How did sand get in *there*??

So! Cleaned up some stuff Monday morning. Got picked up. Left for Newport: Me and Cherie in one car, Devin and Hayley in another. Hayley is awesome. Really easygoing, laughs at dorky jokes, and is half-british, and doesn't mind if you make really stupid brit jokes or ask her questions about britain or fake a really really bad brit accent. Therefore, she deserves sainthood. Plus she's read LOTR, but oddly enough, not Harry Potter. Eh?? But! We will be going to the Shrewsbury Renn Faire in September. My circle skirt should be done by then, and I will be The Proverbial Shit. We looked through her copy of Renassaisance magazine and talked about how we're fascinated by the dark ages and early to high middle ages, later that week.

We got to the campsite (B-18 at South Beach State Park), and Devo and Hayley set up the tent trailer while Cherie and I ran back to the Fred Meyer in Newport and bought perishables. I love using my employee discount card so far away, and talking to the cashier. Went back to campsite, stuck everything away, and ran down the quarter-mile trail to the beach. WHEEEE!!! Ocean! I Love The Ocean!! I went off by myself and got all religious, talking to the ocean, whathaveyou, and then we ran back and ate dinner (stir fry) and played Hearts (I totally suck, btw) and went to bed.

Tuesday! Ate brekkie. Ran to beach again. Came back, drove to Nye beach, went to a secondhand store and bought a pair of shorts and a skirt for belly dancing. The shorts are sooo cute, and reversable! One side is blue and has the brand name, Big Flirt. Turn them inside out and ta-da! Hawaiian print. I'm going to feel stupid wearing them around in Beaverton. They're sorta surfer-looking. Went to a bead shop and bought sequins for the skirt, and most of the stuff for a real easy beading project: lots of leaf shape glass, a tube of mixed green seed beads, and a little green-man face. I have to get a clasp and a jumpring and string from Cherie, but that's no big deal. But get this: I looked *everywhere* , and no one had a sea-star charm for less than twenty dollars. I know I've seen them around here, so I'll just wait 'til I see one. Went to the Chowder Bowl and ate ourselves sick, they have the best clam chowder anywhere on earth, and bread pudding with brandy sauce. Went to "Newport's Historic Bayfront." My old purple purse, which I've had for five years at least, is finally looking too shabby to be worn in public, so I bought a blue bag at the head shop. It's gotten huge, that shop. The bag is similar in size, with an adjustable strap, and it's bright blue hemp outside and a natural color inside, and has a pocket. It also smells like the shop, which for me was half the appeal. It looks like a great canvas for pins and patches, too, btw. *big happy grin* We didn't go into much of the galleries and stuff this year, because you can get hypnotized and be there all dang day, and we can't afford any of that stuff anyway. We did go see the sea lions, though. Newport's still a working fishing town (so it's not as touristy as, say, Depoe Bay), and you can stand on one of the docks and sea lions are sunning themselves, but one is always trying to get on the floating dock, and the others bark at him. It's hysterical, we start cheering them on. Bought waaay too much taffy, and some fudge 'cause I was bleeding. Searched in vain for a sea star charm. Drove back to the campsite, ate, learned to play cribbage, went to bed.

And my shoulder is starting to hurt, and I'm freaking tired, so the rest will be posted tomorrow.