Seaside

Last weekend our family was able to relax in Seaside and enjoy some very spring-like weather.  Two of us were down with colds, so the goal was to just rest and relax!  Plus, we had lots of ice cream :-)

Below are my favorite snapshots:

Sunset view from our balcony (looking west)

Downtown Seaside from our balcony (looking east)

Looking north

Serenity

Goofing off with the camera (which is unusual for me to be in front of)

Bare feet in sand!

I always love getting shots of the kids running on the beach.  Someday I'll have to make a collage of all our beach trips.

Sunshine Girl took this of Nix Nux Nellie.

Got to get that carousel ride in!

Check out the teeth!

Love this peaceful expression

 My girls are getting so big!

Sunshine Girl took this too!  Love it!

At last, the hubby!  

Sunshine Gal took this with my micro lens (waiting for lunch at Subway)

The hubby took this on a walk one evening.

The resort.  Nice reflection of the warm light of sunset.

It was a perfect weekend away and we felt rejuvenated after two days of taking in the fresh ocean air.  We are so thankful to be so close to great beaches!  

A weekend at the beach

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Last weekend we had the opportunity to run over to the Oregon Coast for a couple nights. We stayed in Seaside and had a room overlooking Broadway and the beach. The weather was perfect so we were able to get out both days for walks on the promenade and beach. The girls also hit their favorite spots in town: the tilt-a-whirl ride and the carousel. Alyssa and Lauren also spent a lot of time in the hat shop in the mall trying on all their goofy headware.


The house in the picture below used to be owned by my piano teacher. My folks rented in from her on a few occassions, the last of which was in 1991 (I believe). Pierce was just a few months old when we had a family get-together with all the Badens for a week. Scott and Bob were with us for that time as well. Grandpa Baden organized a game for us on the beach with prizes for all of the grandkids, of which I still have. Natalie and I slept on the third floor in a little alcove that faced the beach. The house slept 15-20, so it didn't seem at all crowded with the entire family. This house is for sale now, fully furnished (although it looks pretty ratty) and is three blocks from the beach and promenade. The price seems pretty good at $299K but it does need some work. I hope whoever buys it will keep it as a rental as I would love to stay there again. Natalie, do you remember throwing balls through the 3rd floor window to the deck below and then trying to throw them back again? :)

Harry had never seen the South end of Seaside up towards Tillamook Head, so we drove up there to explore it. When I was about 12 or 13, my brothers, Scott's friend Jeff and I went hiking up that head in December late in the afternoon. It was a warm day and so we were not dressed for cold night weather. Well, we ended up getting off the trail somehow and lost on the logging roads that wind around up there. It was well after dark that we made our way down onto highway 101 a couple miles out of Seaside. This was before cell phones were terribly popular, so we had to hike back into town even though I remember being so cold, tired and scared. I never go through that stretch of 101 without thinking of that time. So, when Harry and I reached the trailhead, I got out to look at the map of the area when two hikers came wandering out of the woods who were completely turned around and lost. Turns out, they had started the hike with friends from Canon Beach, clear on the other side of Tillamook Head and had become separated from their friends as well as turned around. Rather than having them hike back several miles through the mud and steep terrain, the kids and I hopped out of the car while Harry ran them back to the other side in the car. The girls and I walked down from the trail head through the beautiful forrested hillside towards the beach and waited there for Harry.

Tillamook Head is the tall point in the background (picture below). The trail winds around the front of the point from Seaside on the North to Canon Beach on the South. There are miles of logging roads that wind around up there.

The town of Seaside. We stayed at that resort towards the left side of the picture (tallest building) which is next to the popular Broadway Avenue and promenade.

The biggest hit for the kids were the swings on the beach. We spent a few hours here throughout the weekend (the other big hit was the pool).

Someone had spent a lot of time building this realistic looking sandcastle just below the turn-around. Many people stopped to admire it and snap a picture.

View of the sunset from our balcony. I never, ever get tired of staring at the ocean. The resort has really good coffee in the rooms so I always brew a pot of decaf in the evening and watch the sun go down when we stay here.

