Brookings Oregon
Oregon welcomed us in the most Oregonian way possible, with rain off and on for two straight days(1). It did clear up nicely after that with gusty days and chilly nights.
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| We didn't have neighbors after the first night |
Waxing rhapsodic about our mighty steed Riganante. We are really just so pleased with our RV. Both of us appreciate having less space to manage. We can clean house in about 30 minutes. It forces us to do keep things tidy and do dishes right away. It heats up quickly when it is cold and cools off just as quickly. Though it is a whopping 37 feet, we wouldn't want it much smaller as we need a walk around bed and a full size shower to fit Denis' sasquatch sized body. (Leo(6) - it's pretty squatchy up here!) The windows always give us a nice cross breeze and give Denis the best office view ever! She drives easy and she hauls all our stuff up hills and on mountain roads in comfort.
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| Album Cover from the self titled album "Li'l Dum Dum" |
Spotlight on Klaus: Klaus B. Kingleton is an ~8 year old Bichon/Poodle Mix. Both Murray and Klaus have the last name of Kingleton -- this is a blend of King and Angleton for those who don't know. We got Klaus second hand when he was about 1. For awhile Klaus enjoyed a career as a hip hop artist under the name Li'l Dum Dum. Rap fans will remember his classic song "My Name is Li'l Dum Dum" some of the lyrics:
The ladies they say Yum Yum
If they fly, I let them try, to rub my snow white tum tum
Riding in my Lambo
chewing on a hambone"(2)
Sadly, in spite of his trademark purple hospital glove look which started the hot fashion trend for one week in May, he was a one-hit wonder. He went into rehab for his treat addiction or treathab. He appeared on "Where Are They Now" alongside Vanilla Ice and Kajagoogoo. Klaus enjoys walks, treats, ladies, treats, licking things, sailing, and treats.
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| (not our pic - ours was too blurry but worked for Merlin) |
Bird of the Week is the American Robin - first spotted in the Redwoods but forgot to add to the last post. Sue's Merlin app is staying very busy identifying birds with pics and sound. We are both still very anxious to spot our first Golden Eagle (or Geegle, as Nathan(6) would say).
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| I'm a tick! |
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| "It only took me 7 tries to get it in the right spot" (it really took him 34 tries) |
Finally put the Redwoods National Park tree in our National Parks board.
Our site: We were immediately enchanted by our (literal) river-side spot. The Chetco flows just beneath our campsite. The section we are on is quite shallow and framed by smooth wide stones on either side. It's just a beautiful thing to gaze at. There is a lot of logging here, in fact we can see a recently cleared scar on the mountain we are facing. And logs/driftwood are everywhere in the ocean and on the beaches. Mike(6) has told Denis that these are very hazardous for boaters especially the "deadheads" which are logs so saturated they are floating vertically and are hard to spot. This is likely one of the reasons that we see lots of steel or aluminum hulled boats.
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| Fires at night were Amazeballs! |
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| Must be cocktail time! |
Saturday, after setting up camp, we explored local beaches such as the famous Harris State Park. Hard to get over the beauty of the Oregon coast. As Californians we are amazed at the verdant coastlines, giant rock formations in the ocean and cliffs surrounding the sea. Sue had a nice Mothers Day Facetime with Leo and Kaelyn(6) - we are excited for Kaelyn's new job at ASML - she is a boss! Leo has an interview coming up with a new firm and we are crossing our fingers!
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| First track Poodle paws on the Beach! |
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| Awful pic of an amazing dish. |
Denis chatted with Calvin(6) who is moving towards his goal of being a member of the National Guard. He is starting a program to prepare new recruits for the initial training. They don't call it boot camp but it sure seems like it. He has started ROTC at UCR with the goal of joining the military as an officer after graduation!
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| Grrrr! |
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| Japanese Maple |
Sue took a day trip to California! This was entirely accidental. Oregon has bizarre liquor laws and she was trying to locate a particular canned Cutwater drink. Turns out the nearest place carrying them was in Crescent City. Later she visited the Brookings Botanical Garden where, incomprehensibly, there was ANOTHER hobo on one of the paths albeit this one was cheerily eating his lunch not lying across the path like in Humboldt. Sue: "I loved the garden and was somewhat somber as I enjoyed the Japanese Maples. Those were my oldest sister, Connie's, favorite tree. Connie(6) passed away in July of 2023 at only 72 years old. She loathed SoCal weather as she didn't enjoy sun. She truly would have loved the Redwoods and the Oregon Coast. Though our relationship was complicated, I miss her."
