Anniversary Ruby (and Other Rocks)

My, how time flies. I can hardly believe that the husbeast and I have been married for 29 years. It's true, life comes at you fast. It's equally true that it's possible to be married for a long time and still be every bit as in love as when you first uttered those 2 little words, "I do". I do, and I still am. I couldn't imagine not having my spouse by my side. And the best part is, it keeps getting better. It doesn't hurt that my other half is a romantic devil. For our 29th Anniversary he whisked me away to our favorite spot on Earth, Moclips. What's a Moclips, you ask? It's an unassuming little spot on the Pacific Coast, a little north of Ocean Shores and just south west of another favorite place, Lake Quinalt. Whenever we need to get away and recharge our souls, this is where we head. And this is the reason I can never move away from this area. I am invisibly tied to the ocean and the rain forests. We invariably stay at the Ocean Crest Resort. Their restaurant burned down last year, but I understand it will be rebuilt. They also had a very nice gift shop which I hope will also make a comeback. We have stayed in many of their rooms over the years. This time we stayed in room 208 which is very near the office. Two things struck me about this room. First, it has the bumpiest floor EVER. Not just in one or 2 places, but all over. It would be interesting to rip the carpet back to see what is underneath. But I will mainly remember it for this lovely art print.

I absolutely adore it. The artist is M.M. Roe (Maggie Row) a native artist who has recently passed away. I am sad to find she is no longer with us, as I had hoped to acquire a print for my collection. The point of this little vacation was to do as little as possible. And that is what we did. We arrived in Moclips Saturday afternoon. We relaxed until dinner time then made the drive to the Quinalt Casino for dinner at Emily's. We stuffed ourselves with anniversary lobsters, then returned to the hotel and fell asleep by 8:30pm. Yes, that's how old folks party. Sunday morning we drove to Kalaloch Lodge for breakfast. The husbeast was quite disappointed to find that they no longer serve their signature French toast. It was amazing. It had a kind of crunchy coating which we discovered was from ground up corn flakes. Alas, it is offered no more. Luckily they still have some delicious offerings on the menu. Here is the view from the cliff near the parking lot.

After breakfast we made the short drive to Ruby Beach. This is the view from the top of the hill, near the parking area.

And about halfway down the trail to the beach.

We love to visit this beach. Not only is it quite lovely but it is where the ashes of my dear mother-in-law are scattered. The beach is famous for its many sea stacks, as well as beach logs and driftwood. But I love it for something else. Rocks. Lots and lots of surf worn rocks.

While the husbeast was busy pretending he was a mountain goat....

...I was unleashing my inner rock hound and filling my pockets with any stones I thought might be lovely once polished. Now all I need is a rock tumbler.

After tromping around on the beach it was time to drive to Lake Quinalt Lodge for lunch.

Once we arrived we weren't quite ready to eat so we decided to have a beer and cigar inside the gazebo.

View of lake from gazebo.

And what I was enjoying.

After splitting a delicious Rueben sandwich and sweet potato fries we made the trek back to Moclips for a nap and then returned to the Quinalt Casino for dinner. Having not learned our lesson the night before, we once again ate too much and went to sleep early. All in all a wonderful relaxing vacation.