Homeward Bound

By Paul Roberts

Well, we’re back from our weekend at Rockaway Beach on the Oregon coast, and as promised, I am reporting in on this extended creative rendezvous. I know that Carol kept the world on top of our adventures with pictures and posts on Facebook and Instagram, so instead of detailed stories, I’ll update you with a few observations from our time away from home. 

The weather cooperated Friday and Saturday, with beautiful sun and warm sand on a relatively windless beach. Observation #1: It’s always windy on the coast, so when it is not blowing your hat off, it seems pleasant. 

Sunday we got misted on. I can’t really call it rain, but if you were outside, you ended up wet. However, since Carol, Zoe, Jason and I spent a good portion of our time that day piloting the small craft we rented from Kelly’s Marina, criss-crossing the bay in search of crabs, we were going to be wet anyway. Our hunt was successful, and we enjoyed a fresh crab and oyster dinner that night with the rest of our family. Observation #2: When an old man at the sea catches his own meal, that’s a meal and a story that is hard to beat.

Observation #3: Human beings and dogs are both creatures of habit. Put us into a new situation and we are easily discomfited.

By the time Monday rolled around and it was time to travel home, both Cleo and I were ready to be home. We were both “off our feed,” literally and figuratively. Cleo slept well, worn out by each day’s adventures, but she seemed a bit out of sorts, and definitely was not eating as much or at her normal hours. The same was true for me.

I found myself late Sunday afternoon taking her for a walk and avoiding the beach. I realized that if I stayed long enough at the coast (A week? A month?) I would adjust to the routine of de-sanding the two of us after a romp in the salty waves at the beach. I would get used to the quick changes in temperature, the high humidity, the feeling of stickiness in the air, and on the windshield and brake pads of my car. But it would take some time.

By Monday morning I was ready for the pleasure of routine. I seemed to have one of two choices: pack up the car and return home, or book another couple of weeks at the Oregon coast, aiming to establish a new routine. I guess that’s really only one choice.

We made it home safely. It is Tuesday morning, and I am catching up on the routine habits of the week. Carol and Cleo have had their morning walk, and I am sitting on my corner of the couch finishing up my second cup of coffee, enjoying the quiet of the morning. Even Clark the enigmatic cat - enigmaticat, if you please - is back into his routine, sleeping on our bed at night and meowing for his morning meal.

I love a creative rendezvous now and then.  It can bring excitement and a new perspective. It can help create wonderful memories. It also helps renew my appreciation for what I have in front of me each “normal” day: a sense of being home.

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Are there routines around your home you miss when you are traveling? Share some of them with our creative community.

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