Oregon Caravan Trip 2011

We set out in August for a vacation with Trevor and Christy, our dear G-girlies, and Trev's in-laws Teunis and Nancy. Three trailer towin' vehicles boppin' down the road heading towards the Oregon coast. Our first night was just a quick stop-gap camp site.....just drove thru, ate dinner, slept and got on the road bright and early the next morning.

Our first actual destination was Newport, Oregon....we had a long but fairly uneventful drive and pulled in for a couple of days of exploring.

Denay's birthday was on the road....so we had a campground birthday fit for a princess.

The views were spectacular....we walked, we rode bikes, we combed the beach....we explored the area in every direction.

We took a day to drive to the Dunes and go for a buggy ride.


A race to the finish.....Denay is such a good sport....she's always ready to try anything for fun.

This was such a picturesque little town. 

On a cooler day, we decided to check out the aquarium....both girlies LOVED it!

It's so fun to watch the wonder in their eyes as they discover the beauty of God's creation.

Lots of beach time....

 

 

 

 

 

We all biked through town to the beach.

One evening Bob and I took off on our own to find dinner in town.  We found a quaint place (Mo's) famous for it's clam chowder....yummmm!

 

 

 

 

 

We drove up the coast on our way to Cannon Beach.  While the others went down into the sea lion caves.....we sat and enjoyed the view.....gorgeous!

 

 

Stunning drive all the way up the coast....another gorgeous view with every turn in the road.

 

 

 

 

 Cannon Beach was our next stop.....I gotta say, I think it's my favorite camping spot.  The site is close enough to bike to the beach, and it has a great indoor pool for those cooler days.

There is nothing like fresh sea air!

Amazing sunsets!

We toured the Tillimook Cheese Factory.....very interesting.  And the ice cream....yummy!

 Another day at the beach....Tucker LOVED camping!!

Strolling through the town....baking cookies with the biggest G-girlie.

After a couple of days at Cannon Beach, we moved up the coast again to Ocean Shores, Washington.

You could drive for miles right on the beach....very cool.

Paisley all played out.

It was a perfect day for kite flying...and horseback riding.....and more ice cream!

The next day, we said our good-byes and went our own way, heading towards home.

Once on our own, we spent a few nights in Port Townsend and Oak Harbor....it was VERY relaxing and a great way to end our terrific vacation.  We felt blessed to be able to spent so much time together with Trev and Christy and the G-girlies. 

My birthday 2011

I was blessed to have a wonderful day with family and friends celebrating my birthday with me. 

What's the good of a birthday if you can't eat 'til you're sick?!  And eat we did...

Shawna made the birthday cake....it. was. a. mazing.!

On days like this, I feel more blessed than ever.....I am so thankful for my family and friends.
God is good.
All the time.

Summer Gathering

We usually try to have a gathering of the "Dirty Dozen" at least twice a year....last summer we met at Steve and Marilyn's gorgeous home for a wonderful time together.

There is nothing more precious in this life to me than friendships that have lasted decades....we just "get" each other....no need to explain or put up pretences....just able to be yourself and be accepted...LOVE it!!

Good food, great company and even a dip to cool off....lovely.  I am truly thankful for our six-pak friendships.

Blessings to y'all....have a great day today.

Lynden Camping

We went camping just down across the line in Lynden.....even though the weather was not ideal.  This year we wouldn't be doing anything if we waited for the weather to improve!

We went down with our dear friends Jim and Diane.....but apparently the bird population was much more interesting to photograph than the people!  

It was such a restful time together.....just thinking about it makes me want to get the calendar out and plan another trip!

I hope you have had time to get away and relax this year!