Anniversary Getaway

Erik and I have run away from home for a quick getaway to celebrate our 13th Wedding Anniversary, which was actually on August 7th.  Better late than never.

We are staying at a sweet bed and breakfast in Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast.  Erik has incredibly fond memories of Lincoln City because his grandparents owned a house here while he was growing up.  More about that later.

We got in around 3:30 pm yesterday afternoon.  The weather was great, so I went down for a walk on the beach while Erik rested.  He's been struggling with a cold and needed some down time.

We watched some football, cheered for Michigan State in honor of a new buddy of mine, and then headed out for dinner.  We were able to get reservations at the highly acclaimed Blackfish Cafe.  Yum.  We started with little bowls of amazing clam chowder.  Then Erik had the sword fish with polenta and I ate the salmon with bleu cheese au gratin potatoes.  Here's the picture of my plate.

After dinner, we came back and watched some more college football.  You have no idea how delightful that is to me.  I have been waiting and waiting AND WAITING for football to start.  :-)

This morning we headed downstairs and were treated to fresh German pancakes with homemade cinnamon apple syrup.  We will come stay here again for that syrup alone.  No joke.  Here's a picture of the pancakes.  I know.  I'm a goof.

After this deliciousness was enjoyed, we headed out for the day.  Our first stop was the beach!  It is sunny and about 60 degrees here.  We have loved just sitting and watching the waves without the presence of small peeps.  After enjoying the surf for a bit, we headed to the outlet mall.  Seriously, folks.  The opportunity to shop without kids is golden to me.  I knew I needed some new jeans, and this was my chance!

The Levis outlet was having a sale AND they have great jeans.  I bought two pair.  We also got the boys some little bits, including $12 jeans at Old Navy that have that hammer loop thing.  My guys LOVE to hang stuff from that loop.  Swords, water guns, vacuum cleaner attachments.  All sorts of stuff.  I'll try to get some pictures when we get back.

Now comes the sweet part of our adventure.  Erik really wanted to find the house his grandparents owned.  I was totally game.  We headed to the right neighborhood and proceeded to drive up and down the street, texting family members trying to find it.  And then we did!  We parked the car and went up to knock.  Sadly, no one was there, but there was a family name and a business card taped to the window by the door.  So, we called!

Erik spoke with the owner, a dear sweet woman who gave us permission to walk around the house, and enjoy the deck.  We grabbed our picnic lunch and had a stunning view from the back deck of Erik's childhood beach house.  It was so special.

We just missed the owner's son being here yesterday, but she was amenable to the idea of opening communication about seeing the inside at some point.  She prefers snail mail to the telephone right now, so we will write her a happy little thank you note and hope for the best.

Here are the pictures that we took at the house during our little picnic.

We found it!

We took a picture of the house number, so that we can find it more easily next time.  :-)

This wood paneling and the silver birds on the wall are leftover from Erik's grandparents.

The back deck.

Side yard

The little patio on the side where Erik remembers hacking down humongous weeds.

The spot where Erik was sprayed down by Uncle Bob after time on the beach as a child.

Another memory.

I love my husband's smile in this picture.  If I could give him anything in the world, it would be this house.  He has so many favorite childhood memories here.  Maybe someday.

The stairs from the deck right down to the beach.

Amy needs a smaller beach jacket.  But the view is still incredible from this deck.

More view.

Our picnic spot!

Pretty cool.

It was a very fun and rewarding afternoon.  We are gearing up for the Pre-Season Oregon Ducks game at 7:30 pm.  I know.  We are on vacation.  We should go out and party or something.  But folks, watching football with no kids to interrupt is stinkin' glorious!