Cannon Beach

Gregg and I just returned from Cannon Beach, Oregon. We purchased a gift certificate for 2 nights at The Ocean Lodge (at the Ronald McDonald House benefit) in October, 2007.
We had a hard time scheduling a time that worked for our family during the dates available at the Lodge, but we finally did it. The timing was perfect, right after the Camp Goodtimes benefit...and David is having a great time in France, so we felt fine about going without him!

David has been emailing and phoning, and is getting more accustomed to living with a family where very little English is spoken. His emails have some French in them, so we know he is getting along well in the language. I can hardly wait to see his photos. The kids have had some great fieldtrips and tours, as well as days in school in the small town of Sainte Tulle. He has had to give presentations in French, telling about himself. I think he is going to give one about our town soon. It's sweet to see the school's website, which tells about the American students' visit.

We made a stop in Tacoma to drop off two finished quilts & some fabric with Jill Douglas, who is helping with a charity auction to benefit Children's Hospital. Jill is the lovely mother of two gorgeous daughters, Austin and Alexis. Alexis has a prayersite (on my sidebar); she was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma at 11 weeks of age! When you visit her site and look at the photos, you will see that she is a gorgeous little pistol who doesn't look as if she has ever even THOUGHT of being sick for a day. Jill, Austin and Alexis gave us a fun tour of their mother-in-law/grandma's house, Thornewood Castle. It was great to meet in person, since we have known about one another for many months. Thank you for your hospitality, sweet ladies!

After our visit in Tacoma, we headed down to Portland. We had a quick stop for refreshment at Paragon in the Pearl District, and then continued southwest to Cannon Beach. It is a very touristy - but nice - little town.

The Ocean Lodge is beautifully built, with natural wood and heavy timbers in the common areas. I think all of the rooms face the ocean; our room was spacious & cozy, with a king-sized bed, a deck with chairs & table on it, a luxurious bath, and a gas fireplace, all less than 20 feet from the sand. I took photos from the deck off of our room. You may recognize the famous Haystack Rock and the Pacific Ocean. It's amazing, the difference a little sunlight makes in the picture!

We had a wonderful walk on the beach, and of course, I took photos then, as well. And then I took photos on the way back to our hotel from town.

We had great meals, visited a wine shop that is reputed to be owned by a nationally renowned expert on Italian wine, and YES, we did stop in and patronize the local fabric store. I found some great fabric on sale to use in quilts for the hospital. SCORE!

Many of the homes in Cannon Beach are lovely, grey-shingled, weathered and cozy-looking. I liked this one because of its stone foundation and the statue in the yard.

This photo is for Wrigley, smileygirl's sweet Golden Retriever. I saw this in a dog-stuff store, and thought of you; I know you love your crab, Wrigs!