Vacation 2012

I’ve started a vacation blog post three times now and none of them are really hitting my writer’s muse.  I should have written more during our vacation, but I didn’t.  My mind was peacefully void of the voices that sometimes crowd my thoughts and demand to be heard. 

As I’m not motivated to write anything in particular about our trip, I’ll just try to post a few photos of our week at the beach and try to give you an idea of how perfect it was to be away from our life for an entire week.

We left on time Friday morning, which was a shock in itself.  I have all these plans for how car travel will work out and it usually gets left in the dust because my spontaneous spouse and my organizational self are at cross purposes.  Add to that one teenager and one teen-who-thinks-he's-an-adult plus one worried (because his crate and bed are in the car), excited (because we're excited) and pacing (because he doesn't want to be left behind) dog and it's usually a recipe for failure.  But, this one time in the universe, it all came together and the car was packed, the house was clean, the coolers were loaded and we pulled out of the driveway one minute after my "planned" departure time.  Hey, one minute is nothing in the time-space continuum that is my universe!

We caught lunch on the road and after an interesting swerve-and-miss-almost-accident outside of Federal Way, we stopped three more times to walk the dog, grab some snacks and switch drivers.  Last year we arrived in the dark to our destination, so it was a pleasant and relaxing beginning to arrive about 5 PM to a sunny beach house and the sound of the waves crashing just a short walk away.  

Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station -- Keepers House

Our friends were coming separately, so we unpacked and did the important things -- checked out the gift stuff and got the Wi-fi up and running, of course!  Our friends arrived and we drove into town to have pizza at Chico's.  The reviews on Yelp make me laugh every time as I think people expect a pizza place to be fancy and high class.  It's PIZZA people!  The staff are friendly, the pizzas are hot and prepared quickly, they have a (small) salad bar, big screen TV, beer, wine and soda.  What else does a pizza place need?  Oh, they also have garlic bread, hot wings and lots of tables.  

We did start out the day with a 2.5 mile walk (thanks pedometer!) on the beach with delicious coffee,  waves, broken sea shells and the dog chasing the seagulls...then after changing we stopped by Long Beach Roasters and got a DELICIOUS Mexican Mocha.  I have been craving them all year long.  I don't know WHAT they do to these "simple" coffees, but in addition to the hand-crafted Mocha with vanilla and cinnamon, I'm pretty sure there's an addictive substance in the mix.  

Food is more expensive in Long Beach than in Redmond; partially because we don't bring our mayonnaise, butter, etc. with us.  But, Saturday morning we took a trek into Warrenton, Oregon to go to the Fred Meyer.  Partially because we needed a prescription refilled, but also because Oregon has NO SALES TAX!

There was sunshine in Oregon, but just a few miles after crossing the bridge into Washington, the sun disappeared.  Here's the Astoria Bridge (Hwy 101)

The guys took our shopping trip as an opportunity to check out the go-carting and lunch out.  We shopped and had lunch out too, then relaxed until Blake started cooking Fajitas for our dinner.  We planned our meals this year and shopped accordingly, which actually made the shopping easier.  We only went out once or twice extra for more wine, brownie mix and chocolate chips.  

Kirsten made a delicious vegetable pasta Sunday night and we made chili for dinner Monday night.  Tuesday night was leftovers and Wednesday night we had Chinese take-out from Chen's.  Lunches were hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches and breakfasts were scrambled eggs, breakfast bars or breakfast burritos.  Dessert was fudge, brownies and s'mores.  We certainly didn't starve!

Astoria Column

Burial Monument

164 steps up to the top!

Sunday, it was overcast (Washington beaches are that way) and we decided after our walk to search for the sun and take another trip to Oregon to see the Astoria Column.

http://www.astoriacolumn.org/

Not everyone climbed to the top of the tower -- I did -- but it took me some time and the top is beautiful but scary if you have a fear of heights (which I do!).  There is a panoramic view of the entire Astoria/ Warrenton/Columbia River area.

