Crossing Bridges

In my last post I described (in detail), the excitement and difficulties in leaving my last and youngest child at a University 992 miles away from me. Yes, hmm, this is a big question I am about to ponder, now that my children are all on their own, who am I? what do I do? Well, I have 992 (more now) miles to think about this on our drive back home. Oh dear can I just go back a few years until I am more prepared for this?

For now, I cried.

My poor sister Lindy.
She lent me her shoulder and then she came up with a great idea. We would go buy cheese! Yes, on the Oregon Coast you will find one of the finest dairy's in the country. Tillamook Cheese is made right here in Tillamook, Oregon.

Apparently we weren't the only ones who wanted some cheese, this place was popular. We took a self guided tour, and giggled a lot at how funny it seemed to be waiting in long lines to buy cheese and other dairy products.

It did the trick, I forgot to be sad. Look at this cheese making assembly line. Does anyone else think this is funny? or was it only Lindy and I? I'm sure I saw the cheese makers smile :)

Our next stop was to visit our Aunt and Uncle and then another Uncle who all lived on the coast. Where was it though? according to our map we were right next to it (there wasn't another road), instead we passed lovely little lakes and rivers,


crossed over many little bridges (nibbling our cheese), until finally...


The Coast!

Someday I'll come back when there is time to explore that magic light, but this photo would have to do, we were on our way to our Uncle Paul's and he was waiting...



Uncle Paul is a cool and interesting Uncle. Look at his all his finds from beach combing. I really liked all his stuff, when I looked around his place I knew I belong on this family tree.


Let's go have a look inside, but first i'd like to admire his gardens a bit more. See the mushroom? that is only a weathered beach stone he's set on a post. He is one clever man.

And look at these gorgeous rocks?! these are his agates. He's collected zillions and tumbled them all in his little rock tumblers until their smooth and polished. They were on every surface, I'm not kidding, they were piled across the kitchen counter, the dining room table, every where (he is a bachelor) who doesn't cook I assumed. Lindy and I just stared. They are so pretty. He told us to take some. Choose a few he said. But if your like me you can't, there were so many and each unique in it's own way, I couldn't choose. Eventually I think he got tired of us staring and he just grabbed a handful and said here!

We went down to the ocean, I still wasn't convinced it was really there. I mean one minute you are in a forest, and the next there is the sea. Here is the beautiful Pacific Ocean that my Uncle lives near.

My Uncle and I

We went to dinner at this place right on the beach. I had scallops and clam chowder. The food was delicious and I was still forgetting to be sad.

We watched the sun set, then took our Uncle back to his cool home, hugged him and thanked him for our rocks and glass floats and dinner.

We'll see you before too long!

Next, we were on to our Aunt and another Uncle's house. They live on the coast too. We stayed the night with them, my sister Lindy and I sharing a room with twin beds and unicorns on the walls and stars on the ceiling. Which we found funnier than the cheese and giggled till we fell asleep. There is no noise at night on the Oregon Coast.

The surf is the only sound I heard.

I liked the quiet.

In the morning we went to breakfast. Can you see the view from our table? My Aunt worried that we'd not get a good table. They all looked good to me. While we ate we were being watched...

Hello Mr. gull, I would give you some of my yummy pancakes, but you already ate most of my sisters.

We said goodbye, we'll see you soon. I have a feeling we'll be seeing alot more of this coast.

It's simply beautiful.

(and my baby is up here.)

With directions in hand we set out on the road. Lindy said she needed to get home, she had work to think of, we shouldn't dally. Oh, right, I agreed.

That lasted about five minutes. We saw a sign for Cape Foulweather, a lookout it said. We couldn't pass this up!

We see it out on the cliff, let's get closer...

we followed a path through more trees

(right on the ocean, I can't get over that) it's really spectacular...

Here it is! Cape Foulweather. It is a lovely old house which I think was once an observatory. Now it's a gift shop and a sort of visitors center. I bought a book, but mostly I just admired the little house and looked out the windows.

