Tim’s birthday was Thursday. We spent a good percentage of the week celebrating because birthday fun should always last at least a few days! The excitement kicked off on Tuesday with a snowshoeing adventure in Mt. Hood National Forest. We took along our friends and enjoyed a day in gorgeous, warming sunshine.
We stopped for lunch (and a hefty dose of much-needed vitamin D!) at the frozen, but beautiful Lower Twin Lake. While we were eating, a curious gray jay landed on my friend’s head – perhaps mistaking her for a mound of snow.
When Thursday rolled around, Tim and I headed for the central Oregon coast. The optimal time to visit is during winter because crowds are non-existant and you end up having a massive stretch of beach all to yourself. We spent two hours in pure solitude near Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge.
Tim loves recording nature sounds and took advantage of a low wind day to capture the waves ebbing and flowing.
I goofed around,
and wrote messages in the sand.
We wandered to a different portion of the coast and watched people come and go.
Once back in Portland, we stopped at the downtown Veggie Grill for Tim’s birthday meal (they have a birthday club and if you join, you get a free entree on your special day!). The food was delicious. The photographs didn’t turn out very well, but… There was homemade birthday cake later in the evening!
Double chocolate layer cake with chocolate ganache filling, chocolate frosting, and chocolate curls sprinkled on top. It was… chocolaty! That ends Tim’s birthday celebrations!
wow – loving the blue in these pictures!!
We lucked out with some very clear skies and lots of sunshine – a rare moment in the Pacific Northwest this time of year. :)
Happy birthday Tim! That looks like my kind of celebration. It’s incredible what diverse scenery you have over in the US, truly stunning.
The Oregon coast is remarkably beautiful! :)
SQUEAL!!!! That gray jay picture made my day! What a friendly fellow and how fortunate to have captured the moment. Happy Belated Birthday, Tim! What an awesome adventure. The cake is perfect! Where did you find that adorable bird plate? I have a canary so I’m partial to birds ;)
I am glad you enjoyed the gray jay photograph. It made my day too. There were dozens of them swooping around trying to sneak a peck of our lunches. HA! The cake is actually on a cake stand, not a plate! My sister gave it to me for my birthday last year – not sure where she found it though. I can ask. :) I’m jealous that you have a canary! I love birds so much.
Get a male canary; you won’t regret it! The best is whenever it’s raining or a blizzard outside, their beautiful singing is like a breath of Spring :)
Happy Birthday to Tim!! Those photos are absolutely gorgeous, it looks so idyllic there! Sounds like a pretty amazing time!
What a super fun day!! The beach pictures are GORGEOUS! I’ve got to visit that wildlife refuge when I’m in the area. How funny that the bird mistook your friend’s head as a perch! I hope Tim had a fabulous day!
What a beautiful coastline! Do people snorkel or scuba dive near those amazing, towering rocks in summer?
I love the gray jay shot! Luck and timing came together well. Somewhere in the world it must be considered good luck to have a bird land on your head. Your friend may now be blessed with good fortune.
Funny how we both headed to the coast to celebrate our beloveds’ birthdays!
Wow, what an amazing place!
What a lovely birthday celebration. I am also of the opinion that birthdays should last a few days, at least.
Yay for awesome birthday celebrations. You guys definitely have the right idea making it last a few days. The gray jay picture is rad too!
Looks like a fantastic celebration. Birthdays should definitely last at least a few days. Happy belated to Tim! And beautiful photos :)
Happy Birthday to Tim. It looks like an amazingly beautiful and calm day. How incredible that the bird perched on yr friend’s head and you were able to get a picture of it without it getting away! Also, goregous cake!!
AWESOME photos! Fun!!!!
Thank! It was overwhelmingly fun!
You kind of glossed over the cake, but WOW! Leave it to a photographer to be quick enough on the trigger to capture the bird.
Haahaa! I love your enthusiasm for sweets! That cake is well missed at the moment. :)
The silly bird came back several times and swiped a few peanuts from our lunch so I had time to get a proper photograph.
The Oregon coast is so beautiful! I’d love to go there someday. That’s my kind of birthday celebration, so fun! Really nice job on the cake too :)
That looks like a fun day! Glad he had a good bday :) Those are some beautiful photos you took. I love birds, I wish one would land on my head :D Glad you found my new blog too :)
Waw! What a lovely gat away!
Yeah for your fun pictures too! Lovely! I love the sea a lot! :)