We have the good fortune to be in Oregon all week with my daughter Megan and her family. We have been coming to Netarts for a few years, it is a tiny village about 10 miles from Tillamook on a beautiful sheltered bay. Although we did not catch any clams on our low tide excursions to the shore, everyone else apparently does. The instructions are simple but like so many things experience and execution are critical skills. We did spend two morning in a skiff on the bay, crabbing. Our luck was much improved at this sport and we are bringing home a lot of fresh crab to share with our friends and for those crab cocktails that are a Thanksgiving family tradition. Hank and Margie both joined us for the adventure although touching the clawing animals was not a favorite part of the event. No keeping the female crabs, this protects the population which is still abundant. So why else would you come to Netarts? The people are very friendly and suffer happily with the many tourists. The city is close to many great outdoor venues. Pacific City is a few miles south and features a fine brewery and a beautiful set of sand dunes that beg to be climbed. The cheese factories, air museum, Sea salt company, tide pools in Cannon Beach, seals and sea lions, blue herons, pelicans and limitless sandy beaches kept everyone entertained, while learning about the outdoors.
One new bit of information was learned on a trip through Rockaway Beach, it is the home of the original Pronto Pup. In the late 1930s George and Versa Boyington ran a hot dog stand on the beach and created the still popular treat. Dipped in pancake batter it is not sweet like the copy cat corn dog which is made with cornbread batter.
The original site was closed as we passed but it is still a part of the reason to visit the Oregon Coast.
Speaking of batter, I have been a New York Yankees fan since I was a child. I grew up reading box scores to see if Mantle or Maris hit a home run, how Yogi was playing, or if Whitey Ford or Jim Bouton won another game. This year any baseball fan has watched with anticipation the home run chase of Aaron Judge. Judge hit a home run in his first major league at bat in 2016 and is just one homer shy of tying a record set my Roger Maris in 1961. Judge could win the triple crown this year with most home runs, runs batted in, and hitting average. The last winner was Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and before that Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Judge is a six foot seven inch 280 pound athlete who plays outfield for the Yankees and very likely will be the MVP of his league this year. I applaud the teams and pitchers who keep trying to get Judge out and not just walking him to avoid the likely outcome. Batter Up! Have a relaxing week end – Mike
Batter Up
