Nehalem Bay camping trip

It was really hot in Portland and our family was grouchy - too much unstructured summer vacation - too much together time - too much anticipation and nervousness about Italy and about the new school year.... who knows. But we were struggling. So I packed up the car and the kids and after work on Monday we fled to the coast. We got a campsite at Nehalem Bay State Park, in Manzanita, where it was cool and occasionally foggy, where we could run and bike and dig on the beach, and recover ourselves before our grand adventure.  We stayed two nights and rolled back into town for dinner on Wednesday - sandy, dirty, tired, but happy. Now to the last-minute errands and packing!!

We arrived around 5:30, set up camp, ate a quick dinner, and enjoyed a somewhat gusty sunset on the beach before heading to bed. We are getting much more efficient at the process of packing and unpacking the camping equipment and setting up our space.

Tuesday morning dawned early, and after eating breakfast (instant oatmeal cups, the kids' new favorite camping food) we hauled the bikes up and over the soft sand dunes and onto the beach. Sebastian thought it would be fun to bike to Manzanita. So off we went, two kids on bikes, Jasper and me running alongside. It was less than 2 miles to get to the town, and then we strolled the main strip, got coffee and saltwater taffy, and started back.

We ate a second breakfast back at the campsite and then gathered our toys for another foray. This time around we played beach baseball, tossed the aerobie, and buried each other in mounds of sand. And then walked along the beach in the other direction, splashing in the shallow tidepools and laughing at Jasper's puppy antics.

I'm under all that sand, just my hat and hood peeking out! And that's Seb underneath the mound above.

 Some other people had dug this giant hole - so fun!

Back again at the campsite, for a second lunch and some chilling out time. I napped in the tent while the children read books. And then we biked around the campground, checking out the horse camp, the Nehalem River boat launch, the horse camp, and the amphitheatre.

 The amazing and incredible show: rocks, bikes, and dogs. Yep, it was thrilling.

Dinner and roasted marshmallows.

We kept spotting a mama deer and her faun in the woods behind our tent. Jasper was VERY interested, staring at the deer and occasionally growling in warning. We couldn't figure out what he was thinking - was the deer threatening? Was he just reacting to any wild creature?

In the picture below, he's staring at the faun, who is too afraid of Jasper to walk by him and rejoin the mama deer. She eventually went back and the duo went off in another direction.

 Our second sunset on the beach, even more clear and beautiful than the first.

So much joy - happiness - sibling togetherness - excitement - all because they had discovered the joys of slicing jellyfish with their shovel blades while chanting a murderous little ditty. Ah, the Lord of the Flies liveth.

Wednesday morning we all ran along the beach, with Sebastian setting up start and finish lines to pace us. He made Liesl the overall grand prize winner of the golden boot, which was sweet and lovely. She was thrilled.

And then we had to pack up our tent and campsite to check out - the kids were once again sorry to not be staying longer, especially since the beach is one of our favorite places and it could be awhile before we return. So we drove to Manzanita and had one last beach adventure and one last candy store trip before making the drive home to Portland. It was misty and foggy all along the coast, a far cry from the 99 degrees in PDX.

We splashed a little and threw the aerobie, and then we made a sand castle town, with a tall castle in the center, various houses, guard towers and a ring road, and a wall around the outside. I told them we should label it Lucca, because we're going there next week and Lucca has an ancient city wall. I can't wait to see it in person and for us to see the ancient hilltowns of Tuscany.

 

Time to head home.

summer adventures

We have had good summer adventures the last few weeks, checking off the "must do" list that we jointly write up each June. We went swimming at Southwest Community Center and at Wilson Pool. For the first time, both kids grabbed the rope swing at SWCC and swung off the diving board, high into the air, and then dropping into the deep end of the pool. And at Wilson, both kids ran and jumped off the diving board. I was so happy and proud of them - and I joined them! I was the only grownup swinging the rope and sliding the slides. :)

We played tennis at Cedar Mill and both kids showed improvement (or maybe it was the new racquets!). We went for a really long bike ride on the Banks Vernonia trail - 14 miles! Liesl was amazing; we struggled a little on the uphill, of course, but then she rocketed like a crazy speedster all 7 miles downhill.

Sebastian's soccer team played in a tournament last weekend, with four games spread over three days. They won their first three games handily, which got them into the championship game on Sunday at noon. Sadly, they lost that game 5-0, which was disappointing to all the boys. Sebastian played well, with multiple assists and some nice defense. It'll be fun to see him with this team in the fall.

Liesl and Nora went to a two-day, one-night traditional summer day camp at Camp Namanu. Liesl was beyond excited to go, with only a wee bit of nerves on the drive toward the bus dropoff. They had a wonderful time, with stories of swimming in the pool, singing songs, the bunk beds and cabin, and other adventures. Liesl has already asked to go again next year, for a full week. Eep!

 The aftermath - happy girls at pickup time.

24-hr playdate w Frances

While Liesl was gone for an overnight camp with Nora (more on that later), Sebastian got to have an all-day playdate and sleepover with Frances. We kayaked, they bushwhacked and explored in the woods, we played kids vs parents baseball and soccer games, we ate ice cream and pancakes. It was splendid.

We drove up to Scappoose Bay to rent kayaks there - Frances had only kayaked once or twice, but being Frances, she was totally game - after a moment's hesitation ("I'm totally going to fall in") she hopped in and started paddling. After a half hour, she was standing up in her boat, channeling her paddle boarding techniques. Awesome.

The water was so shallow at this point that they hopped out and stood next to their boats - our very own miracle of walking on water! After we were tired and hot, we drove home for a late lunch and then they explored the forest and secret hideout behind our house. They went deep into the woods and found a previously unknown ravine and stream.

Jasper found a mud puddle and proceeded to get VERY MUDDY. He then came into the house and got mud all over the rugs and bathroom. It's a good thing he's so cute.

We thought about going bowling, or for some other adventure, but then Steve and I challenged the young 'uns to a sporting competition - soccer, basketball, baseball, kickball, downball - kids v parents, for bragging rights. As it turned out, we only made it through a few innings of baseball and a few goals in soccer before everyone was thirsty and tired. So we came home and ate ice cream, and then crashed out until breakfast time (blueberry pancakes!!). So fun to have Frances in the house with us!!