Shot into a Cannon

Cannon Beach! Ten years ago Betsy suggested our family get together at her family's favorite spot, Cannon Beach, Oregon, just a few hours from their Southeastern Washington home in Kennewick. We took her up on it! The year was 2002.

I was working at the landfill in Creston then. Dad was married to Pat2 - Mom passed away in 1997. We invited cousins and aunts and uncles from both sides of our family - Bullock and Morehead. And they all came! Even Aunt Dorothy, Mom's sister, who almost never traveled from her home in Sacramento due to health problems. That year I took 2 weeks off and we drove out. We went again in 2008. And now in 2012. This year we flew into Portland.

Paul and I had to leave Creston at 2:30 a.m. to get to KC for our flight and Lefebvres had an early wakeup for their Denver trip too. We met Cindy and Bolder in Portland on Sunday July 8, where we had rented a van. We stopped at Super Target for some food and a few bevvies but Betsy had picked up a whole cache of booze from Costco, so we didn't need much. It's about a 1.5 hour drive from there straight west to Cannon Beach.

Does this make us look like alkie cruds?

Susan (AKA Suso/Susi) had arrived the night before with friend Sher and her dog Cowgirl. Susi's husband Jim Alvillar was busy with a trial and couldn't attend. Susi and Sher drove in from Grand Junction, Colorado, a two day trip. Cowgirl was crazy for the bunnies that were all over the area. The house we rented for the week was great - huge open room upstairs. Betsy and Wayne's rental was across the street but they're going to take the one we stayed in next year.

As soon as we arrived we went to Warren House for lunch. A banana and 2 airline cookies doesn't cut it and I was starving! A Bloody Mary and a rockfish po' boy sannie started out my vacation right! 3.5 Moki heads.

Paul, Cindy and I took a beach walk right away. It was quite chilly (60 degrees?) for people used to 90+ degrees. Quite refreshing really. I love that beach. To the right of our beach entrance (our house was just a half block from the beach) is Haystack Rock, and to the left, Frank and Joe. Those are two other rocks that we like just as well at Haystack because they aren't as busy with tourists. Frank and Joe aren't their real names - that's just what my nephew David Kohan called them when he was little, so it stuck.

Bunnies look like they were once pets...

Betsy, Wayne and a few of the kids and friends got there a couple hours after we did. Pizza was the evening meal. We were entertained by Cowgirls bunny antics.

I enjoyed meeting Sher - interesting woman, a writer like me! Cowgirl is on the lookout!

Of course Lemondrop martinis were in order. And I was in luck because Susi is the originator of the fab recipe. So she and I made them together. I love my sisters so much! Even without alcohol. They are smart and caring. Of course they're funny. We have all that history - and we love each other's children and spouses. That's quite a bond when you think about it. To grow up and have these separate lives, but come together seamlessly.

Bullocks rock! Just ask our husbands...
So that was Day 1.