Summer days on the Cape

Long walks in the meadows, on the rivers, by the shore.
Parade watching on the Fourth.
Al fresco dining on the deck.

Days are cool compared to other places. Summer temperatures may rise into the 70's and cool down into the 50's. Great weather for walks, berry picking, fishing, crabbing, and visiting outdoors with friends.  Families gather under the stars and count the many constellations they can identify. Lights are off in town, so, after ten or so, the sky is the only light around.

Dogs are everywhere, riding shot-gun, walking alongside, swimming, lounging, constant companions everywhere. Lake Garrison is the optimal place for Butters (my son Brian's dog) to chase balls until he tires. Better yet, until his human tires.

Rides may take more time than usual, because of tourists, because of flaggers, because of vistas that take your breadth away at every corner.
This summer, on the first weekend in August Cape Blanco will host its first Country Music Festival, sponsored by Bi-Mart. Fifteen thousand people are expected to descend on the coast for this occasion. All the local towns within twenty-thirty miles from the Cape are booked solid. This even will showcase the beauty and the tranquil setting of the Cape. With cool temperatures, hanging out at an outdoor event should be grand!

What do people do?

More than half of all the inhabitants in Curry County (our county, comprising of towns like Brookings, Gold Beach, Port Orford, Langlois, and smaller communities like Agnes and Nausika Beach and Laurel Grove) are of retirement age. They bring a great deal of stability to the county, with their own money, their own needs for services.  The rest are old time families who have ranched on this coast for as long as Oregon became Oregon. They came west with few friends or family and they established homesteads and services to support ranching and farming.  The Army/Cavalry founded its first fort at Fort Orford, and established provisions and defense for miners, loggers and fishermen who settled here and found easy work in these industries.

Nowadays, artists outnumber fishermen, ranchers, and lumbermen. Mining for gravel and landscaping materials still goes on by the rivers; lumber is still harvested in the groves right off the highway, but these industries are no longer what they used to be.

In our little town of just over a thousand inhabitants, thirty percent just summer people, artists enjoy a peaceful and beautiful landscape to produce and create. Six, locally owned galleries displaying local art dot the main road. In the hills, by the lake, and throughout this land writers. musicians, sculptors, painters, ceramicist, potters, dramatists, fine woodworkers, actors, cinematographers, directors, scrimshaw and mixed media artists give this town a true creative personality.

My husband and I collect local art and appreciate the richness of offerings available to us.
In the picture above, we have a bust by Julie Hawthorne, "Birdland", and a painting by Elaine Roemen, "The Elk River." 

A town that buzzes with artistic personalities leaves a mark on all residents; but it really helps our schools. Local artists like Lani Johnson have organized demonstrations and workshops that expose students to many art forms and many artists. Their enthusiasm and generous spirit can truly transform the new generation.