Beth and I and our trusty driver, Marie, opted for Memorial Day's weekend in Portland. Less time on the road, more time with family and Suzie was promising good food and fun adventures.
Day 1: Stacks of pancakes for everyone and off to the coast! As you can see here, the little kids knew exactly what to do when they hit the sand, while the "big kids" concerned themselves with more serious matters.
But, it wasn't long before we all remembered how to play. First on the list, bury every dripping, shivering kid in warm sand...
And, of course a picnic, treasure hunting, running, and sand-castle building! Joe The Builder really knew what he was doing!
After enough hours in the sand to make the kids happy and not too many to make them tired, we hit the road to Tillamook. There was a cheese factory there we'd heard a lot about. So, we line up caravan-style with the GPS-led driver in front and away we went. There was much to see on the way! 'ave u ever wondered how people come up with street names?
We are in green, rural country having seen all of the above, wondering like crazy about those fields blooming red everywhere...(turns out it's crimson clover. see Margaret's blog for better pictures. I think she actually stopped to take hers ;)...and the lead car pulls off the road. So we lean out the windows and ask what's up. The answer? "The tom-tom says we've reached our destination!" Well...there are fields, and a house with a barn and sheds, and....no factory.So, we continue on, hoping we didn't somehow miss a famous cheese factory along the highway!
Fortunately, we didn't and soon arrived. It is very busy, even though there isn't much to watch on a weekend. They only have a couple of people working the floors. The kids still were fascinated and had fun posing in the farmer set-up, and seeing the education posters about the crabs they'd seen shells of on the beach. We all enjoyed sampling cheese and eating sorbet and ice cream.
Brandon eventually got the ice cream cone idea figured out...ya don't lick where it's dripping, you lick IT!!
Day 2: a nature hike, delicious lunch, and just playing around the yard. The kids found a snake and some snails, cooled off in Suzie's new kiddie pool and sprinklers, and herded dogs in and out of the back yard. Who needs toys, anyway?
Unless, of course walkie-talkies fit in that category....I had no idea how important it was to communicate while herding dogs! Craig is announcing that he has located Jersey here...rounding up the troops!
Day 3: Departure Day for most of the group. There was just enough time while the parents packed up for the kids to play a little more walkie-talkie and scribble their story on the driveway. I started with a "Come Again" that they could see as they backed out of the driveway and let the kids take it from there. Craig quickly added "Relly Soon" and then they all drew pictures of who was there, the snake and snails, the coast, butterflies, etc. At one point, I looked over Craig's shoulder and could not agree more to what he wrote:
I think they just might have to visit again :)After we sent them on their way, it was time to help Suzie do a few things around the place. The biggest task: building garden beds so she can fill them with real soil instead of the hard-packed clay there now.
Before and After
It was a perfect little getaway, and only made me more excited to see everyone else at the end of this month!
2 comments:
Thanks for the laughs about a weekend I already laughed about. The picture choices and your sarcastic dripping humor was the cherry on top.
You blogged the memories very well. I giggled too, just remembering how much fun we had and reading it in the way you put it. Way to go!
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