Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head

    We left California and the plan was to drive up the coast on a mostly "scenic highway" to a town called Newport.  We would get there in time to have dinner at a nationally known brewery, Rogue, and then I would drive the remaining hour or so to my brothers home in Corvallis.  It started lightly raining when we hit the Oregon border and this was a sign of things to come.  The word Scenic Highway actually means winding, narrow and slow moving roads.  While most of them are beautiful, they can be challenge for the driver. It can also challenge the back seat passenger who may suffer a slight case of car sickness.   Rogue Brewery was fun,  The building sat beneath a bridge and looked as if it had been there a very long time; weathered by the wind and moisture.  It was definitely a bare-bones eatery and it was too late to take any kind of a tour.  After a dinner of brewery fare, including root beer for me, we headed back out into the drizzle and I now drove in a direction we had not taken in weeks, East...
     Corvallis, a small community located on the Willamette River between the Coastal Mountain range to the west and the Cascades to the east, has been home to my brother and his wife for about a year and a half.  For the almost 40 years prior, they lived on about 13 acres in the Tucson desert.  The difference in climate and community is drastic and takes some adjustment.  All my previous visits had been spent in dry desert with no humidity and endless "good" hair days.  Corvallis lives up to its Latin name, Heart of the Valley.  It is home to Oregon State University and it reminded me of West Chester with a slightly more West Coast feel of being laid back and home to like-minded people concerned about environment, alternate energy sources, natural foods and intellectual stimulation. Old hippies is a term of endearment.
     We arrived around 5 and Bob and I were so glad to see Kai.  It had been too long.  It didn't take long to remember her sparkling eyes and gentle laugh.  We schlepped all of our bags into their home.  It was nice to be in a home setting.  Using a stove, opening a refrigerator, having a meal at a dining room table and going into a yard were things I didn't realize I missed.  Since we had been sitting all day in the car it was only natural that we needed to walk off some of that stiffness.  Wally had warned me before our trip that they do things outdoors, regardless of the weather, and to bring rain gear.  I am glad we did.  Our first walk through Corvallis was just a neighborhood walk.  One they obviously have done numerous times.  It was getting dark and was raining pretty good by then.  Our walk was not cut short, though, and the moisture actually felt good. Everything is so green and the flower species are abundant and well-manicured.  We stopped by the alternative food Co-op where Wally and Kai do most of their food shopping.  After picking up some essentials it was time to head home.  I was pretty soaked by this time and was amused at how I never really enjoyed going out into the rain until tonight. I have come to terms with the fact that I won't be coming home with a vacation tan.