Another really crazy thing about the Oregon Coast is the Tsunami Warning signs that are posted all over to create panic without providing any information. There is NO information anywhere about what kind of siren would sound or anything if there was a tsunami warning. So maybe you're supposed to be listening to the radio all the time? Or you are supposed to look up on the internet for
information on every little town you're going to drive through? In two different towns we visited, Eureka and Gold Beach, loud sirens went off. In Gold Beach it happened as we were heading into a restaurant, and 4 or 5 other people had just come out. We all looked at each other and sort of laughed, and asked each other what it meant. None of us knew, of course, because we were all tourists. But someone asked if it was a tsunami warning. (You can't help but think that because the signs are EVERYWHERE) So I went in and asked the guy in the restaurant, who said it was the volunteer fire siren or something. Then I went back outside and told the other folks, who were actually grateful, because I think they were a little more worried than we were.
The really silly thing is that all along the coast there are signs that you are either entering a danger zone or leaving a danger zone. But the areas where they say you are leaving the danger zone are where the road is like 20 - 30 feet above the beach instead of almost level with the beach. The big earthquake is going to cause a tsunami that is higher than 100 feet. So what the hell? We should have stopped and taken some pictures. What are those planner people thinking?
There is actually tons of information on the internet. I'm going to read it all before I go to the beach again.
Which reminds me of my previous tsunami experience. In June 2005 I had to go to nasty ugly Coos Bay for work. I got there about 8:00 pm, checked into my motel, and went for a walk. Oddly enough, I headed up the hill to see if it was any better than the rest of the town. (It was, actually.) I got back to my room about 9:00 or so, and turned on the tv. I saw some brief thing on the news about a tsunami warning being over. So I looked on the internet, and figured out that there had been an earthquake off the coast a little before 8:00 which had generated a tsunami warning. If it had come, it would have hit Coos Bay while I was on my walk. But there was nothing to indicate there was any kind of warning. People were in their yards working, people out walking, kids in the park, cars driving all over, etc. No sirens. Nothing. No warning when I checked in to the motel. I guess my point is that nothing has improved since then, in spite of lots of money being spent. There is information available if you look for it, but the only thing there for tourists is the be afraid, be very afraid stuff.
I wonder what the tsunami warning system in Peru is like.
And the countertops are still "brick" colored. We are thinking of options.
Lettuce, spinach, fava beans, and lots of flowers. I think now is the time to plant flower seeds and let them sit all winter outside just like they would do if they planted themselves. We'll see. I'm trying a lot of Lota's seeds and some of mine. And using up what I hope is the last of the tomatoes to make one last batch of tomato sauce....
We have been eating zucchini fritters, Fiesta Zucchini, Thai tofu with Zucchini, Bell Pepper & Lime. And Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
The guy who lives behind us, Steve, occasionally buys contents of abandoned storage units and then has garage sales and sells all the stuff. Recently he bought stuff from a storage unit near McDonalds in Newberg. He brought some of the stuff home yesterday, and started going through it. In one of the boxes, he found a pipe bomb. So he called 911, and they put him in touch with the State Police in Salem. They had to come all the way from Salem with their special equipment. This all took several hours. The local fire and sheriff departments blocked off the street, and they of course evacuated his property. Then they built some sort of little shelter out of cement block, and used a robot to carry the bomb and put it into the shelter. If you look closely at the photo, you can see the robot on the left, and the guy in a protective suit. Then they set off the bomb. We were watching from behind Daryl's house. There wasn't much of an explosion, so we don't know if it actually had explosives in it or what. They use a rifle or something to set it off. We didn't get all the information yet about what actually happened. Waiting for Daryl to get the scoop and share. The photo above was taken after they set it off, and the guy in protective clothing is checking to make sure it is safe.
Saturday we hiked a trail near the campground, into Annie Creek Canyon. It was a great hike and fantastic scenery. We thought the trail looked a little like a mini version of the World's Most Dangerous Road. Which is ever present on our minds.
We don't like looking under the kitchen sink. It is pretty gross. This is a very old house, and as soon as our new kitchen is done (soon maybe?) we will have to tear up and replace the floor of the old kitchen, as it is pretty rotten. Especially under the sink, where old drips have rotted the floor. A favorite hiding place for mice that the cat brings in and releases, and occasionally even a slug manages to crawl up there from the outside. So it is all in all pretty disgusting. But last week we started to hear really loud noises. One evening I was in the next room and I thought the cat was chasing a mouse somehow inside the drawer where we keep all the plastic containers. But the cat was upstairs. Then I heard noises in the computer room (or under it?) as well. Then gnawing noises under the sink. So I pulled everything out from under the sink. Usually we keep a compost bucket just under the sink. When I pulled everything out, there were some old cat dishes stacked in the back, with a half an avocado sitting in the top one. I pulled them out, pulled the compost bucket out, and everything else. Shining a flashlight back there revealed a gnawed hole in the floor next to the wall. I swear at one point I caught a glimpse of a little nose sticking up through it briefly. Then we went for a walk and left everything sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. When we got back from the walk, the avocado and a slice of tomato out of the compost were back under the sink next to the hole. Rich thought it was just a mouse. He said maybe a very big mouse. And a very noisy one. I was skeptical. But he set a mousetrap. Didn't catch anything. Then we went away for the weekend. Sunday night when we got home, he set a big live trap. He put chocolate, doritos, and a few other things in there. But we didn't catch anything. Last night, he set a regular rat trap, with chocolate and cheese. This morning? Chocolate and cheese gone, rat trap standing on end by the hole. Funny thing is, there are NO droppings anywhere. Wouldn't a rat leave great big droppings all over the kitchen? It has been going all the way across the kitchen floor to eat the dry cat food every night, making the cat yell at us all in the wee hours of the morning because she is hungry. So this is our big mystery. I'll keep you posted.
Probably the biggest event in Newberg is the monthly first friday Art Walk. A nice event, actually. Quality artwork for the most part and lots of wine tasting.
