Take Time to really see
My articles for SeaPort Magazine took me to Yaquina Head and the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay, among other places on the Oregon Coast, last month. They are all beautiful, and I have seen them all before, but this time, looking through the camera lens and taking notes to describe what was there for tourists, I saw ever so much more.
Yaquina Head especially struck me. My article was on lighthouses, and I got plenty of pictures and information about the lighthouse there, but this was the first time I ever went to the park alone with hours to spend. Usually I'm like everyone else, ticking off the attractions on my mental list of things to see before taking our visitors on to the next site. But this time, I walked the trails, I read the signs, I sat on the cobble beach and listened to the waves crackle over the stones. I laughed at a little boy calling to a seal bobbing nearby in the surf. It was a blessedly sunny day, but I realized I had never really paid enough attention to this place and I wanted to come back again and again just to sit and take in the beauty with all my senses.
Likewise, the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay is not one to rush through. Yes, you can tour the exhibits fairly quickly, but if you want to see a live whale, it takes time and patience. You need to plant yourself by the window or on the balcony outside and watch till your eyes water, then blink and watch some more. It's not like an aquarium where creatures are on display all the time.
But you might get lucky. On my second trip to Yaquina Head, early one morning so I could take pictures without the sun in my eyes, I walked down to Quarry Cove and discovered a Harbor Seal so close I could talk to her. It was just the seal and I in this world of waves and rocks and tidepools. I settled in for a visit.
Too much of our lives is rush, rush, rush. Let's all try to take some time to stop and be still. Give the magic time to work.
***
On the Home Front
Well, what can I say? My husband Fred moved to Timberwood Court Memory Care Center in Albany on June 3. It's a great place, but he has had some adjustment issues, ranging from tears to anger to frustration. He enjoyed a visit from his kids Gretchen and Michael on Father's Day. He has a telephone in his room now, so you can call him at (541) 791-9682. There's no voicemail, so if he doesn't answer, try again later. You will probably have to explain who you are and how he knows you, but he'll be glad to hear from you.
As for the dogs, they're as crazy as ever.
Annie ate another collar off Chico. I
managed to save the buckle and about
four inches of purple cloth. She digested
the rest. They have gotten bored while I've
been out doing stories, so they have dug
halfway to China. The other night when
I came home, Annie had a huge piece of
hard black plastic in her mouth. I don't
know what it was or where she got it, but
we played a long game of run around the
enclosure before I managed to grab it
away. Meanwhile, I kept hearing "crunch,
crunch, crunch" and hoping I wouldn't fall
into a hole.
Now that the rain has eased for a while,
the yard is a dust bowl, and Chico, who used to be black, is kind of brown now. He sheds dirt like Pigpen in the Charley Brown cartoons. Annie still jumps and picks pockets, but they are both wonderful friends when I'm feeling down. If I cry, Annie climbs into my lap and licks my face. Chico leans all his weight against me and puts his massive head on my knee, and I feel better.
Words and Music
Oh my gosh, what a month June was. You will soon understand why this newsletter is late. In addition to having a colonoscopy (nothing bad found) and weekly visits to Albany to see Fred, I finished editing a book, wrote four travel articles with photos for the new SeaPort Magazine (due out July 15), kept up my blogs, performed at the Toledo Wednesday street market and the Samaritan House Garden Tour and led choirs while playing the piano at three masses most weekends, four one weekend. Of course, I also had to entertain the dogs, keep us all fed, wash clothes and dishes, buy groceries, pay bills, and watch "The Bachelorette" on TV. I am so glad to have my deadlines met and finally be able to take a breath before diving into the next batch of stories and practicing up my patriotic music for the Fourth of July party at Timberwood Court.
Oregon Coast Writer events
Self-publishing panel: The Oregon Coast chapter of Willamette Writers meets July 7 for a panel discussion on everything one might want to know about self-publishing. The panelists are John Baker, author and publisher of the historical book Camp Adair; Patsy Brookshire, who published a novel, Threads, based on her own experiences; Carla Perry, much-published writer of poetry, fiction and nonfiction and owner of Dancing Moon Press, and yours truly. I have published books the traditional way, through print-on-demand publishers, and by myself. The 7 p.m. meeting takes place at the Newport Library. Admission and snacks are free. Books will be on sale. For information, contact me at suelick@charter.net or call (541) 867-4692.
