We spent four lovely days at the Oregon Coast this summer. In previous years we went to Manzanita and Lincoln City. This year we chose Rockaway Beach. But first, we spent a day at the Evergreen Air & Space Museum, and waterpark in McMinnville.
At the beach we did all the normal things: digging, kite flying, splashing, and finding shells. We were located right next to Nehalem Bay, which is a popular fishing and crabbing spot. John rented a little boat for us and we spent a couple of hours learning how to snag and identify Dungeness (or were they Red Rock?) crabs. John and Jake also took a deep-sea fishing trip and came back with an excellent and delicious assortment of fish.
We ventured out to nearby beaches in Oswald West State Park and Arch Cape. And of course we couldn't resist some shopping in Canon Beach.
Colin standing in an engine cowl at the Evergreen Air Museum
The Spruce Goose barely fits inside the museum building and dwarfs all the other planes
The waterpark is crowned with a 747, which also serves as the jumping-off point for four water slides
Ready to dig
Time to boogie
I have no idea what I'm doing
Finally enough wind for a kite!
John snagged a couple of crabs with his traps from the jetty.
What else do you do with a large hole in the sand?
Could be just a little warmer. And less salty.
Ooooh!
We tied the kite to Odie and let him wander around
Proto-sand at Arch Cape
Manzanita and Rockaway from the highway viewpoint
Tsunami Bar & Grill in Wheeler
Colin promised to keep his clothes dry while playing in the tidepools
Barnacles seen at low tide
We were a little surprised to see this starfish on the open beach, rather than clinging to some rocks
Jake wanted to create a huge fire by burning the windbreak
Jake's fire was still burning the next morning
A rare intact sand dollar on the beach at low tide
Some tubular life form clinging to the jetty rocks at low tide
The anemone are much prettier when covered by water
Fascinated by the way these small rocks leave wakes in the sand
Uncle Patrick is visiting us this week and our good friend Iris invited him to play with her band at the Palouse Falls Brewery. Patrick opened the show and played for an hour, and then joined the Bluesberry Jam ensemble for the remaining hour.
Colin was the lead videographer.
Bluesberry doesn't have a drummer at the moment, so they hand out various percussive knick knacks for audience members to play.
Were I not a middle-aged man with failing memory I'd be able to tell you more of the songs they played. I do remember Because Don't Mean, Give Me One Reason, and Dock of the Bay. Dang, I should've asked for a copy of the set list.
The beer was good, we barbequed some steak and brats, and the music was wonderful. What a great way to start of Mary Pat & Pat's visit to Moscow!
Lovely wife Anne is a board member for the "Rendezvous for Kids" arts festival associated with Moscow's Rendezvous in the Park. She recruited volunteers and helped organize all sorts of activities for the kids. At her table they crafted robots from recycle computers and other parts. Colin and some of his pals became obsessed with finger knitting. He turned a skein of yarn into a 25-foot long, but very narrow scarf.
Thanks to Anne's hard work we received complimentary passes for the evening events. We went Thursday and Friday, but couldn't make it on Saturday. I enjoyed the music of Cataldo, Double G - The Funky One Man Band, and Darren Smith.
The sand pit volleyball court was covered, so the kids couldn't throw sand at each other this year. Bummer. They seemed to find a way to have fun anyway, playing in the fountain and spitting water.
Click photos for slideshow mode
Students from the Moscow High School Glee Club taught the younger kids a song earlier in the day, which they performed onstage between acts.
Eric Anderson from Cataldo.
Cataldo performing at the 2012 Rendezvous in the Park.
The Glee Club is invited join Cataldo on stage.
Colin can't stop fingerkinitting. After finishing the entire skein, he'll complain of phantom yarn encircling his fingers.
I woke early to go take some pictures in the Rock Creek area, which is a little South of Potlatch. Rather than return on highway 95, I decided to take the back roads on the way home. These took me over Moscow Mountain. When I got home, Anne was jealous because we'd never really been there before. So around lunch time we all drove back up to the top for a hike.
There are relatively few trails and even fewer signs, but our Things to Do Outside on the Palouse book gave some hints. Our first hike to some granite outcroppings was very short, so we took another along a former logging road.
On the return we wanted to continue east along the ridgetop and then come out near Troy. But a gate blocked the way so we had to backtrack and take the western route home.
It's hot here today, just like everywhere, which inspired me to whip up a batch of Grandma Bertha's Slush. The recipe is quite simple:
6 cups water
4 cups sugar
2 cans frozen OJ
2 cans frozen lemonade
46oz can pineapple juice
5 bananas (mashed)
The recipe says to start by boiling the sugar in the water. When the water cools, mix up the other ingredients (in a blender perhaps) and add them in. I have wonder if boiling is strictly necessary, since its not much fun on a hot day and you have to wait a long time for it to cool down.
Slush is served with 7up, Sprite, ginger ale, etc. I typically use a 1:1 ratio.
One awkward thing about Slush is scraping it out of the frozen jar. This year, I'm trying single servings by using small jars half-full. Just add the soda and stir.
I find that Slush is a great sleep-aid. Years ago I'd drink about a quart of it and then promptly fall asleep. Also, beware of frozen brain!
This was taken by the water tower close to our house. When I was up there the night before (watching the storm clouds) I saw the nearly full moon rise over the butte. I was pretty excited when the weather was clear for tonight's full moon.
