Beach Vacation Part 2

After driving through the quaint beach town of Ocean Shores and getting some lunch at a very disappointing local burger place, I stopped at a small random beach.  It was much sandier than the one I was at earlier, more loose hard-to-walk-on sand instead of compacted.  By this time it was late afternoon so it was very warm, but the breeze off the water made it just perfect.

Annabelle keeping a look-out

After picking up some dinner at a local grocery store, I headed up to where I was staying.  Along the way I stopped off at the third beach of the day.  This time I was brave enough to drive right on to the beach.  Everyone else was doing it and it looked really fun, so I did it too.  Hmmm...luckily it wasn't illegal or dangerous so I guess it was okay to give in to peer pressure just this once. :)

Annabelle was still very unsure about all this water going in and out.

The tide was going out and we found a small tide pool that was pretty calm and warm, but she still wasn't loving it.

I was fascinated by the rippling effect the out-going tide left in the sand.

I'm totally going to get me one of those beach houses someday!

The setting sun.

I'm a little confused by this sign.  It was at two of the big beaches I was at.  I don't understand why they would prohibit cars on the beach during the main summer season, but it's allowed the rest of the year?

The view of the setting sun from my room. 

I was planning on watching the sunset at the beach, but to be honest I got a little cold and hungry.  It had been a very busy day and I knew I would have a pretty good view from the room.

Speaking of my room...

I would advise anyone thinking of staying here to take the word "resort" with a grain of salt.  Maybe it was considered a resort back in the '60's.

Retro room key.  

Unfortunately the decor was probably "updated" sometime in the '80's, so it wasn't so much retro as just plain old.  My philosophy is--the room you stay in isn't as important as the sights you are there to see, so I really didn't mind too much.

Love the politically incorrect housekeeping sign!

My "happy and content" face.  You can't really see my wind-blown hair in this picture, but it was pretty tangled.

Beach #4--Sunday before heading back home I stopped at one more beach.

I love the wind-blown shape of the trees on the hill and the striations of color in the hill.

 A flock of some sort of teeny-tiny sea birds--sandpipers?  They were really cute.

I met some nice ladies from Olympia and Kelso who wanted to come over and say "Hi" to Annabelle.  I took a picture of them and they took one of me.

Luckily there were no tsunamis while I was there!

Coming back home, my house was stuffy and hot, and it had me wishing I was back at the beach.  So...

anyone have plans for next weekend?

Beach Vacation Part 1

A last minute effort to get away from the "heat" wave that has been plaguing the Seattle area this past week, led me to jump in the car and head to the coast.  Some ocean air seemed like just the thing!

The instant Annabelle's paws touched the sand, it was like all she could think was "Must run!  Must run fast!"

Aahh!  Fresh ocean breeze!

Pelican?

More pelicans?

Pelican flying away from Annabelle.

While at the first beach, we came across some sort of kite festival.

It was the perfect day for kite flying--a strong breeze, blue skies, and warm but not hot.

Next I headed down towards Ocean Shores...

Annabelle

My new roommate is a little Chihuahua-Dachshund. You might say she is a Chi-weenie! She kind of looks like a miniature Golden Retriever, but much, much smaller. She's only 7 1/2 pounds--a pocket Golden, if you will. It was a rough go at first--getting used to having a dog around. But we have gotten in to a nice little routine.

Annabelle is a crazy girl. She is perfectly content to sit on the couch and nap while I grade papers or watch TV. (Like she is doing now.) But when she gets outside, watch out. Especially if you are a bird or a squirrel. She really wishes she wasn't on a leash so she could go after all those dang squirrels in the park. She even chases birds while they are flying overhead. I don't know how exactly she expects to catch birds in midair, but she sure does try.

Here are some pictures especially for my niece and nephew. It will be so fun at Christmas when you can play with Annabelle!