Yahats & memories

I feel like I've said this before...but we went to the Coast over the weekend. It was lovely. No rain, wind, or otherwise PNW-y weather. We stayed in Yahats at Restless Surf, an ocean home built & maintained by the Oregon churches. Fourteen years ago, my family stayed at Restless Surf. It hasn't changed a bit. The cow room? Still there. The fireplace with rocks that light up? Still there. The thundering of waves all night long? Still there. It brought back (shockingly) good memories of my first trip to Oregon with my family. There were moments of drama on that trip for sure. As we passed Cape Perpetua this time, I cringed when I remembered my nine-year old self's melodramatic refusal to hike to the top, "Just leave me here to die!" Ah, yes. But it was still good. It was the summer after my dad died, & the last family vacation with everyone along, unmarried & together. My mom was uncharacteristically brave & led us down into California, up into Washington, over to Crater Lake. Now that I live here, I realize how much territory we covered in our weeks long vacation many years ago & am quite sympathetic to those seven children crammed in a Ford Excursion trekking all over the great PNW. I never dreamed then that it was where I'd one day call home.

It is home now, & I still love that the Coast is mere hours away. It was another quick couple of trips. Since it is mere hours, we went out on Friday & Sunday. We can do that. 

Friday & Saturday were spent at Yahats & Florence, walking the small town shops, drinking little coffee shop drinks, & enjoying the sunshine. The boys were all fishing & we girls were left to our own devices. 

 The Oregon coastline down here is more rocky & rugged. Absolutely beautiful.

 Sunday, we came out to the coast again with the Jones' & Chelsie's sister & husband. We saw whales (!!), a first for me, & had some good seafood.

These are the Jones'. I didn't ask permission to post their picture, so I hope they don't mind...(do you, Chel? It's better than the first one:) ) We had a beach fire & ate pie. Pie on the beach was deliciously unexpected, I'd recommend it.

So that's what we did over the weekend. A little trip down memory lane, & new memories.
In other news: there isn't really anything new. I get that question every time I talk to anyone from my family. Work is busy with their Harvest Festival. Lots of hay bales & pumpkins.
I am feeling pretty good, starting to like food again & have more energy.
I've been scheming up a little from-home job endeavor for after baby.
The filberts are almost all harvested. That's hazelnuts to all you non-PNWers. (I still refer to them more often as hazelnuts despite my best efforts to appear "local".)