Oregon Coast 2010, Day 7

Arcadia Beach. Sunny again, but with a really chilly wind whipping. Great for flying kites - and huddling under the umbrella to get warm.

Oregon Coast 2010, Day 6

This was near Tolovana Beach (Cannon Beach area). This was the warmest day of the whole trip. Very, very nice. Even shed my sweatshirt for this day. :)

Oregon Coast 2010, Day 5

Life in a yurt. Pretty crowded when that air mattress is down - but dry, even the night it poured rain. It's impossible to keep everything dry when taking children to the coast, but the yurt, I still recommend.

Fort Stevens.

This is Indian Beach at Ecola State Park. Beautiful golden light this evening, and we were looking for a rocky place to search for ocean critters.

Success!

Oregon Coast 2010, Day 4

Arrived at Fort Stevens. The Columbia is an impressive-sized river down here. There is a very cool bridge at Astoria. The pictures must be on the iPhone. Gabrian is pictured by the shipwrecked Peter Iredale. The ship was less appealing, even to the little boys, than I thought it would be. Although there were some very cool dry sand dunes, the beach was really muddy (not the greatest smell) and the kids didn't want to stay long.

There was a big storm in the distance, though. The waves were big, and the kites flew a lot better than they did in the sunshine at Cape Lookout.

The sky was filled with these birds, as far north and as far south as we could see. (Spies of Saruman.) Made me wonder if their flight was related to the storm . . . and if we should be leaving. (Storm blew by to the south without touching this particular beach at all - but I am not a mariner and do not pretend to know.)

Oregon Coast 2010, Day 3

Tillamook factory for cheese samples and ice cream.

Tillamook Air Museum.

This was a very cool museum. It is mostly WWII planes and memories. (Thought a lot of Papa.) I have very little interest in looking at planes but was planning to be a good sport for the boys. It was great. Lots of old newspapers, magazines, and other stuff to read and a great atmosphere with the uniformed mannequins and 40s music playing.

This is one of the pages - I think it was Life Magazine - that struck me. The small print reads, "To help you do your share, the government has organized the Citizen Service Corps as a part of local Defense Counsils [sic] with some war task or responsibility for every man, woman, and child. Probably such a Corps is already at work in your community. If not, help to start one. A free booklet available through this magazine will tell you what to do and how to do it. Go into action today and get the satisfaction of doing a needed war job well. EVERY CIVILIAN A FIGHTER."

How times have changed!

If you look in the cockpit and see this pilot/co-pilot pair, it is time to bail!

Enough time after the air museum to catch a little sun, a little damp, and a whole lotta sand to bring back to camp.

Also to attempt some kite flying.

Oregon Coast 2010, Day 2

Camp breakfast - brrr.

Someone is anxious for coffee.

Ari is not too big for the backpack, and couldn't be happier about it.

Pensive brothers.

This is what they're looking at. Nice. (Conor! Gabrian! Get away from the edge!)

Friendly squirrel met on the hike.

Cameron wanted his picture taken with everything. Look at how big this root is! Take a picture! This tree is hollow. Take a picture! A tree fell across the path. Take a picture!

Ari's first time playing in icy salt water.

Find an agate, pick it up . . .

Gabrian insisted on calling them Agnets.

Cape Lookout area had a lot of agnets.

Some kind of beach creature . . .

watching Ari hold a little crab.

Made It To The Pacific!

Evening, and chilly, but still so exciting. :)

(This is Andrew, off on his cell phone.)