Tuesday, June 25, 2013

We just got back from a little trip.  My grandma's memorial service was Saturday, and we added a quick jaunt to the beach so my kids would feel like they had some sort of vacation this year.

On the way over we stopped at Multnomah Falls, but it was so crowded we didn't hike up.


You have to look closely to see Mt. St. Helens at the top of the mountains in this pic.  I grew up under that mountain and all its grumbling and puffing.  I was so mad when the mountain blew its top.  I was young and I didn't like change, and it was MY mountain, and it wasn't symmetrical and beautiful anymore.
For years after the eruption she kept dumping ash on us.  We'd have air raid sirens go off in our tiny town and have to stay indoors or wear masks to go out. 

Looking east from the Astoria bridge at the mouth of the Columbia.  Mt. St. Helens is in this one too, just to the left of that island.

We took my nephew with us.  He'd never stayed in a hotel, and he was really intrigued by it all.  The boys had a lot of fun running on the beach.

Whale skeleton on the beach.  I was fascinated by all these vertebrae behind its head.

Jumping waves:

Bumper cars:

Carriage rides:

Beach ninjas:

Pelicans:

A very loud and active feeding frenzy:

Cool old cabin:
I think I did my beach time when I was a kid.  It doesn't really do much for me now.  I did enjoy the junk food and the shopping.  The candy shops were especially fun.  And I got to walk back from the beach by myself in the rain, splashing barefoot in warm puddles.  That was nice and relaxing.  Even if I wasn't super excited about the beach, the kids had a lot of fun, and that's what it's all about. 

We got home after a very long drive yesterday, and the naughty horses were out in the big pasture that isn't completely closed off from the big, bad world.  They came in pretty easily at the promise of grain though, and I fixed the temporary fence that someone had run through.  The dogs were VERY happy to see us.  It's good to be home, even though that means lots of laundry and going back to work. 

There's a pretty awesome looking thunderstorm coming in.  I think I'll go outside and watch it until it starts raining.  :)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

So sorry for the loss of your Grandma.

You just captured the very essence of one of my most favorite places ever! My mom lived in Rainier OR for a while and I went to visit her twice there. She lived up pretty high and the road going to her house looked very similar to your second (or was it 3rd) shot. We went to Multnomah falls, and Of course Mt St. Helens, and stopped at that super cool little coffee shop that has the old truck with the tree laying on top of it. I loved the shops and the street fair in Astoria, oh and best of all...The Wet Dog Cafe! MMMMM Best Scallops I've ever had! My favorite part though was walking in the woods behind her home. The black berries were so thick, as were the trees. You couldn't even see the sunlight for the trees over head. We took the dogs to some little marsh ponds and let them swim, and rode our bikes down the trails. The first time I ever met my horse Danny was right there, and we rode those forest trails together. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Sometimes I wish she still lived there, because I loved to go there. Now she is back in California, where it is sunny and warm all the time. LOL Of course if she still lived there, then I wouldn't have my Big Danny! :)

Thanks for sharing the pictures of your trip.

The Dancing Donkey said...

It looks like a beautiful trip even if the original reason for it was sad. I am sorry for your loss, but glad you were able to celebrate life this way.

I lived in Acme, WA when I was a child and I remember when the mountain blew. Actually, it is the ash that I remember most. Sooo much ash.