More Trees and Seas

 We are home now, having arrived back late Saturday afternoon. I spent much of Sunday watching sports: Seahawks victory, Mariners victory, Sounders very disappointing loss. We had take and bake pizza for dinner.

Now it's Monday afternoon. I just finished folding the laundry. Tom did housework and is now outside beginning the tidying up after Saturday night's big rainstorm. We could do without the mess, but we're very glad for the the half inch if rain, the most since April. 

My last post featured our walk to the big cedar last Wednesday. On Thursday we mostly drove to some of my favorite places in the central Oregon Coast.

Cape Meares has a magnificent giant spruce, but the trail is rough and I was not up to it this time. We settled for views and a walk to the Octopus Tree. 

The trail to the Octopus Tree leads through a much younger stand of Sitka Spruce, the dominant tree species right on the coast, and an area that was reforested after the original old growth was logged of many years ago. The Octopus tree was spared, obviously not good for lumber. 

On to another favorite place, Oceanside, and a stop just for the view. No beach hiking today, but many times we hiked through the tunnel in the headland, in younger days. 

On to Pacific City and lunch at the Pelican Brew Pub at Cape Kiwanda.

There were lots of trips slowly up and flying down this dune, first me as a kid, then my kids, and then my grand kids. Memories. 

In the evening, back at the cabin, we walked the beach road to this trail to the beach through salal and shore pines.

Then we enjoyed another beautiful sunset. 

Friday was Rockaway day. We walked through the town to see if anything was new. The building that was once an arcade was now a coffee shop. We got lattes and sat at the Wayside to enjoy the view and just being free to be.

I spent time sitting on the front porch reading and occasionally looking up to this view.

We took a beach walk and the tourist train came by.

There were interesting jellyfish. 

\The fog began to move in and Tom took this interesting photo of the "ghost rocks".

It was good to be on the beach, if even for a much shorter walk than I used to do.

We went out to dinner in Garibaldi, ordering our favorite razor clams, Yum.

Saturday was packing up and cleaning up day, and then we set off north for Astoria for a walk along the river, lunch at The Wet Dog, Astoria Brewing Company, a stop in Chehalis to visit my sister Laurie, and then back home.  

It was a good little getaway and always fun to be by the sea.