September travels.

We did some traveling in September...thought I'd share a bit of the sights! 

Early in the month Mike & I headed up to Seattle with a truckload of Allison & Stephen's stuff!  They were settling into their new digs near the UW campus, getting started with school and work, and we were able to spend a few days hanging out with them; seeing the campus, biking, paddle boarding (for the first time!) and getting to know their new neighborhood!

Then, we headed across the waters and over to the Olympic National Park.  I've never been, but Mike had gone years ago with a photography class, so he was eager to show me around.  We stayed in Forks, WA...and if you are a Twilight fan you will know that it is where some of the film(s) were shot.  I have not read any of the books or seen any of the movies, so the tourist attractions in the little town were lost on me!  We did, however, wander a beach path after dark and it was plenty creepy...sure felt like a vampire was lurking...!

Spent our days driving here and there, did a little hiking, found an amazing spot to paddle board (Lake Crescent...amazing emerald water that was unbelievably clear, surrounded by hills covered in beautiful trees) and we sampled some local fare.  Our evenings, we headed to the beaches for sunsets!

After a few days of exploring, we headed South to Pacific City, Oregon.  Home away from home.  We hiked out the beautifully forested, muddy trail to Cape Lookout on one afternoon...spent a couple of days just hanging out watching the dories come and go...paddle boarded a nice lake in Lincoln City...and explored Cape Kiwanda a little more (oh, and if I am offering full disclosure, I might also mention that we ended up in the ER late one night, Mike passing a kidney stone!).  We made an unexpected trip to Hermiston to honor Mike's Uncle, Dave Landon, who passed away after a long illness.  Dave was one of the first "Ryan" family members I met as he and his wife, Carolyn, lived in Hermiston when Mike and I first met there...and Dave always made me feel like part of his family; a daughter.  He was the first voice I recall hearing when I woke up in the hospital having just had Ashley...he told me "she is beautiful".  I will miss his laugh. 

Mike headed back after a week, leaving me to set my own pace for the rest of the time...I did a lot of beach walking, took a paddle board yoga class on the Nestucca River (and never fell off!), enjoyed time to read and write and daydream...and took a glass blowing lesson one afternoon (made a cool paperweight)!  "I come to the sea to breathe" is one of my favorite quotes...and I sure do love it...something about the unceasing movement of the sea that calms me.

I made it home safely and spent a day re-grouping at home before I packed up Ashley & Harper for a road trip to Island Park to visit some friends!  It was a fun visit and great to spend a day with Ashley & Harper, too, after having been away for 3 weeks!  Harper is growing so fast now...busy learning new things every day (stay tuned for the next post for a Harper update!)!  That next weekend, we met those friends in the Grand Teton Park and spent a beautiful Fall day doing a little kayaking down the Snake River...and then we camped out at a spot where we could watch the full moon go down as the sun rose up right over the Teton Range. 

September was spent mostly on the road, for me...and Fall always feels like a good time to settle back in at home for a bit...so this month I did some portrait work with some sweet clients, did mountains of laundry and plenty of housework and dreaded paperwork, caught up with some old friends in Boise and took Mike's parents to a BSU football game.  And then, I traveled once again, to Seattle to visit Allison...this time with Ashley & Harper!  We did kind of a girl's weekend (we let Stephen stay...and baby Uriah!), with shopping and sight-seeing and ice cream and cookies and plenty of sitting around watching Harper!  I managed to do a couple of photo shoots too...stay tuned for that! 



On a ferry, leaving Seattle for the Olympic National Park.

The Seattle skyline.

Lake Crescent...incredible waters!

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic Park

Second Beach

Second Beach

I can't resist making towers on rocky shores!

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach

Pacific City, Oregon...home away from home.

Moonset and sunrise, over the Teton Range.

For some, it might be hiking alone in the mountains...

...for some, floating down a long stretch of river...for some, wandering in antique shops and for some, it is the hum of a city...  For me, well, if you know me at all, it is walking along a beach.  Whatever it is, wherever it is, that you find yourself feeling most like yourself...do that once in awhile...it's rejuvenating to the soul of who you are. 

I got to spend some time along the Oregon Coast again, my favorite place in the world, thus far!  There were sunny days, windy days, calm days and yes, for sure, a couple of rainy days...but for me...every day, barefoot in the sand, listening to the constant waves of the ocean is a really good day!  I relaxed on the deck, people-watched, whale-watched, did a little wandering, took a few pictures, got completely hooked on Mexican mochas, hiked up the dunes (to work off the mochas!), shared the time with family and friends (and oh, my goodness, cute pictures of baby Harper on the beach to come soon!) and, I renewed a promise to myself...to write a book. 

I've had a dream, probably since I was a teenager, to write a book.  But, there is never enough time in the day, it seems, and always another adventure to plan or another project to undertake (or a house to clean or kids to raise or bills to pay...oh, yes, all those other things you have to juggle and seem to always take priority!), and...it is incredibly difficult to isolate yourself enough to think straight or stay focused for hours at a time...but I am going to do it!!!  I have it in me to write a book!  I do!  It's not just going to be a dream, it's a goal...and now, I've said it out loud!  I'll keep you posted! 

In the meantime, one of the beautiful evenings on the Oregon Coast...

Another post-sunset shot.

It has been an exceptionally beautiful week here in Pacific City, Oregon.  Lots of sunshine and very little wind...really incredible weather, especially for January.  There have been surfers enjoying the waves every day, along with a few paddle boarders, a couple of kayakers, and even one crazy person swimming...well, more like squealing and flailing like he was on fire!

I've enjoyed the quiet early mornings watching the world wake up, one dog beach walker at a time, while I wake up myself with my coffee on the deck or tucked in by the fireplace reading the paper.  I managed to get a little bit of computer work done, but definitely spent more time staring at the waves than at the computer screen.  It's mesmerizing, to be sure. 

I've had some fun with my photography...even daring myself out to the very edge of Cape Kiwanda to capture a few images of the crashing waves below!  I've certainly LOVED the sunsets!  I've walked miles and miles of beach, including up and down the dunes several times, which is no small feat!  And I got to spend a beautiful day at Indian Beach thinking about my parents and how much I miss them in my day to day life.  I am so excited to be a grandparent (a "Nana")...it reminds me how much I would've liked my girls to have known my parents more, longer...they were really amazing people.  So, I hope I am around a long, long time...to enjoy days like these...and days with my kids, and their kids...and maybe even their kids?!
 
Heading home tomorrow...excited to see my hubby at the airport!



Indian Beach.

This is Indian Beach.  To get there, you head just a little bit North out of the town of Cannon Beach, Oregon and follow the signs up a windy, forested road to Ecola State Park.  Once in the park, you head down another windy, narrow, steep, forested road to the parking lot overlooking Indian Beach.  It's a nice, quiet cove, usually pretty unpopulated, with a perfectly Oregon Coast rugged, rocky south end...and it has a special place in my heart.  It was particularly lovely this chilly January night, just after sunset.

That's the thing about sunsets...this one, the actually setting of the sun, was kind of unremarkable.  There weren't a lot of clouds in the sky, just a skiff on the horizon, so nothing really popped in the sky...it wasn't an obviously beautiful sunset.  But, if you are patient, and wearing lots of warm layers (because as soon as the sun disappears so does all the warmth in the air)...you might be lucky enough to get this kind of image...a beautiful, calm, vibrant reflection in the low tide.  Worth the wait (and the goose bumps)!

That's the thing about beauty in life, isn't it...sometimes you have to be patient, and really, really quiet, to appreciate it. 

Thanks Mom & Dad.