Let's go to the beach!

For families with kids Labor Day weekend traditionally means summer is at an end, in my part of the world the long weekend is celebrated with one last hurrah before the kids start school and life returns to a more predictable pattern. For some that last family outing is a trip to the beach...

Since we don't have kids I get to power on as though summer isn't over, after all if you're judging by the weather (or the calendar) summer has another month to go. Last weekend did however find us at the beach (Newport, OR, to be exact) and I thought it fitting to share my morning, as beautiful as it was. Here is where the kids should be playing, a swing set and a boat, how cool is that?

My generation would be reenacting Gilligan's Island (it was syndicated all through the 70's and into the 80's...it was what we watched every day when we got home from school), I wonder what current generations would do?

This was an interesting discovery. Picnic table, BBQ and a framed view of the ocean...

While dinner is tended to one can contemplate...

The low green is horsetail.

I love it.

I also love the blooming thistle.

Off in the distance is the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

Last summer I was up there, under the lighthouse, looking down at the bird covered rocks.

Our beach weekend was based on crashing at a timeshare Andrew's aunt and uncle had booked for the week. It was a pretty ideal location, however there was a steep drop-off to the beach - but if you knew the path you could easily get down to sea level...

And here I am!

I don't think this was naturally occurring. It looks constructed.

Here I go again...I shared similar images of sea life washed ashore in last year's beach post. I find beach "litter" so amazing, I have to photograph it, fast forward on if you aren't interested.

Jellyfish, I really wanted to touch it, but I knew better.

The structure on the right was very interesting.

I wanted to pick it up and take it with me, but also recognized it might have some value to other life forms. I let it be.

There was still life inside that shell...

And those little shells were opening and closing, opening and closing. It was pretty amazing to watch.

Kind of disturbing but also terribly interesting, this little shellfish was being eaten by countless little creatures, I'm kind of bummed that none of them show up in this photo.

How many crabs are there in the ocean? If one was to guess based on the body parts visible on the beach on any given day then I would say hundreds of trillions.