Jan. 8: I’ve been everywhere, man.

Have you gotten hooked on Trivia Crack yet? All the cool kids are playing.

What I like most about the game is that Katie and Jack think I’m brilliant because I know so many of the answers. They don’t understand yet that it’s called “trivia” because it’s “trivial.” My brain is so crammed full of useless information that I forget important things like how fractions work and my own middle name. Knowledge is a curse, folks.

Although sports is my worst trivia category, I’m most frustrated when I miss the geography questions. I think it’s because I expect them to be trick questions but most of them aren’t, at least not in the Trivia Crack game. The geography questions also make me realize how little of this world I’ve actually seen. I have NOT been everywhere, man. Prepare to be sad:

• Highest point in the world: Mt. Everest, Nepal (29,035 feet)
  Highest point in the US: Mt. McKinley (Denali), Alaska (20,320 feet)
  Highest point in the lower 48: Mt. Whitney, California (14,495 feet)
  Highest point I’ve ever been (still touching earth): Pikes Peak, Colorado (14,110 feet). I have a picture somewhere of me and Vic in front of the sign at the summit, but Vic’s giant head is covering the “14” so it looks like we scaled a 110-foot mountain. Yaaaay.
• Lowest point in the world: shore of the Dead Sea, Israel/Jordan/Palestine (1,371 feet below sea level)
  Lowest point in the US: Death Valley, California (282 feet below sea level)
  Lowest point I’ve been to: Probably somewhere in California, close-ish to Death Valley. Memorable, obviously.
• Northernmost place in the world: North Pole (duh)
  Northernmost place in the US: Point Barrow, Alaska (71st parallel).
  Northernmost place in the lower 48: Lake of the Woods, Minnesota (49th parallel)
  Northernmost place in the world I’ve been: Amsterdam, The Netherlands (53rd parallel)
  Northernmost place I’ve been in North America: Vancouver, British Columbia (49th parallel)
  Northernmost place I’ve been in the US: Blaine, Washington, or whatever that space between Blaine and the border is called. (48th parallel-ish)
• Southernmost place in the world: South Pole (duh)
  Southernmost place in the US: Ka Lae, Hawaii (Big Island)
  Southernmost place in the lower 48: Key West, Florida
  Southernmost place in the world I’ve been: St. Maarten/St. Martin (the Caribbean).
  Southernmost place in the US I’ve been: We visited the southernmost point of the US in Hawaii (totally violated our car rental contract getting there), and also the one in Florida, which technically isn’t the southernmost point because there’s a military base on land south of the marker, so pfffftt.
• Westernmost point in the US: one of those Alaskan islands. The one Sarah Palin thinks she lives on.
  Westernmost point in the lower 48: Cape Alava, Washington
  Westernmost point in the US I’ve been: Somewhere on the Oregon coast
• Easternmost point in the US: West Quoddy Head, Maine
  Easternmost point in the US I’ve been: An airport around Washington, D.C.
  Easternmost point in the US I’ve actually spent time: Port Canaveral, Florida
• Farthest from home I’ve been: Brussels, Belgium

I would ask you to share your “-est” places but it would just bum me out even more, so keep ‘em to yourself, ok?

Oh, and download the Trivia Crack app. You’ll probably kill me in geography.

Sep. 18: Happy places

Today’s Day #18 of our September Blog Challenge. It’s also my birthday, so I got to choose today’s blog topic:

Show us your happy place.

Like so many of the topics this month, I can’t choose just one answer. Here are my happiest places.

I likes me the beaches, especially these three:

Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
We honeymooned here.
We actually stayed in that hotel.
There are things I like on all the Hawaiian islands we’ve been to,
but if I were to choose a favorite, it’d be Maui—it’s paradise.

The view from Ecola Point on the Oregon Coast

Castaway Cay, The Bahamas
This is the Disney-owned island and a port for its cruises.
It’s beautiful and relaxing and not insanely crowded.
Happy, happy memories from both our visits.
I hope to return there someday soooooon.

Some of my favorite vacation spots make me happy happy happy

Disneyland, obvy
Even with the crowds, and the outrageous churro prices,
and my weeeener kids not wanting to go on the good rides.

San Francisco
I’ll never get over the beauty of this city.

