we interrupt our regular broadcast

We're in Cannon Beach, but the wifi is really really slow, so unless I find a quicker connection somewhere, updates may be infrequent until Friday. I'll check in, with pics, as I can.

p.s. there's a yarn store here

p.s.s. suddenly, I can upload pics: Hwy 26 with very tall trees, me on our deck, The Waves Motel (where we're staying http://www.thewavesmotel.com/), and Haystack Rock, one of the most famous views in Oregon. I'll take more pics of this amazing town tomorrow.

My Brain on Vacation

actual conversation:
Small girl in back seat: What's the capitol of Alaska?
Me, immediately: Anchorage
Driver, with raised eyebrow: Um, that would be Juneau

I'm surprised I didn't say Dutch Harbor.

Yesterday I asked my friend Jane if she forgot her other sack from the Fred Meyer purchases only to have her point to my right hand, where I was holding it.

There are a great many more examples of Vacation Stupidity (and the fact that I am totally directionally impaired- not good in a place that is not set out on a grid, like South Dakota), but I don't have the will to tell them all. I am not quite acclimated yet, I guess.

However, outside of some major memory lapses, I'm having a most wonderful time. We served halved cherry tomatoes and salad shrimp on the Himilayan Salt block last night and they were amazing. I think I'll go back to The Meadow before the Sock Summit (I'll be returning here about a week after we get home) and buy more for us, and as souvenirs for friends. The finishing salts were amazing on the grilled veggies and steak last night. I didn't put any salt on the cake Jane made: dense chocolate cake with a layer of chocolate ganache and then thick praline on top. And yes, I had a slice. A small slice and it was heaven.

Today, we head to Cannon Beach- the 2nd most beautiful place in the world. Prepare for thousands of pictures and loads of gushing, about the beach and the rocks, but also about the town itself. I love love love Cannon Beach, and I think you'll understand why soon.

Mississippi Avenue

So far, we've eaten and shopped- a pretty good way to begin a vacation. We had lunch at Flying Pie Pizzaria. Our Miss Piggy whole wheat extra thin crust pizza was, perhaps, the best pizza I've had in my life. Then we went to Trader Joe's and found wine (it's evidently Three Buck Chuck these days), including a lovely muscat, and an almond flavored sparkling wine for this evening (it's chilling, and I don't remember the name. If it's any good, I'll post the name tomorrow).

Then we went to Mississippi Avenue, which is chock full of trendy and hip shops. I generally feel out of place in trendy and hip shops because I am neither (and hever have been), but the people here were great. We visited an interesting place that sold synthetic Owl vomit (with real skeleton). We saw Re-Find, an architechtural salvage place with an amazing entry sculpture. and we went to The Meadow (http://www.atthemeadow.com/shop/ ) to taste and buy finishing salt.

I had seen a piece on the store on CBS Sunday, and was intrigued. The store sells over 80 kinds of salt, including salt blocks and dishes for cooking and serving. The staff was wonderful, walking us through the intricacies of sea salt, letting us taste and smell (yes, smell) assorted salts, and answered all of our newbie questions.

Turns out that salt is not just salt- and that I can quickly rack up as much in salt as I can in yarn.

I bought a largish jar of Cyuprus Silver flake salt (shaped like little pyramids and flakes)- it's very very salty and light (and big). I got a medium size jar of Alaea Volcanic salt from Hawaii for my son and his wife (though we may taste a bit too) that is brown and granular and smooth. I bought a little jar of Barrique chardonnay salt that is light brown, granular, wet (sticks together a bit), and has a light smoky taste that we'll use on the grilled veggies tonight. I also bought a pink Himalayan Salt block for serving veggies and cheeses. We're giving it a workout tonight.

Oh, and we got some chocolates too- a Lemon Pepper white chocolate that is amazing, and some salt chocolate that is interesting.

I'm no gourmet, but it was great fun (and I used to sneak and eat rock salt plain, so it was a treat). and I can still taste the salts, 2 hours later. (yes, that is a good thing).

Pacific Daylight Time

People have this notion that Montana is a big state, full of nothing. People are wrong. Or at least they're partly wrong. Montana surely is a big state, but it's full of the most breathingly gorgeous scenery in the world. Mountain range after mountain range, after prairie, after rivers, after even more mountains. The rock formations around Butte are as fascinating as they are lovely. Trees (thousands and thousands and millions). The deer and the antelope (which one Grand insisted on calling *canteloupe*) played, often dangerously close to the interstate (though that's nothing for Dakotans, where the deer play tag with vehicles on a daily basis. Hint: the cars lose but the deer lose worse).

The first time we drove through Montana on a trip to the west coast, the road was 2-lane, without guardrails at Lookout Pass. It was a little hairy. These days, the view is still spectacular, but the road is a little wider and safer. 4th of July Pass, on the border of Montana and Idaho is also totally beautiful. The rolling wheat lands from Spokane, and the desert around Umatilla, OR are gorgeous in their own way (the way South Dakota is). And the Columbia River Gorge defies description. The winds along that corridor defied description as well- incredibly strong cross winds that drivers hated but the wind surfers adored. I tried to get pics of the surfers (there were hundreds), but they were too far away. They darted on the surface of the water like bugs. Or leaves.

The fine mist turned to rain at Multnomah Falls, which did not affect the beauty. And we rolled into our friend's house in Portland around supper time last night, tired but thrilled to be here. I have decided that I am too old to make that drive with just one overnight stop, so I think we'll take our time on the way home. But that's not for a couple of weeks. Today we'll veg and shop and laugh and drink some Oregon wine. Good times, y'all.

p.s. here's the road sock

4:05 in the AM

I'm up, and since the wifi works in the motel room, but apparently won't let me connect with my e-mail server, I'll broadcast this to the whole world (who is snoozing, fer shure). I'm still operating on CDT, so it doesn't feel as early as it really is, and we'll be hitting the road soon, planning to eat breakfast in Butte, and then head on to Portland, where we'll crash for several days before heading to Cannon Beach (the 2nd most beautiful spot on the whole world. the 1st being the view from my back porch).

I'll check in this evening, hopefully with some amazing mountain pictures, or a funny story, or something worth the bandwidth...

Belgrade, MT

In the space of 13 hours, we've passed by The Bitteroot Mountains, The Beartooth Mountains, and The Absarokas. Tomorrow morning, early, we'll go by The Crazy Mountains (which always make me think of the Sheriff Jules Clement mysteries, by Jamie Harrison- which, if you have not read them, stop reading this and go do so immediately), and fairly soon, we'll hit The Rockies. Given that we'll also cross The Cascades and The Coast Range, this is a mountainful drive. And a beautiful one.

And an uneventful one (knock wood). With 4 adults, 2 cars and 3 small girls, it was a long but remarkably lovely day, with none of that *she's breathing my air*, *are we there yet?* stuff.

I finished the first inside out sock (from Plymouth Happy Feet) but forgot to take a pic and am too lazy to take one now, so I'll do it tomorrow. We should make it to Portland by late afternoon.

Pics: the beginning of The Badlands, in western SD, the entrance to Wall Drug (no, we did not stop this time), roadside park in Buffalo Wyoming, and The Beartooth Mountains. The mountain pictures were taken through the windshield. Tomorrow, we'll get out and take pics.

The Field Report, and Spring Forward

I'm having the vapors here- we're leaving around 5:00am tomorrow, but having a family reunion picnic here this evening (the timing is maybe not ideal, but it was the only time my husband and his 3 surviving siblings could get together, so tonight it is. And here works better than us trying to go somewhere else and still get back and pack and clean and organize, and go crazy).

But I did take time this morning to snap a soybean picture. We have had rain and storms almost every day this week, and the beans are growing like weeds (so are the weeds). Unless someone e-mails me a pic of the field, I won't have a pic next week, or the Thursday afterward. The field should be pretty amazing by the time we get back (unless it gets hailed out, which is amazing too, but for a totally different reason).

I also took a pic of the spring wheat that was planted on the Turtle Creek oxbow penninsula behind our property. It's starting to turn, and will probably be harvested by the time we get back.

In the little free time I've had lately, I did finish one Spring Forward sock and got the other cast on. I don't know if I will take it with me because I can't knit lace and talk (or gaze out the car window) at the same time. As easy as this pattern is (and it don't hardly get any easier), I had to tear out a row on Tuesday because I got so wound up in Phil and Keith arguing over stacked pots on Deadliest Catch, that I forgot a YO rnd. I doubt I'll be able to keep up with it on vacation.

So, tomorrow night, if all goes well and the motel has wi-fi, I'll post from Belgrade, MT. And from Portland, OR on Sunday (the selfsame place I will fly back to, about a week after we get back home). See all y'all on the flip, and I'll check in as I can.