It's hard to leave the beach!

Manzanita views

A quick outing to Cannon Beach (mostly because a certain toy store was calling) was worth it just for the drive by all the ocean overlooks.

Dune jumpers

The kids spent a lot of time running through the dunes--I'm glad I caught up with them long enough to snap them in midflight.

Gorgeous weather

OK, it rained a bit, but this is the weather we'll remember.

Beach boys

This is why we can't go to the beach without a midweek laundry stop.

Dog on beach!

After we got home, we weeded our photos from the week, and if you were to judge solely by the photos, you would think we love our dog more than our kid. Or each other. But it's really that she's the best looking one of us. At least until she rolls in saltwater and seaweed. (More beach photos here....I really need to work on labeling posts better!)

Nehalem Bay State Park

This has to be the best state park in the U.S., or at least very close. Our tent was pitched steps from a sandy path through the dunes that led straight to the beach. Lack of laundry facilities (necessitated by the fact that kids at the beach go through about three pairs of trousers a day, and we never remember this while packing) was the only thing marring its perfection. So Stacy and I spent a rainy afternoon in the Tillamook Coins-n-Suds while Cliff and the kids visited the Air Museum.

By the way, we pitched a tent for the kids, but by night 2, all six of us were in the tent trailer. It got a little messy at times, but it didn't stop us from spending all week making plans for next year! (Or from wishing we lived in a commune year-round. :-))

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

You can't knock an all-expenses-paid trip to Skagit Valley (business for Cliff), but it would have been nice to go a couple of weeks later. The website warned us that the tulip fields were not yet showing color (unless you count BROWN as a color), but we did enjoy a little daffodil display. Instead of flower-gazing, Ethan and I ferried to Friday Harbor in the San Juans and visited the whale museum. We also enjoyed the beach at Deception Pass SP.