vacation photos!

I recommend Deluxe Yurt #17 at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. The picnic table overlooks a small lake.

Looking over a woman's shoulder at a fence and, beyond it, a forested lake.

The foghorn at the lighthouse up the road sounds every 30 seconds or so. “Deluxe” means there is a bathroom! with a shower! and fridge and microwave and dvd player and also a little electric “barbecue” on the porch that dings like a toaster oven. As always, I seriously wondered by the time we left for vacation whether all the packing and arrangements were worth it: there’s something about bringing all your own bedding and kitchen gear that is just a LOT. But as always, I concluded afterward, yes, worth it.

A large banana slug on a background of grass and evergreen needles, with a key alongside for scale. The slug is about twice as long as the key.
In addition to this friend, we saw pelicans, sea lions, and many many Steller’s jays.
Boulder on a sand beach, covered in a network of holes to make a honeycomb like pattern.
And rocks.
  • Small beach with forested bluffs on either side, and surf.
    the admiring beach
  • Overcast sky and gradually sloped, calm sea good for swimming, protected by forested points.
    the swimming beach

My vacation reading was David Yoon’s Version Zero, which started out great and held my attention but disappointed by the end, and Robin Stevens’ A Spoonful of Murder— the Wells & Wong mystery I’d been saving, which did not disappoint. When I got home I had an urge to reread Betsy’s Wedding, and got it from the library. I prioritize these rereading cravings like they’re some kind of nutrient deficiency. All better now.