the great escape...coast to pendleton & hit pdx pit stop...WHEW!

We packed up the next morning & hiked all our #@*& out to the car with the speed of an overlanding giant snail. We made it out unscathed, a belly full of oysters & our first family camping adventure under our belts...that much the wiser. Now we are in for a whole another kind of lesson: driving back to PDX for gear transfer & then out to Pendleton where we'll stay the night at the Vidos Esq. penthouse. The next day our friends Kurt & Sia are getting married in the Wallowa Mountains in the very NorthEast corner of Oregon at 3pm, so we are going to do our damndest to make it. Staying the night in Pendleton will be a much needed reprieve from sleeping on the ground for 3 days.



Driving...finally! Stella had a MASSIVE meltdown in PDX. I think she missed the sound of the ocean & was really mad we left there. We finally got her down & in the car & were able to drive the entire way to Pendleton with her asleep (about 3 hours). We got in around midnight & hit the sack. Boy were we tired...don't forget we hiked out that same day/morning...that was a very long day of travel & Stella did over all really well.



Rise & shine! I got up & took a SHOWER! Ahhhh....



now my challenge is to get these two up. Come on! the wedding is at 3pm & it is 3 hours away & it is 11 AM now! this is the response: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz



on the way, Stella gets a diaper change on the hood of the car. Classy.



We made it! There's the Wallowa Mountains & the lake in Joseph, Or. Oopsie though, it is 3pm when I took this photo....hopefully the wedding isn't starting on time?

Will our heroes make it????

Day 2 @ the Oregon Coast

Stella's first day went off pretty well. Her & I went to bed on the early side & missed much of the oyster eating for the evening, but some much needed shut eye was in order. She loves the sound of the ocean & slept all through the night....most of the next day as well...giving mama & papa some great time to relax in the gorgeous coastal weather.





Sunshine @ the Oregon Coast ~ nothing better!



Stella's first diaper change in a tent!



Tallboy caught a fish & it was this big!



He really did catch a fish ~ it was quite the story ~ complete with dramatic ending when they landed the fish that almost got away. Good job Tallboy & Ben!



Happy papa topher with babe.



the fire hole & notorious perimeter. there was much debate about how to make the pit so it has the least amount of smoke swirling & white rabbit factor. in the end we made a wind tunnel that funneled the smoke out one end so at least two sides were white rabbit free. this is key when doing sing alongs, roasting oysters, sausages, etc...



scarlett & stella...awwww



the consummate Jason Wells ~ in fine form~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

the hike out & arriving @ camp

Hiking out to the beach on Tillamook bay spit with "Blanket" Stella McGarry Jackson.



There is an incredible amount of *(&$@ you have to bring with you to camp over night two nights out on the beach when you have an infant. Fortunately, Topher is a genius & a brauny stud & rigged up this dolly to hoof over the dune & out 3 miles onto the beach campsite.




Interior of the "kitchen/fort". Someone made that welcome sign this time & double fortified it. It was super wind protected & cozy.



Topher snuggling with SHMcG.



Ahhhh...the fresh salt & sea air.



The fort from the outside.

on the road again ~ first stop oyster fest 2009 @ oregon coast

Having trouble uploading photos here.

They are posted to my flickr site, click on the badge on the right to view.

SO far the Road is treating us well.

We are just finishing up breakfast here at the Vidos pad in Pendelton & then off to the Wallowa mountains & Kurt & Sia's wedding.

Oyster fest was amazing! Happy Birthday Jason!

I will write more when I can post pics...

camping in the backyard

We're leaving for a road trip for 11 days on thursday. We decided it might be a good idea to try out the camping gear & our new tent with the new babe before we take it to the wilds of oregon. A little sad, we won't be camping in our 14 year old tent we bought when we went on our first road trip when we first met in 1995. It finally bit the dust. But the new one is bigger & well, new.

It was fun to camp in the yard. Topher declared the creature comforts of the home off limits at one point.. even for pottying! Hopefully Stella will be as accomodating in the great outdoors as she was in the great backyard.


complete with campfire!


ahhhh

see the wild animal, jean jean, in the lower left corner, in her natural habitat! hopefully there aren't any of those where we are headed! she's scarier than any creature i've ever seen in nature.

its not all wine & roses all the time though...well, ok the wine part is true.

its REALLY hot here today... in the 90's & Stella i think isn't loving it. she was up all day fussing here & there & just wouldn't go down. nursing & nursing, walking in the stroller to the library, to the park, playing in the yard in the bouncer, in the swing, nursing, bouncing on the shoulder, dancing, singing, nursing. Oh and nursing. just when i thought i had her down for good a little while ago, i laid her down in the crib & her eyes popped open. then she saw this little mirror stuffed animal creature attached to the crib & she made the saddest little face. her chin starts jiggling & she starts crying again. just makes my heart ache to see her little face so sad & scared. so i picked her up & put her on my shoulder to comfort her & she horked (hork splat) up the hugest puke all down my back & all over the rug. UGH> Thinking to myself...Topher please walk through that door. now would be a good time. hmmm....sooooo i kept patting & bouncing her while i cleaned up the puke with my foot, a towel & some rug spray. by the time i was done cleaning up the puke with my foot, i nursed her again for i swear the 8 zillionth time today....BUT, finally SALVATION. all my efforts not in vain. still sleeping. Topher called & asked if i wanted anything on his way home from work. WINE I said. me drinking wine again in the cool evening...see a reoccuring theme here? Oh well. At least I haven't started doing it while she's awake in the day. YET.

Still blessed with her presence, no matter how cranky she is. All she has to do is smile & it all melts away.




Hoping to push through to the peace with a little more grace tomorrow.




Oh, & she loves to stick out her tongue now. For better or worse. What's up with the black spot though? Topher googled it & found something that said Indians (feather not dot) say that the black spot on a baby's tongue means they are good luck & that whatever they say will come true. Let's hope she's no totalitarian ruler or naysayer. with those eyes, how could she be?

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