24 September 2013

Last Journey of Summertime

It was a very busy end to summer
and autumn is off to a busy start too--
thanks to a dream of mine that came true not too long ago:)
(thank you God)
 
But that dream-come-true is not the subject of today's post.
Instead the last crazy, busy days of summer--
or at least ONE of those last crazy, busy days of summer is!
 
It all started with a busy evening and early morning on the Internet-
which was followed by a wonderful, but sometimes chilly day in one of my favorite coastal areas
where we enjoyed the best fish and chips EVER at Bowpicker
(nom, nom--yum, yum)
and found this little guy:)
 
 
We ate it (no, not the little guy) on a bench overlooking the Columbia River
from where we could see the huge Astoria-Megler Bridge
(I have a love-hate relationship with this bridge.
Love to take photos of it; HATE to cross it--so I don't anymore)
 
 
the state of Washington
(right across the river from us),
the river traffic
(always fun to watch)
and more!
I ADORE Astoria!!!
 
 And, of course, since we were so close--
we had to make one of my favorite side trips a bit to the east to the island....

 
There is just something about this place that draws me in and captivates me--
and being the very determined genealogist I am,
 led me to hours and hours of research on the Internet till I solved the mystery of how it came to be.

 
Of course, since we were already in the area another stop was called for...
unfortunately no eagles were in sight though!
However, further west we found lots of singing sea lions
(I have the video to prove it).
And, we did have to stop at my favorite Scandinavian bakery to get some
fattigmann and Finnish pinwheels (tarts)--Mmm!
They were yummy--down to the very last one:)

 
Out to Fort Stevens where my granddaughter and a my best friend's grandson took some time to run
and play in and around the wreck of the Peter Iredale.
(grounded in 1906 with NO lost of lives thankfully--although I found out from the Park Ranger two lives were lost later on from people who were trying to do salvage work there).
 
The beach was actually warmer then the place we had lunch at,
and I had a great time talking to the Park Ranger and seeing some AWESOME photos of the ship after a storm that unearthed a huge amount of the ship. I had no idea how much of the ship is buried under the sand--amazing!
I have such good memories from time spent on this very same beach and it is so much fun to see my grandkids playing in the same area my family once played at:)

 
Life is such a precious gift don't you think?
 
 
What a beautiful world we live in!
 
 
And we're just at the beginning of autumn--
one of my favorite times to explore that beautiful world!
 
What's happening at your place?
 
Blessings,
Aimee
 
Photos:
September 2013.
Taken at various locations in and around Astoria, Oregon and the northern coast range.
 
Notes:
Just getting back into a semi-normal routine (LOL) so am still playing catch up.
Wish me luck:)
 

13 comments:

Teresa Kasner said...

Hmmm.. I think I need a trip to Astoria. We ate at Bow Picker too... it was funny and fun. I think I'm needing some ocean air. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Betsy said...

Beautiful photo's. Your granddaughter looks like she's having the time of her life. :-) I've never been to Astoria, (I don't think so anyway). I think the furthest north we've been on the coast is Seaside. It looks amazing though. We're off to Portland this weekend to see little Miss Piper. I can tell you, this is one excited Grandma!!!
Blessings,
Betsy

Linda W. said...

I love the coast. Great photos! Happy autumn to you.

aimee said...

@Teresa~
Definitely! I think your grandsons would enjoy it too because there are so many things to do:)
Blessings,
Aimee

@Betsy~
Thank you! You have to go to Astoria someday; it's not too far from Seaside (about 1/2 hour or so). I truly, truly love it there!
Wishing you safe travels and a wonderful visit with little Piper! Have fun!
Blessings,
Aimee

@Linda~
Thanks! I love the coast too. I just found out about a little hike I want to take soon...
Wishing you many beautiful sunny days for autumn hikes! Loved your latest 'huckleberry hike' post!
Blessings,
Aimee

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

Astoria is fun. Was there last year with my daughter. We wound up eating at one of the piers, where bumble bee cannery used to be. Fun times! Thanks for stopping by my blog. It's been raining thses past two days, cool as well.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

What beautiful captures of your trip to the shore..I am so very glad that fall is finally here, too!

aimee said...

@Becky~
I agree! Always a lot to do there in my favorite city by the bay! Cool and rainy here too--but I hear that we might get (maybe, possibly) one day of sunny, dry weather--that is after the fog burns off :)
Blessings,
Aimee
PS: Do you remember the name of the place you ate at in Astoria?

@Terri~
Thank you! I am glad too, but was hoping for a little more sunshine like we usually have at this time of the year.
Blessings,
Aimee

Willow said...

AImee
It IS a beautiful world we live in .
What beautiful pictures you have shown us !!

aimee said...

@Willow~
So very, very true! Glad you enjoyed the photos:)
I thought of you today when I was up in in the coast range taking pictures of horses!
Blessings,
Aimee

Gracie Saylor said...

Wow! Aimee, I especially enjoyed your photos in this post!! Thanks for sharing your great trip. I now especially look forward to my next trip to Astoria :)
Blessings,
Gracie

aimee said...

@Gracie~
Thank you! It always makes me happy to know someone really enjoyed a post:) Astoria is delightful--I really enjoy the historical and cultural aspects of the area in addition to its beauty and -- of course ties to the river, bay and ocean.
Blessings,
Aimee

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Loved that park -- it's been quite a few years since we've been that far 'up north' ....but when we lived in Springfield (before we retired) we went up that way several times. It's lovely that your granddaughter is enjoying the same beach you did as a child.

aimee said...

@Sallie~
It is one of my most favorite areas/State Parks on the Oregon coast! I am glad that you had the chance to see and experience it before:)
Yep--she really loves it just like her grandma.
Have a great weekend--SUN on the way!
Blessings,
Aimee

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