An Arch Cape Summer Sunset

Brilliant fire yellow-orange skies....

Turns into coral pink cloud inspiration...

every single second more beautiful than the one before...

Until the fiery ball drops into the sea...

Just the right ending to a perfect day on the Oregon Coast.  This Arch Cape sunset took my breath away, reminded me again to stop and breathe once in a while...

Note: NO photo editing, except for the "Everything Coastal - straight off of my camera. It would be a shame to try and mess with nature's beauty.

Beach Fossils on a Winter Coast

Beverly Beach, Oregon Coast.

We left Portland early on New Years morning, driving through the gorgeous Willamette Valley  - I was so excited to get to Lincoln City that I could hardly stand it!  (picture of Mount Hood taken from a hill in Dundee while were searching for our favorite Pinot Noir winery)

Tom has the patience of a saint,  I made him pull the car over several times when we started driving along the coast to Patti's.  Thank goodness he understands my need to actually hear the roar of the ocean and breathe the salt air...

First of all, I have to say that I am EXTREMELY lucky that my friend Patti took a leap of faith and bought her beach view cottage just above Beverly Beach a few years ago, and she was nice enough to invite Tom and I down for New Years Day.  She and her husband Michael live an incredible beach life, walking their pretty collie dogs on the beach, writing and playing music, searching for agates, hanging out at the Newport Aquarium, and scooping up fresh crab off the docks in Newport.  (Can you tell that I am just a little jealous?)

Second of all, a winter beach is so much more interesting to me than in the summer. The sky is filled with fascinating colors and clouds -not seen in summer. The beach takes on a whole different flavor and shape, revealing treasures and tidepools. 

I like that I have to wear my scarf, an extra sweater, and my furry jacket with big pockets...  I was practically skipping when we finally got to Patti's! 

Beverly Beach was littered with agates and jasper.  Michael and Patti know exactly what to look for, I simply pick up pretty rocks and put them in my pocket.  When my pockets are full, I put my rock finds in Tom's.  (he is the BEST boyfriend)

I love the winter sky on the Oregon Coast...

The sand had shifted to reveal ancient fossil rocks that don't show in the summer.  

I don't think I have ever seen fossils like this before.... 

Tom spotted this beautiful heart shaped shell fossil near the surf, it might be my favorite find of our day at Beverly Beach.

It's exactly how I feel about the Oregon Coast.  

I am so excited that we will be going back this summer!  Our reservations have already been made for a weekend trip in August with Tom's family near Cannon Beach.  Can't wait.

Introducing Guest Blogger Jody of ShabbyNChic on Etsy! Spring Break on the Oregon Coast

Jody was kind enough to let me share her blog post about Spring Break on the Oregon Coast! Enjoy the photos and the journey,  and make sure to visit her Etsy shop for great ShabbyNChic beach cottage ideas..
Jody's Etsy shop: http://www.shabbynchic.etsy.com

Spring Break at the Oregon Coast

If you follow me on Twitter, then you may have seen some of the pictures from our recent trip to the Oregon Coast for Spring break.  What an amazing time.  We went to Newport Oregon which is considered part of Oregon's Central Coast.  There is so much to do there and we took full advantage of that!

On our 3 day trip we enjoyed the food, antique shops, museums, beaches, lighthouse, state parks, and more!

The priority was for our young children to play on the beach and go to the variety of museums available there.  Upon arriving, we ate at Mo's World Famous Restaurant - famous for their clam chowder.  That is a requirement for my husband everytime we go to the coast.  The restaurant in Lincoln City (just North of Newport) sits right on the beach, so we were able to go onto the beach so the kids could have some fun digging in the sand.

It was cold and windy, which the Oregon coast is known for, but that doesn't seem to stop kids.  Later they both said that was one of their favorite parts of the trip.

Upon arriving at the hotel condo where we would be staying, we were more than pleased with the beautiful view of the bridge that connects both parts of Newport.  It was an amazing view in the morning when the sun was coming up and again at night with the sun setting behind the bridge.

We finished the day roasting marshmallows at Beverly Beach with family who was at the coast that night as well.  The kids were out quick that night, so we were able to get an early start the next morning for all of the museums we had planned to visit.

