Family Fun in Long Beach, WA

My grandmother (who just turned 89) lives in Long Beach, Washington. She owns, and used to run with my grandfather, a small 9-hole golf course on the north side of town. I spent lots of summers at the beach growing up. It is where I learned to golf (my grandfather was a professional golfer who played on the Canadian and US tour), discovered razor and steamer clams (digging for and eating them), was taught archery, saw my first black bear, became very respectful of the ocean, was hired for my first job (in the clubhouse) and fell in love with my stunt kite, lighthouses, raspberries/blueberries/blackberries/huckleberries off the vine, the smell of salt in the air and the quietness of lounging in the dunes to read a book. I guess I'm saying that Long Beach holds a special place in my heart that I enjoy sharing with my family!


You can't go to Long Beach without actually visiting the beach itself and, oh what a day this was. The weather was perfect - the temperature was lovely and the wind was just enough to keep the kites in the air!

This was Cody's first time at the beach and it's become his favorite place next to being with us. He runs, dips in the water, chases the seagulls (far from catching) and just plain wears himself out. I've never seen a dog be so happy!







Mike is putting together his kite while the kids hold on to theirs. Notice how empty the beach is. Long Beach is 28 miles long - all driveable beach except for a short part near Long Beach where it's only for walking. It's a beach where you can get away from everyone, if you want to.













The kids and I throwing the frisbee for Cody to retrieve. What a glorious day!

The kids had fun digging in the sand and trying to build a sandcastle!








Cody just couldn't get enough of his ball! We almost lost it in the surf, but thankfully a wave pushed it back to shore and he snatched it up.











What a beautiful sight - an American Bald Eagle! This was one of two that we saw on this trip - it's wonderful to see these amazing birds in the wild and being taken off the endangered species list.

This one just sat there for Mike, flew off when he got too close and then returned when we moved down the beach.



Here the kids and I are sitting on some driftwood at a beach on the south end of the peninsula. The beach is technically off the Columbia River instead of the Pacific Ocean. I have watched winter storms at this beach and the waves are tremendous! It's no wonder there is so much driftwood everywhere and that lots of ships were (and still are) lost at the mouth of the Columbia.










This is a shelter someone (not us!) made on the beach. It must have been someone who knew a lot about building because it was very well built. A nice place to sit for a spell out of the sun!















From this beach you can see the Cape Discovery Lighthouse. It's the one that helps to guide boats into the Columbia River safely.











This is the Northhead Lighthouse. It is only about 3 miles north of the Cape Discovery Lighthouse, but sits out west farther. It guides ships that are approaching the Colombia River from the north. You can actually stay at this lighthouse (in the lightkeepers residence.)







From the Northhead Lighthouse, the view is fabulous! This is Beard's Hollow to the north - you can even see up north to Long Beach. It's so lush around there, but all those plants are very hardy too because the winter storms that hit this area can do a lot of damage.















This is the view to the south, looking at the north jetty to the mouth of the Columbia River. You can even see some of the Coast Range in Oregon at the top right.









This was a really good trip for all of us! Mike was home and we were a family together again. Mike was getting some good rest and getting back into his job of being daddy and husband and the kids were just tickled to have their daddy back. We left Long Beach with heavy hearts knowing we were on our way home, but first we needed to show the kids the Tillamook Cheese Factory, the Tillamook Air Museum and to visit relatives in the valley.