Brookings, Oregon

For me, going to the coast is going home.  It doesn't matter if I have never before been to that particular spot...salt water, sea breeze, waves...combined they send a welcome right down to my very soul.  It's true...

I like other kinds of places, too.  Some very much.  Mountains, deserts, bayous, even the rolling plains are all nice and places that I enjoy.  But the ocean is my very favorite...

On this particular day, we ended up in Brookings, Oregon, and all I can say is "wow!"...

We had no reservations, just figuring out each day as we went.  The place we stumbled upon in Brookings ranks as one of my all time favorites for the VIEW:

After checking in, we headed straight for the edge of the sea...

that boy and his sticks <3

Black rocks means black sand, so pretty!...

The promise of a seafood dinner lured us away from the water and back into the car for the short drive to town.  We found a tiny little hole-in-the-wall and filled it halfway up with our crew of kiddos :).  The food was great and the service was even better...they were super nice, even gave the kids free ice creams for dessert.  I just love small towns with heart :).

Back we went to our room on the ocean.  The kids changed into their swimsuits and we walked over to their outdoor heated swimming pool.  It felt so luxurious to be outside, swimming and enjoying the beautiful night when we had left behind freezing temps and snow back east and north.

Happy and tired, we fell asleep to the oceans lullaby...we left the sliding door open and it was wonderful.  I don't think I have ever slept as good as I did that night.  A bonus?  I was up with the sun the next morning (never happens without an alarm and lots of groaning, haha)...

The sky was so pretty and pink, I snuck out of bed and enjoyed it all by myself on the balcony while the kids snoozed on...

As soon as they were up and dressed they took over for me on the balcony.  Soaking in the beautiful view...

I was up early, but I wasn't the first one up.  Dan and Trevor slipped out while it was still dark and headed off to go salmon fishing on the Chetco River.  They hired a guide for the day and away they went... **these are Dan's pictures from their day on the river**

The other four kids and I had the day to do with as we pleased...I tell ya'll all about it next time ;)!

Before the snow...

Winter comes early in the far north...  Knowing this, we made an effort to get out and enjoy every last ounce of warmth we could before the freeze set in.  Bet ya'll can guess one place we went...

The lake :)!  Of course, hahaha...we love the lake :)...

see the lights in the distance?  flares...

Fishing, sunset watching, building with sticks and rocks...it's all fun at the lake...

That flare again, I just can't get over how enormous it is...

Another day, another fish...

These kiddos are getting pretty good at catching those things :)!

Bountiful Baskets...

The kids LOVE to go early and volunteer with me...

This site is really (really!) early in the morning.  Before daylight early.  Our reward, besides the awesome fresh veggies/fruits, is this:

A gorgeous sunrise that reminds us to stop everything and just breathe it in...<3.

Loads of fresh foods means fun new recipes up in here.  Two keepers...the first is a Honeydew Smoothie.  Sounds weird, but it's very good.  Honeydew melon, vanilla yogurt, a little fresh apple juice, a bit of raw honey, and some ice...

The second is a pesto that is super simple and super delicious.  Fennel fronds (the feathery part that usually gets thrown away), sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, fresh garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper if you need it.  Great on pizza...

We just had to sneak down to the North Unit of TRNP one last time before the interior roads closed for the season...

It was c-c-c-old the day we were there, the wind was whipping.  We ate a fast picnic lunch then went for a scramble on the rocks.  Our favorite part of the park :)...

checking out a little cave...

the cannonball concretions are so cool :)

When we were driving back into the farther part of the park, we spotted a Bighorn sheep!  First and only one we have ever seen in there (or anywhere in Nodak)...

He saw us, too, and headed down into the shade to "hide".  We still see you :)...

Brown, brown, brown...

The wind was shoving him forward.  If only we had wings, we could have taken off ;)...

One lone buffie...

We had planned to hike down to the river and back up, but it was just too windy (sand blowing) and cold.  Instead, we just monkeyed around at the top for a while...

Back to the car and back to Williston...

My girl with her new (to us) treasure...

Williston has a couple of really good thrift shops.  I try not to go in unless I have something to donate, because we ALWAYS find at least one treasure.  For any of you folks that like to read...all books at the Wise Penny are free.  Yep, free!  The kids love going in there to look at the books and always come out with something good :).