So much water the earth must be tipping

Have you heard about the wet and wild weather on the Oregon coast - incessant rain, flooding, wind, high surf?  Perfect time for a beach retreat, don't you think?

I went to Newport, which sits right at the corner of Pacific Ocean and Yaquina Bay.

Surprisingly, it was sunny with blue sky on the day I arrived, probably the last blue sky until July.

I stayed at The Whaler Motel, which was lovely - immaculate, fantastic view from every room, large swimming pool and spa, plus small gym. The staff were very nice, and there was an off-season discount - thank you, Santa!

It was an easy walk to Nye Beach, with its quaint shops.

There's something about seaside towns - all the maritime kitsch and clapboards, the never-ending struggle against the elements.

The green building is the Sylvia Beach Hotel, which is known for its author-themed rooms, comfy library, communal meals and a ban on phones and wifi. I thought about staying there, but I wanted solitude, and yes, I wanted wifi.

 Here it is from the beach, at dusk.

And here's my motel from the beach. 

This is so misleading. It does not sit alone on an isolated bluff - there are other motels just out of sight, but nothing gets in the way of the beach.

The blue sky didn't last, and most of the time I was out it was windy and wet. My waterproof jacket drained straight onto my jeans, which then soaked down into my rubber boots. It was bloody cold!

But when I was watching the incoming tide thunder against the craggy rocks at Depoe Bay and Boiler Bay, I could have stayed forever - it was exhilarating!

Val

The Drunken Hat Attack

Aaaand, following on from my last post and the picture of my plain old white fisherman's hat,

Here it is in all its new glory -

Now, don't be distracted by the wine, which I'm grasping tightly as if my life depended on it. On Thanksgiving weekend I went to a few wineries with my mother, sister and nieces. It was very cold, but of course we had a great time!

It's funny how just taking sips at a wine tasting can leave you feeling tipsy and laughing uncontrollably.

Or maybe I had the bottle opened so I could taste it more easily.

Here are a couple more shots of the hat, something with a little decorum to link up with Hat Attack over at the Style Crone.

I just loosely sewed pieces of that beautiful fabric over the hat, using a slightly gathered piece to go around it, and then some more pieces to fashion a little flower/bow. Because I left the edges frayed and did the whole thing sort of ragged, it wasn't difficult.

Come check out the other hats and fascinators at Style Crone!

Val

Dec. 6 - Did someone say brandy and roasted almonds? I'm heading over to Patti's for Visible Monday!

Jim Morrison's Grave and Scavenger Hunt

I was walking around in town when a car drove by and the driver yelled out the window - at no one in particular - "Don't let them desecrate Jim Morrison's grave!!!" I looked around to see what prompted this outburst, but he just looked at me and laughed crazily as he drove away.

If only I'd had my camera ready, because one of the prompts for the Scavenger Hunt this month is A Stranger. And that guy was strange.

But that's okay - half a block later I saw this guy.

A stranger to me, but obviously happy to make friends with anyone willing to drop some cash in his case.

Without a smartphone, I've learned to always have my camera with me when I'm Out and About - another one of our prompts this month.

Some of these prompts were literally right in front of my eyes when I was walking around, like Hole.

And One.

There were so many Signs to choose from.

And some of the signs fulfill other prompts, like Pop Culture,

and Bottle.

 

I went into a bookstore that was really Big.

From one of the windows I was Looking Down to the street where the stranger was singing.

The weather was fine on that day, but another day the rain was coming in horizontally against the window screens.

With the colder weather, I've been wearing hats when I go out. This plain, white fisherman's hat is handy, but it was so boring I decided to cover it with fabric from a pretty shirt I outgrew (ahem).

I'll post the result in a day or two so I can link up with Hat Attack at the Style Crone.

And finally, Whatever you want - my most recent picture, taken at a local winery, getting me in the mood for Christmas.

Thanks to Greenthumb for hosting the Scavenger Hunt - it's always fun to try to think outside the box. December's words are already posted!

Val

All the Languages I Know

Sounds like I'm a polylinguist, huh? I'm not really, but I do enjoy learning about languages and words, and I like having more than one version of English at my disposal.

 

Although our move back to Great Britain is months away, I'm already immersing myself in all things British. I've been watching "The Great British Baking Show" (called "The Great British Bake Off" in Britain, and two seasons ahead of us in the US) and I can't miss a single episode. It's lovely, and they do bake some absolutely scrummy treats!

Source - PBS

Speaking of lovely, I've been following a British florist on Instagram, Swallows and Damsons. Check out their website, it's simply stunning.

Source - Swallows and Damsons

 Swoon, n'est-ce pas?

From the sublime to the ridiculous, we're also watching the original British "The Office" on DVD, which is so much more raw and cringe-making than the American version (I love it, especially Gareth!).

Thanks to a link Patti posted on Facebook to a British newspaper article, I've been able to brush up on my Danish. (Joking - my dad's parents spoke Danish at home in Nebraska, but I only know a few words.) And now everyone is learning about hygge, that esoteric state of happiness in comfort. I must reclaim my Danish roots!

Saturday morning hygge

I would like to learn Danish, although it isn't the prettiest of languages. The word for "beautiful" is smuk, after all.

If only I had a chance to use Italian or French, the languages of art and food and love, but my recall of those mellifluous tongues is fast disappearing. And I'll let you in on a little secret - the next language I'm going to learn is Welsh. Ni fydd yn cael hwyl?

Val

The Inertia before the Ertia

I - keep - trying - to - get - motivated. 

Since I actually opened my Etsy shop, I've hardly done any crafting/arting. I mostly sit and read or waste time on the web. Lots of time, because my old netbook is soooo slow.

I did make some holiday earrings, but so far only two pairs.

Etsy

Etsy

I've got all this other Christmasy material sitting there unused at the moment.

And people keep dumping giving me tins to transform and make into tiny little worlds.

21-tin tower

I have ideas, but I'm lacking the mojovation, the muse magic, the fire in the belly that has nothing to do with sriracha. My brushes and glue pots are dry.

I've been through these cycles before. I think right now I'm taking advantage of the calm before the storm. Our big move back to the UK is still months away, but early next year we'll need to start sorting and cleaning and deciding what to take and what to throw away, and trying to sell everything else. It's daunting and exciting, leaving behind our home here, where I see my mother and sister frequently,

Hand-painted collage I did a few years ago with an old photo of my mom, who grew up on a ranch

but knowing we'll become reacquainted with our beautiful and talented granddaughters.

"Grandma Val - in a mermaid dress!" drawn by Amelie (she wrote her name backwards)

Living in a lazy limbo, I've been perusing Instagram. Without a smartphone, it's a pain to try to add photos of my own (which I wrote about here, near the end), but I'm enjoying lurking and liking. Once we get moved, I'm going to get a smartphone, and a super-duper state-of-the-art laptop, and maybe a kitten (thanks to Bella and Francis making me want a cat again after 25 cat-free years)!

Val