Back in 1993 my boyfriend and I drove to Oregon, impetuously deciding to move there to follow the next chapter of our life somewhere other than the midwest. Winding the curves of Highway 20, Newport was my first peak at the Pacific Ocean and the very first beach I experienced on the Oregon Coast. Cresting the highway and seeing Newport below, almost like a mirage against the backdrop of the ocean, is still crystal clear in my memory even 21 years later, that's probably why we dropped everything and ended up moving there for two years. I don't get back there as often as I would like, but it definitely holds a special sentimental place in my heart where everything seemed very simple and all the opportunities of life were ahead of you.
So I was super excited to be invited back for the weekend to Newport by a friend who was, in fact, the first person I met when we moved there back in the day. Her place, just blocks from Nye Beach, is part of an assembly of little cottages ringing a beautiful garden and grassy lawn. Look up and your surrounded by those wind swept coast trees, Sitka spruce and Douglas Fir alike. A little private nook to play board games on the grass or let the kids run off some wild energy.
The walk down to Nye Beach was warm, the hardy flowers that exist on the coast (although I was never able to successfully grow them when I lived there) where all in full bloom: hydrangeas, wild roses, purple asters, lots of things I don't know what they're called, too. The beach itself was windy, very good for kiting, not so good for trying to keep warm even with a cup of coffee from our favorite bakery (Panini's) . My friends were superior sand castle builders, utilizing multiple buckets and garden shovels dragged down from their garden shed, they obviously have the skills down! Although Newport holds much sentiment for me, it's a little coast town that I would genuinely recommend to anyone, even if you've seen the Pacific Coast a ton of times.