When I feel super-pampered

Cozied up under my fluffy down comforter

Getting a spa pedicure

With my girlies

Sherilee, Sunshine, Val, Kim F’n-W, Loveliest Lori


Mother Theresa


Sunshine, Dina, Jenn K, Wendy


April!


Tina, Val, Fancy Lori™


Cassie

With my best guy

I’m pretty keen on ‘im

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If you’re a blogger and want to do our blog challenge with us, let me know and I’ll send you our list! Otherwise, tune in here (and on Sherilee’s happy little blog) every day in September.

Sep. 9: Planning an escape

Welcome to Day #9 of the September Blog Challenge. Today’s topic:

If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do?

My first thought was “leisurely travel”—like, maybe go to Europe but not be on the go the entire time. But then I started thinking about the logistics of it all, and I came up with a list of what a really-and-for-true break from my current life would have to have.

1. No alarm clock.
2. Peacefulness. Not just quiet, but calm. This might necessitate palm trees.
3. Massages and pedicures. I love that pamper-y stuff, and I love getting it often.
4. No one asking me what’s for dinner, or what I want for dinner, or where we should go for dinner. I just want dinner in front of me without having to do any work whatsoever. That goes for every meal, actually.
5. Good wifi. I can’t detach myself from society. Don’t make me.
6. Unlimited $$ (duh).
7. No dog hair. Seriously, if I’m not sweeping it up, I’m brushing it off the furniture, our clothes, the inside of the car. How is Lucy not naked? Oh, and I also want Lucy with me on this vacation, just none of her hair.
8. Lots of books to read.
9. No crowds. I like sightseeing and traveling to see the sights, but it’s so much less fun when people are packed in every inch of space along the way. If it means I have to stay in one place for three months, I think I’d be okay with that.
10. A pool, preferably one I don’t have to share with strangers.
11. A panoramic view of something beautiful—mountains, valley, city, sea, I don’t care, but I better be able to see it.
12. My husband most the time and my kids part of the time.
13. Visits from my girlfriends.

I’ll tell ya one thing; I hate the idea that wanting/needing a vacation somehow suggests a dissatisfaction with one’s life. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to explore the world, or wanting a break from work and/or daily home responsibilities, or wanting to go someplace that feels relaxing. Ridiculous.

What about you? How would you spend three months off from your life?

If you’re a blogger and want to do our blog challenge with us, let me know and I’ll send you our list! Otherwise, tune in here (and on Sherilee’s happy little blog and Lisa’s and Jenn’s and Sunshine’s too!) every day in September.

Jul. 15: Mini-vacay report

Do you hate when people say “vacay”? I kinda do too.

We just got home from a week in Southern Oregon and boy, are our arms tired!

(That is a very stupid joke. It doesn’t even make sense, because we didn’t fly to Southern Oregon, and I didn’t even suggest we flew in the sentence and let’s just start over, mmmkay?)

Last week we went to Southern Oregon. It was the vacation we took instead of going to San Francisco (the certainty of having to deal with crowds of America’s Cup watchers kept us away), and we really had a great time. Here’s how:

Saturday

Our goal on this trip was to find out if this book was science fiction:

Here we go…

We left home and drove to Medford. My mom lives there, in case you haven’t been paying attention. We sometimes call her “Mother Mary,” in case you haven’t been paying attention to that either. That evening we hung out at Mother Mary’s comfy and welcoming house, ran some errands, and not a whole lot else. Why is driving so exhausting, even as passengers? Vic wondered that aloud. More than once.

Sunday

A break from all that time in the car was in order, so we stayed in town all day. We went to Despicable Me 2. The kids and I had gone the week before, but Vic and Mom hadn’t; the movie is super-fun and definitely worth seeing more than once. Afterward we had lunch at Kaleidoscope Pizza. I’m sure there are similar pizza places in Portland and I definitely want to find them because YUM.

Monday

We got up early and headed to Brookings, which is on the southern Oregon coast. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid and didn’t realize that the best (only?) route there from Medford is through California. How weird is that? We drove north to Grants Pass, southwest across the state border to Crescent City, and back up north to Brookings. It’s cocoa for cuckoo poops, that’s what it is.

