McMinnville, Oregon: Dave and I left Newport yesterday (Sunday) morning, driving north through Lincoln City, then took a right/east onto Highway 18 to reach McMinnville. McMinnville is the place of my birth. I do not remember this event at all (though my cousin swears there is a plaque somewhere in town), but my parents were living nearby and apparently McMinnville had the best hospital (and proximately to both sets of grandparents… so… here I am, 60-plus-several years later… returning to my roots. Just like Beverly Cleary, I am a girl from Yamhill. McMinnville also has the best option for a RV campsite anywhere even remotely close to Portland.
Just after settling-in to our campsite, we headed into the overly-cute McMinnville historic downtown to fetch pizzas from Third Street Pizza and take the pies to my cousin’s house. We shared the pizzas with my cousin Mike (his mom is my dad’s younger sister), and his wife Joyce. They were very generous to accept us tonight as they are in the middle of a move, but even in the middle of a move people need to eat.
Dave and I had such a wonderful evening with my family, catching-up and learning about their next chapter in a new location (closer to their grandchildren - sound familiar?). Even though they are in the middle of a move, Joyce baked a Marionberry Pie (so sad Lisa was not here - it is her all-time favorite) with berries from my aunt's farm.
Joyce and Mike gave us a quart of just-canned peaches. I enjoyed this juicy treat with my yoghurt and granola this morning. Thank you, dear cousins - this is as good as it gets.
Cousin Mike is a big golfer, and when we told him of our plan to golf Chehalem Glen Golf Course, he laughed and asked if we needed a few extra balls. This course is so hilly - and you shoot over ravines/canyons on most holes - so lose a lot of balls. It was a tough day. Marie and I are not planning to quit our day-jobs to join the LPGA tour anytime soon, but our husbands are very decent duffers. Even the boys were having a tough day on this long-drive-required course.
How many photos do you suppose I have posted on this blog of Dave with Matt on a golf course? These guys! Dave and I can't wait until Marie and Matt can visit us in La Quinta and golf on our home (ravine-free!) course.
Marie and I posed as well on this tricky hole. Maybe it it 16? There is just a wicked narrow little slash through the trees to reach the green. Dang if all four of us didn't whack our tee shots through the slot.
We are skilled!
Cousin Mike was right: this is a difficult golf course! Shooting over and over and over deep canyons. I kept thinking: Haven't we are already hit over this dale? Yes, we had. Back and forth. Up and Down. If you play this course, bring a lot of balls, but not a lot of money, because it isn't too expensive. Do not play this course without a cart unless you are an Olympic athlete... or a goat. SO. MANY. HILLS.
Before we left for our golf this morning, I made a paste of grated gruyere cheese, Dijon mustard and cracked black pepper, which was spread onto sliced baguette and toasted in the oven. A great appetizer (we were starving since only having fruit and yoghurt this morning before golf and nothing else all day).
Dinner tonight was a New York strip steak (grilled outdoors by DT), potato wedges roasted in the oven (by me), a wedge salad (moi, encore). Per usual, we did not finish even one steak and have plenty of taters left-over as well.
Brunch?
Until my next update, where we will complete errands in our old home town, I remain, your over-par correspondent.
RV PARK: Olde Stone Village - full-service campground. Very nice, large pull-through and back-in sites. In-season pool. Convenient location for McMinnville, Dundee and Oregon wine country. No live-ins. We are paying about $52 per night with a weekly rate.
Glad you had a good time at the golf course. Looks like Dave’s picture was on the 11th hole and yours was on the 7th. It was great to see you both and I would say that your plaque was at the hospital where both our kids were born but it went down after the earthquake several years ago, don’t know if they moved it to the new hospital.
Currents gallery is near you. My friend Claudia does amazing art work.