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| Dopey Azaleas at Azalea Park |
Then to Azalea Park. Sue: "Oregon takes Azaleas very seriously. They are EVERYWHERE. There is even an Azalea Festival here in Brookings on Memorial Day weekend. Not my favorite flower by any means but some can almost approach being almost peony-like in their appearance if you squint." Azalea Park is home to Capella by the Sea - a truly breathtaking structure that looks like an mid-century church but is just a building which hosts various events. It was built to honor Lorraine Williams, the wife of Elmo Williams, a film editor who won an Oscar for High Noon. The Smiths were longtime residents of Brookings. The dogs enjoyed being off leash a bit in this gorgeous park.
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| More dopey Azeleas |
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| Capella by the Sea |
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| Even though he's not yellow, he is a banana slug. |
Tuesday was more hiking - Sue hiked in the famous Alfred A. Loeb State Park, home to a grove of Myrtlewood trees adjacent to the Redwood Groves. Californians call Myrtlewoods Laurel Trees. They are the source of Bay Leaves those trusty leaves we all add to stews and such. They smelled amazing. Here was a nice flock of Banana Slugs. The trail she hiked actually was broken in two by a stream and ultimately blocked off by fallen trees so not quite finish-able but gorgeous with views of the Chetco among the Redwoods. This was the first hike where she had seen bear warnings, ugh.
Then a lovely drive up the 101 on a historic scenic drive with lots of stops at checkpoints including Whale Rock, and the Cape Ferrelo Viewpoint. Finally she wrapped up with a visit to the Chetco Native American Memorial in the Brookings Harbor. This was an interesting visit - the Chetco had been beach dwellers during the fairer months. In 2011 the damage done by a tsunami revealed the remains of one of their beachside villages heretofore undiscovered. As the story always goes they were living a peaceful life, coexisting with nature when along came the Europeans.
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| A messy eater, Sue immediately tumped over her drawn butter. |
Tuesday night dinner was fun - we went to a restaurant called Catalyst that is named after the nearby-docked boat Catalyst that catches much of the seafood the restaurant offers each day. Sue had her first whole dungeness crab. It was so darned good. Denis enjoyed steamed clams and we shared a cup of their quite decent clam chowder. Afterwards we strolled the docs marveling at the number of absolutely decrepit fishing and sailing vessels, along with some obviously still currently used boats.
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| Local boats sell crab right from the docks! |
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| Don't tell, its a secret! |
Wednesday, was mostly lounging but we enjoyed a hike together to Secret Beach which was just breathtaking. Again off leash dogs had a great time. We are pretty impressed with Klaus who, despite having like, 2 inch legs, manages to keep up, even going up and down very steep rocky formations to reach the beach. Dinner was Alaskan caught Coho Salmon we brought along from our semi-monthly fish delivery in San Diego.
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| Smith River |
Thursday took Sue to Smith River about 40 miles away - another day trip to Cali!. Smith is California's only un-dammed river system and has three major forks. Would be a very fun place to raft. There she hiked with the dogs - more Redwoods, streams and wooden bridges, and ate at a roadside cafe for lunch (club sandwich, fries, Budweiser! haha first one Sue has had in like 30 years!). She walked the dogs at the oceanfront later on and got to see a fishing boat come into the (narrow) jetty. This was the first afternoon where we biked! Biking along the first mile and a half from our RV park is somewhat hazardous and it's a narrow windy road but we made it. We rode to Fat Irish pub and enjoyed a drink before biking around and staring at more boats! We ended our day with watching three episodes of The Studio. Cannot think of a show that has more painfully awkward scenes but it's so funny. Seth Rogan has managed to get so many A listers on this show which basically skewers the whole Hollywood movie machine.
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| "Please don't show this to the ladies" |
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| Need a wedding ring and a rasher of bacon? Fred Meyer has you covered |
Friday Sue suffered from acute boredom syndrome. Sue: "My friend Bonnie told me to try sewing. My sister Anne(6) sews, as did my sister Connie(6). This plus "cousin" Elaine's(6) new hobby of Shashiko(4), inspired me to try to shop for a sewing project at dummy level skill. There was not a single hobby store or sewing shop here! Will try next spot, Ashland. I pivoted to getting my herb garden purchased and planted - we cook so much and fresh herbs are really convenient. I ended up going to the dreaded Fred Meyer store for plants which is where we bought supplies on our first day. It's scary as shit. If you want to stock up on kangaroo chow and buy an engagement ring in the same store this is the place for you. It has everything. It's so terrifying. Afterwards we took the dogs to a do it yourself bathing place - so convenient and only $24 for both! Klaus was upset because when he gets groomed at Village Pet Salon in La Mesa he gets to hang out with his lady friend Valerie(6) who he describes as "smokin' hot."
