Dear Ellie — We got to our cabin at 7 last night. Everyone was behaving about the way you’d expect. Dad was crabby, Mom was hungry, Uncle Janos was telling us about the cannon that gave the beach its name,  Braden had his nose stuck in my Kindle, and Milly was asleep. I was my usual wonderful self. Cool cottage, huh?

Ellie — We had a great time at the beach today. So glad you couldn’t be here. 😉

Hi Ellie — They have tsunami evacuation signs here. Should I be worried? I’ve got my running shoes on, just in case. We went for a hike today and saw a lighthouse. Don’t know if it’s still working. Looks lonely.

Hey kiddo — Haystack Rock is covered with tons of birds. Picture a lot of squirrel-sized animals with wings. The rock is amazing.

Ellie, I wish Uncle Janos would go for a long ride on a short whale. He must be part of the government’s drone program. He never shuts up. Guess what! The Oregon coast has lots of surprises. We went hiking on a bluff. Came upon a couple sunbathing in the buff.

Hey, girlfriend — We’re having fun spending Mom and Dad’s money. This morning we went to a restaurant called Pig ’N Pancake. I had the most awesome breakfast.

Ellie — When you think about it, the beach is a story without end. The waves come in, they go out. The tide rises, then falls. Night follows spectacular sunset. Mom tidies the cottage, we mess it up.

On our way home. Last message. Uncle Janos is talking about how many grains of sand there are on the beach, or something like that.