Camping at the KOA

Grandpa cooked some VERY tasty "black clams" over the campfire. I was really afraid that they would be nasty, or too salty....but they were really delicious and tender. I was pleasantly surprised.

Grandpa loves to try new things. I sometimes believe there's nothing that he isn't willing to try!

Everyone was brave and tried some. Most of the kids loved them. Grandpa got to eat most of them, though! We had hot dogs and S'mores to finish off the meal.

It's Orange...and squishy...and SURPRISE! It's GOOD!

Camping at the Koa was an interesting experience. All the state parks were full. And most of the private campgrounds refused to accept 5 children. The only place we could find that wasn't a hotel room was the KOA in Wallport. However, we had to pay $80.00 for a small piece of dirt! I couldn't believe it! Our group was so big, I had to pay extra per person, plus lodging tax and other fees.

The only good thing was that we were right next to the playground. There is zero privacy. It's like everyone camping squished next together in a tiny park. It really made us realize how much better the State parks are. Large camping sites with greenery, privacy, and more at only $21.00 is a MUCH better deal. We had to pay a ridiculous amount for firewood. But at least we found a place to stay! With the size of our party, we probably would have had to get 2 hotel rooms, and that would have tripled our costs.

Well, I've learned my lesson. Don't try and camp unless you have a reservation! I'm feeling grateful for the fact that our family usually gets to camp in the off-season!

The next morning, Scott, Christopher, and Grandpa all went Clamming from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Koa is stingy with their hours. You can't check in till 4 p.m., but you have to check out by 11 a.m. So Scott had to rush back to us early to help me pack up. I had a really relaxing morning. I put Backyardigans on for the kid in the trailer, and then I just read books. I put Julie down for a nap and watched the older kids play at the park and make new friends. It was soo nice.

After we packed up, We spent a little while watching all the men go Crabbing. It's boring for the little kids after a while...and COLD. Plus I couldn't relax with Julie for a second since we were on a dock surrounded by open water. So I took all the girls to play at the Aquarium.

When the men finished crabbing and bought lots of ice to soak their critters in, we spent the rest of the day checking out the Newport Coast Aquarium. They have a new exhibit called Swamplands, and a GIANT Anaconda. We had a terrific time, but Courtney was Very sad that Oddwater was gone. She had loved that exhibit. Once again, it was not as nice an experience because the new exhibit had just opened and it was a Saturday. I had never seen the Aquarium so CROWDED.

It was a long drive back home, and we all struggled to stay awake. It was so nice to get back and take showers to wash all the sand and salt off! *phew!*

Our last day with Grandpa was spent at church and listening to stories together.

I was blessed to be able to get lots more information from Grandpa on finishing Marlene's history. I'll start working on that again as soon as the weather cools down and harvest season is over.

That night we had a big wart-burning party. Grandpa was kind enough to bring all his equipment. He burned off 4 of my warts, and several of Scott's as well.

OUCH!!!

At the Beach with Grandpa!

We decided to spend the weekend camping at the Beach with Grandpa. Since this was a last minute decision, we had to trust in fate to find a camping spot. It was also a weekend, and so it was VERY crowded. We are spoiled and used to mostly going out during the day in the middle of the week when places are open.

We decided to play at Pacific City because it is a beach with the best of both worlds. It has tide Pools & A Giant dune for sliding down. It turned out to be a good choice. We enjoyed watching the Dory boats launch and fly inwards on the sand. The kids enjoyed the water. It was especially fun to see a little river of fresh water flowing from under to the Dune to the Ocean. I don't think I've ever been at the beach when there's been one before. It was rain-run-off from a late and wet summer. Grandpa and Christopher helped dam the creek into a swimming pool for the littlies.

Courtney and Angle enjoyed damming the creak up with muddy sand and rocks. As always, it's the process the kids love, not the product. It was more fun to build than it was to play in!

Courtney loves anything that is Hands-on!

Angel buries her feet in sand. Everyone insisted on wearing bathing suits even though it was chilly! (except Grandpa, that is, remember...he is from Texas!!!)

