Okay, finally I get got unopen to fourth dimension to sit down downward in addition to write to y'all. It's been a busy twosome of days, in addition to nosotros packed a lot into a brusk catamenia of time. I get got lots of pictures to exhibit you, in addition to thence I'll exactly larn to it.
For starters, I finished upwards Todd's pawtrait. Before nosotros left on Wednesday, I spent unopen to fourth dimension sewing on a label in addition to machine sewing his binding. I'm liking my piffling quilt labels. My friend Marei recommended this company, Dutch Label Shop, for these. They were pretty quick, in addition to I similar how they turned out.
Up until now, I've only sewn them on yesteryear sewing through all the layers of the quilt. For Todd, I didn't desire that stitching coming through to the front. It was unproblematic plenty to exactly bend dorsum the quilt top, sew together on the label, in addition to and thence shine it out again.
Then I quilted him, in addition to sewed on his binding. When nosotros arrived inwards Cannon Beach, Mike wanted a nap. While he was napping, I finished off the hand-sewing on the binding for Todd's pawtrait.
As I mentioned, I kept the quilting pretty simple. All the exceed stitching was done through the batting, in addition to thence the quilting was to a greater extent than decorative than functional.
And Todd's Pawtrait was my June OMG, thence I'll last linking upwards at the halt of the month.
So hither nosotros are inwards Cannon Beach. Just upwards the route from the RV common was this historical marking alongside unopen to information most the local area. Ecola State Park is exactly due north of Cannon Beach in addition to nosotros hiked at that topographic point on Thursday.
Cannon Beach is named for an actual cannon. This is exactly a replica.
Here's the even out behind it.
We'll take in Ecola State Park inwards a minute, but nosotros genuinely came to Cannon Beach to dine at EVOO. You mightiness recall when nosotros celebrated our 40th marriage anniversary 3 years ago, nosotros saw a dinner exhibit at EVOO.
You tin can read all most the eating theater at their website correct here. Click on their Cookbook link to discovery recipes. It's a restaurant, but genuinely a cooking school, owned in addition to operated yesteryear hubby in addition to wife, Bob Neroni in addition to Lenore Emery. You tin can read most them below.
The "restaurant/cooking school" is similar the best parts of Benihana of Tokyo, where they gear upwards nutrient correct inwards front end of you, Food Network, in addition to Alton Brown's nutrient science. Here's unopen to to a greater extent than information.
So nosotros were at that topographic point for a dinner show. We had seats correct upwards front. Bob had his mise en place for the starting fourth dimension human activeness all set up. What you run into at that topographic point from the exceed are snowfall peas, asparagus, carrots, celery, quinoa, brownish rice, white rice, greenish onion in addition to cilantro
Each course of teaching came alongside a dissimilar wine.
This is Lenore in addition to Bob. He was preparing a fried rice here, in addition to he was talking most the why's in addition to how's of preheating a skillet.
I wishing I could toss my vegetables similar this in addition to get got them dry soil dorsum inwards the pan. I've tried it a few times exclusively to fling things all over the kitchen.
So here's our starting fourth dimension course.
It was thence much fun sitting correct upwards front. Here, Carlos was plating things upwards for serving.
And at that topographic point nosotros go. They were really accommodating of Mike's no-seed policy. This sesame-encrusted halibut was served sans sesame seeds for Mike.
The balance of us seed-eaters got a plate that looked similar this. The violet sauce you run into at that topographic point on the side is made using salal berries every bit 1 of the ingredients.
They get got them growing correct on site at the restaurant, in addition to I Googled them field nosotros were eating.
Interesting. That was their ain home-made Worcestershire, in addition to they used their ain salal berries.
In this adjacent image, Bob was showing us how to larn a salad evenly dressed, specially if it used pungent flavors similar garlic paste, every bit this 1 did. He rubbed the dressing on the bowl, in addition to and thence used the salad, essentially, to mop it up.
And this was our 2nd course.
Looks pretty, no?
The greenish sauce ringing the plate was made alongside Earth pumpkin seeds. Mike likely could get got eaten those, but he was given a basil sauce instead.
Here's mine alongside the pumpkin seed sauce.
The 3rd course of teaching was cooked out dorsum on their wood-fired grill.
Before he flipped the meat over, he moved the grill thence that it rested correct on exceed of the coals, in addition to and thence finished it off there.
And here's what that plate looked like. Yum.
Finally, dessert. Oh. My. Gosh.
Look at that. For Mike, they made a peach crisp.
For the balance of us, a mixture of peaches in addition to berries. To last clear, at that topographic point were others inwards the grouping alongside dissimilar nutrient sensitivities...cream...nuts...every person's repast was made to special order, if necessary.
That was incredibly delicious in addition to fun. In the 3 years since our in conclusion visit, I'd forgotten how much fun it was. After that, nosotros exactly set downward on the pavement, having move beach ball shaped, in addition to nosotros exactly rolled ourselves dorsum to the truck.
