A Trip to the Market.

Today was rather routine: a work day for Jim, but not for me, so I split my day between cooking and art making. We needed supplies so I wandered into the grocery store in Waldport, the town nearest to us, population 2,050. As usual, I was spotted as someone new in town. The butcher came up to me while I was on my second pass by the meat counter and asked if he could help me, saying "you look like you're cruising the Hollywood Freeway, is there something I can help you find?" As usual, that developed into a very friendly 10 minute conversation including a rundown on why Jim and I are here, his relocation from California, locations and career paths of family members, benefits and drawbacks of living in Oregon, and the weather (unusually wet and stormy). It has become clear that up here when anyone, regardless of whether or not you've ever met, asks "how's you day?" they expect more than a "fine" and rush to the door. If you see someone you know on the road they pull over, turn off their engine and expect to have a real conversation for 5 to 10 minutes. It's one aspect of small town life we're liking.