I fell in love with the Oregon coast as a child. Now, it’s my daughter’s turn

One of my fondest childhood memories from the coast is also one of the most ordinary: It’s early afternoon on a bright summer day, and we’ve just come in from the beach. My dad must be napping, because it’s just me, my older sister and my mom sitting by the big window of our beachside condo in Neskowin, the green lawn outside giving way to a cliff over the sand, and we’re going around playing Mad Libs, all of us giggling uncontrollably.

Since then, I’ve made a lot of memories on the Oregon coast (many more once I started covering the travel beat for The Oregonian/OregonLive ), but recently I’ve found all those childhood memories bubbling back up and gaining new traction in my mind — undoubtedly because of my new role as a parent.

My daughter, who’s just about to turn 1, has already s