Sentimental type? Mom will love it
The news release says, “Cherish her.”
Now, I loved my mom. But I did not “cherish” her. And if I had, she would have sent me right down to the barn to shovel out the horse stall.
She wasn’t a particularly sentimental sort.
Nevertheless, I’m sure plenty of you subscribe to the Vaseline-smeared-lens version of motherhood, and The Ocean Lodge’s “Cherish Mom” package is meant just for you.
The Cannon Beach, Ore., spot will help you celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with an afternoon English tea and your very own copy of author Garry Cale’s book, “Cherish Her.”
No doubt Cale is a most sincere fellow, but my mother, wherever she may be, is rolling her eyes up a storm right now. His Web site encourages you to “strengthen the relationships with the women in your life using my new book as your guide.”
And it goes on to say, “She is more precious than moonlight. Her love brings sunlight to your days.”
Excuse me for a minute.
OK, I’m fine now.
On Saturday, May 13, The Ocean Lodge hosts a book reading and signing, along with the aforementioned tea, after which you can retire to the room of your choice and reflect on all you’ve learned.
Cherishing your mom will set you back anywhere from $169 to $279 per night, depending on her taste in lodging. All guest rooms come with fireplaces and access to the lobby cookie jar, where you’ll find homemade goodies around the clock. But only some include Jacuzzi tubs.
To find out more about The Ocean Lodge, visit www.theoceanlodge.com or call (888) 777-4047. Cale has a Web site, too, at www.cherishher.com.
Loyal friends
Down the coast from The Ocean Lodge in Newport, Ore., there’s always something going on.
I defy you to find me a more festival-friendly city. The Newportians or Newportese or whatever they call themselves will whoop it up about anything. They’ll celebrate whales, jazz, seafood, ships – you name it.
And for 49 years now, they’ve been celebrating loyalty.
They’ll make it 50 from May 4 to 7 with their Loyalty Day and Seafair Festival.
I’ll be honest with you. I’d never heard of Loyalty Day. But according to organizers, it became a national event in 1950. The Veterans of Foreign Wars started the whole thing as a way for Americans to rededicate themselves to their country.
But apparently, the best way to honor loyalty is not with tearful confession of how we’ve lost our way from God and country.
It is with bed races.
There’s also a carnival, classic car show, the crowning of the Loyalty Day queen and a “traditional homegrown patriotic parade” with floats, high school bands, firefighters and horses.
You can learn more at www.discovernewport.com. Or call the Newport Chamber of Commerce at (800) 262-7844.
Maritime time
Armed with the catchy title “The Future of the Downtown Waterfront,” the Seattle Maritime Festival gets under way May 4 with “Stories of the Sea,” a poetry competition offering cash prizes to the top three versifiers.
But the festival really gets moving on May 6, otherwise known as Family Fun Day. Some 250 sailboats, yachts, tugboats and other waterborne conveyances will make their way through the Montlake Cut while 20,000 spectators watch what organizers call the largest boat parade in the country. About 40 tugs will also line up for the world’s largest tugboat race, and some will even display their versatility in the tugboat and fireboat ballet.
If you find yourself without a boat, sign up for the Quick and Dirty Boatbuilding Competition, wherein teams compile a vessel from standard materials.
Or just tie on the feedbag at the Waterfront Chowder Cook-Off, with creations from Anthony’s Pier 66, Ivar’s, Elliott’s Oyster House, Steamer’s Seafood Cafe at Pier 56 and a host of other fine eateries.
That’s not all. The festival includes free harbor tours, a “Future of the Waterfront” exhibit, a Coast Guard sea-air rescue demonstration, remote control boats, a documentary on labor leader Harry Bridges, the Port of Seattle Police Department’s K-9 team, free wooden boat building for kids and lots more.
Admission to the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center is free all day, and kids get into the Seattle Aquarium for free with a paying adult.
There’s an exhaustive list of events at www.portseattle.org/news/events/maritime_2006.shtml.
Regional events
“ Annual Essexpress Railfan Weekend, May 5-7, Essex, Mont. Tell your train stories, check out train slides and chase the trains themselves along the historic Burlington Northern/Great Northern Line. (www.visitmt.com/406-888-5700)
“Portland Indie Wine Festival, May 6 and 7, Portland. Forty craft wineries take center stage, while food from nine different chefs and restaurants and a movie screening round out the weekend. (www.indiewinefestival.com/503-595-0891)
“Annual Harley Davidson Motorcycle Spring Run, May 14, Fairbanks, Alaska. Take a 30-mile ride from Fairbanks to Chatanika Lodge, then settle in for a barbecue. (www.explorefairbanks.com/800-327-5774)