Uncle Ra Ra is coming!!

These lovely people are our good friends Rod and Julie. We met them during our time in Pacific City. Living in a place like the Oregon Coast takes a certain type of person, much like it does to live in, say, Alaska. Because the weather almost always sucks, and there is really not a lot to do and it's fairly remote. But it's also very peaceful and quiet and, well...quiet. So when you do meet like-minded people, you hang on to them and they become family. That was the case with Rod and Julie. We met them through mutual friends, and then Rod would come into my coffee shop (since he worked nearby) and we would have long discussions about books, music and politics. Now Rod had never had children and frankly, I think even he would admit he wasn't really a "kid person". I think it was sort of like when someone doesn't like cats? So of course that's exactly who the cat heads for, to settle in on his lap. Well, Anna settled in on Rod's lap, literally, from the beginning. We'd have dinner parties and when "Ra Ra" (as she called him, much to our amusement) and Julie arrived, she'd grab his hand and haul him off, away from the adults, to show him her toys and stuffed animals, to have him to herself. I'll never forget one beautiful, perfect summer evening, at the Nehalem Bay Winery, listening to bluegrass (David Grisman!) on the lawn, Eric, Anna, Julie, Rod and me. As the sun went down and it got cooler, Anna made her way over to Rod's lap, settled in, and went to sleep. He was hers. And still is. Rod and Julie have made such an incredible effort to stay in touch and be a part of her life, even now that we live 400 miles apart. And they are coming tonight. There will be dinner, wine, music, stars...and snuggling on Uncle Ra Ra's lap. A certain 6 year old is just a little bit excited.