January 16, 2005
-
The Siletz
First thing the next morning, after I stop for coffee, I head to the Siletz River. Right there at the bridge, as you turn left –I’m headed south – is the restaurant. The last time I was here it was boarded-up and forgotten, tempting me. It had so much promise, nestled back in by the river. It is tucked in beneath the bridge that goes over the bay. It’s probably five acres of river-front property that nobody had done anything with for a very long time.
The sun is shining hard but it’s a cold January morning. I pull into the newly-graded parking lot. There is a beautiful cedar fence, with fancy halogen lights, that extends all the way down to the river. Someone has done wonderful things here, and I get out to see what. The restaurant looks closed but just to make sure I peek in the window. I can’t see much but I can see that it’s not open. It’s not even ten o’clock.
I follow the freshly laid asphalt path down to the lower level. The sign says “Lounge.” On the restaurant side of the path, down to the deck, there are planter boxes in tiers, filled with herbs for the kitchen, no doubt. I pick a sprig of rosemary. I bet they use the nasturtium petals as garnish. The deck is more sheltered from the wind. I set my tablet on the 2 X 8 slab of wood that serves as a railing around the deck. It is the perfect width to rest drinks on. Its backsplash is the same age but rough hewn and gradually raised in the center of the deck. Somebody’s hand-cut it for this space, like furniture.
Looking upstream, into the sun, I have to shield my eyes. I have camped on this river, up around the bend. And I’ve been up and down its banks, on a fishing boat. The geese notice me, from the other side. Squinting against the sun, I look across the sleepy river to see the flock standing on the bank. Squawking at the lone intruder, they are protecting the wildlife reserve that is their side of the river. I turn to go back up when my hand discovers the delicate rounded edge these handsome railings have. It’s as if they were made for someone in a wheelchair. At great expense, someone has fashioned a raised bar above the rail, for the perfect grip. It runs the full length of the path, back up to the parking lot.
to be continued…..
.
Comments (4)
this is well-done… perfect description with a matching tone and just a hint of what’s ahead! nicely nicely done!!!!
I loved this post for I could feel the words
not just your descriptions…
I felt the sun of janurary shining as you unweaved your story
and I wait ever so patiently
for the next sample
I *smile*
we have different styles and we are both learning a lot, but that doesn’t mean that yours is lesser developed than mine… it’s just different. look at the vivid description work in your pieces and then try to find that in mine… i’m very sparse with the setting while you’re rich… different- but good!
Random props.