WA State Vacation 2013
This vacation turned out to be unbelievably better than I was anticipating.
Starting on the July 16th, I had four days off from being husband & father, while M & Tris flew to my in-laws. I haven't had that many days as just being myself, it was very refreshing. I swam in the pool, went to a rep party, had dinner with the Mark/Leigh, and drank Wankel beer.
On Sat, July 20th, I flew from ATL to PDX. The flight was very easy. It barely lasted four hours, and with a good book, a crossword puzzle, and a Kindle Fire, the time literally flew by. I landed in PDX around 11am PST, grabbed the rental (Mazda 5) and began the three hour drive to Westport, WA. Passed by Mt. St. Helens, Mount Hood, and drove through Aberdeen. Arrived at the Rudes in the late afternoon, and was immediately handed a drink and caught up with Bill, Judy, M, and especially Tris. He was happy to see me and showed me all the 'sonic lands' and assigned me my new name (amy rose).
Sun, July 21st -- The three of us made the 5-minute drive to Bottle Creek park, just outside of Westport. Walked the nature trail down to the beach, which was Grays Harbor. We let Tris play in the sand, driftwood, and a dead jellyfish. Later that afternoon, we drove to the coast and I saw the Pacific for the first time ever. Gray skies and foggy with cold water, but the colors, soil, and stones are just beautiful. Tris muddied another outfit before we headed home. Judi made dinner that night and I stayed up after everyone went to bed, drinking vodka, checking work emails, and watching netflix.