Beach Trip - 2

Monday morning we headed south down 101 - destination Florence, Oregon. South of Newport the wide sandy beaches of the coast disappear, replaced with craggy rocks and cliffs. This is the part of the coast I really love because the views are spectacular. Fred stopped at almost every turnout so I could take pictures. The sky was a beautiful blue, but the wind along the coast was brisk and chilly. The ocean, however, was calm with gentle waves. I've seen this stretch in a storm at high tide - what a site to see. No crashing breakers this time. As we approached Florence we first saw seals on the rocks - so far out I had to look very carefully to make sure that's what we were seeing. They were very quiet - just sunning themselves on the rocks - with only a rare movement now and then to let us know they were alive. A couple turnouts farther south we came upon a very noisy group of sea lions. No doubt at all what they were! What magnificent creatures - I never tire of seeing them.

Once we reached Florence we headed inland to I-5 and north to home. A short trip, but full of great memories nevertheless.

And believe it or not - we stopped at five quilt shops along the way and all I bought was one pattern!

Beach trip - 1

I have been so very negligent about posting since we got home. Our weather has been HOT - way too hot for us lifetime north westerners - at least those of us without air conditioning. It's too hot to sew, too hot to cook, too hot to sleep, too hot to read, too hot to think. I spend half the day in a half stupor just trying to last until the temperature drops to a tolerable level about 10:00 p.m. I know - we are wusses here when it comes to heat - we just aren't used to it.

A week ago Saturday we left home about 8:00 and headed to Tillamook Oregon. We visited the quilt shop and Latimer Textile Center, then had a delicious lunch and ice cream at the Tillamook cheese factory. They have a fascinating self guided tour which we've taken before. We'd have done it again but the line was too long. We did wander around in the gift shop for awhile, and I insisted Fred pose for some blog pictures. And no - I did NOT eat two ice cream cones. I had to hold Fred's so he could take the picture. Which one is mine? The chocolate one of course!

From Tillamook we headed south on Highway 101, following the Oregon Coast. At Lincoln City we stopped at the outlet stores and did a couple hours of heavy clothes shopping. At last I have some jeans, shorts, capris, t-shirts and tank tops that actually fit and don't look completely worn out. And would you believe Fred shopped longer than I did LOL! Very depressing to find I had to shop at Dress Barn Women's instead of Misses' store - that's not happened before. Even more depressing was seeing myself in the dressing room mirror - over and over again. Oh dear - I shouldn't have had that ice cream! The good thing is I've shocked myself into action, and I'm attending my first Weight Watchers meeting on Wednesday. Shopping is so much easier now that we can stay in touch with each other via cell phones!

From Lincoln City we went south to Newport, where we had reservations for two nights at the Best Western Agate Beach Inn. Wow - talk about ritzy! - this was by far the most elegant Best Western we've ever seen. We had a very nice room overlooking the ocean. They have a three star restaurant in the basement where we had an elegant meal to celebrate our 39th anniversary. Fred had a beautiful top sirloin steak and I had macaroni and cheese. Of course it was like no macaroni and cheese I've ever had before - full of lobster meat, special cheeses and other luscious things. We finished the evening watching the Mariner game and the sunset out the window - marvelous!


On Sunday morning we visited the Newport Aquarium - what a marvelous place! It certainly is one of the top aquariums in the country. We spent three hours there - there was so very much to see. Every exhibit was perfectly done. Unfortunately I left the camera in the hotel room - I still can't believe I did that! - so I didn't get any pictures. After a good lunch at a little restaurant on the beach in historic Newport, we drove north to the Yaquina Head lighthouse - the tallest on the Oregon coast. We learned all about the light at the visitor center - fascinating! It cost $12,000 when it was made in the mid-1800's in France. It was assembled there, then disassembled for shipping to Panama where it was taken across the isthmus to the Pacific then loaded on a ship for California. To replace the light now would cost $2.5 million! We climbed the circular steps to the top - I still can't believe I did that with my fear of heights! What a view from the top. Of course my camera was still at the hotel so I didn't get any pictures there either!



After a simple dinner of a Subway sandwich (Fred) and leftovers from the night before (me) we headed down to the beach. The Oregon beach from Newport north is wide and sandy - perfect for walking. It was a beautiful evening with very little wind. A perfect evening for beach walking! Then back to the hotel for more baseball, reading and sunset watching.


So far it's been a lovely trip!