The sounds of Gold Beach
January 1st 2009
Relishing the last night of my winter vacation, right now I am sipping a delicious Oregon Pinot that my husband and I bought a few days ago at The Pines winery. We are staying at Home by the Sea, a B&B located in Port Orford, Oregon, along the Southern Coast. I can hear the waves pounding against the giant rocks as the surf rages outside—showing its fury with yet another winter storm. In fact, the surf is the only sound I can hear (it woke me up at 5am this morning) in this otherwise quiet location. I love it here.
We may be staying in Port Orford, but the purpose of our trip was to see my dream house in Gold Beach—a slightly larger town located farther down the coast. The real estate agent and the owner gave us a lovely tour today, and even though I wanted to find something wrong with the property, the town, anything … I couldn’t. Or maybe I didn’t. My husband, who wasn’t crazy about the house from the pictures, loves it now except for some super minor things. He even came up with an idea to make the property into something more interesting than just another ranch. I almost wish he had hated it so I could give up this dream of living in this remote area because moving—transporting our lives from Los Angeles—is just not possible right now.
But when I hear those waves crashing outside our window, all I can think is I want to hear that sound every day. I can learn to live with the wet weather. I can wear layers all the time. (I have on three today!) I can wear hiking boots everywhere I go. I don’t know how much more of Los Angeles I can stand. I’ve lived there half my life, and I’m ready to move forward now. I never thought I would live in a small town, but living on the coast of Oregon seems quite different than living in some tiny, redneck town in Alabama (my home state). Okay, so the bartender today warned us that everybody knows your business in Gold Beach. But I passed our B&B’s owner’s “The Kiss of Death” test. He says any guest who asks him any of the three following questions is not likely to survive in this area:
- What is there to do here?
- Where is the shopping?
- Where is the nearest hospital?
I laughed when he told me about his test because ten years ago I would have asked those first two questions, but there are numerous outdoor activities to try along the Rogue River/Oregon Coast (not to mention that little thing called working), and I shop online for nearly everything including clothes. I already knew the nearest “real” hospital (Gold Beach has a “rural” hospital for non-emergency situations) is in Crescent City, California or Coos Bay, Oregon. A part of me is more pleased than I care to admit (although I guess I am now) that I “passed” his test. I guess I’m fit to live here.
The surf continues to beat the sand … and I will continue to dream about the day when Gold Beach can be our home.
AWW — XoXo
