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A Beachy Good Time

We are home, catching up on e-mails, putting stuff away and still looking for ways to use leftover turkey — tonight it was Turkey Enchiladas.

Day One (Wednesday): We arrived at 4 pm, and soon after we hit the beach to witness the first of some glorious sunsets.

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Our beach house was only a couple of blocks from the beach in the quaint and lovely little town of Manzanita which is just south of Canon Beach. We ordered pizza from the nearby pizzeria. After dinner, we played Monopoly. Miles and Mia had played the junior version and really impressed us with how quickly they picked up the regular version. In fact, Miles ended the game with the most money and real estate. We were having so much fun that I almost forgot to make the pumpkin pie!!

Day Two (Thanksgiving Day): I jumped out of bed later than I had planned, but I still got the 20 pound turkey in the oven by 8 am for our early afternoon dinner.

After breakfast and before we needed to cook the res of the meal, the family went back to the beach for a morning walk.

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Here is Mia sitting on this funky bench. Please note that her doll, Melissa, is safe in her arms.

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The weather was sunny and brisk, and we all worked up a hearty appetite. I rushed back to the house to start cooking. The rest of the family showed up a little later with Mia in tears. Melissa was missing. they had backtracked and searched in places where they thought she might have been dropped, to no avail.

We made up some stories about what might have happened to her. She was swimming to Japan and would be adopted by a little Japanese girl. Or, she was the new toy for some happy dog. Mia gamely played along. She made this poster to post in case someone had found her.

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After we had stuffed ourselves on turkey and all the proper accompaniments, we headed back to the beach with the poster, for one last look.

Mia was despairing of ever seeing Melissa, again. I bought the doll for her one day when she and I had a special outing together. She always has the doll with her and so I was quite excited when I looked down and saw her in the sand. I wish I had taken a photo of the pathetic sight!! I started doing a happy dance. So, here she is with her very happy Mia.

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Feeling relieved, Steph, Mr C, Mia, Melissa and I took a walk in the glow of the setting sun. And here is the sunset photo of the day.

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Day 3 (Friday): I love having Mia around because she has so much energy. She is always up for a walk on the beach or an opportunity to go shopping. Steph, Mia and I took a girls walk on the beach in the morning. I took lots of photos of interesting flotsam and other beach stuff. (Clickable to see larger.)

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After lunch at a local restaurant, we drove up to Oswald West park, which is Stephanie’s favorite spot on the Oregon coast and now I know why. We hiked down to the beach. which was sheltered and it was so warm, we were able to shed some of our layers. M & M played in the water and climbed rocks. We stayed until it was getting dark.

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Day 4 (Saturday) The Barnes family left to go home to their new kitty and to meet up with friends today to cut their Christmas tree. It was our only cloudy, drizzly day. Mr C and I drove to Canon Beach for lunch and to walk around town, but it was chilly and rainy so we came back to Manzanita, where we found a nice sale on shoes and each bought a new pair.

Day 5 (Sunday) We awoke to another beautiful day, and we were able to take a last walk on the beach before we left for a beautiful drive back to Portland. You can see all of my photos on my Flickr site.
It was a wonderful way to spend the long week-end. I think we will do it again. I went internetless and survived. I read The Road by American writer Cormac McCarthy. It is a post-apocalyptic tale describing a journey taken by a father and his young son over a period of several months across a landscape blasted years before by an unnamed cataclysm which destroyed civilization and most life on earth. I read the book in a period of 24 hours. I was riveted by the story, and I am begging Mr C to read it so that I can discuss it with him. If you have read this book, let me know what you think of it.

10 Responses to “A Beachy Good Time”

  1. Mary from California says:

    I read The Road, but I am not sure that I am glad that I did. It was extremely well written, putting a global catastrophe into very person, human terms. But it placed horrible images in my head that I wish were not there. Yeah, one of those books.

  2. Judy says:

    What a great way to spend Thanksgiving!
    So, will Milo be a successful banker or a real estate tycoon? I too am glad that Mia found her Melissa.
    I have not read The Road, but will put it on my Audible wish list. Right now we are listening to John Shelby Spong’s “Jesus for the Non-Religious”, and are both thoroughly enjoying it. Have you read it?

  3. Jeannie says:

    Oh, how I wish I had gone to the beach too. We go a couple times a year to Manzanita/Cannon Beach. I can walk forever and never want to go home. And the weather! Wow, so much nicer than the cold, gray, darkness we have had here. Perhaps you and Mia can write a book of Melissa’s adventures. I am so glad her adventure had a happy ending. Thanks for the photos. Cheers.

  4. dee says:

    Sorry, I read All the Pretty Horses and No Country for Old Men- Haven’t gotten to that one yet. Looks like a great time for everyone. Love your pictures

  5. jenclair says:

    I’m so glad Mia found her doll! It makes a great story, especially with the pictures that accompany it.

    I read The Road a while back and reviewed it here: http://bookgarden.blogspot.com/2007/04/road.html

    When I looked back at my review, I was surprised that it was so short, but maybe I just wasn’t through thinking about it.

  6. Natalya says:

    sounds like a great Thanksgiving weekend and so glad the doll is safely back with Mia!

  7. kathy says:

    Your holiday vacation sounds so heavenly! Thanks for sharing it with us.

  8. terry grant says:

    The beach looks beautiful–maybe it was warmer there. It has been so cold here. The doll story was great and I am so happy it had a happy ending–grandma to the rescue!

    Ray read “The Road” and said it was very dark and depressing and he didn’t think I would like it. Hmmmm. Maybe I’ll read it.

  9. Kristin L says:

    Yup, I looked for “Letters from Felix” and found a bunch on Amazon — both the German and English versions 🙂

  10. Kristin L says:

    Looks like a wonderful time. Mia’s adventure with Melissa reminds me of one of our favorite books, “Briefe von Felix.” I have no ida if it’s available in English, but it would be called something like “Letters from Felix.” Felix is a beloved stuffed rabbit who gets lost, but writes letters home to tell his girl, Sofie, all about his adventures. He’s traveled the world, and even gone back through history in one of the books. It’s really sweet and though Sofie is devastated when Felix disappears, she really enjoys reading his letters.