Guinea Pig Campers at Dodge Park

We were guinea pig campers this weekend, as we were the sole inaugural campers at Dodge Park's new campground, at the confluence of the Bull Run and Sandy rivers (between Troutdale and Sandy). I've been working for some time now to turn Dodge Park into a campground, so we were the "testers" to work out the kinks and do quality control. Given this weekend's weather, we were brave in charting such unknown territory. We arrived in the pouring rain, and amazingly the sun came out after about ten minutes and didn't start again the kids were snug in their sleeping bags. It dumped buckets the first night, but we managed to stay dry in our Hobitat tent.

Saturday was mostly beautiful weather, and we had fun exploring the historic park. Our friends Stacy, Geordie and 18 month Grant came out to visit in the late afternoon/evening. They brought chili fixings and a stove, which I somehow forgot and still can't find...so we headed out early on Sunday to a nearby diner. The kids didn't want to leave, but we are planning to come back again for the 4th of July weekend!

I still have a little work left to do to perfect the camping experience, but you really can't beat the beautiful location and new amenities. Reservations available at 503-823-2525 during business hours, check the Dodge Park webpage for more details.

Tillicum Beach Camping Trip

Tillicum Beach is our very favorite beach spot, and this Labor Day we lucked out with some amazing weather! We made and destroyed sand castles for hours. My parents visited for the day, and it was a great way to end the summer.

Takhlakh Lake Trip

My camera started to go on the fritz here, but hopefully you'll get an idea of the fun time our family had at one of our favorite places. I didn't get a shot of Mt Adams, but we got an amazing view our first afternoon.

Sunny Silver Falls

Here are a few pics from our recent trip to Silver Falls State Park for Mother's Day weekend. It is one of my favorite places, and hiking through all the waterfalls is always majestic. My Mom drove up with Kieran, since he had been visiting for the week (loving his new-found freedom!)

We also met up with good friends who we were really close to when we lived in Ashland, and it was great to reconnect. Their son is in between Kieran and Makenna's ages, and they all had a great time together. Shareen is also pregnant, she we're looking forward to seeing their family grow!

We rented cabins, since we're not die-hard enough to go camping in May. It turned out that the weather was amazing, clear blue skies and sun all weekend. I completely agreed with Kieran when he asked as we he asked "Mommy, when are we coming back to Silver Falls?"

Happy Mama's Day indeed.

Beach trip w/ friends

Last weekend we headed to the coast for a beach trip at Nehalem Bay State Park. We stayed at the yurts, which turned out to be a good option since a storm came in on Saturday. We're lucky because it turns out that one of my friends through work has children in the same classes as ours. It was a great getaway.

Makenna crawling in the sunny grass, picking daisies!

Makenna just learned "touchdown," like her big bro.

Fiona discovering how slow the sand makes your steps.

Dean enjoying some beach time.

Friends.

Sweet friends.