August: A Whirlwind

 Coug Day at Silverwood! with grandma... A perfect day, overcast with spots of sun and mild crowds. Anything that begins and ends with young and old riding up and down on a carousel horse that goes by the name 'Buckeye' has got to be a really good day!  Topped off with a constant din of an old banjo jig and a few really bumpy roller coasters and you have yourself fun for all! Asher could go on everything this year except the biggest coaster, and he gladly obliged daddy numerous times as we sat in amazement and I in gratefulness to have to experience some of them just once :)  My stomach is officially aging....it just can't take the tilt-a-whirl four times in a row anymore and I end up laughing, crying, and almost peeing on the first ride now instead of the last! hee hee.

Next came Seaside with the family....wow. Its always good to be reminded that you can not just survive a week of close quarters, long car rides and multiple families, children, etc but instead savor it!  We Love the Coast!....every year. :)  It always seems like our week together will crawl by and then we wake and are sad to wave goodbye again, until next time....
This year we tried a few new things too that we had not done with the kids....a trip to Astoria where we saw some seals in the port, giant ships and enjoyed an excellent lunch at an open air brewery.  Dad also rode a unicycle that my brother in turn bought for him out of just being completely impressed with dad's balance and boldness to ride down the sidewalk for all to see after probably 25 years without practice :) it was awesome and we got it on video, even better.
Another highlight was mom RUNNING into the freezing ocean with the boys and Than ready to pick her up if she couldn't get out after going completely under water...what a woman! :)
We also went barnacle hunting at low tide at the base of Cannon Beach...the kids loved exploring the sea creatures on their own turf and not behind the glass of a tank.
Another highlight was spending a morning and a whole day at the beach having a huge campfire roast and dinner of hotdogs and s'mores with some loved ones while two or three kites, old and new, soared above us in the fresh ocean air.  Did I mention I love the coast?  Maybe one of the cooler weeks at the coast in years and it still was amazing.
We also had an awesome meal a McKeown's, made fun pottery with some old friends from Nathaniel's childhood, and swam to our hearts content! :) I know I have probably forgotten some of my favorite moments but if I wait any longer I will only forget more :)  I can hardly wait to develop the pictures...
I am just so grateful our family takes the time to enjoy one another and sets a week aside despite all our busyness each in our own right and takes the time, effort, patience, and care to head to the coast again :)  What great memories we have shared together, looking forward to more!

Between the cracks of August I found myself pondering how amazing blackberries must have been in the garden...without thorns. Yet I found myself every few days grateful to be out there risking life and limb as I dangled above flesh-tearing bushes in order to enjoy fresh wild blackberries in the months to come.  A small price to pay for a years worth of jams and cobblers :)