Thursday, June 15, 1897
Yesterday was my 60th birthday and Jasper has given me the best birthday in my life. We were kids again and that was amazing. It doesn't seem possible that I'm so old, even though I'm often accused of being ten years younger.
This week started with Jasper surprising me by packing a carpet bag with clothes and hitching up the team, before announcing we were going to see the Pacific Ocean on Monday morning. I was thrilled and the trip down the river to Portland was more exciting than normal.
In Portland, we transferred to a different boat to travel to Astoria. I had dreamed of seeing the western sea since we had settled on Mt. Hood. We docked in Astoria and the smell of the sea air teased me as we were still on the Columbia river.
Jasper had made all the arrangements, and we transferred our carpet bag to a one-horse buggy and went west around the hill that dominated Astoria. Then we turned south as we caught our first glimpse of the ocean. I must have seemed like a child the way I leaned out of the buggy as if that would let me see the distant waves better.
We went several miles down the coast until Jasper turned the buggy west into a grove of wind-groomed trees. There he unharnessed the horse and put some hay in front of the animal. Then he took my hand and led me through the sand to a rise, revealing the endless expanse of the Pacific before us.
I ran to the water's edge and lifting my dress, let a wave rush over my feet and splash up my ankles. The feeling of the cold water surrounding my feet and then to feel the sand beneath my feet move with the water was unexpected and magnificent.
I'm not sure how long I splashed in the waves, but when I turned to see my smiling husband, my dress was soaked above my knees. I am such a lucky woman to have such a caring and handsome husband. Jasper has aged like fine wine, his hair has thinned and turned gray, but he remains slim and as strong as ever.
Jasper and I walked down the beach and then as the sun was low on the horizon, we returned to the buggy. I discovered that Jasper had a tent in the buggy and set it up at the edge of the sandy dunes. He started a fire and when it was burning well, he led me to the rise. We sat on a blanket and watched the sun sink slowly into the sea.