A Week End Respite....

Some opportunities are just too good to pass up. Kim and I received an invitation to join our friends Deb and Peter (with their two children, Emma and Alex) at a beach house down in Manzanita, Oregon. Manzanita is just south of Cannon Beach and we were quick to say yes to a two night stay and visit to the mighty Pacific.

Peter works for a big well known corporation and one of his associates offered his beach home to Peter and family for a week vacation; the timing also coincided with Peter's birthday.

In the distance, on the left, is Manzanita, Oregon, USA

Our "little beach house".

Talk about seeing how the "other half live"--this for us was one of those times. The beach house was just amazingly beautiful and our jaws dropped when we first entered. Many times Kim and I have wandered these beaches admiring the homes and wondered about who lives in "those" houses and what must it be like. We got that opportunity this weekend. For me it was like being bumped up to first class on an airplane; one never wants to rejoin the coach crowd again--that taste of luxury has such an allure and is like an inhaled intoxicant, rushing to my brain's limbic system. I had to remind myself that this was a special event.

We spent a lot of time staring and announcing whale sightings. Someone would shout, "I think I see something" and we would all scurry to the windows, binoculars in hand, and say, "where? where?" The whales were out there on their northerly route and if one looked very closely and patiently, occasionally we would see a hump or the rising, sprouting water from their blow holes. For me, I t h i n k I saw something but wasn't always sure.
I don't know what would have been so hard for them to do some breaching right out front so one could be sure and thus properly entertained??

Here is Deb, searching patiently.

When we weren't searching for whales, what else could there be to do? Ummm, well how about taking in a movie in the "theater room" of the house? I kid you not! This was just an amazing feature that really made me not want to return to coach.

Here we are in our cozy, cushy chairs. We watched a movie and a nature program from the Discovery channel.

Yes, we did make it outside for some great beach walks too.

And we stopped to smell the wild strawberry plants.

Here's Peter and son, Alex. Kim and I were present at the birth of Alex so we hold a special fondness for this young man. He's handsome, bright, kind and has developed an interest in micro-financing. Who'd of thought?! Such concepts never even entered my mind at his young age.

We got to sleep in and then each morning took time to visit and drink our coffee. Topics covered many realms: parenting, empty nests, where we are in life. We discussed our fears and accomplishments and had lengthy conversations about retirement, end of life and how, should we have any control, we might create some control. Don't be fooled, we also laughed a lot!

For some strange reason they found my morning attire funny;
I don't know why.

A rainbow at the beach; always a good sign.

Alas, our time, as do all things, came to an end.

But, another little voice inside my head reminded me to be grateful for all I have and encouraged me to happily take that coach seat because, either way, coach or first class,
I'm still flying...