Another view from our balcony. A slow shutter speed to capture the traffic going around the turn-around.

It looks cold here, but we quickly peeled off our layers as we walked/scootered down the boardwalk (no, Harry wasn't riding that little one ;-) ).

A quick trip to the Oregon Coast

We had the opportunity to run over to the Oregon coast for a couple nights earlier this week. On the way to the coast, we did a little detour to see the monastary where the Briggitine monks make their delicious fudge. The place was off a country road near Amity and really wasn't that exciting. There was a chapel and some simple looking buildings, but only a tiny gift shop. We were hoping to see the fudge being made! The gift shop had four small shelves of candies and the rest of the items were religious materials. So, we bought a box of fudge and continued on to the coast.

We arrived in Lincoln City just after noon, so we stopped in at Mo's on Siletz bay for lunch. The girls each order grilled cheese sandwhiches which were served on frisbee's (they got to keep) and Harry and I each had some hot and delicious clam chowder. We walked around the bay a little while, but it was so windy we decided to drive down to Depoe Bay and purchase an annual State Park Pass. At four we checked into the Worldmark resort in Gleneden and the girls had a nice surprise when papa and grandma showed up! With a two bedroom condo that sleeps six, there was plenty of room for all of us. The girls swam after our dinner of barbequed chicken and fresh raspberry pie and Harry and I walked on the beach and enjoyed the sunset.

On Tuesday, we said goodbye to papa and grandma and headed up the coast towards our next destination: Seaside. Along the way we stopped in at a favorite spot--the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Upstairs there is a viewing area where you can see the milk being cultured and turned into cheese curds, then squeezed into large blocks and sealed up to cure. Also, you can see the assembly line for the cheese ready for slicing into various sizes and sealed up for shipping. Very interesting! We had lunch there, ice cream cones for the girls and some yummy items from the gift shop (amazing garlic chili pepper cheddar cheese!). From there we headed North and stopped again in Canon Beach at Ecola State Park--a beautiful spot. This park has two beaches, one a mile and a half walk into (Crescent Beach) and the other an easy walk into (Indian Beach). There are hiking trails, view points and amazing lush woods. Definately recommend the park to anyone passing through! For those taking more time to travel up the coast, there are many state parks, viewpoints and light houses to see on the scenic route.

We arrived at the Worldmark Seaside around seven and with two tired girls, Harry picked up some dinner to eat in the room. After dinner, the girls crashed on the couches with their dad and I snuck out for a couple hours to photograph the sunset and Seaside at night. We had a one bedroom condo which looked north up the beach as well as over all of downtown Seaside. One of our favorite rooms yet! The next day the girls played in the pool, the gameroom, Alyssa rode the Tilt-a-whirl, Lauren rode the carousel and we walked around Broadway before heading towards home. It was so hard to leave!! Beautiful weather both days and amazing sunsets!

This is the Tillamook Head lighthouse, currently used as a Columbarium, visible from Canon Beach.

Haystack rock and the beaches of Canon Beach as seen from Ecola State park.

Mmmm! A favorite of ours! 38 ice cream flavors, cheese samples and a viewing room looking into the factory at work.

Sunset in Gleneden the first night. This man stayed in this spot for about forty minutes watching the waves and the sun go down.

Indian Beach at Ecola State park.

Another view of Indian Beach.

Two tired girls taking a break.

Fireworks on the beach in Seaside the second night. A lot of people were on the beach with their bonfires and also giving an early show of fireworks.

Tillamook Head, the view from Seaside

The Seaside Promenade, a 8000 foot long concrete boardwalk, lit at night.

Another picture at Ecola State Park.

Lauren on the carousel in the little Seaside mall.

Downtown Seaside at night, the view from our balcony.

The Seaside Turn-around. A popular spot to hang out in the summer or cruise around. Located on Broadway which is the main tourist area of town.

One of my favorite pictures!

We always enjoy the beach--can't wait to go back!