Last weekend I got to enjoy time on the northern Oregon coast with my siblings and their spouses for a brief and enjoyable mini reunion at a location that has been our family’s favorite destination since we kids were very young. Sister Julie did the research and found a VRBO property to rent for three nights, situated right on the Prom in Seaside.

Seaside has been a popular beach town for over 100 years, its proximity to Portland (about a 90-minute drive away) making it a natural getaway for families, whether for a quick day trip or a summer-long vacation. Broadway, the main drag, offers a carousel, bumper cars, an arcade and shops to keep visitors occupied on inclement weather days, but beach lovers come for its wide, gently sloping sands and miles-long stretch of Pacific Ocean shoreline.

Several miles north of here, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark spent the winter on their epic Corps of Discovery expedition across the continent in 1804–06, and here they built a salt works to extract salt from the ocean water. A large bronze statue of the pair sits at the top of Broadway where it dead-ends at the Turnaround,  and from here the Promenade (the “Prom”) stretches north and south a mile or more in each direction. This wide paved path paralleling the beach proves perennially popular with walkers and bikers, and beach houses of all eras and styles line the town side. Here, in a charming two-story home (built sometime in the 1940s, I would guess) on the quieter, south end of the Prom, we enjoyed spectacular views over the grass-covered dunes to the ocean while reconnecting with each other.

Upon arriving Thursday afternoon, we unloaded our gear and scouted through the house, assigning rooms and beds before making our way to the beach. My sister’s Labradoodle, Maya, loves exploring the beach, chasing the seagulls and retrieving her ball; and watching her romp added a whole new level of fun to the experience.   The weather couldn’t have been more perfect: 70 degrees, sunny and no wind. September often serves up the best weather on this part of the coast, and we were thankful for it, knowing rain was predicted for the weekend.

Later we sat out on the deck at the front of the house, adorned with geraniums, succulents and nasturtiums along its rock wall,  watching the sun slide towards the horizon.   What a peaceful, beautiful scene and lovely way to end the day!   As the sky darkened, the old-fashioned lamps lining the Prom came on, and the moon hung over the shore, making a pretty shot. 

Friday dawned with the promise of another perfect day. My sisters and I made our first foray of the day onto the beach, walking first to the south end of Seaside Beach, where it terminates at Tillamook Head,  and watched as surfers and paddleboarders in drysuits negotiated the waves in the cove. We basked in the sunshine and each others’ company, sometimes talking over each other and sometimes comfortably strolling quietly along with our thoughts.

When we weren’t on the beach, we were sitting on the deck or around the long kitchen table (with big picture windows overlooking the beach), laughing and sharing stories of our childhood and long-ago trips to the beach. We all live in Washington or Oregon and of course keep in touch via phone and email, but there’s nothing like sitting down together at a meal and sharing time all in one place.

Saturday proved the weather forecasters spot-on with their predictions, with off-and-on showers (sometimes quite heavy) and blustery winds most of the day. No worries, there were plenty of college football games to watch while we kept an eye on the stormy scene outside, and there’s something so appealing about being inside, cozy and warm, on a wet beach day. Dinner that night was crab fettuccini, and several of us spent quite a bit of time cracking crab around the table and sharing more tales.    As sunset approached,  the rain moved on and the clouds began to part, offering us spectacular colors and final rays of sun.

Sunday dawned overcast but dry, with little wind. We had to make one last visit to the beach before packing up and clearing out of the house, drawing in the fresh air and sense of calm that always comes to me when I’m near the ocean. We all agreed we need to plan these trips together more often and return to the beach again soon.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor