That's Ecola, Not E.coli State Park

We hadn't been to the beach for a few weeks, so we set out for Seaside once again this past weekend. After the obligatory Tillamook ice cream cone and salt water taffy (probably made in Salt Lake), Jason wanted to do a little crabbing. Sitting around waiting to catch inedible baby crabs is not my idea of fun so I went on a hike by myself at Indian Beach in Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach. Indian Beach has been the site of many scenes from movies including "Goonies", "Kindergarten Cop" and "Twilight"-the scene where Jacob and Bella are talking about the origins of his tribe. It was a gorgeous place!

The purpose of the hike was to get to a viewpoint to see Tillamook Rock lighthouse about a mile off the coast. I didn't realize that the hike was so steep THE ENTIRE WAY. There were numbered posts along the way with #9 being the last post. By the time I got to #7 I was determined to go the rest of the way even though I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. It was so misty and humid, but I didn't mind, at least it wasn't raining. I love hiking through coastal forests, it always makes me think that I've been transported to prehistoric times and that I'll see a brontosaurus at any moment.

It was only an 1/8 of a mile to the lookout from post #9. I finally got there and this is what I saw:
Great view, huh? Oh well, I was very proud of myself for making it to the end. The way back was much easier. The beach was so beautiful that I wanted the rest of the family to see it. I went to pick up everyone in Seaside then we went back to Indian Beach to play around.
We finally got out the kite we bought at Costco about 4 years ago that the kids have been asking to fly for about that long.
After walking along the beach for a while I turned around and saw the lighthouse I had hiked up the hill to see.
We played around for a while then it started to rain (big surprise) and it was getting dark, so we headed home.

Our Anniversary

Jason and I celebrated our 15th anniversary last week (time flies!). We wanted to get out of "The Couve" and go to a Portland neighborhood we had never been to. We went to the Hawthorne neighborhood with it's quirky shops and restaurants. We ate at the Waffle Window. It's exactly as the name says-a window on the side of a restaurant where you can order the most delectable waffle creations and none are over $4! The pumpkin pie waffle was sooooo good! It consisted of a yummy waffle, a slab of homemade pumpkin pie filling, whipped cream and carmel drizzle. I ordered the cheesecake waffle, but it came with no cheesecake (we didn't have time to order another one). It was still topped with FOUR kinds of fresh berries. YUM! I'm sure we'll be back.




We then headed over to the Bagdad Theater for a $3 movie. It is a theater that was built in the 1920's with a middle-eastern interior. As we were waiting in line to buy tickets, a bagpiper walked by providing pre-movie entertainment. I turned to Jason and said, "We're not at the Megaplex anymore!" Luckily the Bagpiper stopped then the movie started. About 10 minutes before the movie ended the audio stopped working and we had to guess what the characters were saying. We did get tickets for 2 free admissions for next time.
All in all, it was a very interesting and fun anniversary date!

Willamette Jet Boats

For our Labor Day weekend activity we decided to check out the Willamette Jet Boats. It was a high speed river tour of some of Portland's shipyards, bridges and other points of interest mixed in with some fun boat maneuvers like the high speed 360 degree turn. We learned stuff and got sprayed with water at the same time. Ethan said it was the most fun thing we've done so far. I knew they'd all like it! I learned that Oregon's biggest export is grain and their biggest import is cars. 70% of all Hondas and Hyundais come into Portland on ships and are then loaded onto trains to go all over the country.


No trip to Portland would be complete without a stop at Voodoo Donuts. This is an ivy voodoo doll attacking our car.

First Day of School

After a REALLY long summer, the day finally came-the first day of school. It was not a small task to get the kids registered at their new schools. Three schools, three schedules, three buses. It's stressful keeping it all straight. I'm sure it will get easier as we get used to it. It is about 1/3 mile from our house to the main road where the kids catch the bus. I drove each one at their appointed time. First, Hiram's bus flew by 5 minutes early. We were still sitting in the car and the bus driver didn't know we would be there. I had to chase the bus down in the car, that first day. Now the diver knows Hiram will be there and stops. Hiram seems to be adjusting to high school pretty well. His high school is modeled after a college where you can choose a subject to center your electives around (engineering, graphic design, etc.). The campus has 6 different buildings surrounding a central courtyard. He chose a building to be his "home base" where he will have his locker for the next 4 years. He still hasn't used his locker because he has to share and doesn't want to meet his locker partner.
Ethan is the one who I thought would have the easiest time adjusting, but I forgot how hard 7th grade can be. Getting used to using lockers, rushing to your next class, and the general mayhem that is middle school. After missing Hiram's bus, I made sure Ethan and I got to the bus stop early. After a few minutes he said, "We came to the bus stop too early and now the suspense is killing me!" Ethan enjoys his bus ride because he gets to go by alpaca farms on the way to school. One of them is called "Angelic Alpacas".
Caleb was all pumped up for school when we went to meet his teachers the week before school started. He says his teachers are the "nicest teachers EVER in the whole world."

I was grateful the bus drivers got them back home again!

Dahlia Festival

Caleb and I went on an excursion to Swan Island Dahlias in Canby, OR, the largest dahlia grower in the country. They were having their annual dahlia festival. It was amazing. They had over 400 dahlia arrangements featuring every type they grow. We also walked through their acres and acres of flowers. Caleb said there wasn't a number high enough to count all the dahlias in the fields.
We also experienced another first-crossing the Willamette river in our car on a ferry. Caleb was a little scared because he thought there was no way a boat could hold 6 cars without sinking. The ride took all of about 1 minute (if that).
We ended the day with Caleb's long awaited trip to the Lego store.
We both thought it was a great day.

"Yeah, I'm at a dahlia festival, what are you going to do about it?"

Sauvie Island

We finally made it out to Sauvie Island this weekend to check out the house that we almost rented. The island is a beautiful place used almost entirely for farmland. When I say it's a beautiful place, I mean to visit, not to live. I would not have been happy crammed in a house in the middle of nowhere that's half the size of the one we're living in. I've got to be within a ten minute drive to Target or Walmart!
I loved all the fresh fruits, vegetables and u-pick flowers. I've also never seen fields and fields of cabbage! We will surely go back for the corn maze and pumpkin picking.

Freshly harvested broccoli

Zinnias straight from the farm to the table!

Summer Overview

Make your own picture slideshow

We have done so many things over the past two months that if I tell you about each one it will take me forever to get up to date. We've gone on some new adventure every weekend including going to the beach four times! Enjoy!