Another tax season finished = another wonderful and much needed getaway! We rented a house in Otter Rock and enjoyed 3 beautiful days there. It's a part of the coast that I haven't explored before and I loved it! It was quiet and gorgeous and definitely a place I will return to.
The evening we arrived . . .
Around the house
The house we rented was a great house. We could see the ocean from the living room and was it was just a quick walk to the beach.
On the beach
We took full advantage of the good weather and spent lots of time digging in the sand and running on the beach. Unfortunately we usually had to head back earlier than planned to dry off and warm up since Owen loves to play in the water and would end up soaked (and covered head to toe in sand).
A little photoshoot to prepare for Henry's 4th birthday & Owen's 2nd in the next few months (where does the time go?!).
Tilly took full advantage of her beach getaway too! In fact she's still probably resting up from all the running around.
Boy was I sore from walking up and down all the stairs!
Owen & Tilly are good buds - She tolerates him chasing her around in exchange for him dropping snacks for her. It's a good match.
Of course I failed to read the guide that they left for renters until the last night, quickly realizing that we were between 2 beach entrances. You mean there might be one without all the stairs? The boys were already in their PJ's, so I ran out (with my camera, of course) to check out the other area. And it was gorgeous too! We just might have to rent this house again so we can check it out more. Apparently seals frequent the area to lay on the rocks and there are tide pools. Definitely something I'd be interested in checking out next time!
Out and About
Ah, only a photographer would be obsessed with laying down in the driveway to snap a picture of a weed growing! Nate is so nice to wrangle the kids while I dawdle behind taking pictures of random things.
Lunch at Mo's. The boys were enamored by the toy sharks that came with their meals. . .
This picture reminds me so much of one with my sister and I at about the same age. Someday I'll find that and scan it in to compare.
Newport
Perhaps one of the best perks of staying in Otter Rock was that it was close to Newport. That is hands down my favorite stop at the beach. I love watching the sea lions (have I mentioned that before?), walking along the docks by the fishing boats and of course exploring the aquarium (usually followed by lunch at the Rogue Brewery - I love how kid-friendly they are there!).
I love the aquarium in Newport. So much so, that we even purchased a membership this year to try and give us extra incentive to go down there more often. Hopefully we'll get our money's worth and if not, I'll feel good knowing I helped support the sea life there!
It should come as no surprise that Henry's favorite part is the water. It's a small area outside with sea anemone & starfish with the "tide" coming in and out over the rocks. It's all VERY exciting to a 3 year old. We had to drag him away kicking and screaming to look at the boring exhibits like the sea lions, sharks and play areas. Luckily, once it was out of sight, he was back to his normal happy self exploring all the other exhibits.
Coming during the week is amazing! We practically had the place to ourselves, so the boys were free to run around while I snapped lots of pictures.
The Rogue Brewery . . .
The boys LOVED this red tower thing (a silo maybe?). The way their voices echoed in the tall metal structure (seriously, what is this called?) and running up and down the ramps could have occupied them all day!
The Tillamook Cheese Factory
On our last day, we took the long way home and stopped by the cheese factory to get some lunch, take a tour and have an ice cream treat!
This picture was about 1/2 a second before Owen ran into the restrooms at top speed. Thankfully he ran into the women's restroom since I was chasing him and I would have probably chased him right into the men's without knowing it. Oh man that kid can run!
We decided to be smart and save a bit of money by getting a double scoop and extra bowls to split between Nate, Owen and me (Henry wanted his own cone). Boy was Owen mad when he realized he had to share "his" bowl of ice cream with us!
He got over it, though, when he realized we weren't taking it all away from him!
Who doesn't love ice cream this much?
And Henry sure loved his cone!
Such a perfect trip!
