As we marked off each day with an X on the calendar this May, the anticipation for the first 3-day weekend of summer grew. Memorial Day Weekend was finally here. Hotels were booked full for the first time this season. Local shopkeepers had the shelves stocked and ready for the tourists. Restaurant staff had fresh new uniform shirts for the season and the reinforcements were on call for the busy dinner time rush.
Mopeds and bicycles were freshly washed and lined up in shiny rows ready to be rented. Horses were brushed and corralled at the beach waiting for eager riders. The Grays Harbor Expo at the Convention Center was loaded with vendors and ready to open the doors Friday afternoon. The weather forecast was exceptional, sunshine and 80 degrees. Ocean Shores was ready for Memorial Day Weekend. We were watching the long lines of cars and motor homes working their way through Aberdeen and Hoquiam, loaded down with coolers, bikes, tents and little faces peeking out the windows. Their backpacks filled with new bathing suits and sunscreen. Looking forward to splashing in the waves, building sand castles and roasting marshmallows at the end of the day.
And then the fog rolled in. That misty damp cool marine layer. You know the one, it usually waits until afternoon to work its way ashore. Not this weekend. It took Thursday afternoon off work to head for Ocean Shores early like so many other visitors. We feel for these vacationers, walking around town shivering in their shorts and flip flops. Wearing brand new lifeguard hoodies they bought at Sharky’s because it was cold. We’ve all been there; the Pacific Northwest is, after all, the socks, sandals and blue tarp camping capital of the U.S. But still we vacation on. We layer up the clothing instead of the sunscreen, stroll through the tourist towns eating ice cream in the rain and splash in the puddles with our new summer flip flops. Small town summers are still the best way to spend a 3-day weekend. Sunshine, rain and even fog.
Here are a few ways to spend the beginning of summer in Ocean Shores whether its foggy or sunny outside.
The Grays Harbor Festival of Colors June 3, 2017 is the annual event showcasing kites &kite flying. A great family event for novice to professional kite flyers. Come fly a kite or enjoy the antics of colorful kites filling the skies. For more information stop in the Ocean Shores Kite Shop.
Join photographer Alan Hepworth on Saturday June 3 at 6 p.m. for a portrait photography workshop in the Wellness Activity Center at Oyhut Bay. Bring your personal camera and learn how tips to capture your memories this summer. Call (206) 550-570 for more information and to register.
Personal Preparedness Forum on June 6 at 5 p.m. at the Ocean Shores Library. Discussions will include site specific risk and hazards for emergency and natural disasters, how to reduce the impact of any disaster event, and how to get involved in your community. For more information call Grays Harbor County Emergency Management at (360) 964-1575 or email GHCDEM@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.
Another event at the library is Deer in the Garden on Saturday June 17 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The Master Gardeners of Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties will sponsor a program presented by Washington State Fish and Wildlife on the mass feeding of wildlife and its effects on gardening and the landscape in Ocean Shores.
Whatever the weather brings, buy the flip flops, and a hoodie and get “On the Beach.” For inclusion consideration email Onebusibee@outlook.com