One of the best things about this trip is it was mostly dog-friendly; we only kenneled him twice during the entire trip (other than at bedtime).  We always had someone in our group of 8 who was willing to hold the leash or keep track of the dog.  Mustang had a great time and enjoyed all the beach time.  

Mustang found friends every where he went

After the Column, we drove to the Peter Iredale wreck and Fort Stevens State Park.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Iredale

 

Tonight was movie night -- "Princess Bride" complete with all of us repeating the lines throughout the entire movie.  Blake made those mint chocolate chip brownies.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Whip and Ice Cream

Monday was another beach walk and breakfast at Laurie's.  We planned on eating at the Loose Caboose but it was closed.  Laurie's was fantastic, but the servings were HUGE!  

Then it was on to surfing.  By the time the kids all had their wetsuits on, it was well past the 30 minute time (you know you hear your mother's voice) and Tyler gave all four kids lessons on getting wet.  After two-and-a-half hours, the kids were wet, tired and well-surfed.  Smiles all around (except when Ben swallowed a gulp of brown sea foam) and we went home for lunch and naps.  We did manage to drag ourselves into town for window shopping and touristy stuff.

Dinner was chili and smore's for dessert around the firepit.  

Sea vegetation

Jelly Fish

Sunset

Boogie Boarding

Playing in the water

Tuesday we made yet another trip into Astoria to see the Firefighters Museum; but it was closed due to lack of funding.  We grabbed some sandwiches and headed back across the bridge to Fort Columbia.  A picnic lunch and walking around the old fort, then back to the house for leftovers.  We split up for movie night -- the girls watched "Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows" upstairs and the guys watched -- well, I don't know what the guys watched.

Wednesday the girls and Blake trekked back to Astoria to browse the shops while Russ and James drove to Tillamook to see the air museum and Cape Meares Lighthouse.  We came back in the afternoon and spent some time on the beach reading, then movie night again.  The guys watched a movie about the Red Baron and the girls watched 27 Dresses.

Thursday it was sadly, time to pack up and leave.  One more walk on the beach, one more Mexican Mocha, one more trip to Jack's Country Store and home in time for football practice and 97 degree temperatures in Redmond.  

Jack's Country Store has AWESOME BAND-AIDS!

Dear President Obama:

I’ve had many of my “non-conservative” friends ask me what I expect of our President.  I expect him (or her) to make promises they intend on keeping.  I expect honesty, consistency and yes, religious faith.  Political rhetoric and party affiliation put aside for a moment, I would like to list the things that I wanted you to accomplish in your first term as the President of the United States; the highest office in our free country:

