It’s windy out here at Cannon Beach in the shadow of the Haystack Rock. Prior to venturing out on the beach, we’d walked down the street to one of our least favorite breakfast establishments called the Pig ‘N Pancake. There are times along the Oregon Coast when choices may not be many. Early, as in well before 8:00 in the morning on certain days, the only option might be this coastal version of IHOP. We certainly prefer the funky little joints instead of the chains.
The wind was intermittently kicking up with a bit of driving rain thrown in, ensuring those of us who wear glasses would try avoiding walking into it. After dinner last night, we’d heard the area was supposed to get hit with a gale starting in the late afternoon today, but there is conflicting information on the internet, so who knows? And in any case, that’s later.
What is out here right now is wetness. So, we are using the falling rain as an excuse for taking refuge at the Sleepy Monk coffee shop. Caroline is plugged into an audiobook while she whittles away at knitting my next pair of socks with yarn we’d collected in Vienna, Austria, this past summer. I’ve got the notebook propped open, trying to find words to accompany some of the images from this traditional journey along the Oregon coast we seem to be on every Thanksgiving.
Our goal for the day should be stated as to just what we are trying to accomplish here and that is nothing. From our sheltered outdoor table, we stepped next door to the Cannon Beach Hardware & Public House for some lunch. Their motto is “Screw and Brew,” and might be the only hardware store in all of Oregon, or along the Pacific coast for that matter, that sells wrenches and lunch all from the same place.
As the Sleepy Monk reached the end of their business day at 3:00, we had no choice but to transfer to Insomnia, a coffee shop that stays open until 5:00. The wind is certainly picking up as the day progresses, but it is still a far cry from a gale-force onslaught. After we closed Insomnia, it was dark already, and it felt that we were keeping with our lazy day ethos by grabbing an early dinner. Back in our room, I found enough wakefulness to play with patch cables and knobs on the synthesizer while Caroline, buried in the couch next to the fire, finished the first sock of my new pair.
Going to sleep with the wind howling was a chore, and by 11:30, we lost the electricity for nearly 30 minutes before it popped back on, only to go out again 15 minutes later. Not sure this rose to the level of a gale, but the wind hammered at the trees and drove the rain hard on our roof making for a fitful night of sleep for me while Caroline slept soundly through most of it.