Oregon Vacation part 2

There were many things to enjoy once we got to the Oregon coast. The first thing we were excited about was the arrival of Nana and G-Daddy that night, and then the arrival of Grammie Ellen the next day!

On the first morning the girls went on an "alone date" with Nana Rose to scout for candy, and Steve and G-Daddy flew kites on the beach, and Christina tried not to get covered in sand while reading on the beach. But when Grammie Ellen arrived our attention turned to the joint birthday party to encompass many of the family members present! Clara and Elena got right on cake-making duty.

That night we got to have a fun present/candles/cake surprise.

We also headed out to the Tillamook cheese factory (because we were staying right outside of Tillamook, and this is not to be missed!).

We watched a whole lot of cheese getting cut and packaged in this area.

And we watched it heading out on conveyor belts, destined to be dispersed throughout the country.  Of course, we had to sample the fine dairy in the form of grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and ice cream.

We took two trips to the Cape Meares lighthouse - one pretty clear day:

 And one pretty foggy day:

It was such a foggy day you could immediately see the need for a lighthouse!  But it also made for some gorgeous scenery.

We had to introduce the girls to the Octopus tree - a tree that has eight main trunks, and no one knows why.

Clara tries to look through these handy viewers.

This was a pout moment - Clara took her own time out in the grass, among the flowers, and spent a good span of time thinking.

Why was she so distressed?  Well, Elena, on the spot, had just figured out how to blow bubbles with bubble gum, and Clara was VERY upset that she couldn't do it yet.

We were able to move on, eventually, and had dinner on Netarts Bay, at the Schooner - the oysters were fantastic!

We also took a trip up to Seaside one day - this is the same carousel the girls rode right before their first and second birthdays, and they loved riding on it again right before their fifth.

On the way between Oceanside and Seaside is the little town where Christina and Steve camped five years ago - we had just gone to church at this spot, Saint Mary's by the Sea, before we got the call that we had been picked as Clara and Elena's parents!  It's part of the reason that Clara's middle name is Mary.

And on top of all of that travelling and sightseeing, we spent PLENTY of time on the beach.  We went down early every morning to collect seashells, and then back many afternoons to play.

Our friend Sylvie happened to be out with her parents in the area at the same time, so these Montanans bonded at the Oregon beach.

Have you ever seen such pure enthusiasm?

Here's the view from the house we were so grateful to be staying in:

This is when Clara implored Elena to: "Bury me, sister!"

 

Here's some of the kite flying the two Steve's did - every one of G-Daddy's kites ended up getting shredded in the stiff winds!

Only Elena's little cat kite made it out unscathed!

One of our very favorite things that we did was have a beach bonfire - these fire pits people have created on the beach are just scattered here and there, and every night different people come down and light them and gather around them.  It was so different to have a fire without the danger that comes of being in Montana at this time of year, where our wildfires are burning so fiercely.

Uncle Scott helped Elena roast a perfect marshmallow.

 

Clara was intent on "making sand ice cream for all of my friends!"

Christina tried out an idea that looked better on Pinterest than it did in execution - we made our handprints in the sand and then poured in plaster of paris.  Sadly, they did not really set - but it was fun to try!