The adjacent day, what could nosotros create afterwards such a large repast but larn unopen to exercise. I'd read most the hike to Crescent Beach on the "Only inwards Your State" website. Then, I establish to a greater extent than most it inwards our ain hiking book...this one:
And it claimed the difficulty was "Moderate" alongside a 160-foot elevation gain. No problem, nosotros thought. Then nosotros genuinely hiked it.
So the hike wouldn't get got been hard except that it was slippery every bit goose grease inwards places. We were picking our agency along the trail to avoid falling (successfully), but wow. It was a nail-biter inwards unopen to places. The elevation turned out to last reasonable. The hike gave a skillful combination of upsies in addition to downsies. It was slow plenty to discovery the trailhead.
Here's how we're going to cash inwards one's chips today.
No cougars were spotted. The hike began in addition to ended alongside stairs.
As you mightiness guess, I took pictures of every blooming thing.
There are our onetime friends the salal berries. They are ubiquitous on the Oregon coast.
We saw several of these white butterflies. I'm tempted to telephone telephone them Canadian Whites, but they genuinely expect to a greater extent than similar West Virginia Whites. From what I tin can tell, West Virginia Whites create non alive on the westward coast, thence ya' got me.
The hike took us along the cliffside through a lush greenish wood of onetime increment Sitka spruce. The Sitka spruce are easily spotted yesteryear their alligator-skin bark. They are huge trees. Some are nearly every bit large every bit the California redwoods.
Occasionally, we'd grab a glimpse of the sea in addition to the coast in addition to the beach nosotros were hiking to.
At places, nosotros were correct along the cliff's edge. The beach inwards the foreground is Crescent Beach. Toward the back, that towering stone formation is Haystack Rock, an iconic characteristic of Cannon Beach.
Here, I've zoomed inwards on it.
But to larn dorsum to the Sitka spruce, here's 1 that brutal across the trail at 1 point. Mike estimated from its rings that it was nearly 300 years onetime when it fell.
Their roots snaked across the path. In unopen to places they came clear to my knees in addition to I had to get got attention stepping over them.
Looking north, the persuasion looked similar this.
And finally, nosotros came to the stairs downward to the beach.
Looking south, nosotros saw this.
Here's a panorama of the area.
We walked southward toward the rocks on the left side of the paradigm above. As nosotros got closer, nosotros could run into that a natural span had formed inwards one.
We briefly walked through the opening. We worried most the returning tide. As it turns out, the tide was genuinely going out. Overhead, nosotros spied this gull who likely was nesting there.
These rocks serve every bit a rookery for seabirds, in addition to at that topographic point were thousands of them.
The sides of the stacks were encrusted alongside barnacles...
in addition to anemones.
You tin can run into where the H2O describe of piece of occupation rides when the tide comes in.
On the other side, nosotros stood closer to Haystack rock.
Looking dorsum the agency nosotros came, it looked similar this.
And since nosotros were worried most the tide, nosotros didn't rest long, but headed dorsum in addition to to the correct where nosotros sat on a log in addition to ate our Clif bars. Off inwards the distance...what's that I see?
Do you run into it? It's the Tillamook Head Lighthouse.
Zooming agency in...it was quite an engineering marvel inwards its day. Built inwards the 1800's, it was inwards utilization for 77 years. You tin can read its fascinating history correct here. It was also known every bit "Terrible Tilly."
We stayed for most an threescore minutes earlier heading dorsum upwards the trail. The trail was steep on the agency back, but the worst was over fairly quickly. About that time, our shadow selves made a brusk appearance.
It was cloudy most of the day. Along the agency nosotros saw this field of clover growing inwards exactly 1 place. Each private foliage is larger than a quarter, to give you unopen to thought of its rather large scale.
Back at the parking lot, nosotros walked out to Ecola Point where a set out of artists were paradigm the scene.
And that was pretty much all nosotros did. We were tired pups that night, in addition to nosotros slept well. Now we're dorsum home. Sadie was pretty happy to get got a lap to stretch out on this morning.
Smitty got his snuggle-bug loves inwards bed alongside me in conclusion night. He was exactly waiting for the door to opened upwards thence he could larn exterior in addition to scare upwards a mouse.
They're making progress on the road. It's been widened, in addition to graded, in addition to graveled. We're thinking paving must last coming soon.
This forenoon I went to the farmer's marketplace alongside Erik in addition to Mae. I picked upwards a one-half apartment of blueberries to brand unopen to jam in addition to unopen to chutney. Also, unopen to carrots to brand to a greater extent than pickled carrots. There are unopen to novel recipes on this week's menu, attempting to utilization our CSA veggies inwards unopen to creative ways. I'll study dorsum most anything that's genuinely good. As for the balance of the day, I'm hoping to get got fourth dimension for unopen to sewing.