Ocean Shores

If you want to find long sandy beaches, big waves, and moody grey skies...go to the coast.  The Washington Coast is simply gorgeous this time of year, and free of the tourist crowds that come later when the weather warms up.

We took an impromptu family vacation recently (like, we booked it on Wednesday and left on Thursday...and booked the hotel room for an extra night once we got there!)  We've never taken a family vacation like this, without anyone else or visiting anybody, and it was wonderful!  We stayed at the gorgeous Shilo Inn, with ocean views, big beds, and a pool.  The kids were in heaven!

Jumping over puddles.  Didn't make it.




I had to laugh, because we arrived at 3, got settled in, and left the room at 4 to walk on the beach and fly kites.  Ernie, Coren, and I spent the next hour walking to the beach, and sprinting back to the bathroom/changing table/nursing chair.  It was crazy!  Ernie was so tired at the end, she said she never wanted to walk back to the beach, because it was too far- I pointed out that it's not NEARLY as far if you don't make the journey back and forth four times!  Lucky for her, she was only sick for an hour every afternoon.  Not bad, considering the quality of food we were able to find!  (Take note, SELF: No McDonald's.  Ever. Even if those dang plastic Zoobles toys kept the girls occupied for the entirety of the 6 hours in the car round trip, and all free time at the hotel.)

Took advantage of a trip back to the room to do his diaper business.  Twice.  Wow.





We had a great time walking and driving on the beach, bowling, seeing the interpretive center, finding treats at the sweet shop, swimming in the pool, and driving around seeing all the crazy houses with lighthouse turrets and purple paint.  Gotta love coastal houses, and the drastic measures they'll take to stand out in the fog and grey cloud cover.