Busy at the Beach

Dave is painting the trim on our cabin today.  Our weekends have been full with fun activities.  Last weekend we had the second of three Safari Association membership meetings, followed by a spaghetti dinner and white elephant fundraiser.

On Sunday afternoon last week we attended an excellent production of “Fiddler on the Roof” performed by the Peninsula Association of Performing Arts.  The theater is located on the grounds of historic For Columbia in Chinook, Washington.  The matinee was sold out, but we waited and we were able to get two seats together at the last minute. 

On Tuesday, I drove from the beach to Woodland to have lunch at the Oak Tree Restaurant with my good friends, Jackie and Diane.  After an excellent lunch and a long chat, I headed back to the beach.  Dave drove home on Thursday night in order to play golf in Portland on Friday, and then he joined me back at the beach Friday night.

Friday night the rodeo association had a parade through downtown Long Beach.  On Saturday afternoon we attended the 69th Peninsula Rodeo. 

Sorry about the fence in the rodeo picture below.  We weren’t sitting very high up on the bleachers and I didn’t want to stand up and block the view of the people behind us.  The trees in the background were gorgeous, and there was a blue sky all afternoon while we were at the rodeo. 

Saturday night we attended a concert by the Celtic Fusion group Beltaine, held at the Waikiki Beach Amphitheater at Cape Disappointment State Park.

I didn’t know that Celtic groups wore kilts, but that’s where the “fusion” part comes in—part Irish, part Scottish.  They played hammered dulcimers, a marimbala, guitar, flute, penny whistle, and cow bell.  The music was excellent and the stories even better. 

Kids were listening from the rocks in back of the outdoor amphitheater.

The rest of us sat in more conventional seating.

While we watched the concert, we saw a cargo ship leaving the Columbia River and heading to Korea.

Sunday afternoon Dave was all for resting after our busy week and weekends, but I convinced him to drive with me to historic Oysterville to attend the 3pm Vespers at the old church.  Sunday night we relaxed!

Historic Oysterville church

And about that sand castle festival—we were so busy last Saturday that we didn’t get down to the beach to see the sand creations.  When we went there on Sunday morning, the beach sand castles had all been destroyed, so we didn’t get to see them.  The sand creations on 3rd street were still there, though, and we enjoyed seeing those being built from start to finish. 

By Monday morning, 3rd Street was clean, with no sign of sand creations, or even any stray bits of sand.  We look forward to seeing next year’s sand sculptures!

Day One of Sandsations, Long Beach WA

One of the reasons that we like the Long Beach Peninsula is the many festivals that are held all year long.  Today was the first day of a festival that we hadn’t ever attended—the Sandsations Sand Castle Festival, also known as Sand in the City.

A few professional sand castle builders began setting up their forms on Wednesday, and continue building the sand creations on Thursday and Friday.  This afternoon we checked out the activity, which took place on 3rd Street, next to the new Veterans Memorial Building.  They closed off one block of the street and sand from the beach was hauled into the street.

Spraying water on the face:

Some of the other builders were not as far along with their creations.   Yes, this is a woman sand castle builder.

And an older man just getting started.

Since I had my camera with me, I took a few additional pictures.  The one below is of the gazebo on 3rd Street where musical entertainers perform on weekends during the summer.

Also on 3rd Street is a memorial to Lewis and Clark.  The plaques in the background each mention one of the towns where Lewis and Clark stopped or passed through on their way to the Pacific Ocean.

I’m a sucker for anything relating to Lewis and Clark, so here a few pictures of my favorite places where they visited.

If you like sand castle festivals as much as I do, stay tuned for more pictures.  On Saturday and Sunday the competition moves to the beach where amateur individuals and teams of all ages compete in different categories with their sand creations. 

4th of July Weekend and New Addition Pictures

The 4th of July is a big holiday in Long Beach, Washington, and even bigger when the 4th of July is on Friday, as it was this year.  Friday was a good day to stay away from town, although we did make a quick stop at the Farmer’s Market where I bought some radishes.   I wanted to get raspberries but they were sold out even though I got there thirty minutes after the Farmer’s Market opened.

Painted shed and finished utility room addition and deck.

Thursday night, July 3, Dave and I drove onto the beach to watch people setting off their own fireworks.  Between the bonfires and the fireworks, it was quite a show.  Then on Friday, July 4, we decided at 9pm to attempt to drive out on the beach again and see the professional fireworks, as well as more bonfires and amateur fireworks.  By leaving a minute or two before the professional fireworks ended, we were able to make our way back up the crowded Cranberry Road beach access road and back across to Sandridge Road and back home to Safari Park.

Side view of the new addition. 

On July 4, we participated in the Safari Park hot dog BBQ potluck that was held in the lodge and Dave won a door prize—a cute little red, white, and blue flag purse.  I talked him into giving it to me and I happily used it the rest of the weekend. 

Inside view of the new utility room with shelves installed and washer and dryer installed.

After the 1 pm potluck, Dave and I drove over to Warrenton to get one more gallon of paint at Home Depot.  Painting the shed was this week’s goal.  Dave sprayed two coats of yellow and brushed on a third and final coat.  Then on Sunday he painted two coats of white trim.  Now the shed is all done, except for placing shelves inside.

Safari Saturday picnic food buffet:

Saturday was also a special day at Safari.  The second annual picnic was held in the green space common area.  This time the BBQ included hamburgers, hotdogs, and all the trimmings, as well as potluck chips, salads, fruit, and desserts.  I had brought a “star spangled dessert” to Friday’s potluck, so on Saturday I fixed a fruit bowl with watermelon (red), jicama (white), and blueberries (blue).  I got the idea for both of my potluck contributions from the internet.  The picnic was loads of fun with food, games, horseshoes, a raffle, and more food.  

A few of the boats at the Port of Ilwaco while we were waiting for the fireworks to start.

Ilwaco holds its own fireworks show on the first Saturday in July, so we attended that show, too.  The Ilwaco merchants sponsor the fireworks and they are put on by the same group that do the Long Beach fireworks.  Both shows are excellent, but it’s easier to park in Ilwaco, and the crowd is a bit more family-oriented.  I got a kick out of the comments by a girl, perhaps ten years old, who was sitting near us.  She absolutely LOVED the fireworks and said that she had never sat that close to the fireworks and that they looked “animated” and that she wished all of her friends had been there to see those fireworks.  She was right, we were sitting very close and had a great view.

After three nights of fireworks displays, we were happy to sleep in a bit on Sunday morning but then it was off to the paint cans for Dave!

Friday night moon picture:

We are home for a week now and then we’ll be back at Safari for the second of three membership meetings, Long Beach’s sandcastle festival, the rodeo, and looking forward to seeing the Peninsula Players perform “Fiddler on the Roof”!