We drove along the very edge of the Redwoods and were tempted to drive a bit farther south to drive through that one tree, but stayed on course to the beach instead. We thought the weather would be better there. We are bad interpreters of weather forecasts.

Harris Beach is beautiful, at least it appeared to be when we could see through all the fog. The skies were disappointing, yes, but generally, the weather was warm so we didn’t mind much. I even got a sunburn, proving that clouds and fogs do not mean sunscreen is unnecessary. Katie and Jack did lots of wave-jumping and sand-throwing, and the dogs enjoyed romping up and down the coast.

It really was a fantastic day, and we were slightly pleased to find the southern coast weather as unreliable as the areas we visit on the central and northern parts of the coast. But our love of Harris Beach waned a few days later, when we saw this news item:

Health advisory lifted at Harris Beach

July 13, 2013

A public health advisory warning against water contact at Harris Beach was lifted Friday by the Oregon Health Authority, according to a news release.

The advisory was issued July 1 after water samples showed higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria at the east end of Goat Island in Curry County.

Recent samples taken by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality showed bacteria levels had subsided and the water no longer posed a higher-than-normal risk, the release said.

But officials recommendeded [sic] staying out of large pools and runoff from water frequented by birds, whose waste was believed to be the source of the contamination.

The Oregon Beach Monitoring Program monitors the waters along Oregon's coastline for the presence of fecal bacteria annually from Labor Day through Memorial Day.

Marine waters are tested for enterococcus, which is an indicator of the presence of other bacteria. Enterococcus is present in human and animal waste.

Fecal bacteria can cause anything from diarrhea and stomach cramps to skin rashes or no reaction at all, but it is the largest threat to the elderly, children and those more vulnerable to waterborne bacteria.

Source: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130713/NEWS07/307130328

Fecal bacteria levels were higher than normal? There are acceptable levels??? Yikes.

Vic and I researched Trip Advisor extensively to find the best places to visit on the southern coast, but we didn’t think to check recent news reports. [sing-song voice] Geniuses! But really, shouldn’t there have been a bunch of warning signs posted along the beach if we were supposed to stay out of the water? We didn’t see a single one.

Fortunately, none of us have been stricken with E. coli poisoning. Whew.

One of the coolest parts about this trip—and the beach was lovely, it really was—involved a liquor store just over the California border. If you Google a phrase like “why is alcohol cheaper in California” you’ll find a variety of ideas and even contradictions; all I know is that, for the most part, the liquor store outlets near the California-Oregon border had much better prices than I’ve ever seen at home. Mother Mary and I stocked up like the world’s about to end and we want to be drunk when it does. Or maybe we were buying in preparation for the Global Booze Wars. Those are happening, right? We be ready.

Tuesday

Mom took us to see My Fair Lady at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival. Anthony Heald played Eliza’s father and stole every scene he was in. What a hoot! Most of us know this actor from his baddie roles in Silence of the Lambs and tons of other movies and TV shows, but who knew that is actually quite delightful and can sing and dance, often at the same time?*

The show was spectacular. Somewhat sadly—but just somewhat—our kids recognized much of the music from the particularly hilarious My Fair Laddy episode of The Simpsons. In other words, Jack didn’t hate My Fair Lady. If you ask him to sing anything from it, though, you’ll hear “Wouldn’t It Be Adequate,” “I’m Gettin’ Blue Pants in the Morning,” and “In the Shack Where You Live.” Sorry. There’s only so much culture I can try to pound into that kid.

After the show, Mom treated us to a delicious dinner at Larks Home Kitchen Cuisine, the restaurant in Ashland Springs Hotel. Ten thumbs up.

I love Ashland, and there are lots of eateries worth a try, but here’s something I don’t understand: why do so many restaurants refuse to split checks? Larks actually had it printed at the bottom of their menu that they have a one-check-per-table policy. Is it really that much extra effort for them? And wouldn’t you think they should be willing to split checks just to please their customers, many of whom visit Ashland in large groups? Servers will inevitably get bigger tips that way, right? Puzzling.

Wednesday

Back to California! We left the dogs at home this time, and headed down I-5 to the Shasta area, touring Shasta Dam and appreciating shady parking spots and our vehicle’s powerful A/C. It was H-O-T HOT in them parts. Beautiful scenery though.

