5th anniversary trip to Astoria

Believe it or not, we still went on our annual trip to Astoria!

After an hour home from the hospital, we threw our stuff in the car and headed for the beach, where we'd made reservations for our 5th anniversary at Franklin Street Station Bed & Breakfast.

We arrived, after driving through a wet and rainy Highway 26, at the North Coast around 10:30 PM: just in time for bed. What a crazy way to spend our 5th!

The host of the B & B graciously placed in the 9:30 breakfast time slot, and had big, fluffy waffles and sausage ready for us when we came downstairs.

About the time that breakfast was ready, a transformer across down exploded. A bright flash illuminated everything and the whole house shook. The north side of town lost power.

It was strange to walk down Commercial Street in the heart of downtown, which apparently is the dividing lines between the north and south power grids. Business owners on one side of the street were sitting on the sidewalk looking across the street at their south side counterparts who were doing business as usual.

Because Anne-Marie had less energy than she usually does, we did more driving than walking this year. We drove to Seaside, Long Beach, and all around Astoria looking at the river and old victorian-era houses.

Our room was very comfortable. The best part was a private deck with a view of the Columbia River and downtown Astoria. (Some pictures are at left.)

Saturday night we went on ate our annual meal at Baked Alaska. The restaurant sits on a pier and has a 180 degree view of the river. We love to go there and eat salmon while the ships come in at sunset. I highly recommend the flaming cookie for dessert!

Sunday we went, as always, to Sunday Market downtown. Anne-Marie found a hibiscus and a butterfly bush that we jammed in the car for the drive home.

Before we went home, we went north to Ilwaco, Washington, for a spontaneous visit with some old friends, Pat and Marina Smith, who recently moved to the area. It had been

years since I had seen them but, with Marina's recent diagnosis of lymphoma, we've recently renewed contact. We had a wonderful time visiting with them over lunch. Please pray for Marina; she has many more months of treatment to endure.

We headed for home after lunch.

Thanks to Becky, our gracious innkeeper, and Ross Hoevet Family Dentistry for helping make the trip possible.

Picture Key (t to b):
1. The B & B

2. Me sitting on deck
3. Anne-Marie on our canopy bed
4. Anne-Marie in our kitchen mirror
5. Us on the deck
6. Me (Hotel Elliot in background)
7. Us on the deck again
8. Anne-Marie at Baked Alaska
9. Marina and Anne-Marie