CANDACE AND ZOE DO BROOKINGS
Candace and Zoe arrived a little before 9:30 last night having driven 5 or more hours from Redding.

This morning it was a walk on the beach at 7:00, breakfast out, shopping for "stuff" (we bought two banners to fly outside the Boston home), repair to the trailer (there will be a RANT later about Fleetwood and how this company puts trailers together - do you hear that Fleetwood? It's going to hit the fan, damn you!). . . where was I? Okay, then shopping for investment homes (there's a glut of inventory in Brookings), a ride up the Chetco River, a stop at the local farmers market where a band played for the shoppers (Remember the Ventures? It was that kind of music that they played).

I love Brookings. When I like something I always say to Grace, "I like it so much that I'm going to marry it." Grace gets this look and says, "Papa, you're already married to Grammy!" And so it goes with Grace and I . . . back and forth about something that I like and then I want to marry it.

Brookings is much like the Gualala/Anchor Bay area where we've owned property and spent so much time. Both areas are "banana belts" which means little or no fog, lots of sun and fairly warm weather. Gualala and Brookings have rivers (the Gualala and Chetco, respectively) that empty into the ocean. Both places have the same "feel".

I have a sense that we'll invest in one or more properties here. January or February when the market is at a low will be the best time to buy and we'll wait for that time.

Tonight it's chicken splits or half chickens on the barbeque. They're marinating. Baked potato. Salad, hold the E. Coli. Next month when we're flying to and from Hawaii, I'm going to have the airport telephone operator page Mr. E. Coli . . call for Mr. E. Coli . . . Mr. E. Coli? White courtesy telephone please. There's surely someone out there with a last name of Coli and a first initial of E. Who knows, maybe someone will answer my page at one of the two airports we'll visit. I like doing things that that. . . Call for Mr. Wiser. Mr. Bud Wiser, white courtesy telephone, please!

Candace always washes our veggies in a solution of bleach (no kidding) - about 2 teaspoons and a little soap. We've learned that even this small amount of solution will dispell something like E. Coli or other bacteria that may inhabit our food.

It's a sunny September afternoon at the beach. There's a 3 knot breeze coming from the north west end of the park and a temperature of 67 degrees. Candace is off shopping. I'm outside with the computer on my lap. The dogs need a walk (again) and that's exactly where I'm headed . . . a nice long walk on the beach before an early dinner. I think that I'm going to marry this place.