Christmas Journey to the Pacific Northwest, Part 2

Christmas Eve in Ocean Park, Washington brought temperatures in the 40s with rain. No surprises there, right? After all, we're on the Pacific ocean in a state known for it's zillions of days of rain! No matter! We donned our winter coats and hats and took a walk on the beach. There was a wicked wind out there on that beach, but we were hungry to see, hear and smell that ocean, so we endured!

There were a lot of seagulls along the beach and a sprinkling of sandpipers, but it was too cloudy to have any hope of spotting a gray whale. Our hostess, Kathy, said she had seen whales from her window, but they usually remain further out to sea. Ah, well ... we had to settle for the beauty of the beach ...

When we set out for our walk on the beach, a woman sat at the back of the house with a camera and a very long lens. Upon our return, I would meet her and, being fellow shutterbugs, we would talk photography and become new friends. Dee Dee Murry and her sidekick, Hallie, (below) allowed me and my trusty Nikon D-80 to come along for a ride around what the locals refer to as "The Peninsula" to take pictures. I would later learn what a talented artist she is. Click on her link there and see for yourself!

We stopped along the side of a road and got out of her van and a gentle rain accompanied us as we captured images. Here's some of what I saw ...

This moss (below) grew on everything. It reminded me of the spanish moss that covers trees in central and south Florida. I wonder if the two mosses are related???

And, the day wouldn't have been complete without a fashion shoot with Miss Hallie! Not only is she exceedingly cute, but she is very well trained, which Dee Dee demonstrated while I tried to capture a shot! I hope Hallie likes it!

Christmas Eve dinner was prepared for the family by our bride-to-be and the Mathews' home was a wonderland of twinkle lights and Christmas spirit!

Kathy's family arrived for dinner in the evening and we were introduced to Dungeness Crab! Now, I love-love-love crab, (crab cakes, crab salad, crab casserole, crab straight up!) but all my crab-eating experience has been with the crabs from the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Chesapeake Bay. What a delight to be able to eat crab at Christmas so far from home! And, I admit I made a pig of myself! It was so delicious to eat and ... well ... after all, I love crab!! Didn't I say that?

What a lovely Christmas Eve it was. Thank you to the Mathews Family for making us feel at home ...

Christmas Journey to the Pacific Northwest, Part 1

My darling husband's daughter is getting married in July 2011 and she and her fiancé invited us to visit his mother's home in Ocean Park, Washington for Christmas. While we looked forward to staying in their home on the beach, little did we know just how marvelous our time with this family would really be!

We flew from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta via Delta and then spent a couple of hours in the Atlanta airport, people watching and waiting for our flight to Portland, Oregon. It was the day before Christmas Eve and airport traffic was heavy. I managed to get a shot (below) from the window of our plane and, as you can see, planes were lined up, ready for take-off, as holiday travelers made their way to be with family and friends.

I wasn't sure how good this shot would turn out (below), but, here we are, above the clouds, flying at 35,000 feet. By this point in time, I was well into my book, "The Art of Racing in the Rain," by Garth Stein. My dh was by my side, hooked into the free wifi, surfing the Internet for information about our final destination: Ocean Park, Washington.

The wedding couple picked us up at the Portland airport and we made the three-hour trek to the beach house home of Mark and Kathy. They fed us delicious chowder and wine upon our arrival and we thought that, surely, we'd reached heaven.

Mathews Landing, as they call it, is the last house on a lonesome beach road that seems to stretch on into infinity. It would be the next morning before we'd get to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

Still on east coast time, I awoke around 4:30 AM west coast time, so I found a spot on the sofa next to the Christmas tree and waited for daybreak.

... and, I wasn't disappointed! The great Pacific Ocean, right there!

We were as far away from home as we could get and not leave the continent. And, WOW! what a faraway place to be!