Open Mic: Next month, our branch will take it easy with an open mic on Aug. 4, open to all comers. Same place, same time, same contact information as above. Dorothy Mack will MC the festivities. The statewide Willamette Writers conference also takes place next month, Aug. 6-9 at the Portland Airport Sheraton. See the website for details.
Nye Beach Writers: Singer-songwriter Craig Carothers will be the featured guest July 18 at the Nye Beach Writers meeting. He is expected to draw such a crowd that WOE is selling advance tickets for $10. At the door, they'll be $12, and seats will be scarce. Students get in free. For this session, there will be no open mic. The program at the Newport Visual Arts Center starts at 7 p.m. For tickets or more information, visit http://www.writersontheedge.org.
Book Report
The Soloist by Steve Lopez, Penguin Group, 2008. As a musician, I'm likely to enjoy any book about music, but this is an extraordinary book. L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez befriends a homeless man he finds playing a violin with only two strings in the worst section of town. The more he learns about the man, Nathanial Ayers, the more fascinated he becomes. A former Julliard student with exceptional talent, Ayers' schizophrenia forced him to drop out of school and life. Lopez jumps the boundaries of journalistic objectivity to become Nathanial's friend and tries to help him move into a new, healthier life. It's not an easy task. This is beautifully written, with so much heart and music I want to find Lopez and give him a big hug. I hear the movie is wonderful, but I recommend reading the book first.
Always Looking Up: the adventures of an incurable optimist by Michael J. Fox, Hyperion, 2009. Good book. Fox's second memoir tells us what has happened since he quit full-time TV acting. He is very honest about his symptoms and his challenges trying to control them enough to work and be a husband to his wife Tracy and father to his four children. It's a never-ending conundrum trying to balance medications so he is neither frozen in place nor flopping around uncontrollably. But that's not the main focus. His illness has led him into political activism, founding the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research and campaigning hard to legalize embryonic stem cell research. This is a well-written page-turner, a tale of hope in the face of an awful, incurable illness.
The Cat Who Went Bananas by Lillian Jackson Braun, recorded from the book published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in 2004. As mysteries go, this one is pretty mild. Somebody gets killed in a car accident, a $5,000 antique book goes missing, and the new copyboy at the paper where protagonist Jim Quilleran works seems to have two different identities, but there's not a lot of drama here. It's just a comfortable visit with Quill and his cats and his many friends in the town of Pickaxe. I wanted some easy listening for my car trips, and this did the job. Kudos to narrator George Guidall, whose vocal performance is a delight.
Blue Peninsula: essential words for a life of loss and change by Madge McKeithen, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006. In this book, whose title is based on a poem by Emily Dickinson, McKeithen attempts to make sense of her son Ike's heartbreaking illness through poetry. Each chapter begins with a poem or two, then she relates them to what is happening with Ike. For me, this does not work. I just want to know what happens to Ike, and she doesn't give us enough of that. His story has no conclusion. Instead, she centers on her own feelings. In some chapters, the poems do seem to apply quite well, but in others, I feel as if I'm reading a forced lit class analysis that doesn't ring true for me.
End Notes
Summer is here, with the flowers in bloom and tourists clogging Highway 101. No, I won't be going on vacation. I already live where everyone wants to go. Happy Fourth of July to everyone, and if you're traveling, have a great time.
Happy birthday to Gretchen, Terry and Marie. Mom and Uncle Bob, you were born in this month and we lost you in this month; we'll never forget you.
Dear friends, please pray for Catherine, Teresa, and David, who are all suffering major health problems, and for Fred and me, too, as we get used to living apart. Every one of you is a blessing to me.
Hugs,
Sue
All contents copyright 2009, Sue Fagalde Lick
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