Cannon Beach_sat&sun

we awoke to a beautiful morning in cannon beach. the sun was out, and the weather was warm. we hit up pig n pancake for some grub [they have an amazing dungeness crab and chess omelette with sourdough pancakes! be sure to stop by if you're in the area!]. post breakfast, we strolled the beach.

the monolith above lays on cannon beach and is called haystack rock.

townsend just loved being in the seagrass. it must be the upland bird dog in him.

townsend loved running around on the beach. a little blurry, as usual, and ears flopping.

after our beach walk, we windowed shopped. nothing too exciting, just nice to walk around a small town. as evening closed in it started to rain, so we seeked shelter in one of our favorite pizza places: pizza-a-fetta. this place is amazing, and rumored to be one of the top 50 pizzerias in the country; according to pizza today magazine...which we're thinking about subscribing to!

----end sat----

----begin sun----

another beautiful rainy, dreary pacific northwest greeted us to a new day. rain or no rain, we're going beach walking. as we were walking cannon beach in the cold drizzle, the sun decided to focus all of it's power to burning off the clouds.

we were treated to a FULL DOUBLE RAINBOW! [photo doesn't do it justice]


welcome back beautiful haystack!


cold, wet, and dog-covered-in-sand...what a great trip!


on our way out of town, we stopped at ecola state park. they have one of the most scenic overviews of the oregon coast.


what a perfect end to a great trip!

Cannon Beach_Night Arrival

we rolled into Cannon Beach, OR this evening as dusk fell over the west coast and the sun sank a little lower than you'd think was possible. we got checked into a quaint little cottage, read: redone motel, and headed down to the beach for an evening stroll with our dog. here are our silhouettes:

townsend and andrea

brooke and townsend

townsend

andrea, townsend, and cold pacific ocean

Portland

Portland is a great city. We both enjoy it. I must say that I've never seen a city more biker-friendly (I'm not talking about harleys) and with more green space than Portland. It's beautiful. If you ever have the chance to visit...do so...and make sure to plan for extra time.

Mt. Hood skirts the outside of the city, no matter where you look.


The Willamette River splits the city.


Townsend and I spent a lot of time down at the waterfront park while Brooke was in his conferences (his loss.) It was a beautiful sunny spring day! We just sat together on the park bench and watched everyone run/walk/bike/skate by.


Not another picture!....


Who says the Pacific Northwest has gray skies all the time?


My boys. They look so great together.


Townsend and I by the river.

mt. hood

While visiting Portland for Brooke's conference this past week, Townsend and I took some time to escape to the Cascades. This was his first hike/snowshoe, and you would think a 15 week-old puppy would get worn out on a 5 mile hike...but this pup totally proved me wrong.

Setting off.


He took some time getting used to the snow. He ate plenty of the ice chunks...


and found some interesting objects along the way.


Isn't this supposed to be a little higher?


Finally, we were on our way.


We hiked out along Tillapus Lake at the base of Mt. Hood. This is the view looking up at the (clouded over) mountain.


I enjoy getting out in the winter. Fortunately it was a beautiful 50 degree day!


I love how green this state stays even in the winter.


Townsend and I, about half way through our hike.


Isn't he handsome?


We had a great hike and saw some awesome scenery. I guess we can call this trip successful.


Did I say he wasn't worn out after the trip?....yeah. He pretty much passed out the second we got back in the car.

hind legs...

friend or foe?

Townsend...in Port Townsend!

we took townsend to meet his namesake today; port townsend, wa.


he had an eventful day sniffing up and down the street, talking to all the nice people, and getting love from just about everyone. we couldn't walk fifty feet without someone stopping us to ask how old, what kind, or just to comment on his big paws! he was very nice to everyone he met.

we used his big leash, to give him a little extra running room. running off some steam before introducing him to the beach.


look at that stance! it's improving; he's going to be a fine looking dog in a few months.


dad!...dad! i'll walk myself! dad, i got it!


look at those beautiful olympic mountains across port townsend bay.


across port townsend bay.


a stroll along the beach.


he likes clams.


so another day winds down on one of our favorite places in the u.s. this is a typical scene.


we were walking townsend around a green space and came across a statue we had never seen...


andrea loves statues!