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.

Oregon Coast - Day 3: Cape Mears Lighthouse

After lunch we enjoyed a scenic drive along the bay and out to the Pacific, where we visited Cape Mears Lighthouse.

Looking out over the ocean....

The lighthouse

Beautiful morning glories

Below, one of Gary's lovely photos

I love daisies!

And I love this guy ~ Handsome!

We took a little hike through the forest to see "The Octopus Tree." I took a couple photos of it, but they didn't really capture the size and intrigue of it, plus the light was working against me. You'll have to go see it with your own eyes - it's pretty cool. ☺

Another great adventure, among several on this fun-filled day!