Pacific City, Oregon
First, congratulations to Dennis, Maria, Mike, and anyone else who completed the 55-miles of the Reach the Beach bike ride. Having taken this year off after riding it the last two years, I can say with some authority that I think you’re all certifiably nuts. But you’re also totally deserving of props, and I don’t intent to be a miser about it. That’s a long way to ride, especially if, like this year, you had a headwind the whole way. (Or if, like Maria, you had your bike continually fall apart on you during the ride.) So ya’ll rock, make no mistake.
The rest of us slackers—that’d be me, Erin, Jonah, Joe & Carol, Dave & Eileen, Robyn, Susan, and Linda—may not deserve any participation points, but those in the “non-rider” house enjoyed a really pleasant, kick-back weekend at the beach. We played a lot of pool, ping-pong, a party game called Therapy, and just hung out. Much of our time was also spent watching Jonah, but the good and happy assemblage also provided considerable relief and assistance in this regard. (Thank you.)
A word about the food: It was delicious. Everybody took turns preparing meals for the group, and my word do we have some fantastic cooks. My worst meal of the weekend may have been Friday’s nights traditional Pelican Pub dinner, and it was pretty good.
A few of us climbed the dune on Sunday before heading back to the house. Joe threw a frisbee from the top to see how far it would go. Answer: Not far enough to get off the dune, though we’re both convinced that a little more oomph might get it onto the beach next time.
Jonah’s experience with the people, wind, waves, and sand proved extraordinary. It’s not terrifically notable that he got on very well with everyone since he’s a mellow fellow and everyone there was easy to get along with in the first place. But oh my did Jonah love the beach. He’d probably be playing there still if we’d let him. I’ll post pictures soon.
Though I didn’t ride Reach the Beach this year, like previous years I’m swimming in waves of gratitude. Thank you so much everyone who helped make this weekend special. We love and appreciate the opportunity to share the time with you, and we hope to do it again soon.