Swan Hearts and Hot Tubs

 

Terry and I were married. The chairs were folded and stacked neatly beside our dining tables, waiting for their return to the rental company. Lights glimmered all along the porch, above the tables, covering the swing, and around the pergola and she shed. It was a gorgeous sight still, even though things were being taken down. The party had moved onto the deck, where the infrared heat lamps could help warm our cold bodies. Fire from the fire pit table helped in that task. Some even chose to relocate inside, where they could continue the party over cocktails and beer. 

Daylight hours were drawing to a close. It was time for my new husband and I to drive an hour and a half away to the coast where our hotel room along the river held romantic surprises and lovely amenities. Saying goodbye to the family is never easy, especially when they put on an event like this for us. We managed to close the night out, with promises to see each other again soon. With the wedding dress and groom's shirt in the bags, all the makeup, jackets, shoes, purse and other essentials loaded, we were off. 

Driving to Florence along the Oregon coastline is a winding road to master, but worth every moment, every sharp curve, every second spent on the road. This was of course, a night drive, making it less traveled by other cars. The drive was nice, leaving no moments of stress. We listened to the CD Terry had made for us to celebrate our love for each other and the day we said our vows. He is such a romantic and that's one of the things I do love about him. 

Soon we arrived at the River House Inn on Bay Street, Florence Oregon. The inn lies along Bay Street, which is the walkway of downtown Florence, better known as Old Town. We checked in and immediately headed for our room. 

My daughter had paid a bit extra for the romance package and that included rose petals along the floor from the front door to the bed and surrounding towel swans. The petals were laid out in a heart pattern, making it all very beautiful and definitely romantic. 

We knew at the moment we walked into the room that the perfect wedding day would be followed by a romantic, beautiful night on our honeymoon. Feeling excitement and love, Terry and I looked around the room to see what else was involved in making this such an amazing time. 

In the corner of the room, against the outside wall to the restroom, was a hot tub. This room could not have been more exact in what I would have asked for during our honeymoon. From the second I laid eyes on the tub; I envisioned lots of use out of this amenity!

Hot tubs are one of my favorite things. Yes, I found my spot! I knew that Terry and I would have some fun in this during our three days stay! (This is the censored area, so no peeking). 

After checking out the room and the basket left for us, we decided to sit outside on the balcony for a bit. Terry likes to smoke cigars, and this was going to be a perfect spot for him to do this. We opened the door, and this is what we were greeted with. 

The excitement grew as we sat outside, sharing our thoughts while overlooking the Siuslaw River and bridge. We could not have asked for anything better. Lights from the bridge shimmering on the calm, moon kissed waters of the river left us not wanting to return to reality in three days. Pushing the thought from our minds, we spent an hour or so enjoying the evening view. The scene was picturesque and worthy of time spent taking it all in. Amazing!

The following morning, we were greeted by a most wonderful sight of the river again, but the light allowed us to see the sand dunes along the outer edges of the river. We were entertained by cranes standing along the shallow portions of the low tide stage, dipping their beaks into the water once in a while to catch tiny fish for their breakfast. Sea gulls sat on top of the old wood pillars, waiting for their chance at snagging something good to eat. 

Terry loves his cigars, and this deck allowed him to do so, while enjoying the ambiance of the flowing river before him. After the cigar was smoked, we decided to take a walk along the Old Town pathway to see what we could find to eat for breakfast. The River House Inn sits directly along the Old Town stores and restaurants, so it wasn't difficult to locate our favorite spot to drink and find something to munch on. River Roasters is a small tea and coffee shop that sits almost next door to the inn. A quick jaunt along the sidewalk and we were there. 

The great thing about River Roasters is not only the drinks they serve, but the muffins, cookies, scones, brownies, and other treats they have. But even better is the view of the river from the back deck. The River Roasters shop sits on the other side of the bridge coming into Florence. Terry and I were able to grab a table out back and enjoy the food and view. 

I ordered an apple cinnamon muffin, filled with chunks of apple and of course, seasoned with the right amount of cinnamon-y goodness! Yummy breakfast and wow! What a view!

Raspberry cremosa with heavy cream. How do you top that? With whipped cream, of course! Being diabetic, that also means sugar free flavoring in the cremosa, but just as good! The muffin carried all the sugar intake I should have for the day, I'm sure. I say "should" because, well, because it's my honeymoon. 

Terry settled on a chocolate chip cookie with a hot chai tea latte with whipped cream. He was happy!

Finishing up, we decided to head out along the rest of the Old Town venue to see what new things they may have. It was a cool morning, with a slight chilly wind, so we bundled up under hoodies, hiding our wife and husband shirts we purchased before the wedding. We also purchased another shirt for Terry. I had to get it. It seemed to fit in terms of his personality too. 

