8 Comments
Thanks for all the comments while I was gone… Yes, I snuck off for a few days at the beach. Where it was supposed to be warm and sunny, but in typical Oregon Coast fashion was gray and windy. But that only left me with more time to read and knit, so I was perfectly content to do that, while the small hero had a great time flying his kite in wind that sent it aloft immediately and carried it to the end of his string in a fl
ash.
Let me say this very clearly: I LOVE the ocean. The smells, the roar of the surf, the sand between my toes. This is Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. I hadn’t been here in years and the arrival of minus tides this past week made it a “must visit.” I don’t remember the hordes of people or all the signs every five feet telling you what NOT to do, but I thought from a distance, it was still magnificent.
Now on to conference. Sigh. Childcare still in flux. Packing. Last minute shopping for comfortable dress shoes. These are all the parts of conference that I don’t care for. Oh, that and the non-stop schedule for three days. All the hotel noise. I suppose that’s what has made it very easy for me to skip years without an ounce of regret. Because given the choice, I rather be sitting on this beach than sweltering in Dallas. Hands down.
But there is the lure of friends. Friends old, the ones who’ve made this journey along with me. Friends I see every few years who turn out to be like long lost sisters and we pick up were we left off without even a breath. Friends who make me laugh until I cry. Friends who share that secret understanding of why it is we write. That, if anything, is the real reason I go to conference. My friends will fire up my soul, renew my desire to write and make me laugh at myself. There’s no seaweed or sand at conference, but a good Cosmo and a well told outrageous story from Adele Ashworth is a pretty darn good substitute.
July 9th, 2007 at 2:34 pm · Link
OMG, Adele! The airplane vs bird story has me peeing in my pants every time.
JQ
July 9th, 2007 at 4:15 pm · Link
Oh, goodness, think about his little claws, stuck in the door, just hanging on by… nothing else.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we hit an eagle on takeoff, so as you exit the plane, please don’t get bird blood or feathers on your clothes. And watch out for the talons. They’re sharp.”
Adele 🙂
July 9th, 2007 at 7:10 pm · Link
You guys are hilarious!! Hope to catch a lot of laughter this week, my first conference. 🙂
The ocean is a deepening place for me. There’s no other place I’d rather be than listening to the sound of the surf wading in and ebbing back. Just the sight, the sound, the sun on my face, wind in my hair, sand beneath my toes… Ah! There’s nothing, nothing better than that.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:55 am · Link
Oh, Keira–never drink anything around Adele! Because at some point she is going to make you snort it through your nose because you are laughing so darn hard. She is, without a doubt, the funniest woman I know.
July 11th, 2007 at 2:36 pm · Link
Ohh! Beautiful picture! It looks just like Copalis Rock! (not such a long drive as the Oregon Coast!!!)
July 14th, 2007 at 11:20 am · Link
That does look beautiful. I love the northwestern shore. Everyone else I know seems to love the graceful, sandy shores of southern California, but I prefer the powerful, rocky shores and a wilder ocean. Your little hero in training must’ve had a blast!
July 16th, 2007 at 9:10 am · Link
Oh, the boys loved it! Especially when the wind was blowing, because our youngest is a kite fiend and loves to fly his kite. The day the wind gave up the ghost, he stood on the beach with his limp kite in his hand and just cried. I felt so sorry for him because he felt so betrayed by the weather!
July 29th, 2007 at 9:05 pm · Link
The girls wish we lived closer to the beach so they could go every day. I might surprise them with a getaway for a few days next month before they head back to school.