Summer Vacation

The Count and I have been talking about how we could really use a vacation. Not even Hawaii or Bali (don't we wish?), but seriously, just a day or two to get out of our routines. Or heck, how about out of the city limits?

We chose the hottest weekend of the year to make our little family getaway. I was looking forward to the heat as my last farewell to summer before accepting that fall was soon to be here. And seriously, for a girl who was born on the cold Oregon coast, you would think that I would be used to the Pacific Northwest's permanent state of spring and fall. But I crave the heat. I seriously do not understand when my friends complain that it's too hot here in Portland. It will be cold soon enough, trust me.

So where did we choose to go to enjoy the heat? Newport, Oregon, which turned out to be the coldest place in the state. It was so foggy that we couldn't even see the ocean. Here are some pictures:
We chose Newport because we have been promising our budding marine biologist, ZimDee, that we would take a trip to the Oregon Coast Aquarium before the summer was over. Yes, he's still as obsessed with fish as ever, and I hope he continues down that path. We also chose Newport because we could get there and back in a day without having to rent a motel room.

Apparently, a lot of other people had the same idea, because the line to the aquarium was longer than I've ever seen it:Which left me time to take some scenery pictures:



And it was all worth the wait.

For the jellyfish:
And the crab:

The tidepools:
The seals:
And the walk-through tunnel:
There was a really cute scene with a puffin splashing Sprout, I think on purpose:


And a very cool creature called a basket star:
But no trip to the aquarium would be complete without being eaten by a shark:

Next stop: The Enchanted Forest in Salem, Oregon.