A Lovin’ Spoonful

We’ve  been back home going about our normal routine for a few days now, though the post-wedding bliss continues unabated. It’s still a novelty to refer to Tara as “my wife,” and I’m sure that will give me a thrill to say for some time. Coworkers joke about “the ol’ ball and chain,” but they also greeted me with a round of applause when I walked through the door on Tuesday and were genuinely happy for me, so I’ll forgive them their cynicism. Apparently, the guys who saw pictures (male coworkers and the husbands of female coworkers) wanted to know why they didn’t get to wear tuxedo t-shirts to their weddings, so my attire made quite the impression. Maybe I’ll launch a new casual wedding trend?

I doubt it, but it’s a nice thought.

We are also still reaping the bounty of our wedding weekend; Monday, Scott and Esther made us fish tacos using some of the sea bass we brought back, and last night, Tara and I enjoyed steamed Dungeness crab. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m starting to get seafooded out. This doesn’t bode well for our freezer, which is stuffed with plenty more fish and crab. Maybe in a few days it’ll sound appealing again.

One thing I forgot to mention in my wedding post: Friday evening, we started noticing spouts of water offshore, visible with the naked eye from our beach house. Turns out we were witness to migrating gray whales! Well, all but my mom, who was either always looking in the wrong spot or turning away at the exact moment they breached the surface. It was still pretty cool to see. I miss the sights, the scents, and the sounds of last weekend. I have a white noise machine and the first couple of nights back home I played the ocean sounds, but it’s just not the same as the real thing. A few weeks ago Tara asked me if I could ever see myself living on the Oregon coast, and I said at the time, probably not. I’d miss Portland too much. But after last weekend, I do in fact think I would be quite happy in a coastal town. Probably Astoria, which is much less touristy and stripmallish. A nice old Victorian perched on the side of a hill with a view of the Columbia River and/or Pacific Ocean? Yeah. I can see that. Plus, Astoria has both a Fred Meyer and a Burgerville, so I’d be set. And PDX is less than two hours away. If it was good enough for the Goonies and Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’d be good enough for me, too. Even Newport or Lincoln City have their charms. If we ever come into a lot of money and can afford to take the plunge, I’d like to do it. It helps that I really like gray skies and clouds, and detest hot weather. In that regard, I’d feel right at home.

We have even joked about opening up our own restaurant. There’s a boarded-up place in Lincoln City called The Lovin’ Spoonful that would be perfect for us. It’s even got a peace symbol on the sign! It’s small and cozy, and we could decorate it with our lava lamps and others 60s and 70s kitsch. I looked them up on Yelp, and they were open until April, 2012. Too bad we missed out on going! It got pretty good reviews, was decorated with old rock ‘n roll album covers, and served comfort food like “Simon and Garfunkel’s Chicken Pot Pie.” This, my friends, is right up our alley, and a concept we could have fun with. We’ve even discussed a menu, and talked about what some of our signature dishes would be. Tracy’s clam chowder, for one. My mom’s chicken paprikas. Tara’s chicken chimichangas. My fried chicken. We could do some fun themed burgers: the Woodstock burger (with lots of ‘shrooms), the Purple Haze burger (grilled red onions), the Apollo burger (served with a tiny American flag poking through the bun and described as “out of this world!”). The possibilities are endless. I know that restaurants are a LOT of work and we’d probably get burned out after a couple of years, but I also see it as a fun venture. Again, dependent on coming into a lot of money, though.

Dare to dream.

Not much else new to report. My employer’s annual symposium is a week away, and I’ll be glad when that is over and done with. I’m not exactly looking forward to giving a presentation in front of a crowd of strangers, but I’m less thrilled about giving up three whole days of quality time with Tara. We’re newlyweds, dammit! Just having the conference finished will allow me to breathe again.

On a positive note, fall has apparently arrived early this year. It’s been a cool week, and this morning, it was a downright crisp 44 degrees. Plus, rain is in the forecast 5 out of the next 7 days. This usually doesn’t happen until October, but I for one am not complaining. Fall is my favorite time of year!

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