On the road: Beach trip!

I've missed blogging in the past few weeks.  As I was sitting on trains or waiting for flights or waking through twisty lanes, I was blogging in my head.  That sounds weird, but it's true.  And I even thought about trying to blog on my tablet, but if you've tried to seriously type on a tablet, you know that I gave up after about five minutes.

I felt guilty, I suppose.  That's what journalism does to you -- it makes you feel like you are operating on a deadline, like there is an angry editor sitting with his feet up on a desk somewhere, cranky, awaiting your latest missive.  I had a fantastic professor named Mike.  I always picture him when I picture this "editor."

So take yourself back to July, when I had all of the energy and enthusiasm of someone who had just returned from a trip -- just as I do know with the European trip -- someone who could still smell the salty air if she pressed her hair to her face and inhaled deeply.

Long Beach, 1988.

Nothing says summer vacation like some time at the beach.  It's been a family tradition for as long as I can remember -- whether it was at my grandparent's cabin in Long Beach when I was a kid or our trips to the Oregon Coast starting in my teen years, it seems to be an integral part of summer.

Beach trips of the NW variety, of course, don't mean packing swimsuits, unless we were lucky enough to rent a place with a hot tub.

This has amounted to zero times, I believe.

So we headed off to the beach with my family and had a lovely time of it.  You have to like a few key things if you're going to get along well on a Carr family trip -- reading in a chair, playing games, eating, and enjoying a hard cider or beer while doing these things.  Okay, so the last one has only been in the last five years after both my brother and I were of legal age.

The best beach houses have great blankets.

In all honesty, it's sort of a calm free-for-all with no specified wake-up or bedtime.  Food is generally together, but you are also welcome to fend for yourself, which might meaning running out to eat somewhere else if you're too lazy or tired to fix something.  There is always a trip to Mo's or Tidal Raves (though the latter was a bit disappointing this time), and the chances that you'll visit a lighthouse or take a walk on a beach are near 100%.  The Oregon Coast Aquarium, located in Newport, is also a perennial family favorite.  We're also book people, so you can count on one or more visits to a beachy used book store.  There is always at least a night of competitive game playing -- my mom's favorite, Guesstures, made a comeback this year in honor of her birthday -- that is friendly but cutthroat under the surface.  Don't let all of the smiles fool you.  We each love to win, probably me most of all.

And this year we were celebrating my mom's birthday (her 29th, can you believe it?!), though oftentimes it is my dad and his twin sister that are blowing out their candles at the beach... and that day is also my parent's wedding anniversary.  AND, as if that wasn't enough, Sergio shares the same birthday.  But not this year -- this year we went in July instead of the usual September, so the cake and presents were all for Mom!

Happy birthday Mom! 

It was a lovely trip, and then Sergio and I spent most of a day in Portland once we got back to my parents' house.  We tried a bouldering gym there which was quite a bit tougher than SBP, but it also had slackline, which was both terrifying and awesome.  Then we went downtown and had lunch from one of the many blocks of food carts, something Portland is famous for.  Experiencing Portland as an adult is a really cool thing and I have a lot of respect for the city, even though it is a little too granola for my taste.

So, there you have it.  It was a nice little summer break sandwiched between some pretty big trips, and it felt like going home because the beach is, more or less.  One whiff of salty air is all it takes for me to reach for my cider and crawl up with a book in front of the fire.

Below are a few other photos from the trip.  Did I mention how nice it is to date a talented photographer?

xo
Sarah

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Oregon

We spent a long time in the aviary in the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Sergio and I.

Goofing around at home.  I spent many hours playing in our for as a kid.

This is his excited face.