Down by the Seaside :)

There is something incredibly soothing about the sound of water.  I could sit for hours and listen and watch as the tide comes in and flows back out.  I love seeing how waves crash onto the shore and the unexpected treasures they leave behind.  

We had the chance to spend some time on the coast last month and were both mesmerized by it's beauty.  In the mornings, I often went to the beach and sat in my car to watch the surfers - I was blown away at how many there were, although most of the time it was raining.  Despite there being quite a bit of rain, there were a few hours here and there of clear skies and sunshine (a rare and beautiful thing!).   During those times, I tried to take advantage of it and get out.  

Below are a number of pictures taken from Ecola Park, which gives a great view of Haystack Rock, and Indian Beach.

Because Oregon is where Lewis & Clark ended their epic journey, memorials, parks, museums and many more things of the like, are found along the Columbia and the Coast.  Here is one such monument.

Cannon Beach is a cute, quite coast town - most famous for being the city where Haystack Rock is located.  It's full of artsy galleries of all sorts as well as some amazing restaurants.  This sculpture was in one of the galleries; although I'd probably never own anything like it - this sculpture is truly amazing in how truly unique it is.

Another quirky thing about me: I love these sailor statues.  As a little girl, I remember my parents going to Maine and bringing home pictures of lighthouses/ocean, mini sailor statues and for some reason just really like them. 

Not the best picture . . . not unusual for the week, it was actually pretty windy and cold when we took this picture.  Knowing our chances of going to see Haystack Rock while it was sunny was slim to none, we hoofed it to Ecola Park after work so Dan could see the beautiful views as well.

After checking out the viewpoints and coming back to our car, we saw these elk . . . too bad we didn't have a hunting permit - elk meat is, oh - so tasty!

Unfortunately, there were very few low-tide times for Haystack while we were in Seaside.  However, there is a sandcastle competition near here this month and we are hoping to go up again and maybe even be able to walk out to the rock. 

Just goofin' around. 

Dan also loves the ocean.  While I was in Kansas back in April, Dan drove out to the coast and spent an entire afternoon there taking pictures and enjoying the beauty of it all.  Although he doesn't enjoy having his picture taken, I was able to take a few candid shots. 

This is the home in the movie 'Goonies', found in Astoria, Oregon.  This year is the 200th anniversary of the city so they have lots of events going on and while spending the day here, I thought it would be fun to check out the home where it happened. 

Since we were so close to the ocean, I thought it would also be neat to see where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean meet.  The pictures don't quite catch how breath-taking a view it was. You can faintly see a few boats embarking on their voyages; I can't imagine how daunting and exhilarating that must be.  Cape Disappointment is where these pictures were taken.

As mentioned earlier, Cannon Beach is quite an artsy town.  In town, there is a glass store called IceFire where you may purchase original pieces of art made out of blown glass.  I was able to spend some time in the shop watching how they do some of their pieces and was fascinated at the skill and patience required to make them.

Nothing tops off a fun trip like some great food.  Hence the strawberry-lemon crepe . . . with some whipped cream on top - it tasted so good, it was like having a party in my mouth :)