What a Fantastic Week....

Yesterday, we said a sad good-bye to my parents who had driven down to spend a week here with us.  We had missed them terribly, and miss them already again.  We had a fantastic week with them though, sharing what we love about our winter retreat here in Oregon, and discovering with them even more to love.

Apart from the first (rainy) day the weather was clear, but chilly - my parents were more acclimatized to it than us, I am ashamed to admit that anything less than 10 C has started to feel cool to me!

We made good use of the first day, by driving down to Ocean World - something the girls had been looking forward to. Ocean World is small but has many hands on experiences from touching star fish and anemones, to petting sharks and watching a sea lion performance.

The next day we headed straight through the Jedidiah Smith State Park along Howland Hill Rd.  We stopped at Stout Grove to walk among the awe inspiring, stunning, mystic, gorgeous coast redwoods.  I can't describe how amazing they are, nor do the photo's below do them justice - they really need to be seen and felt in person. I can see why the aboriginal inhabitants wouldn't live among them, as they considered the redwood forest a sacred space.

That evening we walked through the gorgeous light display at Azalea Park, as well as the huge display at our RV park - even our little trailer is decked out for Christmas.

The next day was my 32rd birthday, and we spent it at the beach, followed by yummy Mexican food at our favourite restaurant and cake.  I am so fortunate to have lived such a wonderful life, and to have been loved through out it.  I look forward to another 32 years!

Next on our itinerary were the Trees of Mystery which were well worth every penny of the admission.  Though, the trails would not have been wheelchair friendly to anyone in a chair less rugged than mine - I am so, so thankful for my power chair and its ability to plow through snow and sand, and climb steep, gravel trails. The gondola ride was stomach dropping (for me and my mom) but well worth it for the views at the top.

Jose and I had Tuesday off, while my parents took the girls tidepooling.  All too soon, their visit was over, and we spent one last day attempting to fly kites and watching the sun sink into the ocean.  We exchanged Christmas gifts early, and the girls are set for adventure with classy canvas backpacks (thanks Uncle Ross)  and binoculars (thanks Grandma and Grandpa).

Now, we have to buckle down for one last week of school before we head off to Disneyland for Christmas (with a day in the snow, among the sequoias in Sequoia National Park on the way there).

I hope to post again, before the holidays, but if not - MERRY CHRISTMAS!