Last Gasp of Summer

Sunset the first night.

 

It's been a good summer, but certainly more constrained than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We've only gone camping a handful of times, and the epic Kingfisher trip was cancelled altogether. So for our last planned trip before school starts, Barb pulled out all the stops.  She secured for us a luxury condo overlooking the beach at Lincoln City -- it's got a freaking hot tub on the freaking balcony!

The hot tub is a good thing, because the weather is not exactly summery.  It's sunny, but the temperature is in the low- to mid-sixties and, typical of the Oregon coast, the wind is punishing and relentless.

On the beach today, Suzanne and I dug out a lounge-pit in the sand, so she could relax out of the incessant wind.  Later in the day, after I made a heroic trip to Safeway to buy a kite (and, let's face it, some beer and deli turkey), we made a second trip to fly the kite.  Kite technology has advanced since I was a kid -- they are now very easy to launch and to keep in the air.

And what, you may ask, was Elizabeth doing all this time? She did come to the beach the first time, but long after we'd arrived. She spent 10 to 15 minutes exploring before declaring that she was pretty much done with the sand and surf and ready for lunch. Prior to that she was sitting on the couch with the laptop and her headphones, as has been her mode all summer.

After lunch, we ventured out yet again to go to a candy store.  This is a long-established tradition, given that these coastal towns are full of candy stores specializing in fudge or saltwater taffy, but also offering the rarely-seen gum cigarettes, or unthinkable giant gummi bears or what have you.  There happended to be such a place within walking distance of the condo (imaginatively named "Candyland").

Candyland was only about half candy.  The other half was novelty garments and souvenirs.  And it was packed with tourists like us. So Barb stayed outside while I escorted the kids in and urged them to make quick decisions, robbing them of half of the fun of the candy store. (They weren't quick, for what it's worth.)  After they picked their candy (are you ready for this? squeezable smarties, gum cigarettes, and an old fashioned stick candy a piece), I told them to exit while I waited in line to pay.

We had planned to explore the "town" after that (the town is really just Hwy 101, with shops running along each side), but Suzanne was thirsty and we'd forgotten her water bottle.  A peculiarity of Suzanne's personality is that thirst for her is a crisis.  If she gets thirsty, life gets tough for anyone involved.  Even though we were a very short walk from the condo, Barb found a closer water fountain where Suzanne could slake her thirst.  But after that crisis, the kids decided that walking along the traffic-choked 101 looking into shops they wouldn't be allowed to venture in to was not appealing.  So we headed back home.

Later we (minus Elizabeth), went back to the beach and flew the kite.  And that was awesome.

 

Elizabeth in her natural environment: on the couch, with a computer on her lap, earbuds in her ears, and candy in her hands.  Bliss!

A rare moment of the sisters being sisterly, brought together by the condo TV.

Suzanne flies a kite!

Rocks on the beach.

Beach activity: Me reading while Suzanne buried Barb's feet in the sand with the object of turning her (Barb) into a mermaid.  Poor Barb had to lie in the same position for a very long time so as not to disturb the sand mounded over her feet.

Suzanne in the lounge pit.

Suzanne wanted me to delete this picture.