Chapter 75 - The Visit Part I

There's just so many pictures and so many great memories from this visit that I've decided to divide the whole experience into two parts. 

Part I, this chapter, will cover the pictures that Michelle took with her camera phone. I'll try to fill in the details and keep the story line more or less in order. But these are all screen grabs and so there was not logical way to order them (that I was willing to do).

So you gets them the way I grabbed them.

And, at least, I got the very first ones first. Hooray for me!!

Here's Michelle and the girls getting ready to go through security at the airport. Woo, woo!!

It's early and they've driven a couple hours already. They have the LOOOOOONG flight all the way across the U.S., from one coast to the other, ahead of them. Then they get picked up by Grumps and have a 2+ hour drive over to LCO. All with Ol' Grumps' interesting and educational commentary on the driving skills of Oregon drivers and the current road conditions.

Keen fun!!

That's why they're still smiling. It hasn't all quite set in yet. And that's Laura down there in the lower left. Good friend and chauffeur extraordinaire. Thank you, Laura.

Hahahaha, travel light, travel right.

I think she needs another set of hands.

One of the delights of the trip for me were those little moments when I got to have the three girls all to myself and we had a common, simple activity to enjoy together.

Like this. I let the girls use my Canon SX170 to take pictures with in addition to the couple of hundred or so that I shot of them. In the evening, after a long day, I would download them and then we would all go through them...and laugh and laugh and laugh.

This was the first night and the picture on the computer shows Addie sitting with her Mom on one of the lawn chairs watching the sun set over the Pacific...because where they live, near the coast, they would have watched the sun rise over the Atlantic.

This was fun. Especially for me.

Most of these are pictures taken with Michelle's cell phone camera. Sooooooo...I'm just saying, she does have a Canon SX60. A pretty nifty camera but ... Noooooooo, we'd rather use the camera in the phone. [disgruntled sigh]

Pictures with Grumps, the girls and the Pacific out on the bluff. 

Addiekins.

OK, that was all Day One. The day they arrived. I'll label the other days as Day Two, Three and Four. Day Two being Tuesday and Day Three is Wednesday. Day Four would be Thursday the day they jumped in the Mini and drove away to more adventures.

Alrighty, then. This is Day Three when we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. And we had to pick this particular day for this adventure because, and thank goodness we did, we checked the operating hours and the status of the new Visitor's Center on the Net on Day One and discovered the Factory would be closed on Day Two to make the final move into the NEW Visitor's Center. The Grand Opening for the NEW Visitor's Center would be Wednesday, Day Three.

And this was fortuitous because we had planned on going up to Tillamook on Day Two. Ack!! Disaster!! It would have been totally closed!! A quick readjustment of plans and a intelligent decision to go very early to avoid the expected crowds and, POW, there we were!! 

Enjoying our Tillamook Ice Cream at something like Nine in the morning. Hahahaha, kids today have it so good!! And it were GA-UUUUD!!

After the Ice Cream, we drove on over to the Cape Meares Lighthouse.

And, since they're both so close together, the girls went over to see the Octopus Tree. So named because of the way the many branches of the tree grow off of the trunk...like a octopus.

And normal and average Craziness (except for Addie) of this Wild and Crazy Bunch!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you go downhill on the way to someplace then you have to go uphill on the way back. And I'm not so fond of uphill these days.

So, while the others sprinted ahead, Delaney and I took our time. We even, as it were, stopped to smell the roses along the way. And catch our breath. Well, catch MY breath.

Hahaha, I'm in not much of a hurry most of the time anymore.

Day Two, I think.

Close proximity to the beach means that some people, regardless of the wind chill, want to go down to the beach. Not me, but some people.

OK, this picture was taken by me. I was shooting 'Continuous' on the G3 X. All this means is that I can fire off 7-8 shots in rapid sequence. Any time you shoot with a camera you're bound to catch someone looking a wee bit silly. Closed eyes, loopy grin, something to smile and laugh about.

And that's what happened here. I was shooting Delaney running into the river and, unfortunately, the other girls were with me when I downloaded this series of pictures. When they saw this one they roared with laughter and demanded that I NOT delete it. It was revisited several times.

To Delaney's credit, and I was trying to be sensitive to this, she laughed it off along with everyone else. 

Wow!! I had been worried that she would be embarrassed and feel picked on. Nope!! She rolled with the punches and everyone had a good laugh and then we let it, pretty much, go.

Well done, D-Lady.

We drove down the coast on Day Two before we went to the river. Here the girls are at Cape Foulweather. The girls seemed to enjoy the sights and were well-behaved.

One of the pictures the girls took of Michelle and I. I have on my Father's Day Gift from the Rays. A really cool NMSU Long-Sleeve T-Shirt. Now I can wear it when I watch the Aggies on TV...if they ever get on TV again.

The Silly Girls...posing in front of the Ranger Station at Cape Foulweather. It was a beautiful morning.

We also went down to Depoe Bay...home of the World's Smallest Harbor. 

Walking down to the Whale-Watching Center we stopped at this outlook. The first one to sit down and begin talking to the lady on the bench was Delaney. When she tired, she got up and then Frances took her spot. I don't know for sure but I'm thinking Addie even got in on this action.

But here you can see Addie is using the G3 X and getting a picture of her Mom taking a picture.

And Michelle got this selfie with the Devils Punch Bowl in the background. See the camera Addie has? It's the SX170. Keep scrolling to see the picture she took while Mom was taking their picture.

Ahhhh, clever girl. I tell you, we had some real fun with photography over the whole visit.

That afternoon, after we had driven down the coast, we went over to the Salmon River for a swim. The girls found this little pond up a little from where we first went and it was ideal for them. Calm and shallow it was perfect for throwing rocks into and wading.

And then Mom wanted to go down to the beach, again.

As for me, if I remember it correctly, I took me a long, long nap. 

Ahhhhhhh, bliss.

At least she wasn't painting herself with the sand like she did the mud by the river.

And then we cracked up at the pictures we had taken during the day!! This was a sweet moment for me. This picture was taken on Day Four just a bit before they left for California.

One of my favorite pics.

Also that morning, on Day Four, Michelle wanted to go for a run on the beach. I mean, how often can you walk out your front door and be on the beach within two minutes and able to run for miles and miles and miles.

Except, she got distracted by the agates, sea shells and beach glass. So, instead of running, she filled up the pockets of her sweat jacket with 'stuff' and had a great time.

In the meantime, I had grabbed up a couple girls and we'd gone to Burger King for some breakfast. Hahaha, I had pancake mix but I think we all preferred letting the King do the cooking.

And it was time for them to go.

It was tough, really tough. I almost cried when they drove my Mini away.

Hahaha, no, just kidding, Almost. It was a bittersweet moment to say good-bye after such a fun visit.

I think they even still liked me. 

After the picture by my Mini Michelle had us move over so she could get one of us with the ocean in the background. It was a typically gray and overcast morning. 

Aw, they DO like me.

Somewhere on the road to Redwood City they took a break and broke out the snacks. Ice cream and Cheetos!! Mom-of-the-Year!! 

Hooah!!

Hey, when you're on vacation you eat like you're on vacation!! 

'Nuff said.

Michelle sent me pics throughout her day of driving to let me know they were OK and where they were at. I was really worried about my Mini.

Hahaha, The Code of the Elder!! Addie got the Way-Back all to herself. 

Nice looking Mini, eh!?!

Still smiling!!

Amazing!!

Well, I can tell you for sure they're in California. What's a 'Dunsmuir'?

Hahaha, I know. Don't write me to explain.

And, finally, Redwood City and The West Coast Clan.

And there it is. Michelle's version of the visit, more-or-less. I'm sure she had plenty of other pics but these are the ones I was able to get and keep.

It was a great visit. How great?? I'm glad you asked cuz I'll show you MY pics in the next Chapter, Chapter 75 - The Visit Part II

I can't wait!!

Hooah!!