the wandering chick
...our reunion in Oregon
June 23 - 27, 2015

Well, gang, we did it again! Our 9th annual gathering took us to the northern coast of Oregon. Per our traditional plan of attack, we met on a Tuesday night, this year in Tillamook, and said our good-byes Friday morning after two days filled with the sights of historical northern Oregon.

Tillamook is the home of Ann (Peterson) Overmyer, so she and Dick were our fearless leaders to such places as the Tillamook Creamery - where, after comparison (and compare we did!!) no two people seemed to have paid the same price for their ice cream (!?%$#$%!!?), the Meares State Park Lighthouse, Fort Clatsop National Park, Ecola State Park and the oceanside towns of Seaside and Astoria.

We had a couple of newcomers this year. Evelyn Anderson, who at age 95, missed out on nothing except maybe a trolley ride in Astoria and whose wise mantra was, "Keep walking." Our other newcomer was Sandy Day who wised up quickly to what she got herself into by joining up with this group! We hope both return in future years.

We missed a few 'regulars,' like John and Linda Van der Slice and Donna Lake, whose names came up more than once. We hope to see you all next year. On behalf of the reunion group, I extend condolences to Donna whose mother passed away while we were in Oregon.

Thank you, Ann and Dick - and Sue (Fox) Upton, who also had a part in planning the activities - for showing us how beautiful the state of Oregon truly is. And thanks to Bill for sending pictures for this site and to Jerry for not only sending pictures, but especially for taking on the e-mail task each year of sending out the who, what, when and where of these reunions.

See you all next year!! Rapid City, S. Dakota was mentioned!

at Tillamook Creamery
Here is most of the group, taken at the Tillamook Creamery the first afternoon before everyone had checked in.
the group at the Tillamook Creamery
Al and Evelyn
checking in
dick and ann
Al greeting Evelyn
It's been a few decades since many have seen Evelyn. Al and Evelyn are meeting for the first time.
Al and Evelyn meeting
dick and ann greeting evelyn
sandy meeting evelyn
diane and dale at cape meares lighthouse
bill and ann discussing...something
It normally takes three-quarters of the group to figure out where we're going and how to get there - but Bill and Ann seem to have it under control.
Our first stop was the Cape Meares overlook and lighthouse, just outside Tillamook and a stop along the Three Capes Scenic Loop.
at the Capes Meares lighthouse
at Capes Meares lighthouse
at cape meares
at cape meares
sandy
at cape meares
sue, sheila, charlie and dale
at cape meares
at cape meares
at cape meares
at cape meares
at cape meares
at cape meares
Cool socks, Dude!!!
the overlook at Ecola State Park
ecola state park
The next highlight we visited was the Ecola State Park just north of Cannon Beach. One of the more serene views, so typical of the Oregon coast, it's one that Jerry frequented many years back when living in Oregon. The bench he sat in back then may be long gone, and the grounds re-arranged, but the view will always be.
the guys at ecola state park
at ecola state park
dick in the flowers
At first, I thought Dick might be picking flowers for Ann, but upon closer look, he's just checking his phone. C'mon, Dick, let your romantic side shine!
sheila and charlie
al and dale at ecola state park
dale and sandy at ecola state park
walking the hill toward al and annie at ecola state park
at ecola state park
at ecola state park
at ecola state park
Al, Annie and Charlie at Pirate's Cove Restaurant, Garibaldi
Dinner Tuesday night was at the Pirate's Cove in Garibaldi, just north of Tillamook. Since Annie and Al had traveled most of the day, they rested up for awhile, then met up with us for dinner.
at Pirate's Cove, Garibaldi
dale with a 'drink'
So, do tell, Dale...whatcha got in that there cup?
lunch at norma's in seaside
After seeing a few sights on Wednesday, we made our way to the Holiday Inn Express in Seaside, then met up here at Norma's for lunch.
Evelyn Anderson
waiting for a table at norma's
at Norma's in Seaside
lunch at Norma's in Seaside
At one end of the table, Bill is showing a video of some fish - good sized fish - swimming around in a pond...or a lake...somewhere. Anyway, it was a great video.
in front of the Lewis & Clark Monument, Seaside
in Seaside at the Lewis & Clark Monument
Sheila remembered "a tall monument" somewhere in Seaside where her dad once took her. It turned out to be this one, the Lewis & Clark Monument on Seaside's boardwalk.
With an expression like that, Ann MUST be acting a little mischievous. Could those perhaps be her fingers sticking out over innocent Shiela's head?
walking the hood in Seaside
Walking the 'hood in Seaside, making our way to the Salt Works where Lewis & Clark temporarily cured and stored their meats for the winter.
susan taking picture of dropped ice cream cone
Could anyone else be more easily entertained?? Taking a picture of Sue taking a picture of a dropped ice cream cone! Really? Sue, we gotta get a life!!!
at fort clatsop
Another historic site we all made it to was Fort Clatsop National Park, where the Lewis & Clark corps spent the cold and damp winter of 1805-1806.
the peter iredale shipwreck
at the peter iredale shipwreck
Here lie the rusty remains of The Peter Iredale, a casualty of the treacherous Columbia River sandbar. The iron sailing ship ran aground while in a storm on October 25, 1906 while heading to the Columbia River. The skeleton is located at Oregon's Fort Stevens State Park. (Anyone interested in seeing pictures I took last summer of the Peter Iredale can click here.)
on the beach
sue and bill upton on the beach
A few of us wanted to get our feet in the sand, so we headed for the closest beach outside Astoria.
lunch at the Labor Temple
Because a caravan of too many cars proved difficult, we all chose our own activities on Thursday and met later in the day for dinner. This group needed a hold-over until our 6:30 dinner rondezvous, so we found this little cafe' called The Labor Temple in Astoria. Perfect.
at the Astoria Column
From there, we headed to the Astoria Column. It was under renovation and completely wrapped, but the hill on which it stands 600 feet above the city offers a 360-degree view overlooking Astoria. It was definitely worth the trek up.
at the Astoria Column
at the Astoria Column
the view from the Astoria Column
the view from the Astoria Column
The view north over the mighty Columbia River and toward the state of Washington. The Astoria- Megler Bridge spans the Columbia and is just over four miles long.
Looking east toward the cloud-engulfed Coastal Range.
on the Astoria trolley
on the Astoria trolley
The Astoria trolley is a fun way to get a narrated tour of the wharf.
on the Astoria trolley
jerry and dale
We reallly wanted Evelyn to take the trolley with us, but the step up was just a bit too high for her. She and Dale waited patiently for our return.
Don't worry, he's okay.
Dinner at the Baked Alaska in Astoria
Dinner at the Baked Alaska in Astoria
Dinner was at the Baked Alaska in Astoria, on the wharf. We were happy to meet up with Juanita, Evelyn's daughter, and great grandson at The Baked Alaska.
at the Tillamook Creamery
Dinner at the Baked Alaska
at the Meares Lighthouse
Nice shot, Bill. Taken at the Meares State Park lighthouse and overlook
taking pictures at the Meares State Park overlook
At the Meares State Park lighthouse and overlook
Meetings and greetings at the Ashley Inn, Tillamook.

To view some of the previous reunions, please return to the reunion home page.

Or, you can also view the old (but not ancient!!) pictures taken when we were all in Vilseck.

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