Avetts in October #3: The Beach

April, 2016

In anticipation of The Avett Brothers concert on October 25th, I am writing a series of blog posts connecting some of their lyrics to words of some of my favorite authors.

“The sound of the sea is the most time-effacing sound there is.”                 E.B. White

I grew up minutes from the beach in Jacksonville, Florida. White is right. The sound of the sea brings me a peace that takes me back to childhood. There is nothing like the salty air blowing your hair, the ebb and flow of the tide, the calling of the gulls to each other.

At the Beach is one of my favorite Avett Brothers songs.

Now they’re under, under, underneath a big umbrella

Summer, summer, summer time to help us forget, nine to fives

We have got to leave all that behind

 

Califoregon – Day Three

Harry & David’s

On day three we started with another wonderful morning in Medford. Breakfast included poached pears, French toast made with a thick cinnamon bread from a local bakery, and some good coffee roasted in nearby Jacksonville, Oregon, where we were headed.

On our way out of town we had to stop at the Harry & David Store. Hubby had never heard of Harry & David – can you imagine that? If we lived closer I’d be going there often. We got some yummy snacks for the road and headed to Jacksonville.

Jacksonville, Oregon

Jacksonville is a really cute old town with lots of little shops. We found a used bookstore and made some good finds. Across the street was a thrift store where we happened upon a perfectly good $8 carry-on bag with wheels – perfect for taking back our purchases. I usually just carry-on, but since Southwest allows two free checked bags, we figured, why not? Then we headed to Good Bean Coffee for a cuppa, plus three bags of beans, since now we were going to have room to transport them.

Before leaving Oregon we made one last stop at Foris Vineyards. This is a place that you do not find by accident! Our GPS led us to the right place, partially down a dirt road,  but it turned out to be some good wine.

I was excited as we got on the road towards California, but still not prepared for that first view of the Redwoods! Just amazing! And then the first view of the west coast – so different from the east coast where I grew up.

 

We spent the next three nights in Klamath at a Holiday Inn Express. With a Casino attached. Hubby earned our “Lunch Money” one night. Well, that’s what he called it, but $7 doesn’t buy much lunch. It did, however, almost pay for that piece of luggage we’d purchased.

 

 

 

 

 

The Ocean

It (the ocean)  is my favorite thing, I think, that I have ever seen. Sometime I catch myself staring at it and forget my duties. It seems big enough to contain everything anyone could ever feel. – from All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Jacksonville Beach from the Pier

The following is a poem I wrote this past April. I’ll always remember the wonder of the starfish in the ocean and my kids’ enjoyment of the experience.

 

Starfish

It’s funny how the unexpected

can form an instant community

Like that July morning

at Siesta Key

when a delegation of starfish

drew us all together

as we dipped our toes

in the warm gulf waters

Beachgoers laughing and squealing

pointing and talking to each other

splashing and swimming

among the starfish that day

We formed a temporary friendship

over the joy of the ocean’s offerings

years later across the land

“Remember when” will be heard

and tales of the starfish

will be told