Day Twelve. Today's post actually begins yesterday. After I uploaded all the pictures from the drive to Newport, where we are now, the five of us vacated the room and strolled along the oceanside, making footprints in the sand, while we watched the sun sink below the cloudless horizon.

Descending the stairs from the hotel to the wide, sandy beach. The sand is quite compact, so we could walk on it without any worry of getting sand in our shoes since some of us have a dislike of the phenomenon. 

We started our gallivant after dinner and jest before the sky began to change color.

The hotel in which we are currently residing. It's not crowded at all, though apparently it gets quite packed with tourists in the summer. Lucky us, traveling in the cooler months.

We walked for over an hour, just wandering along the shoreline. Waves gently rolled ashore almost like a lullaby. 

Every now and then, we came across these shallow, very shallow, streams from the cliff rock.

Gradually the sky changed colors, shifting through light pastels to more vibrant hues as the sun dipped below the horizon where ocean meets sky.

Returning from the after meal stroll, every one changed into bathing suits and we crossed the parking lot to the indoor saltwater pool for a quick dip before retiring to bed.

The next morning was the epitome of leisure. We woke up from a deep slumber around 10 A.M. Mom and dad quietly conversed as the rest of us slowly came to. We then proceeded to play on computers, read blogs and books, sip green tea, and take showers. When we finally got ourselves out of the room it was past 12 P.M. and we had not yet eaten breakfast. 

The plan was to purchase breakfast (or when we got around to it, lunch) at a small French bakery, take it to an outlook over the ocean, and enjoy the French pastries while scanning the waters for signs of whales. 

Dad programming the navigation system as two of us ordered coffees at Starbucks. The French cafe did not have soy milk so that left us with returning to the chain cafe for an accompaniment to the croissants that became lunch.

And this is where we ended up with our luxuriant meal. Surprisingly, it was not windy at this cliff overlook. 

Although we did not spot any whales, we did find several seals sunbathing on a beach far below us. They were stone still so at first we thought they had departed this world for the other side, but one of them moved his head when once us happened to have the one pair of binoculars trained on them, thereby dispelling that suspicion.

The white building is just a souvenir shop (which we skipped) but from this angle looks fantastical.

Next we moved on to the small town of Depoe Bay (according to the sign, world's smallest harbor). Here we were supposed to see whales, but I don't think we were patient enough to actually catch sight of anything. We only stayed at this spot for a few minutes, taking turns gazing out at the ocean's waves with the binoculars before turning back to the car. However, according to a report on whales in Newport, three of the aquatic animals were seen somewhere in the area today.

Yet another stop along the roadside. 

Sitting at the cliff's edge.

Soon joined by others.

Once we got our fill of the water, we found this organic store in Newport. We meandered the aisles looking for tonight's snacks. We decided on Strawberries, peaches and hot cocoa. The store was quite interesting. It had many of the brands we buy at Whole Foods, an aisle stocked with a selection of the natural medicines that I peruse every time I go to the store, and a seeds rack that thoroughly entranced my mom and me with the possibilities for our garden at home.

The last event of today: a long walk on the beach. The walk was six miles, from our hotel until the beach ended in cliffs. The wind was gentle and warm, the water freezing cold, and the sand fine and firm. 

 The sun was shining bright and warmly. Mom and I took our shoes off for the walk back. It was the best idea I've had today. It was like a three-mile foot massage. 

We found several crab carcasses on our escapade. Yesterday we saw a seagull tearing a crab apart, so perhaps that is what happened to this creature as well.

Now the sun has set and the air wafting into the room is cool and calling me to sleep. With hot cocoa in hand, the five of us are viewing a little television before placing our heads atop pillows. A good day spent, and a good night ahead. Good night!

おやすみ！