Greetings from Florence, Oregon

We are now a little more than mid-way through our USA vacation and so far we've spent most of our time in Florence, Oregon (home of my mom). Florence is a small town (population about 7,000) located along Highway 101 on the Oregon coast. It is one of the many quaint, picturesque towns in the area.

I have visited this area many times before but one thing I've noticed this time is that sand is a big deal around here. Florence is the northernmost boundary of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area which, according to their website, has the "largest extent" of sand dunes anywhere in North America. This phemonenon tends to attract lots of people who like to play in the sand. All over town I see huge trucks pulling extra-long trailers loaded with various types of off-road vehicles. These ensembles are usually driven by beefy, sun-burnt dudes who, along with their wives and kids, are decked out in the latest colorful, skin-tight leather gear, with matching boots and helmets. They all look like they are having a blast (especially the kids).

I also found out that the sand dunes around Florence, Oregon were, apparently, the inspiration for Frank Herbert's "Dune" series - which I read and enjoyed immensly when I was a Sci-fi-loving teenager.

Florence is also a huge retirement community and (according to the Florence Chamber of Commerce) one third of its population is made up of senior citizens. This statistic can easily be corroborated by visiting any local store; just about everyone appears to be enjoying their "Golden Years." I've also had the strange experience of being one of the youngest people in the room when I've gone with my mom to various get-togethers around town.

The fact that 90% of the people here are either retired or on vacation means that just about everyone is extremely, extremely friendly. I have really been amazed at how nice everyone is. Just about anyone will strike up a conversation with you about whatever crosses their mind at the moment. For example, the checker at the Grocery Outlet was somehow motivated to tell me that he loved coffee, but couldn't drink it because he was a Mormon and then he continued on to describe a discussion he had had with his pastor about the pros and cons of medical marihuana (for some reason I got the feeling that he had recently converted) . Then in Safeway I was trying to decide what kind of canned soup to buy and a woman stopped and told me that the kind I had in my hand was very good, but that she had found it cheaper at another store across town. It is all very nice, but sometimes I just can't help it and I hear the theme from The Andy Griffith Show running through my head.

In other news, Christina is doing well and loves spending time playing with her grandmother and her grandmother's two chihuahuas ("Taco" and "Belle"). Since we are here for so long I enrolled her in a summer daycare program. She seems to have adapted well and she enjoys playing with her new friends. And she is getting a lot of English practice to round out her bilingual education.

The other day Christina's teacher came up to me and told me that Christina doesn't like to go outside during recess. That surprised me because they have a huge play yard with swings, a slide and lots of other fun stuff. After I asked her why a few times she finally told me that she doesn't like to go outside because the play area is covered with sand, and she doesn't like to get sand in her shoes. So I told her that after she plays in the sand she can take her shoes off and pour the sand out before going back inside. She told me that she didn't like that idea, but the next day I noticed that her socks were a little bit sandy and she said that she had gone outside to play with her friends during recess. So maybe she took my advice after all.

Oregon is a great place for sightseeing and we've had lots of fun locally. We've visited the beach a couple of times and hiked in the forest. A few weeks ago we drove up to Newport to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Christina really enjoyed seeing all the fish in the big tanks, and she loved the sea otter exhibit.

I took Christina to the West Coast Game Park Safari, which turned out to be a somewhat tacky, sad petting zoo. But Christina got to pet a lion cub and really enjoyed it so that made it worth the trip (and the price of admission).

Last weekend we made a foray into California and drove down to Humboldt County to visit some old friends from my college days at Humboldt State University. It was nice to see the old "stompin' grounds" again, and I was reminded that Humboldt County really IS one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Next week we head to sunny Sacramento (in August? am I nuts?) to visit friends and see how the state has been holding up through (yet another) one of its worse budget crises ever.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful scenery we've been enjoying lately: