My life is suddenly very, very quiet.
I tidied up the house, and it stayed that way. I made dinner, and nobody lost their minds over how they don’t like beets. I went for a bike ride to do some errands, and it didn’t matter how long my errands took. I baked cookies with Christy, and we had a complete conversation with no interruptions. Janice is coming to clean, and it’ll stay just as she leaves it for days.
…Because the other 2/3 of my family are in (unexpectedly sunny) Seaside!
So here’s the rest of what happened on vacation: We read books, went for walks and hikes with and without the baby, my parents arrived (much to Benji’s incredibly cute astonishment), Deborah left, Ian and I celebrated our 10th anniversary, and we all drove home. Here are some pictures from all that stuff.
With Grammy (not pictured) at a county park near Seaside, seeking sun. We found it for a little while, but clouds advanced relentlessly and we eventually had to concede defeat.
Gee, the similarity between my mother and the model is striking.
All right, there is no catching up to be had. Sorry. I’m just going to start up leaving out whatever’s happened between mid-July and now.
Ian, Benji, and I are in Seaside, Oregon, at the Fergusons’ beach house with Ian’s parents. We arrived on Thursday, August 1 after a surprisingly easy drive with Benji. Not to say he loved the drive, and by the end he was continuously signing “all done,” as if that’d get us to take him out of his seat, but I admit being devoutly grateful he drinks from a bottle so he can eat in the car rather than stopping to nurse every few hours. We made it with one stop to look at the big trucks and crawl around, just south of Olympia.
Day’s Verse:
God, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world.
Psalm 8:9
Here are pictures of the day for the last few days.
Sunday: None, because I didn’t bring my camera with me at all! Also, we spent almost the whole day reading, with the occasional walk thrown in to keep our limbs from ossifying. I read almost the entirety of Three Musketeers. All for one, one for all! And thank goodness Milady was killed in the end, that b*tch.
Monday:
Tuesday:
I went for a really nice bike ride on Tuesday, over to Oswald State Park. Here’s the route:
I mention this because there were some AMAZING views on the hill above Manzanita, and I took some pictures with my cell phone (which has the equivalent of a pinhole camera, so the best I could hope for is blurry-but-recognizable). Unfortunately, those will have to wait until we get home because I have no way of getting them off my camera here.
Day’s Verse:
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
1 Peter 2:16
Yesterday Ian and I did our most ambitious hike yet: the Fort to Sea, from Sunset Beach to Fort Clatsop and back. I call it a hike, but in places it was much more of a stroll, a walk, a perambulation, or a tromp. Here we are at the start, feeling fresh and frisky.
We started by walking through a wind-ravaged clearing, crossed an amazingly elaborate pedestrian bridge:
Day’s Verse:
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
James 3:13
Here are the pictures, in chronological order. Make up a story to go with them!
Picture 1:
Picture 2:
Picture 3:
Picture 4:
Picture 5 and Picture 6 (simultaneous):
For those who just want the answer, here it is.
Day’s Verse:
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:17
Here we are in Seaside! The weather has held so far, giving us sun and rain showers intermittently. If we’re really on the ball we can dash outside when it’s sunny, walk around for an hour, and get home just as the pouring rain starts.
We spent the last couple days doing Seaside things, taking walks, reading indoors when it rained, and revisiting Ian’s nostalgic spots. If you’re curious where we’ve walked, check the Activities sidebar and click on any of the activities for a map and more details.