Seaside, v3.0

Finally time to put a cap on our first Family Vacation, and I shall do with a laundry list of things we experienced and/or things I realized on / after the trip.  To the details....


That's a rock made of hay in the background. 
True-story, Bing it.

• Parker may some day read this and think...."wow, you guys are super lame to break down three days at the coast into three different blog entries." 
• We're at a crossroads in the "we should get a vacation spot" discussion.  There's clearly an argument for Chelan - we are there every year.  But nothing beats the coast, and we're so used to that Astoria - Cannon Beach corridor, that feels like home.  And then, there is the Seabrook adventure that Mrs. Pannoni and Mrs. Verhasselt are co-chairing.  By the way, I'm co-signing whatever Mrs. Pannoni and Mrs. Verhasselt tell me to co-sign.  I don't think we solved anything...well, other than staying at the Shilo Inn wasn't that great of an idea.
• The beach was beautiful - but seriously, I think I enjoyed taking the mid-day naps more than walking in the sand.  Is that bad?
• Cannon Beach - is it actually "better" or does it just feel more "grown-up?"  And if it's the latter, do I not have to honor my anti-establishment nature and boycott Cannon Beach going forward??
• Eating outside on the Oregon Coast is amazing.  I think every restaurant on the coast should have outside seating...I think it should be a law.  I get it - it rains on the coast.  But when it's sunny outside....there is nothing better than a soup / salad / sandwich / calamari (huey's selection) and a beer, under the sun with the smell of the ocean.  That's good living.  When I become deputy mayor of a coastal town, expect a lot of outdoor seating.

First dip ever in the Pacific Ocean!  He likes it, he really likes it! 

• I do not understand this concept of "no minors allowed" forbidding babies from entering food and drinking establishments.  Of course, babies are considered minors.  But I'm pretty sure Parker can't handle any whiskey yet.  And even if he could stomach some alcohol, he doesn't know that he has fingers yet so it's not like he could pick up a glass.  I suppose there are the occasional parents that would take advantage of this "babies in bars" movement, end up drinking too much and being highly irresponsible with their offspring.  And those people are idiots.  Which is why you should have to take a test to earn the privilege of taking babies with you wherever you go.  It's like a sticker on your ID, with a baby face and crossbones signifying you can safely and maturely manage babies with booze.  The stickers expire and require regular re-certification, and there's a tax / fee applicable to ensure the processing department's administrative staff costs are covered and Uncle Sam gets his traditional kick-back (assuming another Bush wins office again someday, of course) and at any point in time, if over 80% of a restaurant / bar's inhabitants determine that any specific sticker-holder is abusing the privilege, they can revoke that said individual's patronage liberty by repossessing their sticker.  Oh, and the stickers have to have holograms.  1) for security / legitimacy concerns.  2) because holograms are amazing. 
• Funny story about dropping Parker's toes in the Pacific for the first time - Treva was taking the picture, I was doing the dipping.  I got distracted (it happens), and the water level came up, and the next thing he knows, waste-down the kid was Ocean-fied.  Whoops.  I think if he just got his feet wet, it would have been a bigger smile on his face.  But as any male who reads this post can relate to.....getting everything below the waste wet is a bit of a shock to the senses.  I didn't anticipate this being his first exposure to that kind of pain.
• We still love the beach.  We hope Parker loves the beach too. 

 
Hope the next vacation comes even remotely close to the kid's first "paid time off." 

dwt.