In June, I took the family to Newport, Oregon for a few days at the beach.  I did my undergraduate work at Oregon State which is in Corvallis about 50 miles east of Newport.  Occasionally, I would go there with some friends but we never really had the money to do much.  The highlight of the trip would be eating at Mo’s on the waterfront.  Their clam chowder is famous for a reason.

The harbor is beautiful, as are the beaches.  There’s plenty to do there: skim boarding, rock hounding, deep sea fishing, hiking, world-class aquarium and exploring the tide pools are just some of things you can do there.  There are also some fantastic restaurants there also.  Mo’s (above) the Chowder Bowl and Rogue Ale’s Public House are all excellent places to eat.  A few years ago, I had Cioppino at Shark’s which is located on the waterfront and it was outstanding.

While exploring the marina, I came across this little guy:

Here are some of the pictures that I took while in Newport:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/captuslumen/sets/72157635020015574/

My mom lives in Salem, OR.  In her garden she grows berries and flowers.  Whenever I visit, I usually end up there during berry season (which is also when the roses are in full bloom).  Mom sure can grow some berries:

She’s pretty good with roses also:

When flying out of Seattle, always get a window seat on the left side of the plane.  Here’s why:

My brother-in-law got a new dog and boy is she a pistol!