Checking Off Bucket List II

Delia took to the sand just like it was the grass at the park! She and Betty chased tennis balls with more than the usual gusto.

 
One thing about never have lived outside the Willamette Valley is never having lived more than a couple of hours from the Pacific Ocean.  I don't go all that often, but there is something comforting about knowing I can get off the continent pretty quickly if for some reason I need to.  Zombies don't swim, after all.  We'd known that we "should" hit the beach before leaving, but we just haven't gotten around to it so we crammed it in just a couple of weeks before heading inland.  It will Delia's first time and today is also her first birthday.

Delia seemed to like the feel of warm sand on her belly and her face.

It was beautiful at Manzanita, but windy on the beach so after about 25 minutes of fetching we gathered our things and went in search of lunch.  At first we were thinking burgers, but then we saw seafood on the menu and each realized that it was a must to eat fish on our last beach visit while living in a state with an oceanic coastline.  After lunch, we came back for more dog-fun!

Betty did not stop zooming around from the time we hit the sand to the time we left.  "Kick it again, Papa!"

It was even windier when we returned and there must have been a dozen or more kite boarders in sight.  Betty was pretty curious about those on the beach, but mostly she wanted to fetch into the incoming tide.  See all that sand on the dogs in these photos?  We brushed ALL of it off and yet ALL of it is in the car and some of it is on their couch. Hey Science!  Explain that! Sigh.

Soooo ti-ohed. 

If only Betty were able to sleep all the way home and every other time we're in the car for longer than 30 minutes.  Instead she gets carsick which makes Delia not want to be in the back seat with her, which makes Betty want to be in the front seat with the rest of the family.  We came prepared, though, and I had an entire large-sized load of dog laundry to do when we arrived home.  Poor puppers.  We hope to get some sedatives for her for the Big Drive in a few weeks.