One of the greatest things about the fulltime RV lifestyle is the friends we have made along the way. From the east coast to the west coast and everywhere in between we have met wonderful people that we cross paths with from time to time all over the country. And most fulltimers will agree that many times these friendships are stronger than the relationships we had with people back when we live in a sticks and bricks house.
For the last week we’ve been at the Whalers Rest Thousand Trails preserve, where friends Dan and Patty Chance and solo RVer Nancy Kissack are also staying. We’ve enjoyed visiting with them when they or we are not out exploring the local area. And yesterday more friends arrived!
Back when we were holding our Gypsy Journal rallies, Tom and Barbara Westerfield were dedicated volunteers who never missed a western rally and worked long hours helping with all kinds of details to make sure the events went over smoothly. We developed a close friendship with them and whenever we’re in the same area we always make it a point to get together. When we learned they were going to be on the Oregon coast this summer we started making plans to coordinate our travels to be at the same place at the same time. Yesterday they arrived here in Newport, and all seven of us got together for dinner.
Last week Terry and I discovered Kam Meng Chinese Restaurant, and after hearing us tell them how good their food is, it was decided to eat there. We had a wonderful meal with lots of talking and laughter, and I think everybody else came away as impressed with the restaurant as we are.
As impressive as the food is, the owner is even more so. Huiya Chen is a beautiful, charming woman who is amazingly talented. Growing up a poor child in China, she heard music in her head all the time and danced to the melodies in her mind, often drawing disapproval from her parents.
The family moved to Eugene, Oregon when she was a teenager, and when someone told Huiya people could play the pianos in the University of Oregon’s music department for free, she rode her bicycle there one morning and started playing the music that had been locked inside her head for so many years. The hours flew by like minutes, and when she finally took a break she discovered it was 11 p.m.! She’s been playing ever since. We met Huiya at dinner and she played her piano for us, a beautiful song that I loved.
Huiya is also an amazing artist and the restaurant has several of her paintings on display, and prints for sale. Most of them have a coastal nautical theme, and if we had a house with room to display them I’d own a few. They are all beautiful, but two really spoke to my heart. You can learn more about Huiya, and hear samples of her music on her website. I’m glad we got to meet this wonderful new friend, and we look forward to stopping in to see her again before we leave here next week.
After dinner Terry and I spent some time at the beach near our campground, a long stretch of sand and water that stretched as far as the eye could see, and besides us, there were no more than five or six people in sight. It was like having our own private beach.
It had been a nice day but it was cooling down and a steady breeze was blowing off the water so we were both glad we were wearing our Frogg Toggs Toadz Rage Jackets. We love these jackets. They are incredibly lightweight and we can roll them up in a ball and stash them in a corner in the back of the Explorer until needed, then drag them out and they still look good. They are waterproof and the sleeves and waist are adjustable to keep out drafts. This isn’t your grandpa’s windbreaker, baby!
This beach would be a good place for kite flying, and Dan said something about doing that today. Nancy was all for that, and she has a new Prism Quantum she’s looking forward to trying out, so it looks like we may have another fun day ahead of us.
Another of my friends, Ella Medler, has joined with several other romance authors to put together a box set of fifteen novels and novellas called Affairs of the Heart, all for just 99¢. What a deal! Get your copy today.
Thought For The Day – Trying to blow out someone’s else’s candle won’t make yours shine any brighter.
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Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Love our Frogg Toggs jackets! We got them after you wrote about yours 2 or 3 years ago and wore them on our trip to Alaska last summer. Its amazing how warm and dry such a lightweight jacket can make you.