Rockaway Beach Part I

The countdown begins!  10 days until the kids go back to school.  5 days until I start nursing school.  And 3 days before the Wilhoits move to Salt Lake City.  Yippee!  Also, time to get caught up on the blog because life is about to get crazy.

So speaking of crazy, in mid-July we saw the Wilhoits.  For about twenty minutes.  On the side of the interstate near Twin Falls, Idaho.  They were on their way to our house while we were headed to the West coast (Oregon.)  Talk about swapping places!  They stayed in Salt Lake for a couple of nights on their way out to Omaha, taking a moment to check out their soon-to-be-home.  While we were certainly sad to miss their visit, we knew we would get to see each other soon.

Flying stuffies make for great entertainment when taking a car break.

Wouldn't you know--our impromptu pit stop made for a pretty great family picture!  Now we just need to photo shop in Papa Kay's head.

Cute cousins planning their future adventures together.

It was fairly late when we started our Wheeler reunion adventure, so we only made it to Boise the first night.  In the morning I borrowed a bike from the Holiday Inn and went for a ride to explore the town.  Meanwhile Annika must have been up to some mischief because I found this on the photo roll.  Cielos!

After a long day of travel, we made it to our sparkly vacation home in Rockaway Beach.  Dubbed "The Crown," the owners loved all things glitter.

As for me, I loved the beach!  If I'd known how much fog was rolling in, I would have enjoyed the clear skies even more.

Living the coastal dream with a frisbee.

For dinner, we hit up the Old Oregon Smokehouse.  Hard to tell from the name, but the place is almost exclusively seafood.  We enjoyed the chowder, fish-n-chips, and shrimp cocktail.  While we were there, Charles, Susie, Christy, Ben, and Lance all arrived as well.

One final trip to the beach to enjoy the sunset.  The beach access was literally out the front door, so we could savor the waves any time we wanted.

The next morning we woke up to a thick haze that stayed for most of our visit.  I went for an early run that felt mystical--pun intended.  It was an eerie experience to run for miles into this nebulous haze with nothing but the waves to keep me oriented.  After a while, I came to appreciate how different the journey.  When running in the mountains, I'm forced to play close attention to what I see, particularly the trail beneath me.  Running on the beach, I could savor everything else.  The chilly feel of the shifting sand beneath my feet, the crashing sound of the rolling surf, the invigorating smell of the salt air, leaving its sharp taste in my mouth.  I was running blind, but felt alive.

After 2.5 miles, I suddenly encountered a jetty that I hadn't seen in the distance because of the fog.  I almost turned around, but decided to get a closer look.

Despite the improbability, this foggy run ended in the most incredible sights.  Starfish surrounded by sea anemones and goose barnacles.

Who knew that starfish could be so many colors?  Exposed during the low tide, they clung to the rocky alcoves by the dozens.  I just couldn't get over how vibrant and alive they were.  As an inland girl, my experience with star fish has generally been limited to the colorless hard tan shells---nothing like the actual creatures.

I love the drooping green sea anemone in these pictures.  They close in on themselves until the tide comes back when they suddenly flower open.

For a stage in my life, I wanted to become a marine biologist.  In fact, as a HS sophomore I attended a Girl Scout Wider Opportunity at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine called Science by the Sea.  Listening to these mussels and goose barnacles hiss and crackle with life, I was reminded of this worthy ambition.  If everyone had the chance to experience this vibrancy, I believe we would all be better stewards of the sea.

Back at the beach house, Talia and Annika broke out their wetsuits and braved the chilly Pacific wave--at least up to their knees.  I didn't want anyone going out deeper for fear of riptides.  The ocean commands respect.

Brooklyn and Talia share a moment with Violet.

Before lunch we decided to go for a mini-hike along the Rockaway Big Tree Trail.  Only half a mile inland, it's amazing how you escape the fog by moving in from the shore.  Eli liked this rotting tree.

As for Grandpa Charles, he loved the foliage.

That said, something must have him stumped in this picture.  I love the contrast with Christy's smile!

Lumber for the massive boardwalk was provided courtesy of the logging company.

A photo with the Big Cedar herself.

Next stop, the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Because who doesn't love cheese?  (With apologies to Kevin Wong.)

Jason talked about being overcome with gratitude for these factory workers who dedicate their lives to providing us with food for our tables.

Naturally Annie's favorite part was caring for the calves.

As for Violet, she excelled in general cuteness.

Best of all--fried cheese curds and ice cream!

Last but not least, a few stretches to promote digestion.

Back at the beach house, Annika and Ruby headed to the beach to play with their "puppy."  When your parents won't actually buy you a dog, you make do with what you can.

I confess, their beach ball pup does kind of remind me of Shel Silverstein's poem: "Hot Dog."

The next morning, Talia and Eli joined me for a repeat beach run.  They run faster than I do, so I only saw them for about thirty seconds through the haze before they were out of sight completely.  At least they waited for me at the jetty.

Colorful as ever!

Guess who met us for low tide--Aunt Christy!  

Talia takes the best pictures.

Love love love.

The run home.  I made sure to watch the mileage closely so I knew when to cut back up to the beach house.

I needn't have worried--Grandpa Charles's kite lit up the gray sky.

Lance and Ruby.

The little girls enjoy the sand.

We ultimately determined that the blobs of goop were not jellyfish, but the eggs sacs of predatory sand snails.

Awake from her nap, Violet was ready for the beach.

The twin rocks, made of 20-30 million year old sandstone.

An invigorating game of Ultimate to clear even the foggiest skies.  From what I hear, it was totally awesome, all except for the blisters from playing barefoot.

Victory!

Nothing better than sea kelp for jumping rope!

Keep reading for the rest of our hoppin' good fun!