It’s always nice to get the zero-turn riding mower back from servicing; the brief window of time when it’s actually clean. Now we just need to wait for the rain to stop for a couple of days so we can do the first mow of the year. #dejus365

Zero-turn riding mower

Anniversary trip to the Oregon coast

Jenn and I have a tradition of going away somewhere nice for our wedding anniversary. This year, for our 24th anniversary, we spent two nights at the Arch Cape Inn & Retreat, a bit south of Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast.

The inn has a rather nice building:

Arch Cape Inn & Retreat

Here’s the back, with the dining room in the center:

Back

The common area inside, where they serve wine & cheese in the evenings:

Common area

Common area fireplace:

Common area fireplace

Common area nook in the pointy bit:

Common area nook

Our room:

Room

The reverse angle of the room:

Room

A dollhouse in the corner:

Dollhouse

A glimpse of the ocean from our window:

View of water from window

The first night, we went to Mo’s in Cannon Beach, a favorite eatery specializing in clam chowder and other seafood:

Sunset at Mo's

I had chicken strips, Jenn had clam chowder:

Dinner at Mo's

Sunset after dinner:

Sunset

Saturday morning started with a tasty breakfast at the inn, with three courses:

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Then we headed back to Cannon Beach to wander the shops. We got a bag of saltwater taffy:

Saltwater taffy

Jenn got some yarn, but we resisted buying stuff from the several other arts & crafts stores. We had an unremarkable burger (or fish & chips for Jenn) for lunch.

We took a quick look at the Hug Point beach, but couldn’t check out the caves due to high tide:

Hug Point beach

We continued south to Manzanita, and wandered their shops down to the beach:

Manzanita beach

Manzanita beach

Manzanita beach

It’s a nice little town; we might stay there next time we go to the coast.

We ended our walk at a wine bar, and enjoyed a couple of glasses and some snacks sitting outdoors by the fire:

Drinking wine by the fire

Drinking wine by the fire

For dinner, we drove north to Seaside and got some takeout pizza, and ate it in the truck while watching the waves at a lookout:

Pizza at a lookout

An excellent day!

This morning, again a tasty three-course breakfast at the inn (though I forgot to take a picture of the dessert):

Breakfast

Breakfast

Then we headed home, via Costco.

It was a most enjoyable mini-vacation. The weather was rainy off-and-on, but held off while we were walking around, which made that more pleasant. We really should go to the coast more often; it’s been a decade since our last stay, and many years since the last day-trip.