Typically this time of year we have friends and family that come to visit and enjoy the Central Oregon Coast. Frequently they are return visitors who are familiar with Yachats, Waldport and Florence since whenever they come we generally do something in each of those places. The more regular returnees have their favorite local spots and pencil in a visit to each on their itineraries. As Yachats residents it’s a treat to return to various spots with friends who have been looking forward to visiting them for sometime. It makes the visits even more enjoyable since the visitors feel more like locals than feeling like tourists visiting for the first time; in fact several regular visitors we see frequently know the staffs of some of their favorite spots and exchange greetings each time. This year for the first time we had visitors from the fine state of Virginia. They have been on a nationwide trip with their 26 foot fifth wheel trailer and made it to Yachats for the first time this week. It was their last stop before heading back East via the northern route across the country so it has been quite the visit. There were three visitors, one who was a Southern Oregon resident for many years, but the other two had never been to Oregon let alone the Oregon Coast. You can imagine what they must have felt when the first laid eyes on the sparkling blue Pacific and the vivid greens of the forests. They parked their fifth wheel at Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park 14miles north of Florence and came up to Yachats to begin their visit. We did the usual tour of the area stretching up to Newport and down to Florence and many stops along the way. This went on for several days and I realized that I began to really appreciate this area more than before. I suspect it was having several sets of eyes from people totally unfamiliar with the area and my reacting to their amazement and excitement. I think those of us who live here and have for years might take some of this magnificent part of the world for granted a little bit. Well next time it seems that life here is just ho-hum and mundane, become a tour guide for some visitors and I’ll bet you’ll walk away with a renewed love of what we have! Enjoy and make our visitors feel like they are at home… To reach Rick Schultze email: yarick@pioneer.net