Since we were a handful of miles from Redding and the northernmost In-n-Out Burger, we went a leeetle bit out of our way for lunch. Those of us who ordered cheeseburgers were glad to make the detour. And did we stop at a liquor store before crossing back into Oregon? You bet your sweet open container ass we did!

The really memorable thing about the day was doing things we’d (mostly) not done before. I mean, how many times have we seen the sign to Shasta Dam/Lake from I-5 and thought “We should do that someday”? Too many times.

Thursday

We had tentatively planned to go back to Portland on Thursday, but Mom convinced us to stay for one more day of relaxation. We spent the hot morning in Auntie Donna’s pool and then went out for lunch, came home and watched the first two Iron Man movies, Life of Pi, and the film version of My Fair Lady. Except for the packing-up-to-go-home part, it was a bonus day of even more vacation fun.

Friday

We drove back north. ‘Twas a long and boring drive, but sooo worth it for our week of vacation with Mother Mary. Thank you, Mom, for hosting us!

Conclusion: this book had some excellent ideas for family activities. Not science fiction-y at all.

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Since we’ve been home, the list of things we hoped to get done over the weekend mostly went undone. Today Vic is back to work and I’m doing all our vacation laundry. Blech.

*Lyric lifted from Spamalot and shamelessly paraphrased. I apologize.

May 10: Hidden Falls

There’s construction going on a few streets over from us. Over the past 15 years there have been a variety of signs in the field that advertised planned development, but it wasn’t until this year that any activity actually started. There are now several large signs that state the area is called “Hidden Falls,” with maps of the houses and a planned park. (For you locals, here’s the park proposal, if you’re interested.)

All of this excites me so much, I can only say meh. I mean, it’s just a new neighborhood.

Then last week my dear friend, Stephanie, who lives a bit south of the new construction, asked if I’d seen the hidden falls in our neighborhood. I was all WHUH? (Cuz she be cray-cray.)

Apparently this new neighborhood, Hidden Falls, was named so for a reason. I know, right?

Stephanie said to take a walk through the new construction, ignore “no trespassing” signs along the grass road (she be cray-cray AND a rule-breaker), wind your way down the canyon, and here’s what you’ll find:

So, again, I say, I know, right?

I took that picture when Victor and I went there a week ago. From above, the view doesn’t quite do the falls justice, so I stole a pic Val put on FB after her visit there, because she and her fam weaved their way down to the very bottom of the canyon:

That waterfall is friggin’ HUGE! And it’s been in my backyard (kinda) for forever (or so). For some perspective:

The next-door neighbor kid is pissed that so many people have found out about the falls because it’s not “his” anymore. Who knew I lived next door to Christopher Columbus?!

MORAL OF THE STORY: If we just keep our eyes open, and trespass through abandoned property, and endanger our lives and safety, beautiful things can be found—even in our boring ol’ neighborhood.

Aug. 16: IDCEAYWTPFriday

I know, two weeks in a row of shirtless Ponch. I cannot believe it also.

• Jack’s football draft has finally finished and… well… he’s on a team. Today we got an email from the coaches, and besides a schedule that has entirely too many practices and games that involve football, it listed lots of reminders like these:

Parents parent, coaches coach, referees ref, kids get the fun job to play. Any time we cross someone else’s job description, problems will arise.

On game day: parents stay in bleachers, not on the track or sidelines.

At practice: parents, no shouting instructions or commands at their own child.

If you have a legitimate concern, talk to me at practice and ask for a time to meet the following day. No emails, VM or text. Talk in person (away from other parents).

Parents: Please try watching the entire spectrum of players, not just your own child. The best parents are those without kids, the best coaches have never coached, the best marriage advice seems to come from divorcees and single people.

• You know what that stuff makes me think? They tell us these things because parents have given them reason to and therefore, parents are unbelievable assholes! I can’t believe people need to be reminded to be decent human beings. I’m running for Football Parent Non-Asshole of the Season. It sounds like there might not be a lot of competition.
• Last night Dina and I went to The Bloggess’ reading/signing at Powell’s in Beaverton. Powell’s waaaay underestimated her popularity—they didn’t have ticketed signing and they ran out of books. It was insanity. And so was her presentation, but in the best way. I adore that woman and her very twisted sense of humor. If you have not yet read the silliness that is her book, put it next on your reading list.
• Why did the Olympics have to end? Pffft.
• The other day I straightened my hair. It took approximately four hours, and that’s why I was late to everything that day. The most frustrating part was not even how long it took, but that five minutes later my hair started telephone cord-ing up again.

• Here’s my advice: if you have chemo and your hair starts coming back all curly, don’t believe people who tell you how lucky you are. You are going to fight with that hair until the end of your days.
• There’s something wrong with Vic’s car and that sucks.
• There’s something wrong with my new laptop and that also sucks, though Vic might suggest his problem is worse. Whatevs. My laptop is making a loud noise that’s super-annoying, but I suppose it won’t break down on I-205 on the way to work.
• Here’s a picture for Sonya, my fab sister-in-law. I can’t wait ‘til she looks like Kim Jong Il!!    (And no, I don’t feel bad, because the Caucasian aging process is way uglier and starts happening way sooner, IMO. Like, in my case, at 32.)

• Did you see the season premiere of Grimm this week? It was edge-of-your-seat kind o’ stuff. I hate two-parters, but I’m glad there’s some new TV to watch, so I’ll let this one slide.
• This weekend Vic’s extended fam is going to Great Wolf Lodge. I love it there, but since I’m not a swim-in-public person, I have opted to stay home. BY MYSELF. It’s possible that I still win.

May 21: Perfect day

Here’s one thing I love about living where we do: the ocean is less than two hours away. So are mountains, rivers, desert, rain forest, city, country—we’ve got it all ‘round these parts—but my favorite quick-trip destination is almost always the Oregon Coast. Being at the beach is one of the few times I can honestly call the outdoors “great.” Otherwise it’s “the ‘meh’ outdoors.” True story.

Victor checked the forecast on Friday afternoon and quietly suggested going to the beach the next day; I agreed that it would be fun and since we had no other plans, why not? Stuff happens, though, and by morning we weren’t sure we wanted to make the drive. We’ve got the dogs to deal with, traffic, kids with opinions, things to get done around the house… and sleeping late on weekend mornings is a luxury we hate to sacrifice. I call us “adorably lazy.”

But what’s cool? I’ll tell ya. On Saturday, it was nice north Oregon coast weather and the fact that the sun doesn’t set until after 8:30 or so. Even though some of us slept until 9am, we still had pa-lenty of time to get to the beach. 

We left the little dog at home, packed up the big dog and (suddenly) eager kids and headed northwest. Even with quick stops at Old Navy (for flip-flops) and Walgreens (to replace the sunglasses I lost, which I found ten minutes after I put on the new ones, DAMMIT), we still had our toes in the sand by 1pm. It was warm and there was almost no wind—both very rare things at the Oregon Coast. Cannon Beach is beautiful no matter what the weather, but when there’s blue sky peeking through the clouds and you don’t need a jacket, it’s as close to heaven as you can get.

Lucy was crazy on the beach. She couldn’t stop digging in the sand or drinking the sea water. She was fascinated by the surf. We even let her off the leash for a little bit and she behaved like a big girl. We’ve never had a water-loving dog, so it was all quite fun for us, too, and also OMG, how wet is she going to get??? (Answer: very.)

We had lunch in Seaside... Katie got her ears re-pierced... I got new books… we made a few other stops, and then headed back to Portland. It was a gorgeous day and we spent it in “moving slow” mode—the very best mode of all. Still, we were exhausted when we got home. I think it was watching The Frolicking Giant Yellow Lab that wore us out. It certainly wasn’t anything else we did.

It was a perfect day, and we were glad we finally got moving Saturday to get out and enjoy it.

For my fellow US 26 travelers: does Cooterville City Hall ever not make you laugh for two miles past it? We can’t possibly be the only ones.

Apr. 4: Our trip to Long Beach

Our 15th wedding anniversary was right before the very busy school carnival in February, so we had to delay our out-of-town celebrating. This past weekend we went to Long Beach, Washington. If you’re not familiar with Long Beach—I was surprised how many friends had never heard of it—it’s on the Washington coast, just across the border.

