Storms on the Coast in Tillamook, A Cold April for Flowers, Appliance Revolution

We took the R-Pod out to the Oregon coast to meet some friends who live in their fifth-wheel for six months at a time. They've been in Florida, mostly, visiting family and enjoying warmer weather, and they suggested we meet up as they make their way back home to Seattle. The campground was Barview Jetty County Park at Rockaway Beach, Oregon. It is a short drive from Tacoma, so we thought it would be a nice warm up for the summer travel season and a good test of cat camping with Cedar. He did ok. There was definitely an adjustment period when driving in the truck again, but after our first stop for lunch, he quieted down. He settled right back into the trailer and was much less destructive than when we brought him north.

Our weather was wild. Historic storms. Portland, Oregon got something like 6 inches of snow. Luckily, we came through the coast range in Washington and missed most of the white stuff. It did hail on us once we got settled in at the campground. Seeing the waves lash the coast was spectacular. The sea really churned the sand up from the bottom and turned frothy and sandy colored. The wind and sleet kept us inside most of the four days we spent there, but we did visit a lot with our friends. Plus we made it to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and the Pelican Brewery.

Cold but beautiful. Snow on the hills. Wind was severe.

Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Note how empty it is of people. Too cold.

Our spot. Note the ice at the corners.

Pelican Brewing. Russ is having a great time.

Cape Meares Lighthouse at sunset.

Sunset from the Oregon Coast near Cape Meares.

The trailer feels full with the cat inside.

Tillamook Ice Cream at the source.

They've expanded; now there is a food hall, too.

Cedar likes our storage bins.

Cooking pizza (Ooni Oven) in the cold rain.

A bad wreck on the way home kept us waiting for the road to clear.

According to the weather people, this has been the coldest April in the Pacific Northwest since they have been keeping track. I had wanted to get started on the yard and the garden, but we've used our time since returning home to get some chores done around the house. I did re-do the fridge panel on the R-Pod to include the additional postcards from our more recent trips. I salvaged the original postcards and included them too, but when we collect more, I'll have to make a new collage on the back side and just switch between two different looks. East versus West perhaps.

Before. This was taken in San Antonio, Texas.

Panel Removed and Cards Scraped Off.

New Panel With Proposed Layout.

Postcards Glued On, Stickers, and Panel Installed.

Russ and I did get to the nursery to buy some plants for this year. I like to plant some new annuals in my hanging pots each year, and renew my culinary herbs as needed. Russ replaces any plants in the yard that didn't make it over the winter and fills in any bare areas. Since it has been so cold, we weren't able to get everything in the ground, but we have the plants ready for the next few days when it should warm up enough to get things going.

I did get the two hanging pots done.

So pretty.

Hopefully they won't get too cold.

Our kitchen appliances have been breaking. We bought them all at the same time when we re-did the kitchen in 2011 (it hadn't been touched since the house was new in 1962). So it makes sense that they would tend to all fail at the same time. All is an exaggeration, too. The refrigerator went bad first, but in spectacular fashion, losing its compressor, thermostat and coolant. It took three visits, but it has been repaired. The microwave was a lost cause, and a new one is on order. It will arrive in about four weeks. I feel lucky that we have been able to get loaner versions of everything to get us past the gaps in service. We have a small chest freezer, and got the use of my parents small drinks fridge (think dorm room size). A neighbor of theirs had a countertop microwave that was not being used that we could borrow. I don't have any photos of the non-working appliances, but let's face it, that would be boring. Overall, it seems like we have got off lightly. I am even more grateful to have such a nice kitchen set up now that we have been improvising.