We started the morning by beachcombing for shells and agates, then it was off to Hatfield Marine Science Center which is a research museum and visitors are allowed to touch many sea creatures.  We saw: sea stars, an octopus, jelly fish, sea urchin, sea anemone, and of course all kinds of fish!

Then it was down to the docks which is a major tourist attraction in Newport.  My favorite is the sea lions.  There is a spot where they can always be seen and the crowd is always there to enjoy their barks.  I'm pretty sure this one was posing for me.

Down on the waterfront we went to: Ripley's Believe It or Not, Wax Works museum, and Underwater Sea Gardens.  I believe the latter was my kids' favorite since they were scared of the other two.  We finished the day eating ice cream cones, listening to a woman playing guitar and singing on the boardwalk.
Over our few days at the beach, the weather got better and better. Determined to make the most of our time there, we had a filled last day.  The morning started with my favorite - antique shopping!  We probably visited 6 different antique shops and I found a lot of great items - some I bought, some I just admired. 

Our final stop before heading home was the Yaquina Head Lighthouse - the tallest lighthouse in Oregon and a major attraction in the area.  I came away with a lot of great pictures and hope you enjoy all of them.

Don't forget to visit Jody's Etsy shop!
Here's the link: http://www.shabbynchic.etsy.com  Here's a cute Beach Cottage Crate that you might like featured in her shop - 

Oregon Coast Therapy Animals - My friend Susie!

 Guest Post from Patti Frazier - Newport, Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast Therapy Animals

Susie is a Smooth Collie and owns two humans...Michael and Patti Frazier.  One of her humans' saw a piece in the local paper, last spring about the Oregon Coast Therapy Animal program.  All that was required was a little written test, a performance review and Susie could be registered as an official Pet Partner with the Delta Society and OCTA (Oregon Coast Therapy Animals).  Then, she and her humans would be welcome visitors to many places that need that special understanding that only animals can provide. 

     The written test was a breeze but Patti messed up on the performance evaluation.  Susie and the humans had to take the tests again last summer and luckily, they all passed, that time.

     Susie likes all people; big, tall, short and small, all animals; feathered, tailed, clawed and beaked and seems to know when they are; scared, sad, mad or freaked.  Susie knows who needs a satin glove and she finds a way to show them love.  Her gentle patience is what makes her special and she has touched many since she became a Therapy Dog.  Susie has visited a homeless shelter and a couple of assisted living homes.  She enjoys the people and the attention they give her.  The OCTA Society helps many in our coastal community, including the hospital, the jail, they are requested at times for Grand Jury help with children, the library, schools, nursing and assisted living homes, along with homeless shelters and women's shelters.

     Now, since Susie is so loving, and loves all living things, this can be an issue for her humans.  One day, Patti was calling for her to come in the house from the front yard.  Susie, stood still as a statue, nose almost to the ground and ignored Patti.  Patti called her again, this time taking a couple steps from the front door to see what Susie was doing.  Just as Patti stepped toward Susie, the mole that was to become Susie's new best friend, ran away into the shrubs.  

   Susie was not happy about the loss of her new friend.  Susie has many stories like this one, so Michael wrote and sang a song about her.  Hope you enjoy it!

Here's the link to Michael's Song!! http://michaelfrazier.net/SongLyricPages/Beachin/MichaelFrazierDoYouHaveHands.htm

Moolack Beach and Oyster Catchers

What a fabulous sunny, clear day on the Oregon Coast – late afternoon sunshine glinting on silver sand! Could not believe that it was December in the Pacific Northwest!  Taking advantage of a low tide, we scrambled down the steep hill trail connected to our hotel to take an afternoon walk on Moolack Beach.  Moolack is just a tiny speck of beach south of Beverly Beach State Park, great for beach strolling with not a lot of shells to pick up,  but you can find some agates and also  driftwood.

Incredibly beautiful!  Doesn’t take a whole lot to make me happy… holding hands with Tom and sharing a microbrew beer, clean salt and sea air, sunshine.   (Don’t worry, we DID NOT litter!) Blue sky stretched in every direction with not a cloud to be seen - sparkling sand, and the constant roar of the Pacific Ocean - for me, this is just about perfection.


