Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

flip flops

Sun, Sand, And Spring?

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View from outside the restaurant. Perfect.

Sometimes the best thing to do is leave town. For fun. Just for the day. Last week on Spring eve, the weather folks said it was going to be 74 degrees at the beach. What? My friend, Kathy, and I decided to beat feet to the coast for lunch and a stroll in the sand.

We promptly got stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway, but we didn’t care. We were off on an adventure. Stopped at the Oregon State Park rest stop at VanDuzer Corridor, one on either side of the road. Besides improving personal comfort, I always like to go and check out the streams close by and watch the burbling brook. (On the South side rest stop it’s a full river)

We made it to Gleneden Beach in no time to have lunch at the Clarion Inn Surfrider Resort, which has great food and a killer coastal view. My halibut sandwich was amazing and I ate the entire thing. I do not apologize.

Warm sand and sun. I didn’t notice my footsteps until after I took the photo.

Next we drove over to the Gleneden Beach Day Use beach access and broke out our flip flops. Due to coastal wave erosion, the excellent path down to the sand ends in a rather challenging climbing access the last seven feet to the beach. I chose to go down in flip flops, but saw the error of my ways and used bare feet on the return trip. A guide wire to hang onto would be an improvement, but we charged on.

Great trail except for the last seven feet. You can see the cliff erosion.

The ocean was topaz blue, the sun knocked your eyes out and a slight breeze let us sniff the fresh sea air. The booming waves reminded us it was still winter water out there and the high waves required respect. I began picking up rocks and treasures from along our walk and after several blocks, we decided to perch on a driftwood log high above the shoreline.

Winter waves require respect. The rest of the year too. Sneaker waves are real.

Back home seemed like a million miles away. We even started to get a little sun kissed. We moseyed back to the parking lot and got rid of sand between our toes, then prepared for the trip back to the valley. We had spied a Joann Fabric store in Lincoln City and then a Michael’s in Tualatin. Stopped at both for bunny booty and unneeded craft supplies.

A fabulous way to spend evening rush hour, shopping the craft aisles. Got home around 6:30 p.m. with Spec Ops Cat waiting at the door for his dinner. A cat waitress’ work is never done.

Some days a girl just needs to get sand between her toes.

Here’s to more spontaneous beach trips for everybody!

On the way home we spotted this quirky forest restoration project. Not too bad a photo at sixty miles per hour through the car window! See the happy face?

 

 

Happy Spring Moon!

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True sign of Spring? Wall of flip flops at the store Monday!

Spring! Finally! We’ve had a great couple days of nice weather and it gives me hope the sun will return again this year. For those of you still freezing your body parts off, my condolences. Mother Nature will share the sun again. I promise.

This is my favorite season, to see the daffodils peeking open, the pollen launching itself into the atmosphere and the plants showing up at the garden center. I did prevent myself from buying a five-foot tall metal flamingo the other weekend, but now there are three-foot ones in at my garden store. I might be tempted.

Carnations have arrived at the Garden Center. I did stop and take a whiff.

My yard art needs makeovers, the garage needs a major and continuing muck out, and all I want to do is nap in the sun spots like Spec Ops Cat. And read some good books. Which I have piled on the floor in my office and bedroom. I corral them in the rest of the house. Kinda.

Renewal. Hope. Bunny supplies! It’s time to buy the Easter candy and stock up before all the good stuff is gone. That includes accessories, basket booty and colored plastic eggs. With glitter. I have been in four bunny retail sections this past week. Two of them twice. Bunny bliss.  

Bunny candy! Bunny bags! Bunny cling stickers! Make me stop…..

My craft addiction continues apace and I ordered some Penny Black bunny stamps too. I know I can’t draw, but I can color inside the lines. Of course, I couldn’t stamp until I bagged a bottle of vegetable glycerin to help clean the stamps. Every endeavor requires equipment. I am a go for bunny stamps arriving soon. 

Now I get to plan the Bunny Brunch I am going to host for the family next month. Thought about bringing all my collected bunnies into the dining room for the event. But the living room may not be big enough. I’ve got BUNNIES! Will have to work on that idea. My own personal bunny rodeo.

Enjoy today’s first day of Spring and tonight’s full moon.

Spring is back!

Hug a bunny!