Today, we left about 1 to go into Newport. Fortunately, it was sunny. It seems to have been sunny on all the days we have gone out, and since it usually raining when we stay home, that is something.
We went to the South Beach first to explore there. There is a marine center there.
We then went to the Bayfront. There are so many different parts of ocean here and so many different access points they have to give all their different oceanside parts different names. The Bayfront is kind of like the downtown with lots of shops, cute little touristy shops, all along one main street. If you go further down that street, you see the ocean, in all of its majesty - it is big. And a state park.
I was able to walk around here for about half an hour and enjoy myself. It was cool seeing everything and it was a nice day, and listening to the music on my Walkman, too.
Some things I saw that are worth remembering:
1. Sea lions - about 20 all lying on a dock in the center of town, with people crowding around. My, were they loud! Cool to look at but got old quick.
2. Baitful Dead (Grateful Dead) tie dye tshirt - Typical Dead tshirt with crabs and lobsters around it!
3. Some people fishing off a dock, and I actually got to see them reel in a crab they caught, and a mink underneath they used as bait.
This is a hippe town, and that makes me laugh. I also saw an old VW van, rusting, green, looking very much like it was from the 60s in its original shape. And, at the marine center, which had some very colorful, neon gift shops around it, they actually had one, maybe two, cut-outs or paintings of the Yellow Submarine - now how cool is that?
A couple candy shops, several clam shacks, a fish market. Some resteraunts. Lots of wharfs, docks, places to view the ocean. Ten times as much as Portland (Maine)'s waterfront offers, I have to say. As much as I like Portland.... :)
Anyway....Where was I. Yeah, so walked the length of the street and back. Then went into the Nye Beach area, which is beautiful, and has a huge beyond belief beach, but it was way too windy. So I walked up the street looking at shops....but there weren't many and nothing of interest. So I asked a woman how to get back to the van at the community college, and by following her directions more or less I ended up exactly where I wanted to be: right by the road that led back to the bayfront, which I thought I'd had to find from the van. Wow, not often that directions lead you in places you hadn't even hoped you would find. Found out it's only a 15 minute walk from Nye Beach to the bayfront, connecting the two parts of town, not hard at all. Less than the distance from Good Food to Bernice's in Missoula. There is a huge hill going one way, but not sure the incline, might not be as bad as it looks going back up.
So went back to bayfront, much sunnier there. Sat, looked around for a bit. Walked some more.
Ended up getting some fish at the fish market! Was able to do so without going in as was open market. Got shrimp (from Mexico) and frozen salmon. Wasn't sure of quality of either product but really wanted shrimp.
Made a shrimp scampi - trying to satisfy my goal of learning how to cook! Got some angel hair pasta, and my roommate helped me figure out how to sautee the shrimp and so on. We put some butter and some olive oil and diced some garlic up and sauteed it together and then sauteed the shrimp. Okay, they weren't as tasty as Maine shrimp but they were still good. It felt pretty cool to have sauteed something more or less on my own after some initial guidance from my roommate. It ended up quite good although next time I may just do without the pasta.
She also gave me some vegetables she sauteed and I actually ate them this time, a little bit. My other goal is to start eating more veggies and less chicken and less protein in general. May take some time but. My stomach actually feels much better after the veggies have been processed. It was feeling pretty icky all day. So that is one good thing.
Still don't have clothes issues solved, soon hopefully, maybe tomorrow. It's still pretty cold here, rainy and in the 50s most of the time, so it's been pretty cold inside too (heated by wood stove which few wood is left for it so not used much). That is a little frustrating but hopefully warmer weather will come soon. Feeling a bit lost and adrift. Was high on the adrenaline of being someplace new and having a new challenge to face and figure out and so on in the first few days, but that is fading and leaving me with worries. Trying to figure out how to structure time and what I can rely on and what I can't; discovering it's a bit frustrating not to have cell phone reception as I can't stand the regular phones for very long and therefore I just don't call anyone, but I'm used to venting a good deal of my emotions and worries and gaining emotional connections through phone calls to friends. Have reception in Newport but too busy walking around to use phone then. :)
All the old ways and habits have to be replaced by new ones, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's going to take some getting used to. I have been enjoying all of the interaction and conversation with my roommate, for example, but I need to have some time alone to be centered and relaxed, and that's hard when I'm sitting in the living room and am in talking distance of her because we, well, talk. And when it's too cold I can't focus on the computer so that's not reliable and that's worriesome. I'm not used to being so cold! I've had more trouble using the computer, which is frustrating as well. And the clothes issues. Not having a reliable place to use computer and phone, yea those take the most getting used to. I enjoy my roommate so much that the frequent interaction has not beem a problem, as it would be with most people, and has even been quite enjoyable, but still, I think at some point we will have to come down to more normal levels. And my room being problematic makes me a bit nervous.
Still, she's a great person who's fun to talk to and is really trying.
It's a pretty area.
I have to remember to be grateful for what I have and think of the alternatives.
It's just a lot of change to get used to!
She told me I did a good job handling the airline fiasco. That I did a great job coming across country and taking a risk like that that she couldn't do that. That made me feel good, both things.
Yeah I feel very uprooted and if i had more stability with the computer and a room I felt comfortable in I'd feel less so. Her being so wonderful has made it a lot easier and it's not terrible but I just worry once the "honeymoon stage" is over if I will have enough things left to keep me together. Hopefully it will get warmer so using the computer in the living room will be easier.
I look forward to taking pictures with the camera of the area once Puppup sends it to me.
Anyway I'd best be finishing up here and going to bed soonish.
Kate
The Future of Trades
6 months ago
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