Today is officially the last day of Summer for our little family – despite the fact that our sad Portland weather makes us feel as though Summer has just begun. No, school and work will not wait any longer and tomorrow we will all be forced to come back to earth with a big, heavy thud.

Not that it’s all bad of course. We’re excited for Thomas’ first day of Kindergarten and I have all of his school supplies purchased and ready to go. We also have our house back after months of hosting guests. As much as we enjoyed playing tour guide this Summer, there’s something to be said for the pleasure that comes from putting everything back in it’s proper place.

I also have my access to the computer restored and plenty of vacation photos to share. See? Not all bad.

I’ll begin with our first day at Nye beach, Newport. We left sunshine in Portland to drive three hours to the misty, cold ocean, with just enough remaining sunlight to take some quick photos of the beach…

… and one of the most impressive sand castles I’ve ever seen.

Thomas and Karin decided to brave the freezing water.

You’ll notice that Thomas is wearing gumboots while Karin is not.

Which gave Thomas an advantage until he stepped in a puddle that his boots couldn’t handle.

So needless to say, it was a quick visit to the beach on our first day.

Back with more soon.