CAPE MEARES RADAR STATION IN OCEANSIDE FROM WWII

If American history interests you and you happen to be in Oceanside here's something you should check out: tucked back in the woods up on the hill East of Radar Road in Oceanside are remnants of what is said to be a WWII early warning air defense radar station. In the little bit of information I could find online, it looks like it may have been Station B-25 (SCR-270 radar). This was one of a chain of 65 stations built along the Pacific Coast during WWII -- all for the same purpose. It was in use from 1942-1944. It no longer has a roof, doors, or guns, but the remaining structure is enough to get your imagination going. The trail to get up there resembles an elk trail, but it's worth the short walk through the brush to see it!

The lookout tower in the back of the structure with the hillside dug out behind.

 Wood planks still on-site that are notched on the ends & appear to have 

been headers over the entry.

We squeezed this walk into an already very full Saturday in honor of Memorial Day. The weather was perfect and the woods were lovely, as usual. It's hard to believe this has been here since 1942 and we just found out about it this year! It seems there is always something new to see, or do here that really isn't so new -- just new to me! This is definitely worth taking the time to see!

See you at the beach!
~Wendy

RETURN TO THE BAYOCEAN SPIT

Yesterday was one of those unexpected sunny, calm dry days here in Netarts.  It happens often in the Fall and Winter. The forecast calls for rain (and yesterday even thunderstorms), but to our surprise a beautiful day is delivered!  Dusty and I were in the office until 5pm after a very full day and could have easily kicked back for the night, but decided it would be shameful to waste such a nice evening.  By 5:15 we had our bikes in the back of the truck and were headed for the Bayocean Spit, about a 10 minute drive from Netarts.  You could see rain in the distance driving along Tillamook Bay over Garibaldi and some high rising cumulus clouds over the coast range, but so far no rain overhead!  We were just one of two cars in the Bayocean parking lot, which means we would practically have the place to ourselves.  One of many bonuses of Summer coming to an end!

Quickly we were on our way, with the intent of peddling to the South Jetty and mouth of Tillamook Bay (about 7.5 miles round trip).  As we headed up one of the first inclines not even a mile into our ride the right pedal of my bike suddenly snapped off underfoot.  I am under every impression this could have turned out much worse!  Fortunately we weren't too far from the truck and the only casualty besides the broken pedal was a scrape on the inside of my ankle.  Our attempts to repair the pedal were unsuccessful, so we backtracked just a little bit and ditched the bikes for a walk out one of the sandy trails to the beach.  

I stripped down to a t-shirt heading out the trail, realizing it was actually quite warm out for this time of night!  The beach revealed its glorious self as we came up over the dune.  The tide was heading out from eight feet at 2pm, which meant there was plenty of beach available for walking.  And, still no rain!

 As we walked toward the water Dusty spotted a crab pot in distance.  It appeared to have just washed up and be in decent shape.  Sure enough, as we got closer we knew it was worth taking a closer look.

Walking past the buoys and along the rope it was obvious this pot hadn't been in the water long. To our surprise once we reached the pot were live crab inside!  

Well, some of them were alive.  At closer inspection there were a couple half eaten in there -- likely the victim of cannibalism!  The crab that were alive (though moving slowly) were good sized.  The smaller crab stuck in the pot I'm pretty sure became the meal of the big guys/gals!  We decided to do our good deed for the day and release them all back to the sea.  

The tide eventually carried all of them away.  The last one was pretty sluggish, but still had a little life left in him.  Beautiful night for a rescue, right?

Once the crab were released we gathered up the rope and carried the pot back to where we'd left the bikes.  Dusty found a way to balance the pot on the handlebars of his bike and we made our way to the truck with ease.  Just as we reached the parking lot it started to rain.  I mean really rain!  We quickly loaded the bikes and our beach treasure feeling pretty fortunate to be back in the truck!  It rained all the way back to Netarts and into the night.  

While we weren't able to complete our original idea of fun for the evening, I'd say it turned out pretty good all in all.  I have some bike repair to do, but there were definitely multiple silver linings to the trip: I wasn't injured, we were only a mile from the truck when the pedal broke, we had a nice walk out to the beach because of it, enjoyed a spectacular display of cloud reflections over the beach and ocean, saved some crab from certain death, acquired a usable crab pot and made it back to the truck just as the rain arrived.  I can't wait to return -- roundtrip, or not!

p.s.  It turns out the forecast for today was correct.  The wind and rain are upon us!

See you at the beach!

~Wendy

www.iWantABeachHome.com  

Think You’ve Tried Everything? How About A Positive Attitude?

It’s the lead story on the news morning, noon and night, on the front page of the newspaper almost daily, it’s the headline on your favorite search engine, and is being chatted about over water coolers around the world. I am sure you are familiar with it – I am talking about negative press. “The US economy has fallen off a cliff!” states billionaire Warren Buffet. That can’t be good.

Something tells me words like these don’t do much for the economy, and have a way of elevating the fear amidst the general public, driving any potential homes sales into the ground. I often wonder what it would be like if the media reported positive news, and had to make positive statements about the economy for seven consecutive days. What effect do you think that would have on the attitude of the general public? Even one day of positive news would make a difference.

I have big ideas about the effects of having a positive attitude! Here’s something you can do yourself: If you currently have a home for sale, the next time someone asks you this redundant question, “How are things going?” Instead of your usual, “The market stinks” turn to them and say, “Things are going well, thank you for asking! I have a really good feeling Spring and Summer will bring buyers back to the market. I am really looking forward to receiving several decent offers by mid-Summer.” Whether, or not you actually believe this statement to be 100% true at this very moment in time is beside the point. The more you say it, the easier it will be to say, and the closer you will be to believing it yourself. Say it to the mirror if you have to! Just hearing yourself say it aloud will help your brain produce positive thoughts. If you don’t like this positive statement, come up with one that works for you.

Positive attitudes are contagious, in much the same way negative attitudes are. Real Estate is no exception. The Three Capes Loop area of Oceanside, Netarts & Cape Meares is quaint. Just a few people making positive statements could spread like wildfire! If you haven’t tried positive thinking and/or making positive statements already, it can’t hurt to try. If nothing else, it could put a smile on your face as you say it, make the person you’re saying it to smile, and maybe even make their mouth fall open! I think that would be okay!

Something worth mentioning: Warren Buffet made a positive statement, as well. He said, "Everything will be all right. We have the greatest economic machine that man has ever created." Unfortunately, it was the last sentence in the collection of statements he made. Fortunately, we can recognize it to be “Better late then never!”

I think it is time to take as much as we can into our own hands. Maybe do things a little differently around here! Practice positive thinking. Make positive statements first and a positive attitude shall follow. It may not come easily, you might feel silly doing it at first, and it could require practice, but it can be done. Set your doubt aside and do it! Say something positive now!

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Sincerely,Wendy Stevens