It was on October 9th, 2020 that we parked our motor home here at Osprey Point RV Resort. Although just over seven months ago, it seems like so much longer. Never in the last 15 years have we been in one place for so long, and although we've always enjoyed staying on the Oregon Coast, we're ready for a change.
Like most areas of the country, we've struggled through the pandemic and its affect on our daily lives. This area of Oregon has been spared the wave of COVID-19 cases that many urban areas have experienced and the state has a visible metric to determine closures and activities. We're currently at the "moderate risk" level which means most normal activities can be resumed. It's a relief after a long period of restrictions - Brenda enjoys cooking at home but not having an option of an occasional trip to a restaurant was frustrating.
The two casinos in town became the only dine-in restaurants consistently open. It was interesting to see that while any indoor activity of multiple people was banned, the Native American casinos and their restaurants remained open. We were impressed with the steps the casinos took to remain safe. IDs were checked to provide a source for contract tracing, temperatures taken, and of course masks were required. Machines and tables were well spaced and separated by plexiglass shields, disinfection sheet dispensers were spaced throughout the casino floor, and employees were quick to clean each machine and seat after use. They were of course motivated to eliminate the the possibility of an infection and a forced closure.
In April Brenda and I reached a significant milestone - our 50th wedding anniversary. Brenda and I agree that there must be some mistake in our math, because surely we can't be that old. Trying to capture in a few words our 50+ years together is impossible, but I'd start with "magical".
We had a quiet celebration with our daughter and her husband. They rented a VRBO on the water in nearby Charleston with great views of the Coquille River lighthouse and offshore rocks. We capped off their visit with a seafood boil; it was as good as it looks!
Sitting in one place for so long had one benefit - I had the time to write a book I've been meaning to get to for years. It's a short book about my time in Viet Nam as a young Air Force air traffic controller. It's and ebook and is available at many ebook stores, including Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble. Here's a link: Amazon
We're celebrating our golden anniversary by spending the summer traveling. Our planned route will take us through Eastern Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California. We'll be visiting some interesting places, taking pictures, and writing about our experiences, so come back and visit!
