We started it out by going to visit Isis (who is being boarded due to my brother-in-law's allergies) so that they could meet her, and I was pleased as punch with how well behaved she was. Grasshopper was a little too intimidated to pet her (she is, after all, considerably bigger than he is) but he did throw her treats, and giggled as she went after them.
After that we hit the road, and after a quick stop at Trader Joe's for snacks (they'd never been to one, so it was a revelation) it was smooth sailing all the way to Cannon Beach, where the first order of business was to thoroughly encase Grasshopper in protective gear. We got a lot of big smiles at his high adorability as we walked through town, and I think all three of us adults were wishing that we had pants that shed water so effortlessly.
We had lunch at one of my favorites (Bill's Tavern and Brewhouse), and then went and walked on the very windy beach. It was so misty that you couldn't really see Haystack, which was disappointing, but Grasshopper was pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing, and the only complaint he had was that his parents wouldn't let him get in the water (Aunt Jenny O probably would have let him wade, but then that's probably why most people don't trust me with their children). After that we needed to warm up, so we stopped in at the Chocolate Cafe, which was new to me (apparently they've been open less than a year). Gentle Readers, I cannot rapturize enough about this place. First of all, the quality of the chocolate was holystarsyes. But more importantly than that, their customer service was impeccable. My brother-in-law accidentally knocked his full cup of coffee across the table as he wrangled Grasshopper into submission- they replaced it immediately and free of charge. And then they gave my sister-in-law an entirely new hot cocoa when she didn't like her first one (not that she complained to them- but I made a gentle and private suggestion to the girl behind the counter that they might want to put an explanation for what a "Mayan hot cocoa" is on their menu, since I just assumed my sis-in-law knew, but she just thought it was like "Swiss" or "Belgian" and therefore was not prepared to find chiles in her chocolate!). And they were so sweet about everything! I ended up buying four truffles to take home to Nathan as a "Sorry you couldn't come!" consolation prize.
Once we'd regained our warmth, I took them to my favorite surf spot, which they proclaimed their favorite part of the day (although Grasshopper slept through most of it on his dad's back). Hopefully I will eventually have some photos to add to this post, but in the meantime, have my interpretation of me being happy with my Mayan chocolate demitasse:
Finally we piled back into the car and headed home, where Nathan was pleased with his consolation prize, and even cooked us a delicious meal of spice-rubbed pork chops and carrots.
No comments:
Post a Comment