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| Klaus always gets butterflies when he sees Valerie |
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| Sad little garden. Needs better thyme and some dill or parsley. |
On our way back we saw a bald geegle - Sue was able to get a decent enough pic to add it to her Merlin life list (but not decent enough to include here) ! We ended our day in the most amazing way - by cleaning our floors! Riganante has a combo of carpet and linoleum. Both are pretty cool in color and pattern for a 2008 RV. Lots of stain remover, scrubbing, and of course using VACOOM Murray: "Vacoom is a terrifying beast that humans walk like a dog around the house, holding on to it by a giant stick. It makes an awful noise and it seeks to destroy all dogs in the vicinity."
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| Murray was gifted a cloak from Lothlórien to hide from Vacoom. |
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| Check out the onion chopping Tool! |
During this week we made arrangements to visit Sophia and Forrest in Eugene (two stops from now) Mike and Elaine(6) in DeCourcy Island, Vancouver, and Sue booked a quick 5 day trip to San Diego to check on the house and celebrate Oliver's(6) birthday. Family time!
Footnotes
🎵 My Name is Li’l Dum Dum 🎵
(Verse 1)
My name is Li’l Dum Dum
The ladies they say Yum Yum
If they fly, I let them try, to rub my snow white tum tum
Ridin’ in my Lambo
Chewin’ on a hambone
Swagger in my collar, GPS set to “handsome”
Diamond on my tag, yo
I’m barkin’ in the fast flow
Tail waggin’ wild while I pose for the 'Gram though
Stylin’ like a boss pup
You know I don’t paws much
Got the treat jar shakin' every time I stand up
(Chorus)
My name is Dum Dum — don’t get it twisted
Every track I drop? Yeah, it gets listed
Sniffin' out fame with a nose for the beat
Four paws down and I'm still bringin' heat
From the park to the club, they know who I am
Little white dog with a big ol’ jam
Lil Dum Dum — that’s the name they chant
With a growl and a grin and a platinum stance
(Verse 2)
Rollin’ with my crew — three poodles and a pug
We hit the fire hydrant, then we roll up on the rug
DJ in a cone, got the woofers on blast
Tennis ball dreams, and my rhymes come fast
I’m the bark of the block, the yap of the year
Got my face on the merch and my snacks in the rear
From the groomer to the stage, they all know the sound
When Lil Dum Dum drops, the tails go 'round
(Chorus – repeat)
My name is Dum Dum — don’t get it twisted
Every track I drop? Yeah, it gets listed
Sniffin' out fame with a nose for the beat
Four paws down and I'm still bringin' heat
From the park to the club, they know who I am
Little white dog with a big ol’ jam
Lil Dum Dum — that’s the name they chant
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| A still from the Music Video |
(3) Japanese Sub I-25 - The pilot who flew the plane later gave his family's 400 year old Katana to the city of Brookings.
(4) Shashiko - a traditional Japanese Embroidery technique.
(5) Citroen DS - One of the most innovative and cool looking cars ever built. In Jay Leno' Garage, he talks about all the innovations. In the Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson et all diffuse a bomb in the back while driving over cobblestones at speed.
(6) Who are they?
- Leo an Kaelyn - Sue's son and daughter in law
- Calvin - Denis' son
- Sophia and Forrest - Denis' daughter and her partner
- Oliver - Sue's son
- Mike and Elaine - Mike is Denis' cousin, Elaine is his wife. They recently completed the Great Loop!
- Liz - Sue's niece
- Anne - Sue's sister
- Connie - Sue's sister
- Nathan - Sues grand nephew
- Valerie - Klaus' girlfriend at the groomer
Picture Dump!
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| Murray took the week off for a Wellness retreat. He came back as neurotic as ever! |
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| Two things Sue loves: little short trooper Klaus and her KEEN hiking boots. |
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| Stacks and stacks of crab pots at the dock. |
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| Klaus when we are driving in Riganante |
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| Murray is always the leader on our hikes. |
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| We found boots made for seals that fit Klaus flippers. Sure to attract the ladies! |
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| Always, always, always Tsunami warnings. |
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| Chetko woman - the first peoples. |
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| Thrift store book finds! |
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