Goonies Never Say Die!

My Fiction Addiction

Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a nice weekend and Thanksgiving if you celebrated. On Sunday I turned 39 so I thought today would be a great day to post on my birthday treat to myself–which actually occurred last month.

When I was 11 I saw this movie called The Goonies in the theater and I walked out a change girl. Ah, youth! Since then, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a feeling that compared to that one.

I mean, what more can you ask for than middle class kids finding a treasure map in an attic and setting out on an adventure?? Plus, the setting in Astoria, Oregon just called to me. I loved the houses, the rocky beaches, the rain. Everything about it made me wish I lived there, and I’ve always wanted to visit.

Last month I finally made the trek to Oregon for a writer’s retreat hosted by the lovely and talented Carol Riggs. The retreat appealed to me because I know from Carol’s blog what a great writer she is, and the price was ridiculously affordable. So Hubby and I tied in a family vacation with the retreat and spent the week in beautiful Oregon.

After a little online research, I found that, to this very day, The Goonies still has a cult following that visit the famed Goon docks house in Astoria. The owners of the house encourage it, actually. How cool is that?? My 7 and 6 year old came with us and I think were a little baffled why I cared about seeing the Goonies house, even though they’ve seen the movie, they just weren’t old enough to appreciate.

But Astoria is probably one of the prettiest, uniquest towns in the U.S.  I’ve ever been to (besides Sausalito), and just as I suspected, I could easily envision myself living there and writing books. So in celebration of another bucket list accomplishment and my 39th birthday, I wanted to share some pictures with you:

The sign on the way up the hill to the Goonies house.

The Goonies house. (I wanna live there)

Almost all the houses in Astoria are gorgeous and unique with so much character.

The Goon docks

Beautiful Astoria neighborhoods

Bridge to Washington State

Famous Astoria column–actual stone etchings depicting the early settlers and Native Americans on the sides.

View from the top of the column after a kazillion stairs

The rich emerald forests of Oregon just blew my mind. Trees bigger than ever. SO amazing.

Goonies beach!! If only I would’ve had a doubloon!

 At Heceta Head Lighthouse

Our cabin in the woods. So rustic and fun. We had no TV and kids just had fun watching the fire and sleeping in the loft.

Beautiful Silver Falls. This state park gave me lots if inspiration for stories!

Famous Voodoo Donuts in Portland. The wait for donuts was 90minutes minimum so no, I didn’t buy any. That’s fellow blogger, McKenzie McCann on the bench next to my daughter.

And of course Powell’s City of Books. Wow you can get lost in this place. Awesome book madness!

Carol Riggs. Stop by and say hello to Carol. She’s a star! We had a super workshop / critique session in the quiet Aldersgate Retreat. So restful and productive.

Thanks for sharing my trip with me. I can honestly say it was worth the cross country trek in many ways. From fulfilling a childhood fantasy (no matter how silly) to meeting a few fellow blogger/ writer friends, to enjoying the gorgeous Oregonian scenery with my family, who never missed TV or internet one single time.

Oh, and if you don’t know already, Trisha at Words & Stuff is doing a Baby Face Blogfest on Dec. 1 where bloggers post a picture of themselves in those chubby cheek years. Sign up today!

Have you ever been to Oregon? Is there somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit? Are you a Goonies fan too? What’s on your bucket list? Please share …

Featuring bits on writing, books, and life which can be found at http://pk-hrezo.blogspot.com