Back from Vacation!

Waldport, Oregon sunset, October 2013
(Click to embiggen)

I've just taken the longest vacation--and the longest break away from the blog--that I've had since maybe 2008? Maybe longer. It was the second annual trip to the Oregon coast to visit some dear friends, ex-pats of Las Vegas, making a far more interesting life in a coastal community. It was a very game-plan free respite from daily life, with little more than friends and food on the agenda. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in a beautiful beachside house, largely due to the generosity of one set of friends and the connections of those we were visiting. It was great. But all good things, as they say, must come to an end.

Plus, no matter how generous our friends are, taking a week off of work and going to a different state is  expensive! Worth every penny, but still! So, I'm back. Blast from the Past will return next week, as will my regular blogging schedule. For tonight, I'm going to settle in and watch The Walking Dead (and its companion, The Talking Dead), and then prep for a fresh week of work after a week away. Sigh.

I also have to get my fat self back on Atkins, and whittle my expanding frame down to something resembling fit. So, that will be exciting. Needless to say, it may not be a Happy Monday. But let's give it a go, shall we?

Travelogue, Part the Second

Fun times on the beach.

The Google Blogger software is eating this post worse than the food we were consuming in mass quantities on our just completed trip. I don't even remember what my intro was, other than to say that we spent several days in Yachats, Oregon, and then drove back to Oakland to fly home. We got the Cliff's Notes tour of San Francisco, including lunch at the Wharf. Here is what remains of my post, I know not where the rest went. . .

Friends we were traveling with were expert "foodies," so the eating was a large part of the trip. We ate in great restaurants, and had one incredible home-cooked meal. The six of us have been travel buddies many times in the past, so it was quite an interesting adventure to visit two of them, now ensconced in a tourist destination of their own, separate and apart from Las Vegas.

Homemade grilled peaches with prosciutto!

It will not be possible to encapsulate the trip, its pleasures and its warm memories in this post. Particularly not in the waning hours before returning to work on Tuesday morning. Let it suffice to say that a great time was had by all. And though we spent a small fortune between us, we are now eagerly starting travel funds to do it all again!

The "Gone Fishin'" banner will remain until Tuesday evening, to allow me until then to recharge and start blogging again. Until then, as you were!

See you soon. And thanks to my friends for a wonderful experience.

See what I mean about the diet?

Travelogue, Part the First

As I sit here typing this post, it is just past midnight, and our second day of vacation has wrapped. And--since I'm typing this--it is evident that I did not over-imbibe, regardless of what you may have heard. Our first day was spent flying to the San Francisco bay area, followed by immediately securing a car, for our drive to Yachats, Oregon. Everything went according to plan, except for the abysmal seating comfort (or rather, discomfort) afforded by the 2012 Chevrolet Impala. Simply dreadful. I can only hope that General Motors has improved things in the new model.

We made excellent time on our nearly 600 mile drive, and other than butt-hurt from the Chevy, we arrived tired, but in good spirits. Our wonderful hosts--dear friends transplanted from Las Vegas last spring--have entertained us since we arrived. We've walked several miles along the coast, took a drive to nearby towns, were treated to a fabulous meal at the Drift Inn (seriously, go there), and enjoyed some libations and conversation here at our incredible rental home. All-in-all, it has been a top-tier vacation, and we have days yet to go!

If you've never been to the Pacific Northwest, pencil it in. You'll have a great time, and see a lot of nature's beauty that you won't find elsewhere. But it helps to have friends to show you the way.