Note: I am still trying to figure out how to post a video of me skim boarding. It's painful to watch, and was even more painful to shoot.
Kathy and I celebrated 11 loving years of marriage last month with a fun weekend at the Oregon coast. Her parents' ten year anniversary present to us was a stay at the Nordic Oceanfront Inn at Lincoln City, and we cashed it in.
With no luck necessary, we both took off Friday the 13th from work to start our getaway. After making a quick stop in McMinnville for coffee, we headed for the coast. I'm not sure why my body looked quite so pale and washed out in this photo.
After checking in at our hotel, we briefly admired the ocean view from our room before heading downstairs to the beach. The sun was shining, but the brisk air was keeping everyone else out of the water.
Never one to be a crowd follower, I donned my neoprene top and dipped my skim board in the ocean. Everyone seemed to be having a good laugh at my futile attempts to master the waves with any shred of dignity, but I didn't care. Bruises and goose bumps are a small price to pay for a good time.
Kathy stayed dry and, well, not quite as cold on the beach. She demonstrated her commitment to animal activism and renewable wind energy by feeding the seagulls and flying her kite.
After a soak in the hotel Jacuzzi (pictured at the top of this post), we drove up to Pacific City for the evening.
Dry suit clad surfers vied for waves in front of Haystack Rock as the sun went down. We dined on an overpriced but tasty dinner, served at a table with a beachfront view of the famous Oregon landmark. Back in Lincoln City, we took a nighttime stroll on the beach and then walked up the stairs to our hotel room for the night.
We woke up early on Saturday morning, grabbed a quick continental breakfast at the Nordic's dining hall, and checked out. I had planned a hike near Beverly Beach for the day, but the weather did not cooperate.
There was a rainstorm in Depoe Bay with wind gusts so strong that incoming Coast Guard ships were unable to dock. It was exciting to watch them try, though!
Newport was as far south as we made it. We abandoned all hope of hiking as the rains began to pound us even harder.
We ducked inside Moe's for fish tacos and the requisite bowls of clam chowder before heading back towards Lincoln City.
Returning through Depoe Bay, we pulled over to browse surf gear, crunch caramel corn, and sip some drinks at the Pirate Coffee Company.
Kathy recommends ordering a grande Spicy Wench, but you can't go wrong with a donut and an Ethically Challenged Sea Merchant, either.
Every weekend at the beach seems to conclude with a stop at some sort of outlet mall, and we didn't buck that trend this time, either. The Tangier outlet stores were our last non-food stop before we headed home, ending an unusually conventional (for us) weekend getaway. Considering that we usually fly overseas for our anniversaries, it was a nice change of pace to remain in the U.S.A.
Eleven years of marriage have whizzed by, and it doesn't seem to be getting any more difficult. In fact, it's a pleasure. Marrying someone as wonderful as Kathy makes it easy to stay in love.
