WESTPORT, THE CHALLENGE.

On our visit to Westport, we ambled along the harbor, talking to fishermen and taking a lot of pictures.


This place has a huge number of fishing boats and the overcast provided irresistible reflections in the water. I was impressed at how clean the water was, very little floating crap and only two greasy oil stains near the commercial floats, both by older boats. I compare that to my old diving days when to dive inside the breakwater was a dirty affair.


We walked around the commercial docks where crab traps were stored for crab season, I expect.


The traps get pretty grungy and studded with crustaceans.


Suddenly, we heard a ruckus at the end of the pier. Gulls were squawking and flying and diving and calling, making a noisy complaint.


As we got closer, the problem seemed to be centered around this boat. For minutes of watching the gulls, we finally determined the cause.


Sea lions in the water were grabbing the offal. Competition. The docent at the museum told us the sea lions are something new to the area. They've moved north for better food. According to her, there is no food for them in San Francisco and they've left the areas in the south. Most likely climate change and depleted ocean areas are to blame. The locals have put up an electric net to keep them out, but apparently they can thwart the net.


We heard them barking and found a colony of about ten lions inside the breakwater.


On one end was this huge lion, set a bit away from the others. I'm thinking maybe he is the bull for this harem.

But, he/she just preened and batted his/her eyelashes. I think maybe this lion is a female. I'm guilty as a lot of others who assign human characteristics to animals.


A young sea lion tried to get up on the float and got warned away.

Then the young lion tried to enter a space next to these two obvious bulls on the other end of the float. No dice. I'm sure the one is a bull because of the mustache.


The lion tried to get these two to move over. They had no intention of sharing their sunny spot.


It got a bit rancorous.


And finally, he'd met the requirements of the challenge in some way and the old bulls on the end turned their backs to him or her and let him up on the float.


One of the old bulls has a tattoo and we wondered what kind of trouble he got into, or what kind of tracking was going on? Since I don't know squat about sea lions, I may have it all wrong. But, it was a fascinating half hour watching them play their games, whatever they meant.


We left the marina headed for a cool one at Westport Brewing Company. The license on this rusted old Dodge says Evergreen State. But, coastal vehicles run to rust unless they get expensive paint jobs along the way.


This is kind of a warning, ...please don't park in front of my house... which is right next door to the brewery.


It's a friendly little place. He has a 3 barrel system and produces 14 different beers. They had a good dark ale, but I didn't care for their stout. They have pot luck on Friday night, but we didn't go back.


There we met a beautiful woman who shaves her head and wears 35 bracelets.


She invited me to count them. They are all different. She says, " it is my signature. I never go without them." It was a grand, fun day.

THE COOKIE FACTORY

Peg Bracken, noted cook and cook book author, claims the best way to keep cookies is in a can marked Rat Poison. I wouldn’t go that far, but it is tempting to save your favorite ones for a later time when you can savor them the more.

Doug arrived first and we made room for his tins. He has several to deliver to the neighbors since I’ve given over the cookie baking to the kids.
Then Laurie unloaded her stash of tins and bags until there was no room.

But, somehow, we stacked tins and Virginia unloaded her treasures.

The many types are the result of Doug trying to out-do Virginia and Vice-Versa. Laurie brings the family favorites and adds something new each year, which happened to be gluten free almond chai cookies and marzipan stollen, so the list goes on and grows. With 22 different kinds of cookies, Virginia wryly commented, the ratio of cookie bakers to cookie eaters is out of kilter with four cookie eaters missing. She was referring to Daughter Kristannne, her husband and two boys who were unable to come for Christmas because of their son Alec’s work schedule.
The cookie factory started years ago when I made cookies with the kids, and sometimes the neighbor kids, allowing them to cut and decorate sugar cookies with paint brushes and bowls of colored frosting.
We traded painted cookies each year with the Evans/Dollar family and one year Joanne Evans said enough, and brought a variety of yummy cookies that didn’t have to be decorated. A nurse, she worked full-time,  often with duty hours during the holidays.  So, the cooky factory got started with more and more different types of cookies, easier to make and better tasting.
It is hard to pick a favorite, but, you might try this one:
1 8oz. package dates chopped., 1/2 cup firmly pkd. brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 tsp. grated fresh orange rind. Cook first five ingredients over low heat, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove from stove and cool a bit.
Beat in two eggs, 2 1/4 cups flour that has 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp. of baking soda mixed in it. Add a 16 oz. package of chocolate chips, and 1 cup chopped walnuts and stir.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls  2 inches apart on ungreased sheets. Bake at 375* ten minutes. Remove at once to cool.ing racks.  Makes 3 dozen. If you cool the ingredients a lot, the chocolate chips stay chunky. If you leave the batter quite warm, the chips get melty. I like them melty.
Ciao!

TRACI VAGABOND

Living on the road like we do, people always ask, where are you from?  The answer  is complicated  for Jim since he is in his sixteenth year of  living  full-time in a motor home. Many askers claim they would do it if only…
It takes courage to sell what you own, give up a complete former lifestyle and hit the road full-time. Many do it in stages by  simplifying home life, taking longer and longer trips. Or, living in two places in their RV, a summer climate in winter, and a winter climate in summer.
Traci, raised six children, her youngest just leaving home at 18, and she is rarin’ to go.  Over the years Jim has figured out how to live  life on the road economically as a  full timer.  When Traci wanted to make her dream come true, she found out renting an RV, paying mileage and then paying park fees, the cost for even a month was more than she wanted to pay.
She, and many who ask, are probably not going to be full timers on the road, but there are millions of full and half timers on the road, enjoying a carefree life, free of  responsibilities, living  simply and enjoying it.  I found links to three informative sources of information for wannabees, and there were several more.  If that fits your dream, have a look.
http://www.betterrving.com/subscribe2.aspx?gclid=CLaMrOyJxasCFSg1gwodMBFb2Q
http://rvliving.net/
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=548350&ca=Travel
We enjoyed an evening of sociability at the Moose Club in Wilsonville, OR.

We watched the Thursday Night dart games after the potluck dinner. New to me- electronic dart boards. Players insert money and enter their name. The board tracks the score, and flashes the name of the next player up . Each team plays two games.

It is competitive game, but the players were obviously having fun.

Also new to me was a battery operated wine cork remover.  Not a bad idea considering how difficult it can be to remove the new plastic corks.

Earlier in the day we went to the grocery store and I took this picture of the parking lot.  You would never see a parking lot with beautiful shade trees at a shopping center in California. They would have mowed those trees down for a few more parking places and less maintenance and given you pure,  hot asphalt.  Reminds me of that  song…”pave paradise, and put up a parking lot…”