I LOVE it when my kids come for a visit; it's always SO very good to see them
and I treasure every moment they're here!
Each of my kids, like my grandkids, is a very unique person so each visit is different;
still I can count on doing some things with each child that I also enjoy...
For example, our most recent visitor, I knew,
would want to visit Portland where he used to live.
I knew there would also be plenty of meals eaten out,
because this son is a chef
and because we both love gourmet and international food
(which the DH doesn't really care for)...
and I was pretty sure we'd be going to the beach at least once--
because when former Oregonians return home for a visit, that is what they do...
well at least that is what 2 of my 3 do!
Add in the Small (active, never boring) One
and I knew we'd have plenty of fun at the beach...
and that we definitely did!
First up on our itinerary,
a trip down Memory Lane...
For those who have been visiting for awhile, you've already met my mom's pixies and elves that I recently received. And, you also know that I used to spend major time at a magical, yummy place on the coast called Pixie Kitchen. And, you may even have gathered that I was totally bummed out when this big part of my childhood memories closed down for good in the 80's.
But as I researched for that recent post
and as fellow blogger Sallie kindly pointed out to me in the comments.
part of Pixie Kitchen DOES live on in a VERY special place not too far
from the site of the former restaurant.
With all the time I spend on the Oregon coast,
I was shocked I hadn't found this wonderful place before:)
First off I want to tell those of you with kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews,
small friends or who are just kids at heart about the SPECIAL room they have there.
It is called the Mildred + Marie Children's Corner and honestly it was AMAZING!
Where else can one find:
marionettes and a wonderful assortment of puppets to enjoy,
a kid sized HARP to play,
dress up clothes and hats to wear,
coloring pages,
a place to play cowboy
(or cowgirl--as in our case)
and a lot, lot more!
Needless to say, we will be back for more fun!
(it's nice to have another rainy day activity at the coast).
Being a museum
(North Lincoln County Museum)
the history lover will find a lot of interesting artifacts here also--
like these Japanese glass fishing floats and many things from the past and
not so distant past of this area.
FYI...
during Antique Week
you have a chance of finding your very
own vintage float on the beaches of Lincoln City...
this year hundreds of them were hidden.
Don't tell anyone, but someday I am hoping to find one:)
In addition to the great regular museum exhibits
and the awesome kid's room,
there are special exhibits---
vintage Valentine's Day cards
(someday I will post photos of the ones from my childhood that mom kept for me.
Their collection was beyond wonderful!),
dolls
(not sure if this was a regular exhibit or a special one, but I AM sure I LOVED it)
and
historical quilts
(you know I LOVED those).
The one above is a hand pieced, appliqued quilt from the 1830-1860s time period. It is a Democrat Rose variation quilt and made from cotton.
LOVED IT!
Well I have about a hundred photos of the museum but when I asked for permission to take and post them I said I was just going to post just a few.
Here is their website should you want a rainy (or sunny) day activity.
I definitely recommend them
AND
it's free right now:)
Now back to where we started---
the Pixies and Pixie Kitchen.
My kids didn't have a chance to grow up with the magic that was Pixie Kitchen,
like I did,
and obviously my grandkids won't have that opportunity too.
So it was a BIG blessing to at least show them a bit of what made PK so very special.
Not too far from the kid's room you can find some Pixie Kitchen memorabilia...
pixies (of course!),
a backdrop,
an actual table from the restaurant,
a menu and much more.
It was glorious to see my pixie 'buddies' again,
to see my son and granddaughter standing in front of the carnival mirror that I once
(ok more then once) stood in front of...
and it was wonderful to walk down memory lane again:)
And then it was time to make some new memories at my favorite beach in this area,
and a great restaurant...
And then head home for pizza:)
Blessings,
Aimee
Notes:
A BIG thank you to the staff of North Lincoln County Museum for granting me permission to take and post photos of their wonderful museum!
Please excuse any typos and/or grammatical errors.
I am being distracted by some ear problems that decided to 'visit' last night...and now blogger is acting up.
Sigh. I hate it when my ears are this congested and
I hate it when blogger does strange things.
