Newport January 2014

So, we heard there was a national weather advisory for the Oregon Coast with 30 foot waves, five inches of rain and dangerous gusts of wind. What does that mean to the Burch Family? Saddle up! A whale might be tossed up above the waves and that would be AWESOME! We started out at the Hatfield Science Center and met up with our friends the Parry Family. Then we parked at Yaquina Head to watch windsurfers bite it--ha ha! Never gets old. We also saw some wise seals huddled up on the leeward side of a cliff and some crazy dumb birds trying to fly and hoping their wings wouldn't break (maybe they took lessons from the surfers?). Did I mention the ocean was about a thousand shades of blue/green/brown/gray/white? My camera ran out of batteries by then of course, but in the long run, all we want to see are the babies so here they are:

 This means trouble.

 Claire with the rescued octopus "Raven."

 Sophie with her favorite sea star.

 This is how Eloise looks at her Daddy.

"Ok, my turn Mom!" (What she really says is "Mom mom mom! Throw throw throw!")

 I'm partial to that crazy feather hair. The mullet bounces when she stomps.

 Playing at the erosion table with our friend Kalia.

 Eloise telling me a story.

 Eloise telling passers by how to run the machine and to read the caution sign. (But it comes out "Throw! Shoes! Wow wow wow!")

 Claire was willing to play in the cold water until her fingers fell off but I drew the line at prune stage.

"Mom! This fish got runned over! He's a flatso!"