The day after the Heart concert (6/15) my alarm rang at 7 am, rousing me out of a very nice sleep. I shut off the alarm and dropped my head back onto my pillow. I could have easily fallen back to sleep, I was tired enough, but then I thought of the beach and a little squirt of anticipatory adrenaline shot through my body allowing me to pull myself out of bed.
I didn't have to do much to get ready: shower, breakfast, coffee. I checked on the cats and made sure everything was turned off again and headed out. I had a short list of tasks to complete before heading south: check on Shannon's fish and kitty, gas up the car, get some more beer and a latte to go.
Shannon's kitty, Sasha, was fine: cranky but that's what happens when you're an old kitty. I fed the fish, checked Sasha's supplies and cleared her litter box. I cleaned up the 'gifts' Sasha left around on the carpet and then took a moment to stroke Sash with the 'brush of love' before heading back out into the sunshine. A quick stop at Ralph's Thriftway supplied me with more Full Sail Amber Ale and a double vanilla latte. While gassing up, I reviewed the map to make sure the I5-405-26 thing didn't bite me in the ass again. Soon I was cruising down I5, windows partway down, outdoor temperature rising and the music playing.
It was a gorgeous morning, wasn't it? The sky was almost cloudless, there was light traffic and I was feeling fine. Soon after I passed Tumwater, I was traveling at a very good speed. [NOTE: for people who would prefer to think I am a perfectly law-abiding citizen, you may want to skip the next paragraph or so. Mom and Dad? This means you ;-)]
By 'good speed' I mean above the speed limit (70) by at least 10 mph, and sometimes by 25. The other cars on the road looked like those plastic cones we use in soccer practice: sitting perfectly still so I could go around and past them. It was truly glorious to cruise like that, and the Subaru at 80 handles just like it does at 70 so there wasn't anything standing in my way. Occasional clumps of cars would appear and disappear at regular intervals. Somewhere around Kelso/Longview the traffic thickened up and I started to drop down to something closer to 75. Just as I was passing an onramp, I noticed a state trooper in a dark maroon car flick his lights on. He pulled out and I started pulling over. Not that there weren't other cars around me, but there was no question he wanted me. Once I had parked on the shoulder I realized that a couple of other drivers had been stopped ahead of me. Doh!
The trooper approached on the passenger side, and I rolled down the window as I pulled my paperwork out for him to review. Heh, I just realized that this was the first time I used my new driver's license -- it was in the mail when I came home on Saturday. He explained to me that I'd been tracked by a State Patrol airplane and clocked at 84 mph. He helpfully explained to me that I was currently in a 70 mph zone. After an amount of time somewhere between a few moments and interminable, he came back. He handed back my license, etc. and explained that he'd given me the lowest penalty he could, for 5-10 over the limit and the total penalty was $57. Then he asked me if I was related to David *. That took me by surprise because I am, he's my dad. I asked the officer if my dad had done a house inspection for him or something. It was his turn to be surprised and explained that there was a trooper Lieutenant with my dad's name who worked in Olympia. Do you think he reduced the ticket because he thought I was related to *that* David? I don't know, but whatever the reason, it was better than being caught doing 95 in a 70. The guy was really nice, had no obnoxious attitude at all so our transaction was concluded quickly and without incident.
[Mom and Dad, you can start reading again]
The rest of the drive was great and I found my way to hwy 26, heading to the coast without a problem. By the time I got to hwy 6, toward Tillamook, I was noticing a certain constant pressure in my bladder. I could have pulled out I guess, but I was making good time and figured I could hold out. By the time I got into Tillamook, I was suffering from urine poisoning and in desperation stopped at the first gas station I saw. While patronizing this fine establishment, I could have purchased certain "sex aids" from the restroom vending machine, including one that billed itself as a "variety pack" -- well, well, my, my. I probably should have got one just for comic value but by then I was focused on one thing and one thing only: BEACH.
I wanted to get back to the beach house, back to Wendy and Zelly, back to vacation and off the road. I was looking forward to entering into that great energy again.
I was greeted enthusiastically and quickly brought back into the tribe. And we were a tribe, Mimi and I christened it the "Life is Good" tribe because that summed up our feelings. Tribal population ballooned for the next two days as more friends and family came to the beach. Life was a bit hectic as a result, with a scramble that night to find sleeping spots for everyone, but life was still good.
Sunday's dinner was a delicious feast of barbequed ribs, salads garlic bread and a chicken dish I contributed. The ribs were finished and staying warm in one of the ovens when I started my foil wrapped chicken and pineapple packets. After about 20 minutes I went to check on them, expecting them to be finished. Instead I found out that the propane had been exhausted partway through. The chicken (all 3 large packets) were 85-90% done. We got the chicken downstairs to the already warm oven there and finished it off. We were very happy, full people after that meal.
The rest of the vacation involved more of the same: good food, playing on the beach with the kids, hot tubbing after the kids were in bed, music, laughter and good conversation. I played my guitar off and on, and realized that I have a lot of work to do before I can easily play and sing in front of others. Zelly and I collected lots of beachcombers souvenirs thanks to some very low, full moon tides.
I went into this adventure knowing that I would have a good time, but without expectations about the people I would meet for the first time. I didn't know if I'd hit it off with them, be ambivalent or dislike them. Luckily I've come away with new friends. Wendy and Zelly and I love the beach so we're sure to include it in our yearly vacation plans. The core Life is Good group was compatible, hard working and easy to be with: a good sign for future shared vacations.
By the way, does anybody know how to 'de-stink' shells and drift wood? I have a project in mind involving some small jars, sand from the beach and the shells, pebbles and driftwood we collected: home made sand globes with the name of the beach and the dates applied in some attractive manner.
The recipe I used for the chicken was a Reynolds wrap recipe I got while at Costco snacking on samples. I didn't find the exact recipe at the Reynolds Kitchens site, but there were a lot of other good ones to try.
Posted by buggy at June 30, 2003 09:19 AM