Cannon Beach

The last few days of vacation were in Cannon Beach. I got the best pictures there! They had tons of starfish on the beaches and I had never seen a wild starfish before. Why do some people call them sea stars? That is really bugging me right now.
Anyways, Cannon Beach is famous for it's huge rock formations on the beach. They call it Haystack rock (well, the big one, they do). They also are famous for their luxurious sand. It squeaks when you walk on it. Every year, around June, they have a huge sandcastle competition. I would like to go next year.
We stayed in a cottage setting us back $500. It had a partial ocean view but that didn't matter. It was neat. It had a gas fireplace, a jacuzzi tub, and vaulted ceilings. Breakfast was included each morning. The first day it was cold and overcast. We drove down the street to some beach caves and a waterfall. There were tons of sand dollars all over and a few dead jellyfish. Besides that, these beaches are spotless. I have only seen California beaches before, which are covered in litter and seaweed with flies all over. Cannon Beaches are also very flat. If the water was warmer, I'm sure you could walk out quite a ways. Austin got in, but I don't know how far.
The last day the sun came out and we buried Ileigh in the sand. Well, we had to contain her somehow. The monster breathed fire and clawed her way right out the top.
We decided to pay extra to come home a few hours early. Why pay for a hotel only to have to wake at 4 am with a cranky kid to deal with on an airplane?
We drove back to Portland that day and tried to find a park for Ileigh to play in. We often had to stop and let her crawl among the germs somewhere. Good thing for the antibacterial wipes! We were once again frustrated with the parking and paying in downtown Portland but we finally got some lunch. Then we drove around and looked at some magnificent houses in beautiful park-like areas. We had to drive around for the last 2 hours before we were due at the airport and Ileigh needed to nap. We finally got on the plane and Ileigh was HORRIBLE. The whole plane stared at us as we tried to quietly hush in her ear and sing song talk her into playing with a toy. Of course, the toy would just be hurled down the aisle and our mouths pinched as we sung to her. About a half hour into the flight we decided on Benedryl. She went to sleep right as we were contemplating an emergency exit. (just kidding) We got a few comments as others were unboarding the plane. It was nice to be home!