Summer Vacation - Part 1

Our Summer Vacation has been very busy, at least it seems like it. Mostly, it has been filled with getting one or more girls ready/packed for one such thing or another or completing online summer classes to ease the coming school year. McKenna seems to have had one week here and one week away all summer long. Adri, too, since the middle of June. Unfortunately for Katy, not me, I've enjoyed it, she has been home to deal with the only child syndrome. She hates it. We had to carefully plan and finagle some calendaring to fit in a time away all together. We found about 5 days that didn't interfere too terribly bad with other things. So, we went to the Oregon Coast. I love the coast - not for the weather but for the absolute beauty that is there.

We drove through the Columbia River Gorge and made only one stop in The Dalles for lunch. We ate at a place called Mama Jane's. It was fun and we had some good laughs. The drive through Portland was torturous. I hate traffic jams. And we seemed to have them for hours. Finally we made it to our little highway that would take us to Newport. The road was twisty and slow but gorgeous. The Oregon coast is so green and lush. You truly can't see the florets for the trees and bushes and ferns and flowers. 

At Newport we caught our first glimpse of the ocean. I LOVE the ocean. I could live on the ocean and never get tired of it. Just a few short miles got us to Waldport and our Cozy Cabin. It was the near perfect place to stay. It was a couple blocks from the beach with no view but you could hear it. We shopped for groceries and cooked most of our meals here. It had a place for everyone to sleep and two bathrooms so all us girls could get ready easily. Trent is so good to get in and out so the hair can get completed.

Since we got there a little late, the girls ran to the beach while Trent and I fixed dinner. They had fun. It is always cold on the coast and mostly always windy but it doesn't matter all that much.

  

The next morning, Trent and I (i was so excited to go and Trent got up early just to make me happy) walked down to the beach while the tide was out. There are no tide pools on this beach just miles of sand. However we found a starfish that had lost its way. It was mostly dead but Trent put it back in the water anyway. There were plenty of puddles and streams to jump over and we had a great time. 

Once we were all ready, we headed north to Newport. Our first stop was Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. I love lighthouses. They are always in the most beautiful spots. I never seem to capture them in pictures but they are fascinating. Yaquina Bay was actually a house with the lighthouse on the top floor. We took the tour and learned a few things - like we are tall now.

Then we went to the Devil's Punch Bowl. Way out in the distance, almost so far you couldn't see, we made out an orca swimming. That was fun-ish. The punch bowl wasn't too active but was interesting. In a high tide, the water fills in and swirls around. This time we just saw the bottom.

Then we went to another lighthouse called Yaquina Head because this one is awesome. It is more traditional and has these birds that make so much noise you can hear them, and smell them, for miles. There is also a cobble stone beach full of tide pools and harbor seals that is fun to see. We climbed down to it and walked, very difficult I might add, along it. 

In Depoe Bay we all bought something warm to wear and Kenna bought a kite. We are chowder at the Chowder Bowl. I love chowder. Then we went back to Waldport. Shopping is exhausting.

In Waldport, we went to "our" beach to play. McKenna flew her kite because the wind is always blowing and you can fly a kite always, except it might have been too windy. It got a bit tattered. Amazingly, we found that sea star again and so we figured it was a sign to take it home with us. Not the best decision we have ever made, in hindsight.

After dinner, because it was so windy and cloudy, we watched a movie and most of us fell asleep. It had been a great day but an exhausting day. The wind can really zap your energy.

Life is good - being with family is such a blessing. We missed Collin!