Thursday, May 24, 2012

Pacific Ocean Getaway.

Last weekend we headed to Ocean Park Washington to celebrate my birthday.  Our friends have a vacation home there and graciously offered us their cozy beach cottage for our quick getaway.

Four and 1/2 hours after we left Edmonds, with one quick stop in Olympia at The Bread Peddler, we arrived just in time to see the sun sink beneath the mighty Pacific Ocean.   It was stunning and my boys immediately walked down to the waters edge.

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And by waters edge that is exactly what I meant.  Basenji's are not water dogs and Bailey is no exception.

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I can only imagine what he was thinking looking out at the largest body of water he has ever seen.  I'd like to think he was in awe of it all the sound of the crashing waves, the smells of the sea, and that magnificent sunset; like we were.

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Oh how intoxicating this sight is.

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The beach is so very good.

The next day we found a foot path through the dunes, a 5 minute walk from the house.

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Bailey loved exploring in the tall grass.

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He also enjoyed the warm dry sands of the upper beach, rather than the cold wet sand of the tide, and his curiosity kept him busy for hours.

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Ocean Park is on the Long Beach Peninsula and is known for strong unpredictable currents, miles of sandy beaches and it's small towns.  It is great for building sandcastles, flying kites, and taking long walks or drives on the beach.

DSC_7028Beach Buddies.


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While investigating this lifeless crab, he forgot about his wet feet for a moment.  He was both interested and on edge, ready to run the other direction if the crab made any sudden moves.

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He stayed interested until the tide rolled in and he was soon ankle deep in the cold ocean waters, then he was off again.  He tried to partake in a volleyball game,  a Frisbee toss and he joined a runner for 50 feet or so then he'd gallop back to find us a little further down the beach.  He was so happy to run.

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On Saturday we went to Jimella's Seafood Market for dinner.  The food was amazing!  This was another TripAdvisor find and it was spot on.  It is a very small restaurant with lots of twinkle lights and a big sign over the door that reads, "Thank you for shopping local, we promise to pay it forward".  They specialize in local, high quality fresh food and we loved our dinner.

I had the Halibut,  Clyde had a delicious Seafood Stew with a white wine tomato herb broth that was so yummy, I did not get a chance to photograph it before he enjoyed it.

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During our chat with our server we had mentioned it was our first trip to Ocean Park and we were celebrating my birthday.   Jimella's is not the kind of place where the servers sing at your table but they did add a little sparkle to our Oregon Marionberry Cobbler..

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We stopped by Jack's Country Store to pick up firewood and used the wood stove each morning and again in the evening.  It was warm and cozy and the crackling fire lulled Bailey to sleep each night in front of the fire.

We got up early each morning to take in the low tide of the day and went to bed early each night after a full day of beach combing.  We had no cell reception, no cable, no internet and we really enjoyed the simplicity of the whole weekend.

Our final day was the lowest tide of the weekend.

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Low tides always bring out the birds.

These Western Sandpipers were amazing to watch.  They hovered just about the surf and when the water receded they landed to take in any tasty vittles left on the beach, then when the water returned they took to the air darting one way and the other in perfect formation.

They reminded me of the school of fish in Finding Nemo. 

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It was mesmerizing how they kept this routine up all along the beach.

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Bailey loved chasing them until he realized they were staying in the "wet" zone, which is when he gave up and continued on to the next adventure.

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Cute little birds getting a drink of sea water.

And who knew Washington had Pelicans?  I was surprised as we came upon a flock of large birds I thought were Canadian Geese until we got a bit closer......Pelicans.  The Terns were pretty cute as well with their super bright orange beaks. 

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Just before we left I noticed this group in the distance which resembled my friend John Ebner's famous watercolor paintings

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Oh it was a lovely weekend indeed.

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