Thankfulness for: Oregon and... so much more

My theme of this trip and of the time since we have been back in Colorado has been thankfulness. Norine and I are trying to read together a book titled: One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp. We hope to finish it by Christmas... Yes, reading time is very limited.... It is a wonderful, spiritual and inspiring read and a compelling invitation to be thankful to our creator for what we have and experience every single day, starting with the very small things.  Being thankful is helping to change my attitude and to enjoy each moment more. All that we are, we have received for free from God and does not come from our ingenuity, money or hard work. I am thankful for my children and their health and smiles and hugs even when Iam grumpy. I am thankful for the opportunity to visit wonderful places and experience life in other parts of the world. I am also thankful for the sun that shines and the cool air that is starting to bring touches of fall to Colorado. I am thankful for my wife and life companion, who accepts me for what I am and helps me to be better. And today, I am thankful for these pictures and the memories that they bring back. And for "Jonathan", the little Redwood tree that Pietro bought at the  rangers' station in Crescent City, CA. I hope it will survive here in Colorado.
If you  read my previous post, I promised to "disclose" the location of the pictures shown there. The waterfall is Multnomah Falls near the Columbia River. The pictures by the ocean were taken in Bandon and Tilamook (yes, that's where they make Tila-Mook cheese), Oregon.

I still want to post a video of the 19-legged star fish.  Just need some time to pull it off the video-camera. Sign off for automated email updates (up on the right side of this page), so you'll know when I do.

I also have a couple of more exciting things (at least, I think they are) to post really soon, so do come back to visit again...

Pietro, at the amazing 747-Evergreen water park in McMinnville, OR. 

Scooby doo on his shirt seems excited as well.

Erosion

starfish at a tide pool in Bandon, OR

Enjoying a cool beach and tide pools

I have always wondered why the Oregon license plate has a huge evergreen tree on it, and not the beach. After driving hundreds of miles through the state, I now know. Duh....

One of the most beautiful lakes we have ever seen: Crater Lake, OR

The sound of the Ocean

What do you think about when you hear the word "ocean"?
For our family it is not just hot sun, warm waters and  snorkeling, but rather quiet beaches, cool breeze and amazing tide-pool discoveries in early morning fog.  We spent ten days driving along the Oregon coast and experiencing sand dunes, cold ocean water, observing star fish and anemones, watching birds flying just above the crest of waves and then diving beak first to catch a fish. What kind of birds are those?
More than anything, Norine and I enjoyed sitting on a quiet cool beach and just listening to the sound of the waves. Have you ever listened to the waves? what do they tell you? They have a soothing effect and the ability to make me forget about my worries and list of things to do...

So where were the photos below taken?  Wait for the next post to find out.