Bidding farewell to the Winter Beach

Yesterday, as I finished up work at 4pm, I took off to Wheeler, OR, a wonderful coastal village only 4 miles from Manzanita.  Wheeler is located on Nehalem Bay - and is called “Pukalani” , which means "hole in the sky", the surrounding hills seem to protect Wheeler from the prevailing northwest wind and fog.

While Wheeler began in the early 1900's as a major port, today it is home to only 385 residents with a median age of 50.  My draw to this sleepy town is a wonderful quilt store called Creative Fabrics.  My sister Christine and I visited there on our last trip up and down the Oregon coast.  I got there about 4:50, and they closed at 5:30pm.  The woman that ran the store struck up a conversation with me, and we talked and talked about quilting - she even showed me some of her newest free motion quilting.  When I left - it was 5:45pm, was great to talk quilting and odd to be so talkative with a stranger.    Guess quilting will do that to you!!

The Wheeler train station - decked out for the holiday

Today, Tuesday,  was a rainy windy day on the Pacific Ocean beach - I thoroughly enjoyed getting drenched in the rain, feeling the rain on my face, and walking into the 12 mph gusts.  I started the day with a walk on the Manzanita Beach - that which I never tire.  After some work and a trip to the Post Office - to mail all my paper back home - to lighten the load on my suitcase - I ventured out to Cannon Beach, 13 miles north of Manzanita.

While Manzanita feels like a small town with all the amenities one would need, Post Office, Fire, Police, bar and grille, grocery store, galleries and motels; Cannon Beach felt like a tourist town that had rolled up the carpets for the winter.

Cannon Beach street

The beach is difficult to gain access to - with most walkways marked off with fences and signs that say "No public beach access".  But I finally found my way - and the roar of the waves and the rain were great - maybe the waves drown out the words in my head :-)

But it was great to stand on the beach and enjoy the winter wind without worry of frost bite!

Cannon Beach OR

Cannon Beach OR

Hug Bay

Found all the birds hanging out in the cove

Manzanita Beach from the road above

I am all packed up and anxious to see the girls (Jenelle, Colleen, Seneca - with Kili joining us on Thursday night) in Portland tomorrow morning.  I am convinced that if I get to sleep early enough 4am will not be quite so painful!  Their flight gets in at 5:30am, and I am 2 hours from Portland. 

We are spending the weekend in Portland to eat, walk and shop, sleep, then start again!!  Our annual December Christmas shopping weekend.

Feel like I have my dose of the Oregon coast - maybe it will last me until next year!
Cheers my friends and family
K

Winter Beach

Manzanita Beach - Dec 2010
I was anxious to visit the Oregon Coast in the winter - wondering if there would be snow and what the beach would feel like absent the summer activity, the fall beach fires of driftwood, and the absence of the tourists on holiday.

Pacific Ocean waves

Manzanita is small coastal village on the Northern Oregon Coast, the name means "little apple" in Spanish.  It is about two hours west of Portland, and is 13 very curvy miles south of Cannon Beach - where all the tourist activity takes place.

My sister Christine and I came to Manzanita on a lark of exploration, and vowed to return.  We did finally return  - and were SO excited!  It has become a place of tranquility - 

Manzanita Beach

I remember telling my dear friend Shelley about Manzanita, and that I wanted to bring her here - wrap her in a warm blanket and sit on the beach, watch the waves, and feel the Pacific Ocean breeze on our faces.  We didn't make it here together, Shelley was too ill to travel - this is my first trip back since she died - but I still feel that she is seeing it through my eyes and loving every minute of it!


Manzanita has about 750 people and just as many dogs, the median age is 52 so you can imagine that the night life is pretty spectacular!  A great many of the cabins/houses are vacation homes - so walking the streets in December has a bit of "ghost town" feel to it.

I always look forward to a cold beer and a slice of fabulous pizza at the  Manzanita Pizza Pie!

Manzanito's Pizza Pie - the ocean is at the end of the street

Manzanita Grocery & Deli - quite the hub at noon!

The wonderful designs in the sand

Rippled sand with a single dog print

This bird reminded me of my father and his love of the Lake Michigan in Two Rivers, WI.  We placed both mom and dad's remains in that body of water - and I still smile and laugh remembering my cousin Jill with a bike helmet on her heat as we walked the beach after dad's memorial - it was pouring out and I think Jill thought the helmet would keep the rain off her head.

So here I found this bird, firmly planted on the beach, his back to the crashing waves, enjoying the solitude that the beach brought this morning!

I love this beach, don't ask me why, but I just do!

So with this blog - I share a bit of it with you - my friends and family :-)

~ KS

 I love the way the beach grass blows in the wind!

What a great way to celebrate a tree!

Self portrait - enjoying the wind and waves

One of my favorite natural plantings