Toward the end of July we met up with dear friends (the kind of friends that you’d also consider family) on the Oregon Coast.
These are friends I met in Bend, Oregon where I lived for 14 years until my husband Terry suddenly died in 2018. I haven’t been able in the 4.5+ years since moving to Colorado to bring myself to return to Bend, Oregon for a visit (such an awesome life…nearly perfect… was lost there and I still have some trauma from coming home and finding my life partner on the floor dead in the house I’d plan to live in with him the rest of my life…too painful to return yet…) and I didn’t want try to ask my friends to come all the way to Denver again to visit us, so the “compromise” was to meet up the Oregon Coast (via Portland, Oregon).
It wasn’t much of a “compromise” as I love the Oregon Coast; and John (my new life partner) hasn’t been to the Oregon Coast, one of my favorite places in the world (or the places I’ve been in the world), and I was so excited to share it with him.

Central Oregon Coast map from aaroads.com/guides/us-101-or/
The plan was meet up with our friends in Newport, Oregon on the Oregon Coast the next day after flying into Portland, Oregon. We rented a car and here was our travel route (with lots of beauty along the way to see on the Pacific Coast Highway/Highway 101):

Image from Google Maps
But along the way we decided to stop in McMinnville, Oregon for lunch and to visit a quilt shop I had visited many years ago (I think before blogging as I could not find a blog post about it, ha!) – Boersma’s Sewing Center.
John sat in “the husband area” (ha!) with the vacuums (they sell sewing and vacuum related items) while I browsed.

After the quilt shop we headed to a lovely brewery (Two Dogs Taphouse) nearby for a delicious lunch:

We loved that they had a cozy sitting area, actually like a living room, that you could relax in with your beer and your food and watch TV:
After lunch we stopped at Third Street Books (how can I pass up an independent bookstore?) on our way to our car:
And then off to Depoe Bay (the town before Newport as you head south down the Oregon Coast) where we would be spending the night until we met up with our friends the next day in Newport, Oregon.









You have to appreciate a place that caters to the other half of life… My favourite quilt shop to visit when we go on holiday has a pub next door where I can park the Husband while I spend money. Such a pity other places are not so considerate… Your trip looks lovely, and with so much light house potential!
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That sounds like a perfect combination – quilt shop and pub – ha! Husband parking spots are important and allows more time to browse without guilt 🙂
Thanks for your comments 🙂
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What a lovely trip! That quilt shop and restaurant look wonderful, and an independent bookstore is always worth a stop! Did you guys stop at Powell’s at all?
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Thanks and yes we did stop in Powell’s on the way back to the Portland airport to fly home, John has never seen Powell’s (I’ve been there like a zillion times but I never tire of it!) 🙂
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It is pretty awesome!
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What a lovely little town. I’ve been to Bend, stayed there for the summer quilt show in Sisters several times, and it’s a great place to live. I can understand why you aren’t ready to go back. It takes a lot of time to get over that kind of trauma. I will pray you do, though. I’ve not been to McMinnville, but I think I’d like it very much! The book store and quilt shop would have been irresistable to me, and maybe even Two Dogs, minus the beer. LOL I’m so glad you had a good day.
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It is a lovely town and I was lucky to live there, I loved Sisters too and of course the Stitchin Post quilt shop and the annual outdoor quilt show! Thanks for checking out the start of my Oregon Coast adventures 🙂
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I admire your resolve…it appears to have been the right time for you to make this trip. Not necessarily easier to do, just time to do it.
hugs
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Thanks so much 🙂
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What a treat — lunch sandwiched between visits to a quilt shop and a book store.
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That is a very good day in my opinion 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
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Great planning for a mid point stop. Don’t like seeing a pupster tied up outside a shop though 😟 They tend to go missing here.
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Thanks and hopefully nothing happened to the pup, I can definitely see the risks of doing that!
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well, here I am, late as usual – I’ve so much going on personally – and just got behind with reading again!
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