1. Encourage our people through patriotism and defending our country.  Bowing to other leaders, not saluting the flag and speaking negatively of our country does not represent our country in the way we expect our leader to conduct himself.  If you weren’t proud of this country, then WHY did you run to be President?
2. Cut back on spending.  MOST of us that attempt to live within a budget get rid of the extra expenses like espressos, entertainment and vacations when we’re cutting back.  We don’t get new credit cards; max them out by giving money to our friends and then expect others to pay them off while vacationing and spending more than we make.
3. Show more honesty and be more respectable than anyone else in the country.  Don’t hide your financial records, college transcripts and identification documents.  If you want us to respect you, show us you can be trusted.
4. We all make mistakes.  Own up to yours and find a way to make them better.  Don’t blame them on someone else.
5. Don’t tell us to cut back and spend less and then expect us to throw more money into taxes while you and your wife take expensive vacations, wear expensive clothing and travel to exotic places. 
6.  Don’t complain that the media incorrectly context your words, actions or press releases.  Welcome to technology.  If you said it, thanks to technology, someone will have it on video with written transcripts before your press secretary can spin it differently.
7. Don’t expect you deserve time off just because you work hard.  We elected you to work harder, smarter and longer than all of us.
8. Donate all proceeds from your speaking engagements and books to a charitable organization (or several) of your choice.  This would have shown good faith that you mean what you say about social justice and taking care of others less fortunate.
9. Cut off financial aid to all countries that we are constantly bailing out of trouble.  If they haven’t paid off old loans, they don’t deserve new money.  If they don’t appreciate the United States, our prosperity and our “standards”, then we’re happy to call in our loans and they can be free of the burden of our military, economic and social benefits to their countries.
10. End our ridiculous association with the UN and other world concern organizations that only hinder our relationships with other countries and drain our finances and power.
11. Don’t bail out companies that should fail.  The banks and the car companies that got in over their heads by faulty, illegal or bad business practices shouldn’t be rewarded for their poor choices. 
12. Privatize medical coverage.  By this I mean that doctors and their companies should be allowed to determine their costs and who they’ll provide services to.  Medicine is a business just like banking and auto manufacturing.  My mechanic doesn’t have an issue working this way.  If I don’t like it, I go to another mechanic.  No insurance company should be able to tell me what procedures I can have performed.  If Doctors were able to take care of their patients instead of worrying about acceptable procedures, they’d have a lot more time to care for the patients that need it and at prices that would be more affordable to everyone.
13. Support your religious values and stick by them.  If you’re going to quote the Bible, then stick with the entire Bible.  Don’t pick and choose which parts you like and which parts you don’t.  Don’t change your mind mid-stream about your convictions. 
14. Repeal and destroy “No Child Left Behind”.  There are educational standards that every child should have to meet on an annual basis and they are pretty easy to define.  Children either know it or they don’t.  Those that don’t need help.  Those that need help can receive it from a variety of private resources. 
15. Declare English as the only language in our country.  Do away with multi-lingual mandates that confuse and lessen the power of our communication.  They can speak all the languages they want privately and with their friends but if they can’t speak or read English, then they can’t get a driver’s license or a job or obtain citizenship. 
16. Close the borders.  People who came here illegally (without proper documentation) need to be sent back to their country.  People who are here legally, but have not completed their citizenship documentation need to be approved for citizenship or sent back.  Fix the immigration/citizenship process so that people who follow the process and abide by our laws become citizens speedily.  Send the criminals back to where they came from.

If you had been able to keep any of your promises, and accomplished some of the items above, I might have considered voting for you this November.  Through your constant contempt and disregard of your promises, you have shown continuous contempt and disregard for your country and its people. 

This is what I'll be expecting of the candidate I vote for in November.  Will the “next guy” be any better?  I can only hope so.

Every year we are given an opportunity to have our voice heard.  Every four years that voice needs to be even louder.

I believe it is every citizen’s duty and privilege to vote.  Voting is a duty because it’s the reason the Pilgrims and other people left England and other countries to come to a new land.  They wanted to be free of the rule of one person’s decisions about their lives.  They wanted a chance to make their own decisions and their own rules and their own mistakes.

Voting is a privilege because when this country began, many people were unable to vote:  Women, slaves and the uneducated were not at liberty to vote their views.  Voting is also a religious duty as believers are to attempt to keep our country morally and ethically strong and good based on our beliefs.

Does voting always “work”?  Is my voice always the prevalent one heard?  No.  But that is not a reason to silence my voice. 

Voting is difficult; it’s not meant to be simple.  Some people vote alphabetically, some logically, some by elimination and some throw darts and mark off a dot.  My mother always voted a straight Republican ticket.  If they had an “R” next to the name, she checked it on her ballot.  I take time and read all the statements – yes, even from the democrats and independent candidates.  I look at their supporters, what service agencies they volunteer at, their family and their religious affiliation (if they mention it). 

Sometimes it’s not a clear decision.  Sometimes, there are two people who both say they represent what I believe.  And when that happens, I just make the best, educated GUESS I can and mark my ballot.  Sometimes I’m wrong.  Most times I’m in the minority (read: my “guy” loses). 

Why should you vote?  Vote because you can; because you live in a country that allows you to vote; doesn’t badger you or threaten you if you vote the “wrong” way.  You aren’t afraid of being shot or hung or having your family injured because of your vote.  Vote because people for centuries have fought for the right to vote.

Vote because you want your voice to be heard.