Tom and Cindy's Big C Adventures: The Calm

Tom and I just returned from three dry, warm and lovely days at the beach. He is scheduled for surgery on Friday.

I tried to name this post The Calm Before the Storm, but the Blogger site keeps closing down everytime I try to complete the title and when I open it I'm told that an error has occurred while trying to save my post. So I cannot alter the title and have come to believe that it is just the calm and there will be no storm. That is my mantra for the week. Things will remain calm.

Tom's sister, Kathleen, is newly retired from her social services job and is managing the Twin Rocks Motel in Rockaway OR. Tom and I got to stay three days and enjoy visiting with Kathleen. We were privileged to stay in cabin #1 with a fantastic view of the ocean and the twin rocks.

Our niece Jennifer (Kathleen's daughter) had her paintings displayed at a show where people voted. She won first prize and a $100 gift certificate for art supplies. We were so happy to be there to celebrate with her.

On Valentine's Day we went to the Fish Peddler Restaurant at the Pacific Oyster Company in Bay City. We have driven by this place for the last 30 years and remarked on the literal mountains of oyster shells, but have never stopped in before. It was a fun and casual environment and the food was absolutely delicious. Tom, who doesn't really like oysters, oystered up and ordered oyster stew and garlic toast which he loved. Kathleen and I shared an order of oyster shooters before her Cioppino arrived. I dined on Five River Oysters Wilson, which are baked oysters with blue cheese, herbed garlic butter and panko bread crumbs. Sounds weird but they were so delicious, I will order them again when we return. And we will return.

Here is a cut and paste menu of their baked oysters. Yeah, I'm obsessed.

Oysters Kilchis pesto, parmesan & hot sauce
Oysters Tillamook bacon, red onion, shredded Tillamook sharp cheddar
Oyster Wilson blue cheese, herbed garlic butter, panko bread crumbs
Oysters Trask herbed butter sauce
Oyster Miami barbecue sauce, red onion

Tom and Kathleen at The Fish Peddler

We had a calm and delightful stay at the beach. Kaiser will call us tomorrow to tell us the time to arrive at the hospital on Friday, which is usually around 6:00 am. Dr. Parsons, the surgeon and head of the department, is the one who performed the colostomy, so he will be reconnecting his own handiwork. We have faith that he can do the job and that Tom will recover quickly.