In the Rear View Mirror: Favorite Trips of 2013

It’s an odd New Year’s Eve. I’d planned to post this collection of memories from our 2013 travels, but I woke up to two glitches: first, my web host’s servers were down and I couldn’t access my site, and second, the black and silver analog clock that hangs in the middle of my house was stuck all day at 6:45am.

It’s funny how time passes and how we choose to keep track.

In 2012, Ted and I lived a full and fast-paced string of 366 days (leap-year, remember?), hopping from country to country, from continent to continent. Just about every one of those days matched to a short string of words in the Daily Travel Journal or long-spun blog posts with accompanying photos.

In 2013, most of the 365 days passed at a much different tempo. While a new life in Oregon unfolded, our travels came in little bursts, and photos popped up here and there, but rarely on the blog. Jaunts up and down the freeway, between city and country, up and over the mountains to the high desert, and several times toward the western limits North America, overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. The tales were mostly told to friends, in person.

Since Lucie came to join us in the fall, we’ve hunkered down, and our travels have consisted of trips to family and friends’ homes and that one crazy adventure on the snowy mountain.

But anyway…remember that broken clock on the wall? The hands still hang motionless, but I can feel the internal tick-tock, and I know that baby will stir from her nap in just a short while. So in this wrestling fit of claiming new chapters, letting go of old, and trying to sort the memories, I share with you a Short and Sweet and Scattershot look in our rear view mirror from our 2013 trips:

Central Oregon
Central/Eastern Oregon, Washington, Idaho road trip:
A visit to Redmond, Oregon with Ted’s side of the family. Visits to Lake Billy Chinook, Smith Rock, and…Sisters Coffee Company.

Eastern Oregon
Grandpa’s Cabin

Okay, no, this isn’t Grandpa’s cabin. But it’s right down the road from his driveway.
This is the real deal:

Ted and I made the circuit outside of Burns, Oregon with my dad and our family friend Nate to visit the Fort Harney Cemetery, Crystal Crane Hot Springs, and the Pete French Round Barn.

Spokane, Washington and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
We trucked our way through the high desert, eastern Washington, western Idaho, and back home through the Columbia River Gorge to visit our good friend Bryan and Alyssa, and Ted’s cousins Kara and JD, David and Abbi, and all of their lovely kiddos. Pickled eggs, roller coasters, giraffes, and great coffee…

Yachats, Oregon
I turned 29 with the best friends, and the worst morning sickness at the Endless Sea beach house. I couldn’t get as much enjoyment from the customary visit to Rogue Brewery, but I think they were happy that I could facilitate the brewing buddies’ blind taste test as the de facto server.

Manzanita, Oregon
Following our Spokane visit with Bryan and Alyssa and their family, we met up again, back in Oregon territory. I’d never really spent time in Manzanita, but it’s a new favorite.

Depoe Bay, Oregon
Pana-Sea-Ah Bed and Breakfast
When my parents came to travel with us in New Zealand at the end of 2012, they told us over and over that we must come meet Bob and Mary at the Pana-Sea-Ah Bed and Breakfast on the Oregon coast. Their descriptions did the place justice: the calm home and ocean views, the gorgeous breakfasts and good company, and the proximity to the Lincoln City Fish Taco Cook-Off (um, yum) were just what the doctor ordered as I was about half-way through my pregnancy and ready to celebrate finding out we were expecting a little girl. I took my copy of fellow blogger Torre‘s book Love With a Chance of Drowning and enjoyed the break from job and house hunting at home.

Astoria, Oregon/Long Beach, Washington
In early August, Ted and I left again for the coast, this time to visit Astoria, Oregon and Long Beach, Washington. And Oysterville, Washington, too. It was our decided last hurrah before the baby joined us in September. I wobbled my way with my big belly through the cafes and stores, along the sandy shores, and happily ate my way through greasy spoons and drank my way through rootbeers-with-a-view.

Home, Sweet Home
Baby arrived, time stood still.

And then it took off racing.

Last night, we at dinner with my parents and all five of my brothers. The top picture, a year ago, the bottom picture, yesterday. What a difference a year makes, eh?

Packing for a trip downtown sometimes feels as complicated as a trip to the airport…but we made it in one piece, and the Little Peach showed off her hilarious personality and smashing sense of style…

Tonight, we’ll ring in the New Year with good friends and wake up to a promising new chapter.

We have a few fun 2014 travel tidbits up our sleeves, and if baby naps for another while longer on a different day, I’ll fill you in on the details.

For now, she’s waking up, and even though the broken clock still says 6:45am, I’m feeling the rush toward nightfall and the need to prep for our next trip…across the city and down the freeway with a 3.5 month old who doesn’t like car rides. Wish us well!

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So, there you have it. The end of the few-month experiment in Short and Sweet and Scattershot posting. The attempt went…fairly well. By that I mean there were more posts than if I had stuck to my normal over-the-top personal expectations. It’s hard to give myself permission to just hit “publish” when I want to write and craft so much more. But, truth be told, the passage of time and the keeping track of life have changed meaning to me. Maybe I just need to bust out a glass of champagne and toast to this new normal?

xx
Bethany