Tillamook Tuesday

On Tuesday, we took a drive up (down?) the coast to Tillamook, home of the world's best cheese and ice cream, and therefore one of my favorite places on the planet. The views along the coast and the little lake outside Tillamook are not bad either. Not bad at all.

I was on the short list of people Theo got to spend time with his first year of life. After he was born at 25 weeks and spent his first months in the NICU, his parents were understandably choosy about who got to see the little guy. But if you know me, you know that if I have a super cute preemie nephew, I will be on the list of people who get to hold him. In fact, I will BE the list if necessary. So I was delighted to be able to take Theo on his first tour of a cheese factory, including the tasting table, which he loved. And, full disclosure, his parents were inches away taking video of the whole experience, so I had full permission to be feeding him large amounts of cheese.

This was not a candid shot, by the way. This is Jason posing for a picture of him and Dahlia eating the world's best grilled cheese. And yes, I did think it was funny he wore a bright orange cheese shirt to Tillamook.

Theo's actual parents. Whatever.

Slugbug Van full of cousin cuteness. Can you tell Mick was annoyed with all the family fun at this point? Hehe. Sometimes it's hard to be the oldest cousin.

This pic is for my friend Ashlee, who collects pictures of libraries like some people collect shot glasses. After ice cream at Tillamook, we drove to Cannon Beach. When we got there, we tried to park in the library parking lot which, ironically, became Mickey's favorite memory of the trip and Dahlia's least favorite memory of the trip. Cannon Beach was weirdly crowded for a Tuesday afternoon, and parking was at a premium. We were patiently waiting for two (significantly older) ladies to pull out of their spot, but the driver was a little nervous about the tight quarters and started yelling at Jason about arrows and directions and such. For the record, there were arrows in both directions, there was plenty of space, and even I wasn't nervous about anyone hitting anyone else's car. But... things got a little heated. I wish I had video of Jason throwing the van in park, jumping out of the car, and the kids shrieking in the background like the world was coming to an end. Embarrassed by the crying children and his wife who was laughing hysterically at an elderly lady flipping Jason the bird, Jason got back in the van and we found a little street-side parking spot far, far away. The kids were nervous the whole time we were in Cannon Beach that we would run into That Lady again, and Jason was secretly hopeful we would, but we didn't. And hopefully we never do, because I'm pretty sure Jason will remember her face until the day he dies. Perhaps longer.

Anyway... we had a lovely walk out to Haystack Rock (aka Goonies rock) and a very pleasant afternoon. 

Jason took this incredible picture of Haystack Rock, which I'm hoping to get printed large enough to go over the loveseat in our living room. Because it is perfection. And we also got one of my other favorite pics of the trip, when Jason's sister called for directions while we were trying to get a nice family picture AND HE ANSWERED. It's very modern, very 2018. And it cracks me up every time.

Can you hear me now??? Good.