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1) Oregon doesn’t have any self-service gas stations. This provided Sophia and me with a good topic of discussion while driving along the coast. We wondered if there was a powerful service station union in Oregon that doesn’t want attendants to lose their jobs. We were also unsure if we were supposed to tip the guy after he “fills you up?”
2) Last night, we stayed in Gold Beach, Oregon, a quiet beach community on the coast.  There’s not much doing there. After dinner in a coffee shack “where the locals eat,” we were driving to our “rustic cottage” motel room when Sophia saw a car stuck in a ditch off the road, sticking out at a 45 degree angle. A pair of feet was hanging out the door.Â
Sophia said we should go over and help.  I didn’t want to get involved, but Sophia yelled at me.Â
“What if he’s hurt?! There’s a person in there!”
I drove over, but kept my distance. It was dark and no one else was around.
“Hello. Are you all right?” I asked.  “Hello! Do you need help?”
A sixty year old man stepped out out of the car. He was bearded and wore an eye patch. I know you think I am making this up, but I’m not! He was creepy as hell and staggered towards us. He almost pressed his face right up the window, freaking me out. I would have driven off, but Sophia seemed intent on helping him.Â
“Do you want us to call 911?” she asked.
He mumbled something. I could smell that he was drunk.
Sophia called 911. I quickly drove to the other side of the street. Within five minutes, three fire engines and four police cars showed up at the scene. It must have been the biggest event in town all month.
3) This morning, I woke up early and was reading some of the posts that bloggers wrote for my birthday.  I felt bad that I haven’t thanked everyone because it is hard keeping up with blogging while on the road. I told Sophia I had an idea.
“Maybe I should take a photo of our beautiful view of the ocean from our window, so other bloggers can feel that they are here with us.”
“Boring.”
“Maybe you can take a photo of me looking out at the ocean.”
“You’re naked.”
“It’ll be funny. I’m always asking for naked photos of THEM!”
“I’m not taking a naked photo of you.”
I’ll be facing away from you.”
“What about your ass?”
“I can cover it up later, with Photoshop. I can make some joke about it being my “birthday suit.”
“OK, if that’s what you want.”
I opened the glass patio door and stepped outside, not realizing that we shared our patio with our neighbors.
“Oops, sorry.” I said to the elderly couple next door that I had just flashed.
 
 
