How We Became “Coastal Locals”
Ya know when you go on vacation and think “Man, what would it be like to live here all of the time?” In 2014 we wondered just that after a trip to Oregon to ride the dunes near North Bend while we were living in Central California. The house we rented that week was on the shore of a lake, with dune access just down the road. No need to trailer our RZR, we just hopped in and drove to the sand. Fished off the deck. Roasted marshmallows in the backyard. Wore sweatshirts in the middle of June. What a life, right?!
That same week, we ventured up the coast through Florence to explore the Sea Lion Caves and a view of Baker Beach as we headed back to our rental was forever engrained in my mind. Proud rays of sun shone through breaks in the clouds and illuminated the long stretch of sand below Highway 101 that reached all the way to the North Jetty in Florence. Waves lapped the beach and as we pulled our truck off the road to take in the view, I couldn’t help but to feel like I was home.
The next year we came back to the coast with our family and rented a home on the beach in Bandon for the week. From the house you could hear the foghorn blare it’s steady song and we spent the days watching our then 4-year-old son romp on the beach with our 18-year-old niece. We got buried in the sand. Tossed crab pots off the docks. Roasted marshmallows on the beach. Wore sweatshirts in the middle of July. This place still felt like home.
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Home, however, was still in the heat of the Central Valley. Born and raised a Northern California girl, I had moved further south in the state after marrying my husband, Luke in 2009 after he was promoted to a manager position with Les Schwab Tire Center; a job that while we appreciated it, was keeping us in the stifling summer heat of Ripon in California’s Central Valley.
In 2016, however, that all changed. As jobs sometimes do, the next step within my husband’s career would mean that we would have to move. While the opportunity to escape the heat (where we never got to wear sweatshirts in summer) was appealing, as opportunities arose within the company, place after place that we looked at just never felt right. Until, one day in June of 2016 I received a text message from Luke while I had my hair chock full of foils and bleach at the local salon.
“The Florence Oregon store has a manager opening. Haha.”
My heart jumped. Ha. Haha. Hahaha.
But somewhere deep down inside I knew that it was a sign. A sign that we would be idiots to ignore. And so we went for it.
And the rest. Is. History.
After two weeks of interview processes, stress and not knowing where our future was about to lead, we got the call to let us know that Luke had gotten the promotion he’d worked so hard for and we would be moving to Florence, Oregon. We laughed, we cried, and we prepared for a move that would bring us to a place that we truly feel at home.
On July 1, 2016 we landed in Florence and purchased a home just south of town in Dunes City where we do our best to take advantage of all of the fun, food and adventure that the Oregon Coast has to offer. And we wear sweatshirts year round. The people, the recreation, and the beauty here are beyond compare. We hope that this blog let us share a little of the Oregon Coast with you – whether this place is home to you, too, or just has a special place in your heart.