Long Beach is 28 miles long, and is supposedly the longest stretch of beach in the U.S. One big draw to Oregonians is that in Washington, you can drive on the beach. Yes, Oregon beaches are beautiful and pristine, but they don’t have tire tracks. Anyway…

Sunday we left home and drove up to Astoria. It was rainy and an un-fun drive. It snowed as we drove through the coast range—it snowed big, fluffy, happy flakes that stuck to the ground. In any other month but April, this might make me giddy. However, since I’ve seen enough early spring snow this year to last me a lifetime, the snow in the coast range made me curse big, fluffy angry words.

When we got to Astoria, we had no idea what to do. We had planned on walking around, exploring the newly restored areas of Astoria, but none of that seemed so appealing in the pouring-down rain. So here’s what we did:

1. Drove around. Boooooring.
2. Found the Goonies house. It was open to foot traffic only and we decided we didn’t love the movie enough to get out in the rain to peek into the house—which people actually live in, so, y’know, that’s stalker-y.
3. Found Astoria Elementary School, where several scenes from Kindergarten Cop were filmed. It looked pretty much like we expected, i.e., yawn.
4. Looked for the Astoria Column. I distinctly remembered from my field trip there in third grade that it wasn’t on a hill, but we saw signs and they were most certainly leading us up a hill. I think they might have moved the Astoria Column sometime in the past 35 years. It totally was not on a hill back then. Or maybe the city just sank all around it. That’s it.
   
   And since when is it the Astoria Column and not the Astor Column? Back in my day… Seriously, I can’t find anything anywhere about why or when the name was changed. Pretty sure someone’s messing with me. Or maybe I’ve called it the wrong thing all these years. That can’t be, can it?
   
   We found the dang thing, parked, and started the 164-step climb up. It’s a very narrow and steep metal spiral staircase, and it took several minutes to climb, what with the stopping for the catching of the breath. I kept asking Vic if he was sure he wanted to climb because he’s somewhat (read: very) afraid of heights. He kept insisting he was fine, but the second we got to the top and went out he said he needed to go back down. Weeeener.
   
   (I couldn’t climb those steps in third grade. I started up and turned back around over and over. I was scared to death. This time I wasn’t scared; I was mostly just “meh” about it. I mean, it’s not like I was gonna see Paris or London at the top. Sheesh. Yeah, I know I should turn in my “proud life-long Oregonian” card right now.) 
   
   It was cold at the top, and I had no interest in admiring the cloudy view from on high, so I followed Vic back to the ground. Here’s a picture he took before he hightailed it outta there:
   
   
5. I know the bridge in the photo doesn’t look all that impressive, but it kind of is. It’s the Astoria-Megler Bridge and the longest of its kind in the U.S.—four miles. Crossing it means a heck of a long time on one bridge, I can tell you that. Here’s a cool panoramic pic of the bridge (scroll down). My favorite view while crossing was actually the one in my lap—looking at the GPS and seeing blue all around us. I may or may not have made a blasphemous comment about us driving on water. 

So, it turns out that most of what we know about Astoria is based on movies that were filmed there. That is sad. I enjoy learning about our state history, but I must not have paid much attention on that field trip because I don’t remember what any of those landmarks are about. However, when Vic reminded me what Cape Disappointment was, I suggested that if the explorers named it today, it’d be Cape OMG Where the Eff is That River?  …which makes me think creating my own Oregon history is way better.

After we crossed the bridge we were in Washington state and a few minutes later we got to Long Beach.

Lodging

We stayed at the Adrift Hotel, which is a newly refurbished spot on the south end of the town of Long Beach. I read lots on tripadvisor beforehand, so Adrift’s philosophy (and décor) was not a surprise:

Owners, Brady and Tiffany Turner, acquired the former Edgewater Inn with a particular vision in mind. They wanted to create a hotel that was unique, modern, fun, and relaxed...an ocean front retreat for all types of travelers to fully enjoy. They had previously built the '"Inn at Discovery Coast", which is a boutique inn with twelve well appointed ocean front rooms right next to Adrift. The Inn at Discovery Coast caters to couples. With Adrift Hotel, they wanted to offer something for everyone; couples, groups, individuals, professionals and families alike. They wanted to provide clean, modern rooms with a minimalist and relaxed feel. They care about the earth and its resources and wanted to remodel and operate the hotel with the environment and sustainability in mind. Much of the decor and furnishings throughout the property are reclaimed and/or recycled. Through operations, the hotel uses green and recycled products as much as possible.

