Without announcing it all over Facebook, or even our blog, this past week the three of us slipped away, quietly, to Oregon for a vacay with our Portland family. You never quite realize how starved you are for a getaway until you actually *get away* from it all. Besides, escaping to Oregon meant leaving the brown and gray of a winter at home for the greens and blues and blossoms of Portland. We had a great time and when we got home from vacation, Brock commented that he wished his Portland cousins lived next door so that he could see them everyday. Thank you to Paul, Heather, Amy, Becca, Abby & Rachel for inviting us for such a fanastic visit! Can't wait to do it again!
Here's what we did at the beach...
Brock rolled down the sand dunes in Pacific City and loved every last second of it!
We played baseball on the beach in Lincoln City. Abby pitches underhand.
I *HEART* this picture of my nieces: Amy and Rachel.
Becca dug a hole to hide in at the beach in Pacific City.
S'mores on the beach in Pacific City.
Marshmallows. Chocolate. And 2-year old Rachel.
Oooey gooey, squishy s'mores!
Our primary colors kite makes it to the beach with us every year.
Keeping Brock out of the reach of the waves was a challenge as he is probably part fish.
Haystack rock is quintessetntial Oregon Coast. But did you know that there are two "haystack" rocks?
This one is in Pacific City.
Brock wanted to bring home every shell he found. We compromised and took pictures of them instead.
Baseball on the beach...
A frisbee, a plastic ball and Brock in a winter hat
Clarke always looks handsome on the beach. ;)
Digging, digging, digging
We found this amazing, weather beaten and withered log on the beach and attempted a portrait. "C'mon Brock, give momma a smile..." And this is what I got:
Thirty shots later I wore down his resolve to be completely silly and I captured this gem.
Whew. All in a day's work...
As an alternatives to snowballs or footballs, Brock resorted to throwing sand. Nice one, kiddo.
Digging, digging, ever digging in the sea-frothy and wet sand in Lincoln City.
Clarke employed the help of our nieces, Becca and Abby, to help him fly the kite in Lincoln City.
The sand hill/dune/mini-mountain was a HUGE hit with the kids...and Clarke.
Abby, Becca, Brock & Clarke running down the hill.
Brock took a header into the sand after tripping down the hill. With a mouthfull of sand, he laughed joyfully, stood up and continued to run down the hill.
The landscape in Pacific City is nothing short of stunning...
1 part slobber. 1 part snot. 2 parts sand and that glorious underbite smile.
Clarke dug a hole in the side of the sand hill, deep enough for the kids to play inside.
Becca
Brock
ROLLING down the hill. He makes it look like so much fun!!
BEEEAUTIFUL!
Relaxing on the beach. Clarke, Amy, Rachel & Paul.
Brock gathered sticks to make a mock campfire.
Lovin' those sunset sunrays streaming through the clouds.
More S'mores...
No day would be complete without an act of heroism. In this case, we noticed a car stuck in the sand and pulled out the stranded Pontiac with Paul's suburban.
Moral of the story: Unless you're driving a truck with 4-weel drive, KEEP YOUR VEHICLE OUT OF THE SAND people!
