The New Life in Ocean Park, WA

Jenny and I left Bend, OR on Jan. 8th.  In the 4 weeks we've been here in Ocean Park,WA we've been busy trying to get our house in order. It's getting there but we have a multitude of handy work jobs that needed to be done to our house and property. We managed to get the entire inside of the house primed so we can paint it, so that's the next big project. Unfortunately the outside of the house will have to be cleaned of the mold and painted fairly soon too.

I don't know what you think about painting but to me it is one of my least favor things to do. I'd rather be a stunt double in a Jackass movie than have to pick up a brush or roller, let alone paint the entire inside of a house.  Where are the "Queer Eyes for the Straight Guy" when you really need them I ask. I'm totally capable of doing it myself but I could think of a 1,000 other things I'd rather be doing. For Jenny, she loves it, she says, "It's the process and the journey to the finished product." God love her, I wish I had the same zeal and desire to be a fixer upper. Still as Jenny says, "Jeff, help me get it done and I'll make it fun", which she always does.

When we drove into the driveway here 4 weeks ago to our horror the yard had been taken over by a group of some pesky moles that have started a small farm in both the front and back yard. The little buggers have made hills everywhere. I'd like to take the Bill Murray (Caddy Shack) approach and vaporize them with a large nuclear device but realize maybe I'm wanting to use to big of a hammer to get rid of the little vermin.

We need to replace carpet, go through the enormous pile of paddy whacks, junk and various other items we can't live without that are collecting dust or should I say mold in our small garage. We have an unfinished storage shed the previous owner built in the back yard that I think I will use a nuclear device on. It's an amazing piece of architecture and design. The shed is a nice size but the floor was built with plywood and wooden pallets covered in carpet remnants which stink of mold and mildew. The outside walls and roof are only stapled with plastic sheeting. If the inside of the shed wasn't ruined I finished it with some siding and roofing material. It'll just have to be taken down, it's a shame really, it would have been a nice shed. I've probably bored you with enough of the home improvement rant so I'll move on.

Jenny started her nursing job in Astoria, OR and I've been on the job hunt since I got here. Thankfully over the last several days things have started to break for me. I got a part-time job at a Corrections Facility in OR.

I also got another part-time job delivering mail via truck from Portland to the Post Offices in the Seaside, Warrenton & Hammond, OR which I start today. It's only 3 days a week but pays very well and it along with the corrections job should keep me busy. It'll be weird going back to driving a big rig. I haven't been in a big truck since October of 2001. I guess with 20 years of prior experience it isn't like I forgot how.

My 3rd part-time job will be driving School Buses for the Pacific County School District. I'm training for that job as well. I've never driven a Bus before but I've driven every imaginable Big Rig so really it'll be more about how I deal with 30 screaming kids. So between the 3 jobs I could work seven days a week if I wanted to. Hopefully one of the 3 will work into a full time job.  

It's been an adjustment living on this peninsula in Washington. It takes us nearly 5 minutes just to drive to the closest main road near our house, then another 20 minutes to Long Beach, WA and 40 to 50 minutes to get Astoria and Warrenton, OR. There are 2 main roads that lead south to Long Beach and Astoria. Both are small narrow 2 lane roads with slow traffic all the way along the peninsula. We've heard the Pacific County Sheriffs Dept. strictly enforces the 55 MPH speed limit so we just take it slow.  

It's been a real exercise in patience for me to just take it easy and get use to the slow pace in small town America again. That along with most stores in Ocean Park and Long Beach closing at 5 pm and most grocery stores closing at 8 pm makes it difficult sometimes if you're an evening or night person. It's a lot like living and Gilligan's Island sometimes to be sure.

The upside about living her is that it is a very beautiful place we're less than a mile from the beach and our house is in a very quiet neighborhood surrounded by trees. (Good News Bad News on the tree thing, more on that later.)

I'm very excited about the fishing prospects when the summer gets here too. I've loved the small town people atmosphere. It's a big change from living in San Diego and Sacramento. You don't see many $200, 000 Mercedes or Hummers running down the highway. It's mainly working middle class people and retired folks.

The other bad news for me is that our home is in an isolated area surrounded by tall trees that wouldn't allow me to get a DirecTV signal. I had to go to a Sports Bar out here to watch the Playoff games. It gets worse I can't even get cable either. I seriously doubt I can even pick anything up on a UHF antenna.

I've been told by my neighbors that I may be able to get a Dish signal but they don't have the NFL Sunday Ticket so I may be stuck watching the Seattle Seadogs next season if I get Dish. Hopefully the Broncos will get a lot of nationally televised games next year. I guess my only option to get the Broncos games out here will be by computer or Sirius Radio.  I'm going to make another attempt to get DirecTV in late summer even if I have to chop down every tree in Washington to get a signal. I'm kidding of course but life without the Broncos on Sunday is something I can't begin to comprehend.

Hope I didn't bore you with this long blog but that's the story from here. I'm going to be very busy the next several weeks so it will probably take me a while to respond if you email me but I'll get back to you. Hope all is well in your world.