UNIT #2

I am on vacation this week at the beach. But not just any beach. Cannon Beach in Oregon. This beach is where I have come for 30 years. It’s been a place that has seen my tears, shared my joy and made some difficult decisions. While I don’t have any major decisions to make this time, I just need to relax and unwind. 

I began coming here when my son was 2, he is 31 now. The first time I came here I needed a vacation and was in an unhappy marriage. I came here to make decisions for my future and figure out what I really wanted. I had only been married for 4 years but I could see I was on a different path than my husband. 

At the beach my mind and body are able to get quiet and calm down. I am able to think and leave the worries of home there. When my son was young it was something he and I loved doing together. Every year I saved for this one week at the beach. I had a hard time justifying that I should leave all the stuff behind at home that needed to be done and come to the beach. I couldn’t really afford vacation but I needed it. So, we came and for the most part we enjoyed our time together. I would pack everything to be comfortable here. We would bring most of our food to prepare and we enjoyed our time here doing puzzles, riding bikes and watching movies. I won’t lie there were times I wished I was alone at the beach, but we made it through and out of it we have some good memories. My son has not come here with me since he was 17, he still has all the memories too.

Like the time I thought it would be fun to try his razor scooter and hit a patch of sand on the cement. Went over the bars and flat on my face, all while my son watched and the guys outside the neighboring restaurant on break watched with delight.

Most of the time we brought our bikes, one of the last times we came here we went to town to get fish and chips, chowder we were riding back and I misjudged a curb and down I went. Got a few scraps with that one. The fish and chips survived and my son had a good laugh again.

This was the place I came to just a few weeks after my cancer diagnosis. I had the week planned as usual while my sons’ school was on break, my diagnosis was 2 weeks before that. The surgeon said it wouldn’t make any difference if I went, so we did. I needed that time with my kid. We did things we had not done before, because well you know you never know how much time you have. Cancer gave me a wakeup call, for sure. We had a great time. We went to the dunes in Florence and rode the dunes buggies. My son knew I needed this vacation and it gave us some time to be together as I had no idea how my cancer would play out. If I would die or if I would live. Turns out I have lived 14 years past my original diagnosis.

I am not sure how I stumbled on this funky motel we stay at originally. It’s straight out of the 50’s though.  Nothing fancy, 13 units and just the things you need to get by. That’s why I like it so much, no big corporations, just a mom and pop owned business, even though the pop died about 10 years ago and the mom is 90 now. I am afraid that when the mom passes the kid will sell for millions. That’s what this property is worth. It is worth millions to me as well. There is nothing better than sitting in the window all day and watching the ocean.

One of my favorite scenes is the moon, on a clearish night shining on the ocean. Stars out and the moon shining on the waves.  I would often check the weather before we came checking the moon and the weather so I would know what day to wake in the middle of the night. It’s not something that I can get a picture of but it is etched in my mind always. 

Everyone that I have loved has been here with me. This place is my home away. As we drove through town today, we noted that the some of the shops have changed but just enough had stayed the same. I have my favorite restaurants, bakery and coffee shop. 

As time went on my wife and I kept coming to the beach. This motel operates on a week at a time schedule. You book a week and you get the same week, same unit the next year if you want it. As things go, we wanted to do a different vacation one year and cancelled our unit #2 at the beach. The next time we came we had to get a different unit. Same for the next few years after that. We never got #2 again. Which I think is the best unit. Until we were here for a night during the summer and decided to drop in to see what’s available for the coming year. To see if #2 was open at any time during the year, as we were open for our vacation time. Low and behold it was and I felt like I had just hit the jackpot. 

So here we are, winter at the beach. Lots of rain, two days of sun and not too many people. My favorite coffee place reopens tomorrow, Sleepy Monk Roasters (they do mail order). Homemade pastries and fresh brewed coffee. I cannot wait, I may wake up early to go before they sell out of my favorite morning muffin and a gluten free thing for my wife. Sometimes it’s the small things. 

Life is so full of big, major things; I like how simple my life is here. For now, I can handle a week at a time of simple.

The name of the motel is the Ecola Inn ( not to be confused with the Ecola Creek Inn, that is not on the beach), and you have to call to make a reservation. 

Thanks, as always for reading.