Mac Family Vacay....at Ft. Stevens

Fort Stevens. It's normally a camper's paradise. NORMALLY....when you A) Stay for more than 3 1/2 days and B) When you camp at any other time during the year EXCEPT during the Hood to Coast Relay. Not that we didn't have fun....'cause we did. But heck, with this group of people, we could have fun riding the escalator back and forth all day long! ;0) (My kinda people!!) But....it was a little more crowded than we would've liked, so we stayed as far away from civilization as possible....(The above pic shows the Iredale wreckage....a couple of IDIOTS were out there climbing on it during low tide....THANKFULLY none of the said idiots were related to me...)

We took advantage of everything that Ft. Stevens had to offer. Historically speaking. (aka CHEAP!) Taking the actual tour of Ft. Stevens. There are 3 different Forts along the Columbia and only ONE has a cool view of the water! It surprised me how interesting the history is - and it amazed me! I've lived in Oregon my entire life and NEVER knew we had that fun little treasure in our own backyard....!

The boys had fun running up and down the battlements....swinging from the fence the sectioned off an old gun that was actually USED to defend the good ol' USA....and they REALLY had fun running through all the old rooms and yelling - just to hear their echoes. Yay....cheap entertainment!

Stann had fun reconnecting with his brothers, sister and Mom....It's always fun to watch him interact with his family...

I had fun with my SIL, MIL and GIL*. And heck, if you couldn't tell...I always enjoy learning more about history....I'm a walking encyclopedia for "useless knowledge" as Stann calls it...because lets admit it....how often do YOU bring up that the Pacific NW was fired upon by a Japanese submarine (while Ft. Stevens was still up and operating...) on June 21, 1942? HOW do you insert that lil' tidbit into conversation??? And yet, I do! ;0)

The boys (Mischief and Mayhem) really enjoyed playing with their cousins. ALL WEEK I heard nothing but sentences beginning and ending with "We go to the beach with cousin Ryan..." in that cute little 2 yr old voice that Mayhem has....

And Mischief was just as bad. Only he grunts. He and cousin Nathan were like two toddler cavemen. They pointed and grunted to get what they wanted this past weekend. The testosterone levels were nigh' to burstin'....!

The girls (Em & Katy) had just as much fun....maybe even more - as they are the much doted on and ONLY nieces in the fam. :) And it's ALWAYS fun to hold a baby....and then give her back to her parents....!

As you can see, Hunky Hubby had fun bonding with both the boys. I was persona non grata. I'm serious. I was pretty much there to take the pics and fix the food for them. What do they care?! ;0) They see me everyday, and I'm ALWAYS at their beck and call....gotta love the joys of motherhood! ;o)

But lets face it...if you had to choose?? Who wouldn't want to have their Daddy, BFF, and Superhero by their side....it was just fun to watch. I LOVE seeing Stann with the boys. He's just somethin' else. (sigh)

I did manage to "talk" Stann into posing for a family picture.

Okay...."talk" isn't really what happened, but I got my picture! (I more or less gave him no choice).

But it was a gorgeous day - and the view was perfect from the Jetty.

Weather was good too - until Sunday when we packed up. :( At least it held off!

Now the trips home....that's another story for another time. But, each car driving home, had their own little side adventures....! ARGH! I sooooo remember now why we dislike traveling on Sunday!!!

But HAD TO SHARE this....I couldn't resist this. Can you believe this was taken IN THE PARKING LOT?! Over by the Iredale Shipwreck. ;0) (TOLD YOU I can insert useless little factoids ANYWHERE.....!) I LOVE IT. The lights, the colors, it TOTALLY reminds me of everything I love about the beach....and why I keep goin' back!
*SIL: Sister in Law, MIL: Mother in Law, GIL: Gramma in law