Bits of My Weekend: Volume 19

his weekend we decided rather spontaneously to head out of town and down to the Oregon Coast. A little getaway for two. Summer promises to be rather hectic for husband, so we grab these chances while we can! And it made for a nice break in the Seth-absence too. One more week to go until the son returns... (not that we're counting days or anything!).

Along I-84 through the Columbia Gorge. Apparently I've thought this before  (so says husband...) while passing a similar truck: doesn't this look like a tanker filled with coffee? But no, just advertising for coffee at some truck stop. Still, seems logical to me, if a bit repulsive, that much coffee just sitting there getting bitter...

In spite of a bunch of rain the whole time we were there, the odd pocket of sunshine would appear and we could head out for a walk.

These feet were made for walking on the beach!

One of my favorite views. I meant to take a picture the grass transplants that are new to the dunes right now--they've shaved off some of the sand that had built up over the years and planted grass on the newly shorn dunes. It looks like the rows of a hair transplant, I swear. Grass plugs, if you will...

This sweet doggy is waiting for his mistress to come in from surfing. He's a big black Chow dog and just peaceful as can be. He sits, he paces, he sits some more, always keeping his eye out for the girl on the surfboard. I tried to get a picture of her, but the iPhone is just too slow to catch much, and every time I thought I had her, the picture would show a bunch of waves... Not exactly what I think of when I conjure up surfing waves in my imagination, but there were a few wet-suited brave hearts out there trying to "catch a wave."

Here's a plant I got a little taken with. What is it? Looks from a distance like it should be from either the lilly or the iris family, but as you get up close it kind of morphs into something tropical...

Here's another example of the slow iPhone camera... there's a squirrel in that jar, really. I had to take about a dozen pictures to get one with him truly in there, snacking. We did our usual breakfast stop at Camp 18 on the way home today and they do a fabulous job of feeding the birds and squirrels around the restaurant. This little guy must have made a hundred trips into the jar while we were having breakfast, but of course he never could stay long enough to really pose for me... he had to get back out and look around, check things out, before ducking back in...

And that's the weekend, in a nutshell. Beach. Sleep. Food. Rest. Outlet shopping. Home. Fireworks, sor to of, in the distance. Whew.

Oh, and happy Fourth of July to you! I do so love this country of ours.

For more Bits of My Weekend, go here.