Every July I spend a few days at Cannon Beach with family. It's a tradition that goes back to an era before I was born. Here's a few photos and tidbits from this year's trek.

A neighborhood in the center of town has become swarmed with wild rabbits. We were driving back from Pizza a'fetta when we came across four of them munching grass on the edge of Hemlock Street. I spun the car around and we counted about two dozen others romping around on various lawns. The next morning, on a drive back downtown in search of coffee, my sister and I counted another dozen tearing their way around the area. There's a few moles that rip through my yard every summer. I think I'd rather contend with a bunny infestation. Much more adorable.

My mother bit the bullet and asked. They're a club. Of Scottish Terrier owners. That walk along Cannon Beach. The scotties swarmed a larger dog as we passed, acting like a fur-covered gang from The Warriors. Awesome. I guess the beach is their turf.

As far as I know, until a few years ago, surfers were a rarity at Cannon Beach. Now every time I head down there I see at least four of them navigating the waves several hundred yards down from Haystack Rock. This dog followed his owner out into the Pacific up to its torso and diligently kept himself at a safe distance while he surfed.

I can only assume that this guy was working up the courage to jump in. It was around noon when I took this photo. The temperature was somewhere in the 60s and the water was as cold as ice.

Labels: coast