August 13

We spent a leisurely morning hangin with Shirley, then headed for the Brookings Harbor Farmers Market. It proved uninspiring, but we did meet a seafood vendor who turned us on to the best area fish market and restaurant. So we headed up Hwy 101 to Gold Beach to the Porthole Cafe and their adjacent market. It was sublime, a classic roadside bar. Bloody Mary's, fish & chips with fresh Pacific cod (or halibut), and even an Ernest Borgnine photo taken with the proprietor. Who the hell is Ernest Borgnine? He's an obscure, long dead actor (though he did win a best actor academy award), made famous to me from his starring role as Rear Admiral Quinton McHale in McHale's Navy (alongside Tim Conway as Ensign Charles Parker). I'll spare you the story, but suffice it to say he stars in a continuing meme I've used for years, his random appearance on the restaurant wall capped off the charm of the place.

We picked up some smoked salmon (local of course) for a beach sunset picnic, along with some fresh ground chinook salmon for burgers tomorrow night. Our evening picnic was also sublime, a blustery, crystal clear evening on the beach...