Out to the Coast ~Part Three~ Ending in Astoria

We closed out our little day trip with antiquing and dinner in Astoria, Oregon. This was my fourth visit to this lovely town (where they shot the movie The Goonies) and the weather was the clearest I've ever seen it- as in, you could actually see. It's been raining or foggy the few other times we've been, and with the sun out and all the views we were pretty much ready to move. The homes here are fantastic- mostly Victorian era, set into the hill that rises from the town. Such cozy and historic neighborhoods. Ready for a picture? Me, too. Problem is, at this point my camera got left in my car in my haste to make the antique shop run before they closed. Very, very sad. Especially not being able to share all the great goodies in the stores I stopped in. Of course, there wasn't much time to do any browse-type shopping since everything was ready to close in half an hour once we got there (relief to the rest of the family), so I had to be focused and on a mission. However, it didn't take me long to find a few treasures to bring back home. Including a bit of what I was actually looking for.

My shopping money spent, it was then off to the pub for some sustenance. We ate dinner at the Wet Dog Cafe chosen by Husband who had heard good things about their beer. He was not disappointed. Nor was his family- we had a great water view, there was live music, good food, and even desert (Husband skipped desert for more beer). We ended up bringing home two growlers of beer- one for Husband and one for our brother-in-law for his b-day.

This here is Husband's treat- shown empty, since some time has elapsed since it's homecoming. And yes, this is all Husband's because I won't touch the stuff.

So then, after our dinner, we made our way out of the cafe to the car and took one last detour before heading home- the Astoria Column. This is located at the top of the hill and is quite impressive.Obviously I had my camera again at this point. :)

Here is a close up with a smidgen of the detail on the column.

The cool thing is that you can climb the million stairs (okay, gross exaggeration) up to the top and enjoy an unobstructed 360 degree view.See? Here we go! Up, up, up in a tight circle all the way to the top.

Now we're looking up . . .

You get quite dizzy as you go- in fact, for me the dizziness is worse than the aching legs, though that soon ended, while the aching muscles lasted a few days.

Then there was light, and we emerged at the top! Behold the view . . .

Quite a nice view, don't you think? Though I wish the pictures had turned out better, but due to it being rather crowded (yes, crowded on a nice, clear day-imagine!) it was very difficult to get decent shots, let alone shots without others' body parts somewhere in there.

I'm so glad I got a chance to go up to the top. You see, I was at the column twelve years ago and only made it to the first platform inside when I had to turn around and go back down. Why? Well, it wasn't because I was afraid of heights or stairs -though, actually I am afraid of both- but I was forced down due to being eight months pregnant and suddenly starting contractions from the effort. So I had to go back down and sit and wait for everyone else I was with to go enjoy the view. But at least I didn't go in to labor on top of the column- though that would be quite a story, wouldn't it? And now, I finally got to see what I was missing! :)

After thoroughly enjoying the view and running around to blow off boundless energy (the kids, not the parents), we said good-bye to the Oregon coast and headed home. It was a superb evening to be driving home, and we even got one last surprise- the setting sun reflecting on Mt. Saint Helens as we hit the top of a high hill on our way home through Longview. Breathtaking!

So that was our lovely little day trip- in three parts. Good thing we weren't gone for a week, or it would take me a year to share it all. Oh, but there's a little more . . .

Here are the sweet goodies I picked up while in Astoria:

Another white pitcher to add to my growing collection! (insert Husband's eye-rolling here)

I fell in love with this little birdy couple. I love the colors . . . . . . and the surprise on the back!

And this is what I had been actually searching for- some 'summer time' antique postcards. I really love these.

I just love little mementos from trips~ they bring such happy memories to the home.

Thanks so much for sharing the day and the memories with me! :)

Happy, happy weekend to everyone!

Cheers!