Hikes, walks, sunsets, and hummus

Some pretty sights near Netarts Bay, Oregon. The bay beach in early morning. Herons and pelicans and gulls everywhere!

I love the nubbly multi-colored sand

The walk back home from the beach

Sunrise clouds

Yay, a sunny day!

Arch rocks covered in mist

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We like the Cape Meares lighthouse

We saw a bunny there. Do you see it?

It's the wrong time of year for wild daisies, but we found a few tiny ones!

Dancing

Squirrel friend

We walked up to see the "octopus tree" with a few of the kids. Sebastian and Malachi declined to follow, and became very Funny about it to each other instead. Apparently we have been to see this tree one too many times and they have opinions. Very sarcastic ones. Hmmph. I like this tree!

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One of the good things, and also the bad things, about having a family with spread-out ages, is that you can leave people home when they don't want to come places. (Sometimes you have to leave people home even when you'd rather not!) But it makes for pleasanter hiking, I must say. We just took a few people on this hike at Cape Lookout, which is one of my favorite hikes. It's funny how different it was this time than last time I did it, heavily pregnant with Ziggy. I had vague memories of it being kind of tiring, but didn't remember the details except that Daisy had had a blister and we'd hiked the last parts together. (I was surprised to read that blog post and remember what an ordeal it was at the time!)

This time it was easy. The trail was pretty muddy from earlier rain, and there were parts we had to clamber over helping Clementine, but nothing like hiking it hurt and pregnant. Malachi had chosen to come with us and was patiently going slow and waiting every time we fell behind. (He could have done it ten times faster on his own.) Teddy is a great hiker with no need for help from anyone!

Funnily enough, Daisy had a hurt knee (or ankle? can't remember) this time too (before we even started the hike) and decided to just go a little way down the trail with us and then sit on a stump and read her book till we came back. She is old enough to do that now, so we cheerfully left her and she cheerfully let us!

Clementine Fern liked this wall of ferns!

All along the trail, Clementine would dart off to go into a "little home" whenever there was a promising place. You know what a "little home" is, I'm sure; at least my kids always find them when we hike. I think Teddy was finding and going into them last time we hiked this trail.

Malachi walked along with folded arms, which I felt (and told him) was a strange way to hike.

Then Clementine decided to follow suit.

My favorite part of this hike, and the reason I like it so much, is the juxtaposition of this green forest with the beautiful blue water and the coastline. It is just so beautiful!

Ky enjoying the view

Beautiful water!

And such pretty forest!

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We had been happy to have Sebastian with us on most of this trip (Abe, sadly, had to work and couldn't come!) but Seb also had to get home to work, so he got a plane ticket to go home a couple days before the rest of us did. Sam and I drove him in to Portland to catch his flight. Here is Ziggy waving goodbye as we left.

Nearer to Portland we stopped at a Middle Eastern restaurant to get dinner before Seb's flight, and it was some of the best food we have ever eaten. (It was Gyro House in Beaverton, if you are ever in those parts.) There was this interesting and delicious multi-cheese and sesame flatbread.

Sam's enormous lamb gyro, like no other gyro he's ever had. The lamb was thick and crispy and not ground up and then pressed like gyro meat usually is.

Seb's chicken pizza was amazing.

BUT THE HUMMUS. I love hummus, and over the years I have learned to make a pretty amazing hummus myself (I must say) with dried chickpeas (chana dal) and homemade tahini. But this was even better than mine. Silky-smooth. Flavorful. Perfect on the fresh-baked pita. I could not get enough.

In fact…after we dropped Seb off at the airport, Sam and I went back and got some more hummus to go, so we could bring some home to the rest of the family! (I felt kind of embarrassed going back there, but not embarrassed enough not to do it. I made Sam go in and get our order, though. :)) Oh, I wish I could have this hummus again now!

The sun was setting as we drove back into Tillamook Valley.

We were going as fast as we could, hoping we'd get back in time to see the sunset over the ocean! It was sad because Sebastian had been waiting for a good sunset the whole week, hoping to get some nice pictures, but every day it was cloudy in the evening. This was the best day we'd had, right after he left! (And then the NEXT night was even better! Poor Seb.)