Come inside and see.

Oh my, could you imagine living here and being a lookout?

Standing right here at this window several people saw a whale spout. We missed it. We couldn't see it. Even though we were standing there too :(

But isn't this a fantastic place to say Thar she blows!

Once again, heading for home. Shortly, we saw a sign for a glass blower. By now our car was reading our minds and was turning of its own accord, while we laughed and said, who are we to argue?

Who would have guessed that that modest little house in the photo above held all this amazing hand crafted beauty?

Here is where all the work is done. It was already over 80 degrees outside, can you imagine how hot that area near the furnace is ?

So this is where my Uncle got all his glass balls. These were all over his house. He had given us one of these also. I told you he was cool.

Which would you choose?

We are not in the glass blower shop anymore. No, now we are at the wood carver. It really is the last of our (unplanned) stops, we told the car,

so it knows.

I forgot to take a photo of the little bears. If I didn't have a child (or four) in college I might of bought one. Maybe.

This is one of our planned stops. :)

Our Uncle told us about this place where we could view sea lions.

There they are, hundreds of them. It made me dizzy to watch since you have to lean over a steep cliff to see them. Right before we waved goodbye to the many sea lions, we saw a spout out at sea. Whales!! We saw them after all. A family heading south for warmer waters.

It's always a thrill to see.

Heading east now towards the interstate that will speed us home. And to the very last of our planned stops. We are looking for elk.

At the official elk viewing area, we knew we were probably going to be out of luck. It was the middle of the afternoon and hotter than well, hell. Those elk are smart and would be bedded down in the shade

somewhere out of our sight.

Here is what we'd hoped to see.

oh well.

We'd keep our eyes open for the next several miles and maybe...

Elk!

you'll have to trust me here, they really can't be seen unless you have a pair of binoculars. But I did, and they are there. Several females were lying in the tall grass in the shade. Yipee!

Now we can go home. :)

We Passed a forest fire in Southern Oregon, good luck firefighters...

I knit a pair of slippers for my sister. We found a cute yarn shop in Portland where I found this yarn, a blend of alpaca and wool, soft, warm and pretty heh? These really do only take one day, two if your looking at whales and elk.

And another wild fire, this one in California, only about twenty miles from home. It was very unnerving driving straight towards something like this.

The fire was to our left, not in the road like it looked! Luckily no (people) homes were harmed (this time) but I can't say that about the wildlife.

This is the last photo, and we are at the end of a journey I had looked forward to and dreaded for so long. I figured out one part of the question I asked myself at the beginning of this post, what would I do?

Well, I won't be sad. I'll look at this as an opportunity,

for Hannah and for me.

Exciting choices are ahead, yes indeed.

If your reading this darling, don't worry about me my girl,

I(we) can do this.

I Love you,

Mama

Love to you too, thank you so much for all the wonderful

comments of support and love,

Lori ♥

The way we did it

The long awaited day had finally arrived. After weeks (well, years actually) of preparing, the final teary goodbyes were said, she took one last look at her now almost empty room, the contents which were stuffed in several hefty trash bags and piled high in a rented minivan. We were off.

College bound.

Our destination, Portland, Oregan was 992 miles away. We passed through California's drought dry valleys and high desert...

Agriculture and farmlands...

...gas, soda, tea and wee stops...

...we passed through Mountains and rivers, the further away from home we went the more anxiety and melancholy turned into excitement and anticipation!...

...this child in purple is the one we will be depositing at the University for higher learning, she's ready as you can see.... :)

At the Oregon border she began counting the miles to Portland...

HOURS later, we are here. In Portland there are many bridges, this one leads to the downtown, at least we think so.

Looking to the left the pretty Willamette River...

Yes! we are right, thanks to my sister Lindy, she's the worlds best driver and navigator. Here's our off ramp...

Seeing the dorm.

We are here!
Wait, where is the rain?

It was gorgeous out. Sunny and warm. Balmy even.

Move in time wasn't until the following morning so after checking in our hotel we took ourselves out to explore her new school and the city. On this corner is Powell's Books. Described as the City of Books, it's the largest independent bookstore in the world It is a must see if your ever in Portland. There is also a website (award winning) you can visit at

http://www.powells.com/

After attending orientation in August, Hannah knew a bit of her way around, and was a good tour guide for us, here is part of her new school. I like to imagine her here, filling her head with heaps of knowledge, who wouldn't be inspired to study in this environment?

♥

We discovered the many forms of public transportation in Portland, trying them out for size. This tram thing was fun, the city felt and looked a little like Amsterdam, with trams and trolleys and bikes and pedestrians.

It's very cool.

I knit Hannah a new hat on the drive up, she wore it on the tram and all around town. I think she is so cute. :)

Coffee shops help keep students awake...

We walked and walked, wandered and window shopped and when we were completely worn out ...

We headed back over the bridge to our hotel, tomorrow is move in day, we'll need our rest!

Saturday morning, oh hello rain.





We saw the rain after all, lots of it.






But we came prepared, our nifty trash bag suitcases did their jobs brilliantly. Here is the move-in cart. There were many families just like us. We were all in long queues waiting for keys, carts, elevators ...




There were posters and signs to direct us, I still got a little lost, I think you have to be a college student to figure these things out!...

Fast forward several trips in the elevator and stairs, and Ta~Da! Her new dorm! We met her roomie and roomie parents. We met her RA's. Then in an excited flurry of activity a new home was made. Hannah's pet fish Couch, (last name Potato), made the trip with no problem at all, he seems to really like his new perch in the window. Nice view heh? Oh, but we weren't finished yet, there were a few more necessities left to buy so back out we went...

Sheets and spatulas, can openers and cooking pots, I think there ought to be a college shower instead of a wedding one, by then most people already have everything they need, don't you think? I really like my idea :)
After leaving almost every last penny I had in Oregon's Target, we made the last trip up the elevator with the move in cart.

Then out we went again, to the Portland Saturday Market, there were crafters, food stands, musicians and people everywhere enjoying the day. The rain had stopped and the blue skies reappeared making me fall completely in love with this city. Again.

Portland is a beautiful blend of old.

And new.

We went back to our hotel without Hannah this time, she wanted to sleep in her new room. I knew this was going to happen.

The separation is sneaking up on me.

We planned to eat at a downtown Thai restaurant, our last dinner together for awhile. Hannah had a mandatory meeting for incoming students so she would join us after. She said "Don't eat without me!" "Of course Darling, we'll wait", we said. Then, the texts started, "it's taking a bit longer" "I've met friends!" "would you mind if I didn't come?".

The separation is here.

Sunday morning we checked out of our hotel, and met our Aunt, who's lived in Portland for forty years, for breakfast, made a last trip to town to the student bookstore, and then the inevitable, it was time to say goodbye.

Where though?

My sister Lindy was occupied with figuring out our route to the coast, Kim was checking her train and plane schedule that she was catching to the Midwest that day, and Hannah had plans to meet her friends.

Crossing over the bridge on our way out, we chose our parting place where the trains come and go, freeway on ramps are close,

and friends could meet....

If you've done this before you know how hard it is. Words don't convey the feelings. I love you Hannah. And I miss you so much already. And please don't be mad that i'm writing about you here on my blog. I won't do it anymore. I promise.

I kept whispering to her be safe, be happy, be mindful. study hard.

I love you.

So much.

...she walked away confident and happy. And she never looked back. That's how she helped me do it.

♥ Shaky, sniffly, tissue clutching, happysad, Lori

P.S. This is part one of our trip, part two is how my sister and I saw the Oregon Coast (part of it) and how I forced myself not to call and text (over and over) the newly fledged college child.