Too Much Wind??

It's September 11 .... time to remember those who lost their lives to a group whom I shall not name.   It's hard to believe it has been 15 years since the atrocities took place.  I truly hope the powers that be learned their lesson from that and the ensuing attacks on the American people.  If that means we have to tighten our borders, then so be it.  There will always be someone in the world who hates democracy and will try to take away our freedom.  Hopefully we shall remain vigilant.


First on my Saturday list was a trip to the Farmers Market at the dock in Florence.  Here's something new since I was here last ... sealions, brightly painted with various designs.  I LOVE these guys!!  I've only seen three so far, but I imagine they will be popping up everywhere.

What I also discovered when I arrived was a huge car show and my parking spot GONE!  There's a big Rod Run to the End of the World on the Long Beach peninsula, so I was sure surprised to see these guys here.  Of course I didn't have my camera with me ..........

After lucking out and finding a parking spot two blocks away, I went on the hunt for breakfast and found this beauty.  I suppose I should have read the sign ... I didn't.  This way you'll have a reason to stop in and check out the new natives.

There were a LOT of vehicles.  Oregonians are serious about their hot rods.  From one end of town to the other and every space in between, there were cars and trucks from my heyday.

Town was packed with people, as was my little restaurant.  Forget the big breakfast, I stopped in at the Coffee Roasters ... YIKES!!  The line was out the door and around the building.  

Breakfast ended up being veggies as I hit the Farmers Market on the dock.  I snacked on chocolate tomatoes (super sweet), white nectarines (YUM) and white peaches ......

Followed up by a tiny gluten free blueberry lemon cupcake.  You really didn't think I'd have just veggies, right??

It was a busy place to say the least, as the Boy Scouts conducted their pinewood derby in the middle of the car show.   On the way back, I found an interior designer who was going out of business and selling everything in her shop at big discounts.  Lets just say I didn't walk out empty handed ... but that's for another day.

With my Jeep loaded with stuff, I hit the beaches looking for a place to kite fly.  First stop, Heceta Beach, where these funny sand creations were everywhere.  It looked like a martian landscape.  I don't know what causes this, maybe just a little bit of clay in the sand that holds it together as the water recedes during low tide.  

Unfortunately, it was freezing cold as the winds carried in the fog, obliterating the view.  Since it was sunny when I left, I didn't take a jacket.  I might have set up anyway, but had only brought two kites, both of which were not useable in this much wind.  It's always been not ENOUGH wind ... now there's TOO MUCH!!!  In ten minutes I was shivering .... maybe I'll check out the Jetty.

If you haven't been to the Jetty, it requires lots of hiking UP deep sand dunes.  For every step you take, you slide back halfway.  Undaunted, I climbed to the very top lugging my big kite bag (I stopped in at the rig and got a coat too).  I was really sucking in the air by the time I got to the top.

Sliding down the other side was a breeze as I buried my feet ten inches in the sand ... to the bottom.  Hmmmm pretty windy .... like 20 mph windy.  I pulled out my full vent ... the one with the most holes to let the air through.  My first mistake was messing with the bridle ... the part that attaches to my lines.  It came undone.  NOOOOO ... I don't have any idea how to put it back together!!

I tried to figure it out by looking at the other side while I sat in the blowing sand.  Twenty minutes later I just tied it.  It wasn't right, but I wasn't sitting there any longer.  I tried to fly.  This was NOT going to be my day!!  By now the wind was around 25 mph with the kite spars on the verge of breaking.  Even as it sits on the ground, the bottom should be touching all the way across.  The wind is so strong, the tips were three inches from the sand.  That's a good way to ruin a kite.  I gave up.  Mother Nature 1,  Nancy 0.

It was rather nice with absolutely no one on the beach but me (because they were all smart enough not to climb the hill), but the wind just beats you up.  Time to go.  HOWEVER .... now I have to climb back UP that hill I slid down.  I must have stopped every four feet.  On this side of the dunes, for every 18 inch step you take, you only go up THREE inches.  It took me 20 minutes to climb to the top!!  

Are we having fun yet????  The fifteen pound kite bag felt like fifty by the time I got to the Jeep.  When I threw it in the back, two pounds of sand came out the bottom, making a nice pile on my carpet.  Back at the rig, I laid it out on the picnic table and dumped out another three pounds.  No wonder it was so heavy!!

I'm going to give it another shot today, after visiting some friends who are working at Honeyman State Park just south of town.  This is about my last chance at kite flying, so I'm hoping it goes a little better.  After that ..... vacuum my Jeep!!