I'm currently sitting at the end of an old pier across from the tiny downtown of Astoria, Oregon. It's the most beautiful day - just like the weather the one time I visited San Francisco - sunny & warm with a crisply cool fall breeze rustling the trees around and keeping you on your toes. It's lovely. That's the perfect word for it. Lovely. There are seagulls floating around on the air coming in from the sea (this little fishing town is on the Columbian River, but close enough to feel the ocean air) and I can hear the "ding ding" bell of the little red trolly that putts along on the shoreline tracks. The town is so small & cute. Kind of quirky. There are 6x more coffee shops than anything else, which I love. I stumbled across a funky little gypsy store with fair trade bags from all over the world & shelves of jars filled with herbal tea mixes, most claiming to cure some ailment or have
a certain effect if you drink them. I almost bought some, but I don't have the right kind of tea pot. Maybe I should anyway & just bring it to Teagan's with me. She has a cute right-kind-of teapot & very nice tea. I really like her. Not because of her tea of course.
I've never been to Oregon before. But I said to a friend earlier, I think it's safe to say this isn't nearly the last time I'll be here. It won't surprise me in the least if I end up living here actually. It's just so lovely! It makes my heart feel alive.
Yesterday we went to the beach. It was cold, dreary, and misting. And I loved it! My sweet aunt & uncle & I took the dogs & hiked through dense forest of all kinds of pine trees covered in fuzzy moss. It was so beautiful. Reminded me of Tennessee actually. Anyway we walked along this soggy path & chatted with fellow dog walkers on the way. Every so often a surfer would brisk & politely nod. Funny to see a surfer in the woods. They all had backpacks & flannel shirts or hoodies & didn't look at all like they were about to head into the ocean, besides the surf board under their arm. But then the forest cleared & the magnificent dark ocean was there, scattered with surfers & dogs running around & little camp fires up against the cliffs. It was completely enchanting.
Now I'm leaving Astoria & the whole time I've been in Oregon I've had an old Ataris song stuck in my head about Astoria & the Goonies that reminds me of some of my favorite times in life. High school days with the girls who have been your best friends since elementary school, driving around together with the newfound freedom of a summer with driver's licenses & the music turned up as loud as it goes. I miss those days sometimes. We seemed to have the best times doing nothing at all besides the picture I just painted. Just being together. "So long Astoria, we've found a map to buried treasure, and even if we go home empty-handed we'll still have our stories...". Things that make you smile :).
Love,
Erica
