BETTER VIEW FOR BETTER TIMES

This better view comes from Front Street in Coos Bay.

Better than what?

It’s a better view than the parking lot outside my motel door, but I’m not complaining.

A ship, a bay, and a dream of discovery.

What else would you want?

When you talk to someone about their hometown the topic eventually comes to getting out, escaping, like it had a fence around it keeping everyone in.

But that’s a mental thing. Sure, your hometown is great, but . . .

Then you get a little older, then a little more, and what happens?

You talk about going back, and when you go you see it through adult eyes that have seen more of the world than you did at eighteen.

But at eighteen what did you know about where you lived?

“Not much,” is my answer. Being eighteen is my excuse.

I remember being disappointed that the Empire State Building wasn’t in Empire, Oregon when I was in kindergarten.

Everything I wanted to know more about was someplace else.

The View From Someplace Else

If I were a pirate I’d hijack that ship, sail under this bridge, and head for open water.

But I’m no pirate. Not a sailor either.

I am, however, an observer. Since I got married and had kids, being an observer has come in handy.

“What are you doing? Nothing? Could you do nothing quieter?”

The big thing I’ve seen from going around is how much people love having a ‘water view.’

Whether a lake view, river view, or bay view, people want to see water.

Don’t ask me why, but it’s probably something about nature and being a witness in the comfort of a cozy room with a big window.

Or it’s watching the work of a busy port town.

Coos Bay looks busy with ships loading wood chips in town and on the North Spit road over the causeway off 101.

I rented a place in Tacoma with a view of Puget Sound and saw one ship.

The water was near the front door in Hawaii, Lincoln City, Cannon Beach, and Depot Bay.

Were there ‘Tsunami Zone’ signs? Yes. Did I have an escape plan?

Certain things come with a water view, hopefully not a tidal wave.

View From The Other Side Of The Spit

Look like a water view to me.

So does this:

But Front St. is locked down.

When a local economy transitions from resource extraction to tourism, build the attraction with better views.

And that means water views.

Meet me on the bay, the north bend of it.