Oregon - Day 6: The Portland Zoo

Friday morning - just waiting for Auntie Nenny to get off of work (she took the afternoon off). So we lounged around in our hotel room and watched some cartoons on cable TV, which we don't have at home. Right here, I think it was Sponge Bob Square Pants that was on.

After Jen & Tony picked us up at our hotel, they took us out for a yummy lunch downtown - then we caught the MAX to the Portland Zoo for the afternoon.

Who needs a bunch of souvenirs from the gift shop? The boys were elated by the free zoo maps we were given as we entered.

Jen & Tony - It was so fun to have a couple days to spend with them in Portland!

Sea otters and sea anemones

Tide pool creatures

seals (I think?)

Drowsy polar bear

Whistling at some animals to get their attention

So much to see!

Big orangutan

Again with the maps!

Seriously, Grayson slept holding his map for the next several nights...and still treasures it, nearly a month later at home.

Greta was sleepy and slept in her Sleepy Wrap throughout most of the tour.

She woke up smiling.

After catching the train back to a stop near their apartment, we walked there and relaxed while relishing the delicious aroma of Tony's cooking in the kitchen.

Tony, whipping up some fabulous beef burritos.

Time got away from us, however - and Tony's band had a scheduled concert that evening that he and Jen had to get to. So he bundled up a big batch of burritos for us to take with us. Gary and I had really wanted to see Tony's band perform, but Gary had to work late at KGW and Greta has hit an age where only Mommy can get her to sleep at night. So in spite of Jen's gracious offer to babysit, we had to pass on a night out. But we thoroughly enjoyed these scrumptious burritos to go!

The boys and I devoured our dinner at the Hilton, and Gary truly appreciated the wonderful meal when he joined us, after his day at the station.

Another fun day was had - and we enjoyed relaxing in our hotel - our final night of vacation.

Oregon Trip - Day 5: Portland

On Thursday we packed up and said farewell to our camping haven at Nehalem Bay State Park and headed for Portland...but not before stopping for a delicious brunch at Camp 18 in Elsie, Oregon. Sorry - didn't get any fun photos of all the chainsaw vs. wood artistic renditions of bears & Bigfoot this year. Even without visuals, a meal at Camp 18 is worth mentioning. It was delicious -- again!

We arrived in Portland and spent much of late Thursday afternoon and evening with Jen & Tony at their apartment downtown. Chef extraordinaire - Tony didn't disappoint, making delicious homemade pizzas for us to enjoy.

This video captures Greta's first real belly laugh, which was instigated by Auntie Nenny! She had her giggling like crazy, as you can see and hear in this clip:

(Mom/Grammy - I hope you could view this video, as I know you've been wanting to see it!)

Gary spent part of Thursday and most of Friday following & observing management at KGW who hold similar job titles to his recent new position as managing editor at KTVB. He walked from nearby KGW (the sister TV station to KTVB) to join us for the wonderful pizza dinner, and then we all ventured back to our hotel, where we got the kids ready for bed, hung out with Tony & Jen, and enjoyed watching some "Shark Week" on cable. We always seem to hit "Shark Week" at some point during our trips to the Oregon Coast. ☺

Oregon Coast - Day 4: Relaxing on the Beach

Our final, full day of camping on the coast was one of relaxing & playing on the beach.

Camping at Nehalem Bay State Park was once again a rewarding experience.

Gary and the boys ventured out into the waves a bit while I kept Greta in some shade up on our beach blanket. While in the water, the guys found a live starfish that washed up in toward shore.

Our little base camp on the beach for the day

The whole four days, four nights of camping went amazingly well with little Greta. She is such a mellow baby - a true 'happy camper.' We weren't sure how it might all go, but we were pretty confident that she'd handle it well, as she does with almost any circumstance.

Such a little sweetheart.

We can't complain much about these precious little boys either - we're very blessed, indeed.

I love these photos, above & below.

Time to fly the kite.

Gordon was very persistent...and successful with the kite.

Greta isn't seen in many of the photos as she was with me behind the camera, tucked into the Sleepy Wrap, napping for much of our beach time.

I just LOVE my guys!

Clouds were rolling in and we were starting to get hungry...so it was time to pack up and head back to our campsite.

Grayson found an abandoned kids' magazine on the beach and enjoyed it for the next several days.

Back at camp, Grayson befriended this beloved little caterpillar.

We enjoyed the last of Gary's famous camping burritos, grilled to perfection for dinner that night, and relaxed around the campfire with our friends, the Rostis - along with some tasty s'mores.
Another wonderful day. ☺

Oregon Coast - Day 3: Tillamook, Kelly's Marina, & Beach

After Cape Mears, we made a brief stop at Tillamook Cheese Factory for a few quick cheese samples...

...and of course, ICE CREAM!

We had friends from Boise who were also in Tillamook County, some were camped just two sites away from us, and all of us had agreed to meet up for dinner at Kelly's Marina for fresh crab and oysters.

The boys had fun playing with their friends, three other little boys about their age...and Greta was all smiles, just hanging out with the big people.

Since we'd had a later lunch, we weren't starving - so we just had one Dungeness crab and a dozen cooked oysters ~ and they were delicious! My hands were occupied with feeding Greta, so Gary took on the task of carving all the scrumptious meat out of the crab and oysters for us all to enjoy.

Yummy!

Grayson enjoyed looking at all the sea creatures in the nearby tanks, especially the starfish.

There were all kinds of sea creatures to see.

This is the same marina where we camped our last two nights last year. It too is becoming a traditional stop on our trips to the coast.

Once back at our campsite, we decided to take an evening stroll down to the beach.

The perfect end to another perfect day at the coast.