Oregon Coast: Part Two

Home away from home

This beautiful palace was our home for seven days.  It was perfectly amazing and plenty big for the 34 in our party.  Some of the perks included: a hot-tub, theater room, two kitchens, library, secret play room and (as I learned from my SIL) nine bathrooms.  That, I was not aware of.  It was the perfect place for our family.  And, it was conveniently close to the beach.  

(Borrowed from Shel)

Family Pictures

We woke up early the first morning, and headed to the beach for family pictures.  Shelly brought her tripod for the group pictures, and (kindly) snapped individual family shots.  The kids were very cooperative, but they happily headed for the sand and water when we finished.   

(By Shelly)

(By Shelly)

(By Shelly)

The Beach
We spent as much time as possible at the beach.  The water was freezing cold, but the weather was absolutely beautiful.  It never rained, and the sun was normally shining.  Kathryn could not get enough of digging and playing in the sand with her cousins.  We bought a kite last summer for this trip, but after trying out Dan and Maren's (who had the same kind as us) we decided not to mess with it.  Unfortunately, it was a bust...maybe the wind was too strong.

Family Night

Grandma and Grandpa held a special family home evening, and the pirate made a special appearance. The pirate had on such a perfect costume, that some of the grand kids didn't even recognize him.  He sent them all on a special treasure hunt and scavenger hunt.  His take-home message for the children was that our greatest treasure is our families.  I wholeheartedly agree with the pirate.  It was a very special night and a great way to kick-off our vacation.   

 

Fishing for the kids

While the men went deep sea fishing, Grandma had a fishing pond for the kids at home.  They caught some really awesome prizes...And the babies caught matching outfits.

Digging for Treasure
The same pirate that visited us during family home evening, also buried some more treasure on the beach.  It was quite an adventure digging up pirate "silver".

  

Tide-pooling
There were some tide-pools right by our house, so we woke up early one morning to explore while the tide was low.  We loved exploring, discovering and searching for sea life.  Kathryn and I filled our pockets with rocks and shells to take home with us. I have to say, this was one of my favorite mornings.  It was a beautiful and amazing.