We've been mailing it in this past week from the Oregon Coast, where thanks to some great friends we've had a splendid time. As usual, the trip started out as a poker weekend, in which this year the usual suspects let us have some of their cash. Then the family joined us for another round of the delights of the beach. We missed the searing heat in the valley, and didn't get that brisk north summer beach wind until late Wednesday.

Our midsummer adventures here are always mostly the same but just a little bit different. The highlight this year was about an hour of dodging waves in the cold, cold ocean, without wetsuits. When we emerged from the surf, we got to experience what they call mild hypothermia. But a good dinner at a local joint soon fixed that. All in good fun.