Parker's first Ocean visit!

That's the ocean behind us, FYI

Growing up in sunny Camas, we had the chance to go to the Oregon Coast all the time as kids, and both Treva and I have great memories of visits and experiences enjoyed - hers at Fort Stevens, mine with the family bouncing between Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Manzanita.  This post is a bit overdue, but fun nonetheless - I took the week after Labor Day off and we packed up the family (including Beagle) and headed south.  If you're a loyal reader, you know we bookended the trip with Camas visits to see nephew Bam Bam and the rest of our closest to kin...now for some data points on the rest of the trip, Post 1.0 of the Seaside visit has arrived.  Yes, I'm wearing Microsoft logo gear in the majority of activities that become documented in my life...
We stayed that Huey Mansion, just a few blocks north of the promenade and a couple of blocks off the ocean.  So nice for Greg and Tiffany to open up Greg's parents place for our consumption for three days!  I made reservations for the Shilo Inn, beachfront.  let's run down the advantages to the Shilo Inn:

• Location, right next to the prom & beach.
• Wireless internet
• Allowed dogs
• Swimming Pool

Disadvantages to the Shilo Inn:

• We can't even imagine the feelings our shared-wall neighbors would have in the hotel during one of PJT's witching hours!! 
• Wireless internet - (a negative given Mrs. Totten was convinced it was "vacation")
• Tiny Tots is a really, really loud sleeper...sharing a room is less than desirable
• Olive the Beagle is an even louder sleeper...in her old age, she's taken up snoring and random yelping in her sleep (obviously due to dreams of chasing rabbits and the sort).  Again, less than desirable....
• No kitchenette, backyard, Vanity Fairs to read, etc. (the finer things in life)
• Location - I'm not sure being right next to the Promenade is a "good thing" per se...

The kid is in the pouch.  We didn't lose him.
But the dog?  No idea where she is at this point...

At the end of the day, the Swimming Pool couldn't out-muscle the convenience factor of getting to do laundry when we needed to, or have separate rooms for both Parker and Olive's beds.  Moreover, having a separate room even to feed Parker and put him down for naps was a gigantic bonus!  Chalk this one up as lesson number 2,134 I've put in the books since having Parker:  staying overnight places requires more "amenities" than you think it does.  So the answer?  Find better, more generous friends, who have alternatives to the Shilo Inn.

More beach talk in post 2.0 later this week, but only another couple of hours on this flight and I need to sneak some sleep in! 

dwt.