stacy lane, stella and sharon see the seashore

With the lingering thoughts of Mothers Day I thought I would share with you my dear Stacy Lane's visit out West.  

Stacy is one of my oldest friends, we have know one another since the third grade.  We really became close our senior year of high school.  In fact, one term we shared nearly identical class schedules aside from my having yearbook and her having Spanish for one period.  We were drama geeks together.  After our prom we went to a concert for a band I had never heard of but I knew it would be a good time.  For her, and Jack and Kat, I watched countless Tarantino films.  It has been a privilege to share life together.  She went to college with my brothers and I was lucky enough to get to visit her there a few times...visiting friends at college when you go to an out-of-state school is not so easy.  Summers home from college were always full of promise because Stacy lived two blocks from me.  We went on night bike rides and danced in the rain together.  I was honored to be a bridesmaid when she and Adam married.  When Eleanor came two months early, I drove through a blizzard to deliver the quilt I had made in one night.  It was a great wonder to hold both of her babies for the first time.  They are so dear and seeing her as a mother is so sweet.

Stacy was the first of my dear friends to become a mother.  The visit was her first time away from her son.  I was quite honored to get to have her all to myself for the weekend.  We hit all the sights downtown: Saturday Market, Powell's, Voodoo and then headed for a more scenic spot.

 We took the long way down the historic highway 30 and found a great overlook to enjoy our donuts and coffee.

 There was much to see on the path up to the Falls.  A boulder damaged the bridge so we didn't get a chance to walk over it but it was quite magnificent all the same.

Sunday afternoon we headed to the Coast.  The road rolled through the hilly terrain.  The trees, even without the foliage, were thick.  Neither Stacy nor myself (nor Stella) had met the Pacific before.  

 We drove right out onto the beach.

It was a rare sunny April day and weather was lovely.

 Stella, who hates water, really enjoyed the vast open space to run as far and fast as she wanted.

We sat and watched the sun set.  

It reminded me of those mornings when Christy and I would speed to Tybee Island to see the sun come up over the ocean.  Watching the sun set was such a contrasting experience.  The sunrise was before all the busy of the day began and this time it was our only goal.  We had no other expectation other than to sit there and be still while the day slinked into night.  

I have very much enjoyed sharing life with Stacy Lane.  It was such a treat to host her here in Portland, and get to show here all the things I love about this place (and some of the things I don't).  I am oh so proud of the woman she is and look forward to continuing to grow up together.