First week for this trip

Our 5th trip to Corvallis and our first one in July. I was only here about 2 days when I started with upper respiratory signs. Actually it lasted for about 2 weeks with 3 sleepless nights due to coughing. Since this county boasts as being the "Grass Seed Capitol of the World" and we have seen mountains of grass seed in piles, fields of gold in various stages from standing crops replete with seeds to fresh cut, to windrows to fields full of bails of various shapes and sizes, I had assumed that I had succumbed to the scourge of the northwest; allergy...  As I look back, I think I picked up someone's summer bug on the way out. That aside, when we came here last June, we got a glimpse of Oregon in bloom. Here in July we see more of the glory. Roadsides filled with Foxgloves and Sweet Peas and all kinds of yellow and white daisy types. I have seen more nasturtiums on the coast than I've ever seen.  And we have seen beautiful flowers that are completely foreign to us.. but the crowning glory, I think are the butterfly bushes that are 15 to 20 feet tall and blue hydrangias that are nearly azure, rather than the pale blue we sometimes see in the midwest. Our first weekend was spent on the coast. We returned to the Ocean House B&B in Newport for the overnight. Got to walk a bit at Lost Creek Beach where people were playing and walking and building sandcastles. Georgia found some black rocks.... lots of black rocks. We ate at "Nana's Irish Pub" in Newport, run by an Irish mother and daughter.... cool place, good food. http://nanasirishpub.com/ 

Sunday we headed north to Depoe Bay, Boiler Bay, and Lincoln City. (Whale sighting country).. Georgia who loves mistery stories, found an article in a local rag about this local author (Ronald P. Lovell ) a retired Oregon State University faculty member who was signing books in Lincoln City. To make a long story shorter, we found a recommended Bob's Beach Books and bought a couple of Lovell's books then made our way to Captain Dan's Pirate Pastry shop in Lincoln City where we found Mr. Lovell and a friend sitting at a table with several copies of his new book... Georgia got her books signed and her picture taken with the author. On the way back, she got some pictures of people flying kites along the ocean beach.. After stopping at Tidal Raves in Depoe Bay for a late lunch, we made it back before dark, ready for the second week.