Sibling Assignment #168: Seeing the Pacific Ocean With New Eyes

Sister Carol gave the assignment this week. "Write about some of the memories you have when we all gathered at the Oregon Coast and share those memories and stories in your next post." I will link the siblings' posts when completed. 

This was very difficult because every trip to the Oregon Coast held its own set of memories. Even though I wrote about this trip on Sibling Assignment #104 which you can find here, I am going to write again about our 2009 trip to Rockaway Beach, Oregon. We rented a house close to town and the ocean. It housed all of us, but some beds/couches were a bit awkward and uncomfortable, but we survived with laughter.

This is the last trip we took as a family anywhere.   It is hard to manage schedules with busy family members, people moving, and other events that get in the way. I hope we are able to schedule another trip some time that includes everyone. 

The most significant thing for me about this trip was Everett seeing the Oregon coast for the first time. It was like seeing it with new eyes . The northern half of the Oregon coast is the most beautiful to me. Rockaway was a new place to explore. As I said in the first post, what I loved the most about it was the ocean beach. It was crammed with people, it was easy to navigate, and Mom with her new hip could even take a walk on the beach. The dogs loved their first trip to the ocean and if Paul hadn't caught her, I think Annie would have chased a seagull all the way to Seaside. Everett appreciated the beauty of the ocean and the scenic views on our drives.

We stopped along the way at  these scenic points so Everett could grasp new information about the Oregon Coast and I could take lots and lots of pictures. Of course there are always outings. If you can blend a trip to the Tillamook Cheese factory and a winery in the same outing, that is a good thing. It is always fun to take site seeing trips with my family. Everyone finds little treasures or a good bottle of wine or fine cheese to try upon returning to the beach home. Often, sweatshirts or jackets from the place are a perfect remembrance of the trip. 

The other thing I remember about this trip is every was relaxed and had fun. There were no schedules, no things that had to be done, no agenda. Everyone felt comfortable choosing some of their own activities. We divided up the chores and cooking. It was another family gathering that bonded us closer together and created memories that are always brought up when speaking of the trip. We will always remember  Mom's wisecrack crossword clues, board game playing that made us all laugh, spectacular sunsets, sandcastles, photo opts, Bill singing to the iPod, and family. I was pleased Everett got to experience one of these trips with all of us. It was a perfect set of memories.