Cannon Beach for New Years....

I am sitting here wiping the sleepy from my eyes and thinking about our fun time with friends over the New Year celebration. Cannon Beach is such a beautiful place. I love the quiet and small feel of the town. Every time I go, I feel like I have stepped back in time ... a time where wrist watches don't matter and everyone knows your first name.

We gathered on this sandy shoreline for 5 days with 4 other families. We took turns sharing the cook responsibilities, played pool and board games together, and went for many a walk on the beach. As the coast tends to do in the winter, we had a variety of weather to choose from. There was beautiful warm sun to rain and hail storms. They say in Oregon, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change." It is definitely true.

Amazingly enough, our daughters started the plans for this gathering of friends. All of our girls put together make a group of 6 that we affectionately call "The Gaggle". (Yes, a gaggle is a flock of geese. Note: they are a noisy group that chatters on and changes direction in unison. They also protect and defend one another in faithfulness to the very end. Hence their given name.) Ranging in ages 14 thru 16, the girls all had so much fun conquering the town. They love doing anything and everything together as spontaneity is their preferred vessel. Their goal and drive for this past week was to video tape victims, I mean, willing passers-by on the streets and see who could sing or say the ABCs backwards. Amazingly, they found several up to the jolly task and even found a few more willing to do stupendous physical defying feats like patting their heads and rubbing their tummies at the same time.

Below are pictures of the local wildlife. There is an elk herd that roams freely around town. They are most definitely wild, but as long as a person doesn't do something dumb, like try to pet them, they don't mind people getting close for the occasional picture. The happy little bunnies at Ecola Park were a thrill for me. These little guys will come up and eat carrots right out of your hand. Unfortunately I didn't know that before leaving the house.

I am so grateful for the time spent ringing in the New Year with cherished friends.

Now I am just trying to figure out how to fit a ping pong table in my house for practice before next year!