Oswald West State Park is located about ten miles south of Cannon Beach. Many of the Oregon beaches I’ve enjoyed now for decades. But my first visit to Oswald West State Park was on on Thanksgiving day in 2021. Here is the story.
That Thanksgiving all of our kids scattered to the far winds: Jackie and Judah spent the day with Julian in Washington DC. Jacob drove up to spend Thanksgiving with my parents on Camano Island. So Jenny and I zipped down to Salem to be with her folks, Ron and Grace Wallace. Instead of making the traditional feast we decided to drive to the coast. We spent the afternoon exploring Oswald West State Park.
It was a beautiful day with the sun breaking through the clouds, highlighting the water.
Instead of making the traditional feast we decided to drive to the coast. We explored beautiful Oswald West beach then found the only store open for food, a Fred Meyer.
In a post on Facebook that day I wrote, “We only had 15 minutes to grab food before the store closed at 3. Then we found a table in front of a closed Subway and enjoyed our feast with thankful hearts, a great reminder that the most important part of a holiday is -by far – the people, and that we have so much to thank God for starting with our breath and still working bodies and the beauty around us.”
How true that was! In April 2022, Grace had a major stroke. We did not expect her to live through it. But miraculously she has recovered quite well, though making that hike would be much more challenging now. I’m thankful that we spent last Thanksgiving with Ron and Grace. Every moment with those you love is precious, a gift of God.
Here’s a video that I took
https://www.facebook.com/1597313399/videos/pcb.10220868275128805/584919616750286
Finally, I tried to capture the wildness of the Pacific and the sparkle of the sun breaking through the clouds. “Tried” is the operating word here.
If you are interested in purchasing this painting you can find more details at my online gallery here: