Tuesday, March 29, 2011

view from the road

This weekend I stole away to what turns out to be something of a seaside icon here in Oregon: the Sylvia Beach Hotel.

It's worth every bit of its somewhat secretive reputation. It was incredible in every way. I sort of want to live there.

double spread

This was my first stay at the coast itself. I've camped near the coast -- in the bushy undergrowth where the seaside campsites are -- but not really on the coast itself. Certainly not at the beach. I don't think it would be wise to camp out on the sands of the beach, whatever the weather. And in March the Oregon coast is really not all that inviting.

Not to say that we had rain the WHOLE time. But we had a lot of it.

This though. This was delightful.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

To sit in the northwestern window of the reading room, tea at my elbow, sun almost too warm on my feet, looking out over a beach-full of people to Yaquina Head lighthouse. It was nice out there -- sunny and mild-looking. But it was even nicer to be indoors, under a blanket in an armchair.

And the nicest thing of all was we had several days out there. So instead looking at the ocean all day long only to have a wearisome two-to-four-hour-drive-home, we got to stay.

Greetings from Newport

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