The other two shirts said, "Wife" on mine and "Husband" on his, with our wedding date of 6.17.23. His is a darker gray with silver writing. Mine is white with rose gold writing. I love the shirts, but the wind kept us from showing them very often. 

Heading west off the main street of Old Town. 

Straight shot from River Roasters, looking west down Bay Street. 

The shops include clothing stores, kite store, gem stores, kitchen utensil stores and lots of restaurants. BJs ice cream shop is one of our favorite places to go. There are t-shirt shops, along with jewelry shops, art galleries, bookstores, and a dog and cat store. Old Town Florence is filled with unique, eclectic shops that attract people from all around the country. Terry and I walked along the store fronts but saw that many were closed. It was Sunday and it was also Father's Day, with Juneteenth coming the following day. The stores we did find open were fun to stroll through. Rain clouds had passed through, leaving us with an awesome sunny day. Perfect time to take a walk along the boardwalk. 

We stopped in to see our favorite gem store and all that they carry. This is an art piece I've seen before but I wanted to get a photo this time. The iguana is made from cedar and other natural materials, crafted by an artist named Dan Heffron. Amazing work!

Dan Heffron also made this gorgeous crab from ash burl. 

Window shopping complete, we headed for the beautiful boardwalk. 

The skies were very dramatic in their color today. I had to take a photo of my sweet man, along with those beautiful skies. We were expecting rain along the coast, along with the wedding day in Lowell. The rain had held off on both occasions, thankfully. 

The Old Town area is on the other side of the bridge where our inn is located. Easy access to the shops. Here the bridge is on the town side. From our hotel room, the bridge is shown from the other side. Perfect location!

The shops were looked through and now it was time to take a drive toward the south. Terry is from Nevada and lived in California for many years. He has only seen Florence and maybe another spot or two along the Oregon coast. He wanted to see more, so off we went. 

I had not been to the south side of Highway 101 in many years. The south jetty is in my memories from my daughter, Dawn, traveling there with her family. We were out trying to locate the beaches from the highway but could not locate anywhere to go to the beach unless we hiked. We chose not to hike up the steeper sandy path to see a beach when we can find them in the north side of Florence too. We did enjoy taking the drive, however. 

Cruising through the South Jetty Park, we found the scotch broom to be in full bloom, in mass quantities. While it is beautiful, it wreaks havoc on those who suffer from allergies, so the plant is both loved and hated. I find beauty in the plant due to the bright color but had never seen so much of it in one place!

Brightly colored bushes burst through the darker green of the evergreens as we traveled several miles up the road. It was both amazingly beautiful and yet I felt bad for those who suffered through the allergy season. 

Terry's back was hurting, so we did choose to not hike into places. We drove through the side of Honeyman State Park, where I explained to my new husband that I used to run from the top of the very tall sand dunes, running down the warm sand again, feeling it crunch under my feet. At the bottom, I was met by Cleawox Lake as I let myself fall into the water. The water was always so cool and refreshing at the end of sweating on a summer's day during the hike to the top of the dunes. This is a side view, with the dunes out of view on the left. 

It was time for dinner, so we headed into Old Town again. We selected the Firehouse restaurant for our evening meal and oh, my gosh was it ever the best choice! I ordered macaroni and cheese, topped with wonderful pulled pork. Terry ordered a meatball penne pasta covered in marinara sauce. I heard him moan a couple of times, as did I. Both dishes were served with garlic toast on the side and a nice salad. So good! I recommend the Firehouse restaurant to anyone in the Old Town area. 

Meatball penne pasta dish with marinara sauce from Firehouse was amazing!

I had macaroni, coated in a creamy cheese sauce, topped with pulled pork. Excellent meal. 

Terry and I crawled out of the restaurant from being so full, yet we craved ice cream to top it off. BJ's Ice Cream shop was right up the road, so that's where we headed for dessert. I ordered a sugar free blackberry ice cream cone. Terry had the rocky road cone. 

Now we were definitely full. So full that the walk back to the inn felt never ending. I hate to walk when I'm so stuffed! We had a busy day ahead of us on Monday, as we planned a trip to the Newport Aquarium, or as it is called, the Oregon Aquarium. The last time I had been there, Keiko, the whale of Free Willy fame had been at home in the aquarium. I had a lot to see, as did Terry. 

About an hour in the hot tub and we were ready for bed. The day had been nice. Pleasant weather, the food was fantastic, and of course, my man was beside me. What better day could a girl ask for? We fell asleep with smiles across our faces, joy in our hearts, and our love for each other. 

The next post contains the aquarium visit. The honeymoon, wedding, and weekend involved too much to put into one post. Stay tuned for the rest of the honeymoon! Now, go home. We are newlyweds after all. Please respect our privacy at this time. (LOL. Take care of yourselves and each other. Until next time ...)