After a fabulous summer filled with family, friends, relaxing, and traveling, Brian and I are back home in Yaoundé. Before I write about our Middle East trip, though, I want to do a quick post on our time in Oregon. We flew out with my family in mid-July for a Schneider family reunion and spent a total of two weeks on the coast.
First stop was Portland with a lengthy visit to Powell’s—the best bookstore in the world. Stopping here is a highlight of any Oregon trip, and between the six of us, we ended up shipping two huge boxes of books back to Iowa. While in Portland, we also made the quick drive out along the Columbia River to Multnomah Falls. It was a little rainy, but the umbrellas just gave us a new way to photograph this beautiful spot.
Traveling with the Fifields is all about the wine (we stocked up with about a dozen bottles in Portland), and on our way out to the coast, we did a little tasting at the Erath winery.
The reunion itself—to celebrate my grandparents’ 60th anniversary—was near Depoe Bay, a beautiful stretch of coastline.
It was great to see everyone (and to remember just how tall that side of my family is!), and we had a really nice three-day visit. Here’s most of the group at the requisite bonfire/hotdog roast.
Right before everyone departed, my cousin Ben asked John to play his French horn for Ben’s son, Leo. Leo likes to pretend things are horns, so we thought he might get a kick out of seeing a real one. They had a brief duet, but after only a couple minutes, Leo was pretty dissatisfied with his blade of grass. John let him play a mouthpiece for a while…
…but Leo could tell it still wasn’t the real deal. The whole thing was hilarious to watch—such a cute little guy!
It was great to see everyone (and to remember just how tall that side of my family is!), and we had a really nice three-day visit. Here’s most of the group at the requisite bonfire/hotdog roast. 
Right before everyone departed, my cousin Ben asked John to play his French horn for Ben’s son, Leo. Leo likes to pretend things are horns, so we thought he might get a kick out of seeing a real one. They had a brief duet, but after only a couple minutes, Leo was pretty dissatisfied with his blade of grass. John let him play a mouthpiece for a while… 
…but Leo could tell it still wasn’t the real deal. The whole thing was hilarious to watch—such a cute little guy!For the three days after the reunion, Brian and I went to Newport by ourselves. We camped at Beverly Beach State Park for one night and stayed in the Sylvia Beach Hotel for two. A friend had recommended this last place: a huge house right on the beach, with all the rooms themed around different authors. (We were in the F. Scott Fitzgerald room.) The whole thing was so much fun, and we’ll definitely be back. We also met up with our friend Santos (a regular at the poker games in Yaoundé) and his brother in Newport and spent a fun evening playing Trivial Pursuit at an Irish pub with them.
We met back up with my family for a week in Cannon Beach, and on the way out we stopped at Cape Kiwanda.
It’s a gorgeous area, but one of the best parts is the huge sand dunes. They’re exhausting to climb up…but so much fun to run down!
It’s a gorgeous area, but one of the best parts is the huge sand dunes. They’re exhausting to climb up…but so much fun to run down! 
We stayed in a little cottage called the Bonnie Nook for the week and just relaxed—making good use of some of our new Powell’s purchases.
Cannon Beach is one of my favorite places in the whole world, and in addition to reading, drinking wine, and eating at our favorite seafood restaurants, we had a wonderful week of watching sunsets…
…poking around during low tide…
…and flying kites.
Cannon Beach is one of my favorite places in the whole world, and in addition to reading, drinking wine, and eating at our favorite seafood restaurants, we had a wonderful week of watching sunsets… 
…poking around during low tide… 
…and flying kites. 
We also walked down to the beach at Oswald West and watched the surfers.
We were hoping to try this ourselves in Depoe Bay, but the weather didn’t cooperate. I’d really like to give it a shot someday, though, especially out there in the NW. Yes, the water is cold, but the full-body wetsuit means I’d be protected from jellyfish. J
We were hoping to try this ourselves in Depoe Bay, but the weather didn’t cooperate. I’d really like to give it a shot someday, though, especially out there in the NW. Yes, the water is cold, but the full-body wetsuit means I’d be protected from jellyfish. J The last time my whole family stayed at the Bonnie Nook was eight years ago. At that time, John and Emily and I spent an afternoon using the camera’s self-timer to take funny pictures on the porch. We thought we’d recreate two of the classic shots this summer…turns out John’s a lot bigger than when he was 13!
Our last stop before flying out was the Japanese Gardens in Portland—a peaceful spot to cap off a wonderfully restful trip.
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