Heceta Head Lighthouse Archives

Mr. Handsome and I spent Easter weekend with family. We saw both our immediate families, as well as both sides of Mr. Handsome’s extended family. All the ladies attended a bridal shower for my almost-21-year-old sister-in-law, who is getting married in early summer. (Remember when I posted pictures of her engagement party?)

Last week, my mother-in-law called and informed us that her grandmother (Mr. Handsome’s great-grandmother) would be at the shower and suggested we bring one of Mr. Handsome’s paintings for her.

Almost 102 years old, Great-Grandma lives alone, and she is a spitfire. She and Mr. Handsome have a special bond because they both have a dry sense of humor and enjoy poking fun at each other. When I handed Great-Grandma the wrapped painting, one of the great-aunts, who has a similar sense of humor, exclaimed, “I think it’s a baseball!” As she was leaving, Great-Grandma reminded me to be sure to thank my husband for the baseball.

Amidst all the joking, Great-Grandma truly was touched to receive such a heartfelt gift. She has a dozen grandchildren and a few dozen
great-grandchildren, and she gives all of them (plus their spouses) presents at Christmas, but very few of them acknowledge her. We’re not sure how much longer she will be with us, but we want to make her feel special while she’s here.

*Have you been down the Oregon Coast? The scene pictured in the painting is Heceta Head Lighthouse, located in Florence, Oregon. It is based on the photos we took of the lighthouse when we visited last October.

Hope you have been enjoying the pictures from our trip out west. After exploring the waterfalls east of Portland, Oregon, and spending time with family and friends at my brother’s seaside wedding, we loaded into a 12-passenger van with Mr. Handsome’s parents, grandparents, and two youngest sisters and headed down the coast to San Francisco.

It was early October, and the weather was chilly (around 50 degrees Fahrenheit). There was rain in the forecast, but it always seemed to clear up just as we were pulling over to snap pictures
at lookout points or embark on a short hike. The ocean looked quite different than it does further south, but it was still beautiful.

You can see Heceta Head Lighthouse in the background at this lookout point. Mr. Handsome loved the view so much that he did a painting of it a few days after we returned home.