Shorts

Comfort. In these troubled economic times, it is what we are looking for. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes, pot roast and stewed vegetables. Can’t buy a new red car, buy a new red lipstick instead. Put off your haircut another week. Do your own nails. Recession is no longer just the “R” word, recession is here.

It is not the time to book a three week safari, but sometimes we do need to get out and get away. Every once in a while we need to forget our troubles and take a short breather.

In September I had a big birthday...one of those birthdays that you don’t even think about when you are twenty. I have a big trip planned with a girlfriend in November to celebrate our graceful aging, but I wanted to plan a family celebration for my special day. An expensive trip was out of the question. What I needed was something intimate and memorable that would make this birthday special for me and my family, and yet, not cost so much that I worried more about the money than I enjoyed our time together.

We searched the internet and found tree hotels, mountain hideaways and desert pueblos. Everything involved long drives, short flights or boats. However, there was one possibility that we were forgetting. Close by and familiar: Cannon Beach is my favorite Oregon destination. It is only 75 minutes away—but, far enough. That, I decided, would be the place.

The planning stage became a game... how inexpensively could I plan a wonderful three day getaway for a family of four? Since it was all about me, I planned the vacation around what I like --- walk, hike, take photographs and read. I don’t like set plans or changing out of sweats to eat. I told my family that they would know I was dressed up if I put on lipstick.

I found that it was less expensive to stay in a cottage than to rent two rooms. It would be less expensive to take our favorite coffee than to go out for breakfast each morning, and we could take a nice bottle of our favorite vodka and skip the evening cocktail out. I filled our picnic hamper with brats, breads, chips, coffee and a bottle of Belevedere Vodka and off we went for a short getaway at one of the most scenic places in the United States. On the way to the beach we stopped at my favorite fruit and vegetable stand and bought berries, apples, pears, nuts and vegetable chips. My two daughters, my husband and I packed warm-up suits, flip-flops and light jackets. We arrived in Cannon Beach late in the morning on an overcast and chilly day.

En route to our lodgings we stopped at Cranky Sue’s, one of my favorite restaurants at the beach. We enjoyed her “Crabby Cakes” which were a perfect start to a holiday at the shore. Then off to our cottage. My daughter had baked a cake and hidden it in the bags of groceries and ordered flowers which were in our cottage when we arrived. Although our little two bedroom bungalow was not luxurious, the surprise cake and flowers made me feel special and loved.

We were so close to the ocean that we could hear the waves on the shore. The sound of the sea made us feel very far away from all of our cares. The ocean was wild as it often is on the Northwest coast. The breakers crashed onto the shore with the pounding that is at once frightening and alluring. We walked along the beach, close together, a family unit laughing and playing, hunting shells and rocks. We were a beautiful sight to see. Several people stopped us to talk, they seemed to want to be a part of the intimacy, if only for a moment.

Haystack Rock at sunset Photo by rebak

My husband and I walked along the beach to Haystack Rock and searched for puffins while the girls ran along the shore. We watched the shore birds and the pelicans in flight. At sundown we were too lazy to go out to dinner, so we ate chips and nuts, we read and watched a little television. When it was truly dark I walked back to the sea alone. You can hear the ocean better at night, the sound of the waves upon the shore. The draw of the ocean was strong and the sound of the waves crashing was enveloping. The constellations shone clearly. This was my birthday gift to myself. The Ocean. And then I was not alone. I was sandwiched between my daughters. We listened, each in our private thoughts.

The next morning broke clear and warm. We made the single purchase of our trip: beautiful kite. We spent the day on the beach, watching the kite sail high on the winds and running from the cold northern surf. Somehow the day disappeared in a moment. At sundown we went out for steaming hot, tasty chowder. The last day was another gift. It was hot. After coffee and cinnamon toast brought from home, we went back to the beach. Like before, we chased the surf, flew the kite and walked along the shore to Haystack Rock, but still no puffins. At lunchtime we grilled brats on the outdoor gas grill. After lunch the girls and I went window shopping in town and by late afternoon it was time to pack the car and head home.

It was a perfect birthday getaway. How did we do in our “Low-Cost Game”?

Cost for a family of four:
$370.00 - Cottage for two nights
$ 50.00 - Gas
$ 26.00 - Kite
$ 25.00 - Lunch
$ 32.00 - Dinner

Total $503.00
Cost per person per day $ 41.92

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