The Ghost on the Coast

We were given the short end of the summer stick this year. I know that some of this has to do with the record-breaking amount of snow we received last winter resulting in multiple days of cancelled school. I personally think we should be granted an extra three weeks of summer just as a friendly reward for surviving the winter. Isn't it reasonable to suggest that we need to be stock piling our sunlight now so that our serotonin will have some reserves to feed upon during the impending doom of darkness that some people call winter here in the Pacific Northwest?

The school district had some lame excuse as to why they further cut an additional 2 weeks out of our fun, but I was too busy clamping my hands over my ears and saying "la la la, I can't HEAR you" to actually listen to what they had to say.

We had to stuff one more trip into our sunny gunny sacks before pulling out the backpacks

While living in Portland, we visited Cannon beach several times, but never on a multi-tidal basis. You can never become truly intimate with a beach until you are able to witness her many moods.....changing weather, morning mists, evening sunsets, high tides, low tides, neap tides, and sweep tides. I was acquainted with Cannon beach before this trip. Now we have formed a bond that can never be torn asunder.

wishing this was mine

In light of my latest epiphany about coloring books and children, I graciously decided to allow each of us some time to choose our own method of estivating on the Oregon Coast. It worked out fairly well, minus the morning that Corey and I miscalculated the rate of the incoming tide and stranded our barefooted family on a small section of beach. It was only a short pine--padded hike to the road....and a downhill walk on the road through town, but I don't think we will ever be forgiven. (I know my feet haven't quite forgiven me).

Savanna loved to let the sand embrace her knees and toes while she used her artistic fingers to carve whimsical designs. And she proved that she can fly a kite in one hand while she carves in the other.

Emmy loved to make use of her long legs by climbing trees and jumping the waves.

Ansel loved to play with the sand....digging craters and tunnels, rescuing starfish, smothering our many nocturnal beach fires, burying his feet, and generally stowing as much of the beach as possible in his pockets, nostrils, ears, socks, underwear, nether regions, etc. We have been home for two days and I now am satisfied that I don't need to go to the beach ever again because the beach has come to me. Thanks, Ansel.

We were all pleased with the fact that my cousin, Marika, and her family were able to drive from Olympia to spend a night and a day with us. They make everything a jillion times more fun.

Corey and I both enjoyed taking long walks down the beach, looking for shells and sand dollars, and watching the many personalities and dramas that are somehow all magnetized to this place

We saw.........

two weddings

One possible engagement

An anachronistic woman ghost from the early 20th Century

Yes, I said ghost and we saw her 4 times. She wasn't scary, just very mysterious and elusive

5 very tan shirtless boys in blue jeans with stringed instruments of some sort flung at their sides while they flirtatiously splashed in the surf in the setting sun, creating the perfect backdrop for their 1) album cover 2) Northwest boys are Hot Too Calendar 3) HUGE EGOS

A man wrapped ever so delicately in a pink and teal afghan (B.P., you know who you are. We are holding this photo for future political blackmail)

a man and woman fighting about why only she can find whole sand dollars and he is only finding broken ones (oh wait, that was us)

We didn't see.....

the inebriated driver who smashed into the front of our van while we were busy looking for the ghost or sleeping.

I did manage to capture the ghost on my camera phone one afternoon.