Some people have summer homes, cottages or cabins. Although I wouldn't turn my back on that if it were an option for us, we have something else. We have the Oregon coast. We drive down there for about a week every summer.
We have our traditions...
We camp or stay in a yurt at Honeyman state park (and often another state park sometime during the trip as well...this year it was a new one for us - Beverly Beach).
We have campfires and cook many of our meals over the fire. This year we roasted hot dogs, made grilled cheese sandwiches with Tillamook cheese, made bannock and of course, had some smores! And the boys and Neil always have some sunflower seeds around the campfire (not my favourite tradition!).
We sandboard and play on the dunes.
We swim in the lake and usually go kayaking or canoeing.
For a little more fun, sometimes we skimboard or surf. For the last two years, we have gone ATV-ing on the dunes.
We drive up Highway 101 and ooh and aah at the scenic views. We listen to an audio book as we drive. We pull over to explore the beaches.
We stop in cities along the way and eat at a Mo's or other local diner. When in Newport (like this year) we enjoy the harbour and the sea lions.
We stay at a hotel in Lincoln City, right on the beach. For the past three years, it has been Surftides for us and we really like it there. Beautiful views from the balcony.
We do some back to school shopping at the outlet centres outside of Portland and in Lincoln City. Often, the boys save their money in order to make a big purchase. This year, Colin bought a Penny banana board.
We always take at least one long walk along the beach and over the rocks while in Lincoln City. When the boys were younger they could explore the rocks for hours. This year, it was me that was determined not to leave until I had found a seastar!
We try and get at least one family photo while on our Oregon trip.
It is our special place full of traditions and new experiences and our time together as a family every summer. Can't wait to go again next year!
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