After walking about 1/4 of a mile we came upon a really interesting  rock and clay formation, pitted with holes bored by some kind of sea worm, reminded me of black lava rock.  Tidepools galore in this display of rock, full of anemones and tiny little fish. A veritable feast for shorebirds with barnacles and limpets perched precariously everywhere!

Looked up from our perusal of sea life in the tidepools and  what did we see -- black oyster catchers running in and out of the incoming tide! Tom was a great tri-pod, hanging on to me so that I could get these pictures.  (I have a tendency to slip and fall, not exactly graceful)

It might be the way they hop from rock to rock, happily gorging on small sea creatures, calling with their distinctive voices to  each other to come join the party, or maybe it’s just the sight of their long, bright red beaks?  Not really sure what it is about  black oyster catchers, but I fell in love while watching these shorebirds scurry on the Oregon Coast rocks about 12 years ago.  Little black bodies, tall skinny legs, beady rimmed yellow eyes and those characteristic scarlet beaks…..

Polished Agates from Oregon Coast Beaches

Last month, I was invited to spend the weekend with my friends Patti and Micheal Frazier at their Beverly Beach home on the Oregon Coast. What a view! Non-stop crashing Pacific Ocean waves on Otter Rock, pelicans diving in and out of the surf, even an occasional grey whale cruising by. If I lived here, you would be very hard pressed to make me ever leave. In fact, I love it there so much that I am going back down to Newport for an entire week after Christmas. Winter storms here we come!

Patti and Michael spend countless hours walking the nearby beaches, bringing home pocketfuls of Oregon Beach rocks, never knowing exactly what beauty really lies underneath the salt water, until they get them home and into the rock polisher. When you walk in their door, one of the first things you notice are the bowls filled to the brim with these indescribable examples of nature's beauties, washed up on the shore. (that is AFTER you've stood at their front windows for quite awhile!)

Introducing their new exciting adventure! The Frazier's have taken their love of the simple beauty of these agates and are now creating one-of-a-kind wine stoppers - beautiful and the perfect gift. I don't think you could go wrong purchasing one of these for a beach loving friend. (or for your fave wine friends!)

I highly recommend their new website http://fairytaleenterprises.com/PolishedStoneWineStoppers.htm, not only for purchasing these unique reminders of the Oregon Coast, but also for reading their story of how they are created.

Patti and Michael are wonderful friends that are

continually discovering ways to enjoy their incredible life and story on the Oregon Coast. I especially love the new name for their budding company, "Fairy Tale Enterprises"! Here they are in a Nye Beach Cafe sipping a yummy rich mocha.

Oregon Coast Wine Stoppers new from

Fairy Tale Enterprises Make sure that you let Patti know that I sent you!

(Love you guys - see you in a few weeks!)

Ambiance for Beautiful Homes - Astoria, Oregon

One of my favorite things to do is to explore towns by the sea, and Astoria, Oregon was no exception!  Wish that I had planned more time, and now that I know what a vital downtown community Astoria has, I will definitely go back for more adventures when I have more time. Great galleries, local art, upscale restaurants, coffee shops...




Just a quick post to tell you all about a great home decor store that I discovered while wandering through unique boutiques  and finding somewhere for a quick bite to eat.  Located at 22914th St., on one of Astoria's downtown side streets, Ambiance was so welcoming, charming and filled with many of my favorite things!


Wandered in and fell in love with all they had to display, Archipelago Candles (my VERY favorite!), chunks of collector coral, polished sea shells, wine glasses with etched swimming fish and "found" items like old seaside windows and clam buckets.  Botanical seashell art, driftwood pieces, oh so much to look at and touch - I was in heaven! Can you see the vintage fan on this shelf?  And the white coral?

Don't worry, I did ask Londa, one of the owners, if I could take pictures before I started shooting these!  Look at how seashells are displayed in glass containers... love the seaside signs and the table that is an old blue door. Londa was wonderful, and I am so happy to be able to show some of her inviting store!

These vintage green floats ($12.95) were gorgeous and   displayed beautifully all piled together in a unique recycled glass bowl.  Sometimes something so simple can be so beautiful!



If you ever have the chance to drive Hwy 84 from Portland to the Oregon Coast, make sure that you have enough time to stop and wander, and stop in and say "hi" to the owners at Ambiance!