Seaside ... Whenever you stroll along with me

Obligatory obscure Queen lyric. So adorable. Anyhoo. Astoria. Seaside. Cannon Beach. Arch Cape. Love this place. Nope. Not coming back. If someone will just bring me my Emma, I'm good.

One note from that wonderful coastal cruise - we probably laughed the hardest in St. Helens, a little town that has apparently made itself the Halloween capital of the state. Its miniature downtown (along the Columbia River) was completely devoted to Halloween - haunted houses, decorations, upcoming parties, There's all kinds of riverfront redevelopment happening as well, with a little park (for some reason fenced off at the moment) where you can apparently actually hang in hammocks along the river. We tried to get pictures but it was pouring POURING rain when we were there. Which was one main reason for our laughter. Because we came through right as school was letting out and the children of St. Helens were walking or riding their bikes home. In the rain. Umbrellas and/or raincoats. Unaccompanied by parents or being driven in cars. Horrors! Maybe it's just become a Pennsylvania phenomenon but we've grown confused (and not a little dismissive) of Kids Today whose parents have to drive them two blocks to school or - here in Somerset county - down the driveway to catch the school bus. 

Whatever.