what are the colors of cannon beach?

what was waiting for me when i arrived home?

A candy gram from my former student, Alexander.

"TAKE 5 on your WHATCHAMACALIT, oh yeah Birthday! I know I might be a NERD for giving my teacher a birthday card, but it's my b-day too! And before you left, me, you and Darius were the 3 MUSKETEERS. But then you were handed a RING and POP you were married and moved away. Miss you! Happy Birthday! P. S. Here's some EXTRA fruit gum for Mr. Lewit!
From, Alexander & KIT KAT (Argentina)"

Thank you Alexander!

where did ben and i go today?

The Cape Meares Lighthouse.

This month's AAA magazine had an article on lighthouses along the Pacific Coast. Since we were already at the coast we decided to visit the closest one to us. Cape Meares is just a few miles from Tillamook.

It is also home to the Octopus Tree...

and amazing trails that lead to the beach.

how did i end my birthday celebration?

With a campfire on the beach.

Earlier we went to dinner, walked along the beach, ate lunch at Sweet Basils, read our books, took a nap and enjoyed an in-room massage.

All of my birthday wishes came true!

what are some highlights from our first day at cannon beach?

Dinner at the freshest seafood place around. (thanks Abby)

Soaking in the tub with Ola bath salts from Holiday Spa...

and reading the perfect beach magazine.

what did the back office look like?

This. It is the half of the office that holds the web inventory.

Now the web inventory is organized, easy to find and includes a shipping station.

The desk area is also a bit more pleasant.

Stay tuned for scenes from the other side of the office.

why do i have twenty magazine files in my trunk?

I'm organizing Grasshopper's office.

Abby called on Saturday asking if Kara could hire me to organize her office and back room. Of course I agreed and spent the day assessing Kara's needs and began to organize the office.

My first project- relocating the fax machine to allow the faxes a place to land that is not the floor. Tomorrow I'll replace the cardboard magazine files with wooden ones from IKEA.

Next week I'll fly down to California to organize Cassie's classroom. Anyone else looking for an organizer?

why are my hands stained purple?

It's blackberry season.
For those of you that have been to our house, you know that most of our property is surrounded by blackberry bushes. Normally Ben and I are not happy about this. We have tried to get rid of them- or at least cut them back.

But this time of year we don't mind them. There's nothing sweeter than a ripe blackberry.

where are we going for my 35th birthday?

The Ocean Lodge at Cannon Beach.

Next week I turn 35. I wanted to take a special trip for my birthday. We were thinking Alaska, Canada- somewhere not too hot and not too crowded. I kept looking at hotels and airfare and finally decided my favorite nearby place to go was Cannon Beach- no planes, no unfamiliar hotels and it's dog friendly. We leave next Thursday and stay until Sunday.

There are beautiful places to hike...

plenty of tide pools to explore...

and I've already planned my birthday (in-room) massage and dinner Newmans. I can't wait!

what did ben and i do when our campground was full?

We decided to spend the night at Timberline Lodge.

Yesterday was another hot day in Hood River. Ben and I decided to go camping to escape the heat. When we arrived at the campground, it was full. We had already decided we would have dinner at Timberline Lodge, so instead of setting up camp, we went straight to Timberline. When we arrived we decided to stay the night. We checked in, hiked up to Silcox Hut, ran down through the snow, had dinner, enjoyed the hot tub, pool and sauna, and went to bed.

We had a magical evening and can't wait to return!

what did ben and i do last night?

We ate dinner at our favorite restaurant, Nora's Table...

followed by a lecture and booking signing by Sarah Baker Munro. She wrote the book below, about the history of Timberline Lodge.

We had a fabulous evening!

what did i get for an early birthday present?

An Elizabeth Bentz apron.
Earlier this summer my mom flew up to surprise Abby at her Summer Social. While she was visiting she bought this apron for me for my birthday. She left it with Abby to give me for my birthday... and well it's tough to keep a secret if you're a Powell girl. Anyway, thank you mom. I love the apron.

It goes perfectly with the napkins Abby gave me as a thank you for being the Summer Social cashier. I adore Elizabeth's work.

what is my second favorite flower?

The Dahlia.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that the Gerbera Daisy is my favorite flower. But, Dahlias are a close second. Fortunately, Dahlias love Oregon weather. The Gorge White House grows fields of Dahlias and they allow customers to cut their own. Ben and I picked these this weekend.

In the Spring, Mai Mai and I were there and bought Dahlia tubers for my yard. They are just beginning to bloom. I can't wait until they are ready to pick.

where did ben and i seek refuge during our recent heat wave?

Oneonta Gorge.

Before we went to Brant Lake, we had a heat wave. Yes, I know it was only in the high nineties and low hundreds, BUT we are not used to that kind of weather in Oregon and we do not have air conditioning. The house only stayed cooled for so long with blinds closed and windows shut. By the afternoon it was too hot to be comfortable and a few nights it did not cool down at all- forcing us to sleep outside on the deck.

Fortunately Oregon is home to many waterfalls, gorges and cool spots. Oneonta was a popular one for us after Ben got home from work. We drove to the Historic Highway and the moment we entered the gorge it was nice and cool.

After climbing over this log jam and wading chest-deep through the stream, we were rewarded with the waterfall and swimming spot.

which powell sister is getting married?

Cassie!
She got engaged last week... in Paris. This picture was taken moments after Eddie popped the question. Congratulations Eddie and Cassie. We can't wait for the big day!

what is my new favorite state?

Vermont.

During our visit to Brant Lake, Ben and I took a road trip to Vermont to visit the Simon Pierce Gallery in Quechee, Vermont.

Vermont is a beautiful state. The countryside is green and lush. Every small town we drove through was quaint and charming. Covered bridges were everywhere.

Here I am standing on the covered bridge that overlooks the Simon Pierce Gallery.

The water is used to operate the generator for the glass blowing.


Each piece of glass is hand-blown by an artist. The day we were there they were making water goblets.



The gallery is exquisite. Ben bought me a cake plate as an early birthday present.


After the gallery, we went to Sugarbush Farm where they make maple syrup and cheese.

Ben practiced his new job as calf whisperer.

We toured the farm to see how they harvest the maple from the trees...




and boil it down to make syrup. We had a great day in Vermont! I can't wait to return.