Beach Bums and a Chowder Run

You may have noticed a few Facebook pictures last week that hinted at our most recent visit to Doggie Disneyland (a.k.a. the beach).  Well, last Wednesday we drove two and a half hours to Long Beach, Washington and enjoyed a long relaxing weekend on the coast.  Not only did Athena have plenty of opportunities to play with her ball in the sand, but we also had many adventures in a beach town that we'd never visited before.

While in Long Beach we experienced small-town living, something that we are not at all accustomed to here in Portland.  I struggled with the fact that the closest Starbucks was a thirty minute drive across a bridge back in Oregon (Athena didn't mind the drive as along as she got her puppuccino) and that our beach rental had no wireless internet and either did many of the local businesses.  We lucked out with the weather however, and had four beautiful days of sunshine opposed to the four days of predicted rain that was in the forecast.  One downside to the trip was that B and I were both eaten alive by mosquitoes and still can't--stop--itching!!!!

We didn't let those mosquitoes stop us though, and Athena played ball on the beach many, many times throughout our trip.  She even lost a Chuckit ball in the sand and finally "popped" her first Chuckit ball meaning that we had to pay an exorbitant price for new balls at the local store.

Not only were those new Chuckit balls expensive, but I also had to pay tax on them!  Visiting Washington always makes me miss Oregon and reminds me that us Oregonians are a bit spoiled in a few departments.  For one, unlike in Washington, here in Oregon there's no sales tax, so I forget that when I look at a price it's always going to be more expensive at the register.  I also pumped my own gas for the first time; another perk to living in Oregon is that we just roll right on up to the pump and an attendant pumps the gas for us.

On a whim, I decided to sign Athena and I up for the Beach to Chowder 5k race on Saturday.  Not only did the race allow dogs, but it was a 3.1 mile course entirely in the sand!  As fun as it was and as wonderful of a running partner that Athena was (after the first mile...), running in sand is quite a different experience than running on pavement.  The race concluded with clam chowder in the nearby park where Athena lounged on her mat and begged for a bite.

We spent most of our mini-vacation with Athena, bringing her to as many dog-friendly locations as possible, but there were a few instances when she spent some time in her crate at the cabin.  One of those instances happened to be when we spent an afternoon with some new friends.

I can't wait to tell you all about them tomorrow!