Valentine 2009 - A day at the beach

Dan (my brother) and I decided to take our girls to the coast for Valentine's Day. We started the day with a necessary stop at a local caffeine outlet (Dutch Bros & Starbucks). Once everyone was caffeinated...

... we headed towards the coast. Our first stop was for breakfast at Spirit Mountain Casino. The breakfast buffet there is fabulous and I highly recommend it if you find yourself hungry on your way to the coast.
Dan was a bit tired after having gotten off work at 2:30 in the morning... but he pulled through. He's a trooper!

Annie & I enjoyed our drive out to the coast in the Mustang. We enjoyed our conversation and time together. As we got close to Lincoln City the weather got pretty bad. In fact, the clouds were super dark, it was incredibly cold outside, and it was pouring down rain & slush! My windshield was covered in slush. However, as we passed the golf course outside Lincoln City, we got a laugh out of all the golfers who were seeking cover in the golf carts. There must have been 5-7 golf carts spread over the course with people huddling in them seeking cover from the nasty downpour. Fortunately for us, the nasty weather wasn't over Lincoln City itself. There was blue sky above the city.. and clouds on every horizon.

Once we got to the coast itself the weather was perfect for kite flying... which is what Dan and I had hoped to do. So, we headed over to the kite shop across the street, bought Annie & I a cheap stunt kite. Dan grabbed his out of the car, and we all headed to the beach to do some flying.
























And what fun that was! We ended up staying at the coast until around 3PM flying kites. Dan had a malfunction once when our kites crossed paths and he had to head over to the store to get some more string. But he was soon back up and running. Both our kites performed quite well.

Unfortunately the girls hands' kept getting cold. I'm thinking that next time gloves, hats, scarf, and a windbreaker would be a good idea so that they could enjoy the kite flying without being chilled by the wind. And... for Dan, some stronger string. We ended up having some "accidental" kite wars at the end and my kite ended up slicing thru both his kite strings. Oops! ;)


Next up - lunch. We left the lunch location decision up to the ladies, and Cassie suggested Pier 101. The food was good, if a bit expensive ($14 for fish & chips).

Dan and Cassie decided to blow some cash on the one poker machine they had stashed away in a dark closet... they won $3 (which was then promptly lost again).




Next up.. we gave our women some cash and then headed to the Lincoln City Outlet malls. Needless to say, they were happy! Unfortunately Dan & Cassie had to leave soon after getting there... it was getting close to 5:30, and they had to be back home by 6:30 to pick up the kids from Grandma's house.

Annie and I decided to stay and cruised the rest of the outlets there. We saw some pretty cool stores, got some neat books, and she got a sweater. We did however skip the Coach store.. I am told that they charge you for the air you breathe in there.

We ended the night by heading over to Dan & Cassie's to have Mac & Cheese and watch a movie. Overall, it was a great day spent with my best friend, brother and his wife. I hope your Valentines day was just as good, if not better! By all means, leave a comment and let us know!

P.S. Thanks for the comment mom! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your evening with Dad. And.. for what it's worth... we managed to avoid getting sand in the camera. ;)