At Rockaway Beach, Oregon

We weren’t sure that driving south along the Oregon Coast would turn out to be a good time – not on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend.   But, I had agreed to do a book-signing at the International Police Museum (who knew?) at Rockaway Beach and there was nothing for it but to head on out.

Surprisingly, the traffic was light.  Someone had suggested that we take a detour to bypass Seaside but we didn’t find it necessary.  Not that there weren’t people out and about.  Every viewpoint pull-out and every beachside parking area was close to full, even at eleven in the morning.  But drivers were polite and everyone was relaxed and seemed to be having a good time.  And to make it pretty near perfect, the sun came out to chase away the early morning rain.

Sydney and the IPM Staff

The museum is located on the main drag, right next to the Police Station at the north end of town.  It was bright and cheerful with inviting exhibits and even a scavenger hunt for kids – how many bears could they find among the displays, perhaps on uniform logos or…  Find them all and get a special International Police Museum pen!

An Attentive Audience

There was coffee and a “Welcome Sydney” cake and, when we arrived, the volunteer staff were rearranging display cases and setting up folding chairs in anticipation of my book-talk.  Then we all waited.  Ed Wortman, former Rockaway police chief and the enthusiastic founder/director of the museum, was a bit anxious.  It was their first ‘event’ of this kind so it was a grand experiment.

But… not to worry.  People came.  They all but filled the chairs.  They listened attentively and they bought books and asked me to personalize and sign them.  In fact, when all was said and done, the museum was left with but one unpurchased Jailhouse book on their shelves.  Yay!

Signing “Jailhouse Stories”

Nyel and I thoroughly enjoyed the people we met and couldn’t have been treated more grandly.  (I think we each had two pieces of cake!!)  Who knew that Jailhouse Stories from Early Pacific County would take us on such a pleasant adventure?  And… we were home by six, even with a stop at Freddie’s to buy a few items for the pasta salad we’re taking to the Williams Family Annual Picnic today.  It’s Labor Day Sunday!  Woot! Woot!