Cousins Weekend 2010

Last year Mr. Wiedz's cousins got together for a camping trip. We went to Eastern Oregon on the only raining weekend they had last summer. Both tent awnings Mr. Wiedz's cousin had gotten as wedding presents broke in the wind. We all had a nice time, being with family is always better than the weather, but the boys said they were going to plan the next year.

This year we found a house on the second row of the beach in Pacific City. Small paths through the first row houses led to the beach. I'm usually not a beach person. I grew up going to the coast, all of my family lived at the coast but we never went to the beach. And the beach is so messy. But I decided that this trip would really be about the vacation. I would buck up about the mess and enjoy the journey.

While Mr. Wiedz and some of his cousins were out crabbing and #5 was asleep with another cousin at the house I took the big kids to the beach.

They ran...They built sandcastles...They dug...

They played... I knitted...

#5 woke up so cousin T was done watching him...the kids were ready to be done at the beach anyway so we went back to the house, showered all the sandy bodies and got into new clean clothes. Luckily the house had a washer/dryer so I was able to wash all the sandy clothes there.

After #5's lunch the kids and I headed out to Fat Freddy's for lunch. Fat Freddy's was the restaurant I went to with heather and tina in high school, we were in Pacific City for the fireworks on Forth of July and they'd had gotten hamburgers a this roadside burger joint. As a vegetarian I passed but I was so hungry I decided to have just one bite...until I HAD to have my own. I've always remembered that Fat Freddy's turned me from my vegetarianism (my mother was very happy).

The kids and I had a great lunch, Fat Freddy's would still end any ideas of vegetarianism. And walked back to the house. The big kids watched a movie while #4 found a sandy area next to the house to play. I sat outside knitting while we waited for Mr. Wiedz and the second round of cousins to come back.

The cousins and Mr. Wiedz had had wonderful luck on Wiedz Wonder and Cousins Weekend had a crab feast!

No one counted but we think there were nearly 30 dungeness crab on Saturday. The cousins and Mr. Wiedz had SO MUCH FUN on the boat! They pulled crab pots, watched the cooler get fuller and fuller, and motored around the bay.

After our fabulous crab feast Mr. Wiedz took the kids on a sunset beach walk as he had promised. Many of the cousins joined in. #5 was having his evening nap so I took the opportunity to have some minutes to myself. Some much needed minutes sitting on the couch, watching the sunset from the window, working on my quilt project.

Of course a sunset beach walk meant wading in the ocean, rolling down the dunes, and a new batch of sandy bodies and laundry to be washed. But we did it...got everyone clean and warm and in bed.

The next morning was clean up time and getting everything packed back up to head home. As we worked to get that all done Mr. Wiedz's cousins T and B were cooking up a delicious Sunday breaky!

Thank you everyone for a wonderful Cousins Weekend! Can't wait for next year!