Top Ten Vaca Things

Bolder sprinkling

1. Hanging with my sisters. (and other loved ones) I grew up with these girls, but hell...I didn't appreciate them all that much back then. We had the same parents, but did we really? Susi was born when our parents were 21 years old! I heard a couple good Pat Bullock stories last week (see below, under photos). I sure appreciate 'em now! Funny, smart, great mothers, hard workers. Good genes...
2. Cannon Beach - the place is a true gem. The zoning rules must be strict  - there are no big box stores or restaurants. All the buildings are quaint.
3. The beach - it's not over-crowded and is dog friendly. Haystack - the big rock is so awesome. Fred and Joe (names my nephew David gave the smaller rocks) are cool too. And by cool I mean really cool - it doesn't often reach 70 degrees. Bundle up.
4. Mo's - the restaurant/diner right on the beach. Voted by our group as the place with the best clam chowder.
5. S'mores. The original kind. While the new larger marshmallows are a good idea in theory - we decided they are hard to cook clear through. Some things are better left alone. Sitting around a campfire with the fam on the beach - nothing better!
6. Leisure time - vacation with nothing planned. Nada, zero, zip. We did a few things - ice cream at Tillamook, shopping in town. Paul golfed twice. We relaxed a lot. Thanks to Betso for organizing most of the meals.
7. Customer service - kudos to all the workers in Cannon Beach. Nearly everyone who served us was very nice and helpful. Big tips were their reward.
8. My cousin Leslie and her husband Bob - for taking time out of their schedules to get together with us. Through the years Leslie - the matriarch of cousins on my mom's side - has always been good about staying in touch. We were able to visit them at their beautiful Astoria condo last Friday.
9. Another place to lovingly sprinkle Boldie's cremains. So far he's in New England - land of his birth, Moab - where he had fun times with his buddies, and Atlantic - another town he loved. There may be other spots I've missed.



Cindy foos her smore...Paul and Paul cook theirs just right



Leslie & Bob's Astoria loft

10. Portland - a funky town that I like spending a bit of time in. Lots of interesting things to see.

do you think our mouths look alike?

Awaiting lunch at the Driftwood in CB - love the flowers everywhere

One of the sunny days on the beach



 

Pat B. stories - just so you know why I turned out this way...when Cindy was in college she went skiing with her friend Debbie who drove an old Studebaker. It sounded like a wild trip that involved an accident - luckily Cindy's skis survived...and the car was drivable. Unfortunately on the way home the car was dying a slow death. In Lincoln, Nebraska Cindy called Mom. The script. "Hi, it's Cindy. Debbie and I are in Lincoln and her car is dead. Can you come get us?" Mom: "Hell No! Take the bus."

Then - the Betsy story.
Betsy attended college at Creighton University in Omaha where she studied nursing. She lived in the rough part of town - near Creighton. She had some type of clinical visit early one morning and walked out to her car - noticing that the medallion from the front of the car was laying on the ground. She thought to herself...that's weird! Not really when the whole front of her car had been sideswiped and smashed. Un-driveable. She called Mom. "What the hell do you want me to do about it?" our mother asked? Very good question mom - you aren't a auto body mechanic are you...

No helicopter parent there...I believe our mother did call someone at the university at some point to complain about the home visits Betsy had to do by herself in scary places...she knew when to make herself heard. But she wasn't about to rush in and take care of us when we were capable of taking care of ourselves.

Today's kids need more Pat Bullocks. It's hard to let your children (no matter how old they are) suffer through what life throws at them. But look how my sissies turned out!

Portland