You have to admire a man who isn't afraid to get his jeans wet & cold!

Christopher loves being a leader. He found a group of kids building stuff in the creek, and he marched up and began organizing everyone. The kids were happy to listen to his ideas and team up to create new stuff.

What every boy needs is a shovel, some dirt, and lots of free time on his hands!

I can't believe how much my boy has grown! Just 2 more months before he is twelve! Isn't he handsome!

Julianna took while to warm up to being on the beach. But after a few hours, she began to revel in it. She was rolling around in the sand and happily bouncing in and out of the waves. She wanted me to take her SWIMMING...but no way was I going deep in that freezing cold water!

How about some sand with that snack? We had some chips and a WHOLE bucket of cherries to eat at our beach spot...all liberally sprinkled with sand!

Would you like some sand with that?

All the kids enjoy "Conquering" the mountain of sand. It takes quite a while to hike to the top, and no time at all to slide down it FAST!

Trying to keep out of the wind!

Grandpa returns triumphant from an exploration of the tide pools. He had several specimens of fish for the kids to examine. As well as plants & seaweed. Best of all, he had two buckets full of Mussels to cook for dinner that night!

The "Kiddie Pool" grew very big and deep before it finally burst it's boundaries and raced off to the Ocean. It was quite a show. The kids tried to fix the dam up again, but were unsuccessful, because it was time to hit the road!

It's much more fun to hike out to the beach with bucket loads of stuff than it is to hike all the way back. We got all packed up and began our hunt for a campsite. Little did we know how difficult it would be!

It took almost 4 hours to finally find a place that would accept our large group of children. We had to pay and arm & leg for it though!

Grandpa at the ZOO

Everyone admires the Alligators. This exhibit had special meaning for all of us since Grandpa Dotson had pet alligators as a child!

Grandpa REALLY loves animals, and so a trip to the Portland Zoo was a must. We saw just about every exhibit there and got some great views of all the animals. You can tell it's a chilly day, kids are in coats again! We brought the wagon which was hard to PUSH up and down all the hills!

Grandpa said he saw a Bald Eagle in the wild on his way up to Oregon. I think he was impressed by how beautiful and wilderness-like it is up here. We have lots of animals, anyway.

After a day at the zoo, we were feeling wiped out. But since we were already in Portland, we ended up going to the OMSI science center! Grandpa magically had FREE TICKETS to an Omnimax show! So after playing with the little kids in the toddler rooms, I took the girls to see the movie on The HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. It was AWESOME, and greatly impressed all of us. Grandpa and Christopher enjoyed some one-on-one time looking through all the exhibits.

After a day like that, we should have spent the next day resting. BUT instead Grandpa and I took everyone to Enchanted Forest. (In retrospect, I know now this was insane.)

Julianna was crazy tired by this point with lack of sleep and no naps. She spent a good deal of the time that day screaming her head off. Grandpa was really good at calming her down! I think all those years of parenting 18 kids really paid off. All the kids love Grandpa and enjoyed bonding with him, but I think Julie really developed a special affection for him.

After two days of traveling and going non-stop, we spent the next two days mostly resting at home. We went Cherry Picking. Grandpa got to play with Bees and watch a swarm get (almost) caught. Grandpa took the kids to the park and to play in the creek and hunt for bugs. He told the kids lots of stories and we played games.

I wish I had gotten more pictures!!!

Grandpa Comes to Town!

Scott's Dad had never yet been able to come and visit us here in Oregon. So when we told our kids that he was coming to stay with us for a week, the kids could hardly contain themselves. On the day of Grandpa's arrival, everyone could hardly wait!

We got a call that Grandpa was in town, and he'd gotten turned around, but that he was headed our way now! So we all went outside to wait!

Angel is excited!The kids chilled out on the back of Scott's car while I walked Julianna up and down the sidewalk.

Grandpa is here at last!

The long-awaited arrival.

Grandpa is in for a fun-filled week of activities, berry picking, and bees.