It’s hilarious to read reviews of the hotel from people who did NOT do any research before their arrival. I’m not so sure I would be thrilled about the minimalist feel if I wasn’t expecting it, but that’s why I research options before I make hotel reservations. Duh, idiot travelers. Anyway, we LOVED Adrift. Yes, it was very simple, but it was also clean and comfortable. We had a deluxe ocean view room, and Vic got friendly with the chaise near the window immediately. Across the room, I discovered that if I sat in the bed just so, I could see the ocean in the mirror by the window. I didn’t have to move my arse to see the ocean! I loved that!

Here was the view from our room when we first arrived:

Although the clouds never completely disappeared during our stay, we had quite a bit of blue sky and sunshine the second day. The third day was rainy and icky again, making it slightly easier to leave for home than it usually is when we’re at the coast.

We went through Astoria again and made a quick detour to Cannon Beach, just in time to see a teensy bit of sunshine. Vic and I stood next to each other and took pictures, one with an iPhone 3GS and one with an iPhone 4. Which do you think is which, and most importantly, which do you think is better???

The winner will be showered with praise. The loser will be taunted and booed until my throat is sore.

Entertainment/attractions

The beach is the big attraction in Long Beach, obviously. There’s a short boardwalk that begins and ends at parts of the town that are good for exploring—in other words, I recommend combining the boardwalk trek with shopping/sightseeing. You can make bonfires on the beach, and of course, it’s nice for walking, kite-flying, beachcombing, clam-digging, biking, etc.

• Driving on the beach. (Woo. Hoo.) Travel guides say that Long Beach is technically a state highway and regular rules of the road apply when driving on the beach. I think that’s kooky talk, but that’s because I’m an Oregonian. I also hate pumping my own gas and paying sales tax.
• Jake the Alligator Man. I’m not even going to post a link to this abomination. Google it yourself. He can be found at Marsh’s Free Museum, a gross souvenir-store/Goodwill/museum/you’ll-want-hand-sanitizer/taffy-store.
• The giant frying pan. I don’t get what’s so neato about a big frying pan or the oversized clam they display next to it. Laaaame.
• World Kite Museum & Hall of Fame. Wow, that’s so boring I fell asleep typing it out. I saw the kite museum (it’s on the same street as Adrift Hotel) and still can’t believe it exists. Let’s see, a more boring museum theme… World Toast Museum & Hall of Fame. World Toothbrush Museum & Hall of Fame. World Extension Cord Museum & Hall of Fame. World Cracker Museum & Hall of Fame.
• Surrey, moped, and bike rentals. We planned to rent mopeds our last day but it was too rainy. Bummer.

Eateries

Tuscany Café, in Ilwaco. This hidden little gem was an amazing find (thank you, tripadvisor!). Delicious Italian food, the best chocolate mousse I’ve ever had, and a gorgeous presentation of bananas flambé.

Lost Roo, in Long Beach. It’s pretty much a non-chain version of Outback. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon, roasted chile, and avocado—big yum. Liked the choice of fries or tots. Also enjoyed the cranberry bistro salad—perfect proportions of all ingredients.

Castaways Seafood Grille, in Long Beach. My food was below so-so. Vic got fish and chips and said it was fine.

Pig ‘n Pancake, in Astoria. We always go here as kind of a joke—like, “Oh, we have to go to Pig ‘n Pancake! It’s an Oregon Coast tradition!” but then we eat there and we’re all YEAH, UM, THIS IS SAMBO’S. However, the food wasn’t terrible this time and, in fact, I had eggs Benedict that was actually pretty good.

We enjoyed our relaxing getaway, and we hope to take the kids to Long Beach the next time we want to do something coast-y beyond Lincoln City/Newport or Cannon Beach. They’ll like Long Beach; we’re eager to go back when the weather’s nicer. What stands out most from our weekend, though, is how glad we feel to mark 15 years of being married. We look forward to 15 more. (But that’s it. Thirty, tops.)