Beach Combing

We spent some time at the beach, but it was not the same kind of beach as we have in Georgia. The main difference being you can swim at the beach in GA.

We had a lot of fun looking in the tide pools and listening to the waves.

Hannah was the early riser in the bunch. Hannah and I would head out early in the morning and go walk on the beach. One morning we drove down to Agate Beach and found an agate which is a translucent rock. We had a great time walking on the waters edge.

The beach scape is so different and so peaceful. As JoAnna would say, it is peaceful because it is to cold to be out there.

Joyce's Retirement Concert

One of the reasons for our trip to Oregon was to attend my high school choir director's retirement concert. We had a great time and got to catch up with a lot of old friends,

The former students performed with the current students. I don't think that the kids grasped how important Joyce was to all of us. Former students traveled from all over to be there.

We all got to say a few words about Joyce, and while talking to a former student, she mentioned that she was in elementary school and Choralation performed a Disney Spectacular for them and she knew right then that she wanted to be in that choir. It meant a lot to me because I was one of the students that sang in that program.

We blew the kids away with our signature attitudes and dedication. We cut a fool so bad, we had everyone in tears laughing. At the same time we were singing our hearts out. It was like old times.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

Yaquina Head Lighthouse is the tallest on the west coast. While we were up at the top a volunteer told us that the light of every lighthouse has to be at the same height in order to be seen 20 miles out at sea. I commented at how much shorter Yaquina Head was to the ones on the east coast, and he reminded me that this one is on the bluff so only needed to be built up a little where the ones on the east coast are at sea level and have to be taller.

Stairs Going Down

View from the deck at the top.

We hiked up to the top of communications hill behind the lighthouse.

Irises were growing wild on the way up communications hill.

View from communications hill Yaquina Head.

Stairs down to Cobble Beach.

The entire beach is lava cobbles. In the winter they said that the ocean brings in sand that covers the beach and then in the summer washes it all back out leaving the cobbles.

Seals and sea lions sun on the rocks just off the beach.

The waves would come in and create a really cool sound as it went out and passed through the rocks.

More Newport

Here are some more pictures of the rest area, Hannah and Patrick climbed up on this stump and had some fun!



Here is the house I grew up in. They have pulled all the bushes out that lined the back yard and the tree is no longer in the front but the house is about the same.

The only working bay front on the west coast.

The Hotel.

Newport Oregon

We have made it to Oregon, We flew out of Savannah at 6:40 am this morning and arrived in Portland at 1:20 pm. We picked up the rental car and headed out towards Newport. We are here for my high school choir director's retirement concert. Joyce Staffenson was our director though out high school and our senior year lead Choralation (the jazz choir) to second place at the Redding Jazz Choir Festival in Redding California. After the concert, we are going to visit a couple of locations Hannah reported on in school and then head to Hillsboro to visit my dad for the rest of the week.

On the way to Newport, we passed through the Van Duzer Corridor and stopped at the rest area. We got to visit with a Pomeranian that was passing through which helped with our separation anxiety from Diva.

JoAnna and Hannah at the river at the rest area.

Patrick and JoAnna.

Patrick Standing on a tree that had fallen years ago. There is a section missing but the tree has not split so that is the actual diameter of the tree if you add in the missing section laying to the right in the picture.

A shot of the bridge from the bay front.

Eric and JoAnna on the bay front after dinner at Local Ocean. A great restaurant!

Our hotel is in the background, Patrick and Hannah and I went out on the rocks to look at the tide pools. It was a quick trip as the tide was coming in.