Sometimes it seems as if we are in a perpetual search for the tastiest fish and chips. Well, our quest may just be over, now that we've discovered J's in Lincoln City.
We'd been promising ourselves for years that someday we would attend the annual kite festival up the coast in Lincoln City. For several reasons, 2012 turned out to be the year. We had it all planned out - stay at the Comfort Inn across from the festival site at D River, have dinner Friday night with our friend Gary MacEachern, a well-known kite flyer and maker, and have a wonderful time enjoying the sites on a warm, sunny weekend.
Balloon kites filled the air on Saturday.
The trip started off a little worrisome, with winds and rains accompanying us all the way up the coast on the 4 hour drive. Steven commented that except for the vegetation, it looked pretty much like it does in winter! We even thought about cancelling our reservation. Good thing that we didn't! Saturday brought fairer weather.
Balloon kites (such as Rod and Cindy Thrall's "Peter Lynn Teddy Bear") filled the skies along with performances by the featured kite flyers (such as David and Susan Gomberg and Ron Gibian). There were teams of flyers (such as Team Iquad and Team Island Quad) that dazzled and delighted us spectators, but no performance outdid our friend, Gary. His incredible display on Sunday in which he used both his hands and his waist to put 3 kites simultaneously through their paces will stay with us for a long time to come. He's an amazing kite flyer and person! And, let's not forget to mention a personal favorite, Wayne (known as "Strokeman" on one of the kite company's chat board), who, after suffering a devasting stroke 10 years ago, now flies his kites daily either outdoors or indoors for fun and therapy - what an inspiration!
We pulled ourselves away from the kite festival early afternoon on Sunday, thankful that we hadn't been turned off by Friday's weather, and decided to make a quick stop at the Lincoln City Farmers' Market to see what the local growers and artisans were offering. That's when we discovered J's Fish & Chips at the Farmers' Market (Their usual home is a little further south on Highway 101). They'd set up a small stand at the Market, selling fish with a light bread crumb coating, homemade sliced potatoes, and a creamy chowder packed with chopped clams. Tasting the chowder, fish and chips was Nirvana. Little had we dreamed that fulfilling our promise of attending the kite festival might also bring an end to our quest for the best fish and chips on the coast!
J's Fish & Chips
1800 SE Highway 101
Lincoln City, OR 97367
541.994.9445
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