It’s been a while since I had the opportunity to post.  Between a personal tragedy and mountains of snow, the month of January was a long month for my wife and I.  However, we’re well into February, and it’s time for me to start sharing pictures, writing about our travels, and thinking about the joyful times of life again.

This is a picture of the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Coast.  While I love visiting typical tropical beach destinations, no place I’ve visited has ever compared with this part of Oregon.  Once we arrived on the coast, we found a rugged, wild landscape  filled with green mountains that plunge into the crashing sea.  Each turn on US101 brought new vistas, from the iconic Haystack Rock to lovely little hamlets perched precariously along the sea.  And while I know this area is filled with tourists, it didn’t feel busy during those few days.  In fact, we felt like we had our little resort town to ourselves, like the coast was – at least for that night – our own little secret.

In fact, Manzanita is a well-established stop along the coast west of Portland.  It’s a fantastic little artists colony, filled with a great bookstore perched on a wide, relatively protected stretch of the coast.  We had a spectacular evening watching the sun set, listening to the waves crash on the beach, and strolling along the wide stretch of sand.

As I sit in the comfort of my living room, starting at the 55+” of snow that have accumulated so far this winter, I think back to that June evening and remember the sound of the waves, the gentle breezes, and the joy at finding a hamlet like Manzanita.