2nd Annual Muttzanita Festival in Manzanita

This could be subtitled: The Doggie Social Event of the Year! Dogs and owners from all over Oregon descended on our little town of Manzanita, on the Oregon Coast today for the 2nd annual Muttzanita Festival, sponsored by Four Paws on the Beach-the local Pet Store.  All proceeds from the event supported local charities

The day started at 10:30 AM with a Doggie Parade down Laneda Ave, which was closed to car traffic for the event. It was a flurry of activity with dog meet and greets, and event registration.

Many dogs sat patiently, waiting for the festivities to begin 

There's always a handsome Dude in every crowd

He almost seems to be saying "Mom made me do this!"

Only my hairdresser knows for sure...

A merry band of drummers led us to the beach

Let the parade begin!

DH and The Girls

Under all that fog, the beach is really there...not exactly the 90's we were promised, but nobody complained

Some people and canines go all out with costumes adding to the fun!  Here are The Bees!

Cute little Oregon Duck pooch!

 

Mike, Phyllis and Bo, I mean, Pete!

Getting ready for the Chuck It Toss in the fog!

There were a total of 6 rescue dogs in this family.  

Yeah, Pete, not bad for 11 years old!  The dogs had to chase the ball, pick it up, and return it to their owner in record time to win

A little stress relieving jousting between Molly and Lulu

The next event was Doggy Musical Chairs, where the dogs had to sit when the music stopped, and stay sitting until given the OK signal.  The day was full of fun activities, including a Silent Auction, Pet Fashion Show, Poker Walk, Treasure Hunt and Doggie Demonstrations.

Awards for the winners

a tired, wet, and happy Molly 

and Lulu, who agree that it was a doggone good day!

 

A Perfect Spring Day on the Oregon Coast

We've been spending a fair amount of time on the Oregon Coast lately, trying to get the beach house in shape.  There's been wood blinds to install, furniture to re-upolster, and some painting to do.  These things take some planning to do from two hours away.  However, on a beautiful spring day, it's hard to stay put and not take a drive north to Astoria to visit the thrift shops, and fun restaurants.  On a recent trip, we found the coolest shop, Ambiance, chocked full of great decorating ideas and reasonably priced treasures!  DH, a non-shopper enjoyed browsing and even found a cool clock for his downtown office.  The owner said that they mail order tons of clocks for wedding gifts.  Great idea, since everyone can use a clock!

Displays are changed often and are a real inspiration for me, who is tyring to decorate on a budget in a 'shabby chic' style at the beach.

Below, I couldn't resist a shot of this cool bridge to Long Beach WA.  I love bridges and look forward to painting this one. Recently, I drove across it, and couldn't resist taking some shots.  I don't recommend this, but nobody was on the bridge when I did it, and so I was able to slow down and shoot this:

  Here's a different angle of the bridge. I thought this would be a good watercolor subject. 

 Below,  had to photograph these charming flower stands. They were doing a land office business on this warm spring day.  Many people stopped to support these little roadside vendors.

Did you know that there's several places on the Oregon Coast, where you can actually drive your car on the beach at certain times of the year? 

As Molly and Lulu can attest, it was a dog-gone good day!

Coastal Beauty

From season to season, it's always fascinating to see the changes on 'our' Manzanita beach. Not too many years ago this rock was about 15' high, now it's only visible at minus tide. It's easy to see that this particular spot caused some notable shipwrecks. 

Photo:  OK, so I tried to be 'Arty.' It's supposed to be this way!  I love low tides, when you can see the beach from a whole new angle.  Not too long ago, you would be able to see pools teeming with sea life-starfish, sea anemones, etc.  This time, I collected pieces of twine, an old sock, pieces from a wet suit, and plastic bottles to dispose of.   I'm glad in the Pacific NW that there's groups like SOLV [Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism], that encourage beach clean-up's so that generations can enjoy the beauty here. Not to mention that many people pick up beach trash on their beach walk.  Maybe someday the sea life will return.

I didn't find any starfish to photograph, but I was rewarded with a cool Japanese float, complete with barnacles.

Girls Just Gotta Have Fun

With temps soaring into the 90's in town, it was a nice escape to head for the soothing breezes at the beach. My friend Barb, and I took off for a girls shopping excursion on Oregon's North Coast. We visited some old friends, Les Femmes de L'Ocean and found some new places of interest. My favorite was the Yankee Trader, on Hwy. 101 in Gearhart, where we found this charming display of boot planters for sale.
couldn't resist posting this sign

As you can see, we were having too much fun, and haven't even gone inside yet! Carrie, the owner of Yankee Trader, makes these incredible 'cakes' made of plaster and Styrofoam, and decorates them with themes-Easter, Wedding, Halloween, Christmas, etc. They're pretty incredible.

Carrie also has themed vignettes all over the store that are pretty amazing! I must have driven by her store hundreds of times, and had no idea what was inside.

After stopping for a quick cup of coffee at Columbia River Coffee Roasters in Astoria, and purchasing several bags of their yummy Saddle Mountain Coffee Beans, we were off for more shopping and lunch at Pacific Way Cafe in Gearhart. The cafe was so quaint and European looking, that I wanted to take some photos, but we were there during the busy lunch time. The cafe has an extensive menu, but we settled for sharing a sandwich and a cup of soup, knowing we would be having a BBQ with the guys later.


Gearhart reminds me so much of the East Coast...flower baskets are everywhere!

Another of our favorite shopping places is the Pacific Crest Cottage in Gearhart. The front of the store is so quaint.

It was fun to come back to the beach house and paint a scene in our Travel Journals.
Finally, we had to stop at another favorite shop, Fitzgeralds, where you'll find beautiful home decor items.
There's a 7 Dee's Nursery next door, and everything was in bloom. I had to put the camera down long enough to check out their terrific selection of succulents.