to Arch Cape,” with a bright and shiny grin. “Come have some soup!” And she grabbed my hand, took me out on the deck to the ice chest where she was making her seafood ‘soup’, gave it to me in a crab shaped sand toy and I knew my vacation had begun.

Day 1: We woke up to a grey and windy day and I hoped this wasn’t the sort of thing we’d have to deal with the entire time here. I grew up in Lincoln City, just a couple of hours south from here where a summer day was 60 if you were lucky and you always wore a windbreaker. But my aunts assured me the fog would lift by afternoon and we would be sitting on the deck in the sun in no time. And it was kind of funny cuz they kept saying, “Oh it’s definitely brightening,” as the day wore on when in fact, it still looked the same color of grey and white outside to me, but I smiled at their enthusiasm.

We went into Seaside for some errands, came back and realized we’d forgotten the Beach Essentials of hot dogs and s’more makings, but there was still plenty of time since it was just us adults and 1 precocious five-year-old til Thursday. We had wine. We would live.

Actually, we went thru about three bottles of that just at dinner alone. My aunt Chris was drunk and funny. My uncles told stories of growing up I’d never heard before, which included a particularly funny one about my dad at 15 being chased by my very angry grandpa to the upstairs of their house and Dad being desperate enough to jump out the second-story window because he didn’t want to get caught and whipped for whatever it was he’d done.. how my grandparents actually were pretty strict and how the four boys they had drove my grandmother crazy at times, how that compared to the parents they’ve all become and the mischievous things we all did growing up in the name of rebellion. It was enlightening and lovely just to be there with everyone and to be appreciated as an adult along with them.

We ended our first full day by taking in the many stars you just can’t see when you live in a city. The sky was breathtaking, honestly. We found the Big Dipper and pointed out the Milky Way, which my aunt Chris had actually never been shown in school like the rest of us had.. and when they all went in, I waited until I saw a good sized falling star, closed my eyes, made a wish and said my goodnights.

Day 2: The sun had come out the day before, but it wasn’t until very late in the afternoon and it didn’t last very long. Today was a different story. It was HOT! While one aunt and two uncles headed out to Manzanita for a second day of 9-hole-golf, my aunt Elizabeth, her daughter, Maeve, and I decided we’d have our first sunny adventure down on the beach. Holy Global Warming, people! The wind was so warm it felt like it was coming straight out of a heater. I thought for sure someone had exchanged the Oregon coast for the California one while we were sleeping, but no.. we were certainly in the right place. Bathing suits were revealed, sunscreen lathered on, sandals removed and off we were for a long and leisurely walk while Maeve chased the seagulls and we all searched for the prized and unbroken sand dollars.

My freckles are coming out from their hiding places very comfortably now. My eyes have sparkled a lot more just from the relaxed sense of having to do nothing if I want.. or read a book for a whole hour even.. and I have taken more than my share of naps in the last two days as well. Right in the middle of the day! My aunts give me hugs and kisses for no reason, tell me how great it is that I’m here with them, we make incredible food, drink amazing wine and play pretend everything with Maeve who has one of the biggest vocabularies I’ve ever heard from a child of five.

And to think there are still five more full days of this…