Hammond Trip 2013: Oregon Pt. 2

We rented a large home in the little town of Yachats, thanks to my sister Carolyn's amazing reunion planning skills. 




We were only a couple of blocks from the beach, which we might have seen from the picture windows had it not been refreshingly overcast during most of our stay...





The beach near the home was mostly volcanic rock- perfect for playing in the tide pools (pictures on previous post.)  We ventured further up the shore later in our stay for more classic beach fun:

 

 

 

There I am.  Shell shopping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were playing, we received a phone call letting us know that my Grandma had passed away.  My mom was heartbroken that she couldn't be by her mother's side.  But right then the fog rolled in and brought with it a sense of still peace and a feeling that grandma was with us all those miles from home to say goodbye. 

 

The girls had been building a sand castle when we heard the news.  They decided to name it Grandma June's castle.

 

 

 

 

We stayed that day until the tide came in and washed the castle away. 

 

 



Back at the beach house, there was even more togetherness.  The home had a large kitchen and family area that was perfect for meals, movies, games and our semi-annual talent show.

 

 

 

I'll leave this one up to your imagination...

 

 

A lovely bonus with this beach house was the sudden transport back to the 60s, right down to the paneling, faux marble and shnazzy carpet- which apparently hasn't been changed since... well, the 60s!

 

Pardon the mess.  We were on our way out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite bathroom feature:

 

 

 

Nice.

 

I have no idea how we managed to end up with a caravan consisting mainly of red cars.  This is what our train looked like everywhere we went:

 

After 4 relaxing days, we said a fond farewell to Oregon and choo-choo'd on down to California...

 

Hammond Trip 2013: Oregon

We've made a habit of taking extravagant yearly trips in my extended family (extravagant compared to staycations, that is,) and I'm afraid the blame is all mine.  I broke prior tradition and planned a rafting trip to Moab years ago, and our reunions have never been the same since.  This year, it was the Oregon Coast.  We missed a few of the annual trips while we were back East, so I exerted my influence yet again for this trip now that we're home.  I cringed a bit during the 40 hours of road travel on our itinerary, but in the end, I think we all agreed that this epic trip was actually worth it. 

35 people in 8 cars choo-chooing  along through Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California and Nevada over 9 days.  We tacked on the California and Nevada segment so we could visit my Dad's boyhood home in the Sierra Mountains of Northern California on our way home.  This also happens to be where my parents spent their honeymoon, so we heard plenty of stories with a wink and a smile.  Such a fun part of the trip.

I'll let my sampling of pictures speak mostly for themselves, beginning with the Columbia River Gorge and Multnomah Falls, outside of Portland, then on to the Coast...

 

 

 

 

 

I'm still not sure how many pictures can fit on one post.  Let's keep going...

 

 

(oops, blurry, but one shot of most of the gang)

No, I'm not expecting.  Neither is Creighton... (I'll be donating this shirt. ;) )

 

 

 

One of my favorite parts about family trips:  helpers.

Ahh, the refreshing Northwest.  So good to be back.  This forest reminded me so much of our yard in Washington.

 

 

To be Continued.