Drift Creek Falls - Oregon Coast

Time to share with y'all about what I did over my Christmas break. I did some more vintage shopping, of course, but I'll get to that in a later post. This previous weekend, I was visited by my best friend (another Katie whom I've known since diapers) and her husband. When looking for things to do, I mentioned that there was a hike not far from my house in Lincoln City, Oregon that has always been on my "Oregon Bucket List" (i.e. things to do before I leave Oregon). Drift Creek Falls is a beautiful, family-friendly hike down to a suspension bridge overlooking a lovely waterfall. The only irritating part about this excursion was the 12 mile drive to the trailhead from Highway 101 up a narrow twisting logging road. Other than that, it was a beautiful hike on a beautiful day...see for yourself.

 Moss covered trees on the Drift Creek Falls Trail.

 Drift Creek Falls as seen from the suspension bridge over the falls.

Walking across the suspension bridge. Beware that this bridge is not for the faint of heart when it comes to heights...it wobbles!

Snow Day

I'm sure many of you are waking up to familiar scenes covered with snow this time of year. However, for those of us on the Oregon Coast; snow storms are a pretty rare event (thankfully). Nonetheless, it did snow last night...just in time for me to decorate my Christmas tree :)

Hood River, Oregon

Last week, I had some free time and made a spontaneous trip up to Hood River, Oregon with my brother, Dan, who was in town from Chicago on business. If you've never been to this part of the country, trust me...you need to go. Nestled in the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River is the essence of living in the Pacific Northwest. This is a major destination for windsurfers seeking thrills on the Columbia River, skiers and snowboarders wanting to shred powder on Mt. Hood, and for tourists in general who want to experience the beauty and bounty of the Northwest. Full Sail beer is brewed here, and it is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country.

Being me, I decided to dink around downtown to see what flea markets or thrift stores I could find. Turns out that Goodwill just opened a "boutique store" in downtown Hood River that features the higher end items that have been donated, at slightly higher prices, but still not unreasonable. I found a lot of Coach purses, a couple of Christian Dior clothing items, and unfortunately, someone had nabbed a pair of Tory Burch shoes before I got there. Nonetheless, I was able to find some items for my etsy store which I will be featuring in subsequent posts. Here is a glimpse at something that I liked inside the store...

I didn't nab it for the store, so this item may still be at the boutique. Regardless, I highly recommend a visit when you are in this neck of the woods!

Wild Weather Weekend

It was one of those weekends on the Oregon Coast, the kind where you just curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and watch the storms come in off the ocean. We are currently experiencing the remnants of  Japanese typhoon as I write this (i.e. 80 mile an hour wind gusts). That is just one of the many interesting aspects of life on this sparsely populated coast; we regularly get hurricanes come on shore, but they are never named and are hardly ever reported in the national news. At any rate, some pictures of the storm...

Setting Moon

I snapped this photo on my way into work the other morning; the setting moon (as the sun rises) over the Pacific on the Oregon Coast.