A Beach House On the Oregon Coast

After our road trip/mini vacation through California, we met up with my family for a stay at a beautiful beach house right on the Oregon coast.  It was so blissful.  The house had plenty of room for all 18 of us, private beach access right out the back door, our own fire pit on the beach, amazing windows for awesome views, jetted tubs, a deck for ocean watching and big open spaces for family time.

We drove to Heceta Head Lighthouse and enjoyed the spectacular view and the beautiful lighthouse.

My dad discovered a living picture frame and requested a photo.

Next we headed to Hobbit Beach...which was so amazing.  You take a quaint little hike winding through moss-covered trees with miniature paths and tunnels leading off the main trail that make you feel like you've been transported to some other world.  I half expected a fairy or gnome to jump out an any moment.  And then you suddenly emerge onto a beautiful and secluded beach complete with sand dollars and a cool sandy hill that kids run up and roll down until their pants, shoes and pockets are full of sand and they are plumb tuckered out.

My tiny niece fit the diminutive trails perfectly.  My brother didn't fit as well...

After Hobbit Beach, we were starved and my sister and her husband recommended a yummy seafood restaurant not too far away.  We had giant scallops, prawns, clam chowder, salmon fish and chips, oysters, clams, salmon candy and a tuna fish sandwich (collectively).  It was very tasty.

Bright and early the next morning, we set out to try our clamming skills.  My brother-in-law had researched locations and decided to try under the bridge during low tide.  We hauled ourselves and 8 children through tide pools and deeper areas to get to some prime spots.  My sister and I were chatting and watching kids, when we happened to notice that the tide was coming and it was coming in fast.  We yelled at everyone to hurry back and then it was crazy chaos of escaping the oncoming tide.  My brother handed me two babies and my sister grabbed a nephew and we forged ahead while he went back to help my mom who was stuck in waist deep water.  Everyone was hauling kids and helping each other wade through freezing, rushing water.  We weren't in serious danger as we weren't far from the beach and we made it safely to the other side in a few minutes, laughing and tired from our mad rush out of the flats.  And we found zero clams after all that.  We did see a few seals though, which was awesome.

My sister was in charge of games and activities and came up with the cutest treasure hunt for the kids.  She sewed all of the kids a knapsack with their initial for collecting shells and rocks.  My dad found the perfect old bottle to hide our treasure map in (that talented Miss B created).  The kids raced around and found the knapsacks hidden under a log, ring pops by a stream, gold coins under an X and sailboats by a tree.  It was fantastic!  They loved every minute and the little boys were sure the candy pirates left the treasure map for us...whoever candy pirates are.  The hunt was set up over a big expanse of beach and I have never ran so hard in my life trying to keep up with them.  We were all sore (the adults anyway) for days.  But it was so incredibly cute and fun watching their excitement.

We also enjoyed plenty of leisure time roaming the beach, skim-boarding, enjoying the fabulous scenery, letting the kids dig and play to their hearts' content and just plain hanging out.  So dreamy.

We made nautical freezer paper shirts and wore them the last night for our clam bake and barbecue.  My talented hubby fried up some coconut shrimp that were delicious.  My brother-in-law finally found clams and they cooked those as well.  My brother and dad grilled hamburgers over the fire.  Then we watched the sunset on the beach and roasted marshmallows.  It was magical.

The last day, we cleaned the house to sparkling, played in the river and the waves and tried to soak up every last second.  It was very, very VERY sad to leave. But what a trip.  Oh what a glorious, fabulous trip.