Each year, hundreds of memories frozen in film are submitted to the Seabrook Photo Challenge. This year, the competition was tougher than ever before! We had over 300 pictures submitted for this year’s Photo Challenge and, of those, 13 images were handpicked for the Seabrook 2012 Calendar!

Each photographer of the winning pictures will receive a $100 gift card to the Mill 109 Pub-Restaurant. Additionally, the cover picture winner will get a free beach cruiser bike – a well-known trademark of Seabrook’s lifestyle.

Ladies and gentlemen…drum roll please…we present to you the 2011 Seabrook Photo Challenge Winners!

The Cover Page

(Photo by Mandy P.)

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Rob Paylor is the new face in town here at Seabrook and also the newest addition to the Mill 109 Restaurant and Pub!  Joining us here at the beach as the Mill 109’s General Manager, Rob has already begun making a real impact at Seabrook. Chances are, the next time you walk into the restaurant, Rob’s smiling face will be there to greet you!

As the epitome of a “people person,” Rob is the kind of guy who will know your usual order before you realize that you’ve become a regular!  He has a talent for relationship-building a long and well-honed career managing local favorites such as Galway Bay in Ocean Shores and The 8^th Street Ale House in Hoquiam. Rob understands that there is always an element of celebration that goes along with dining out and is not only excited to be a part of those celebrations, but creates unique personal touches for his customers to really make it a night to remember!

This Grays Harbor native studied at the Western Culinary Institute (now Le Cordon Bleu College) in Portland. While he had the opportunity to live anywhere, he and his wife Sara (and two children Robbie and Audrey) decided to make their home in Aloha, WA where Rob’s great grandfather worked as a “shingle weaver” back in 1915.  In fact, he’ll joke with you that in four generations and in 96 years, the Paylor family has only made it about one mile from where they started!

Nonetheless, because of Rob’s local community connections and the relationships he’s created in Grays Harbor County, the Mill 109 will be enjoying  many more events and musical talents on a regular basis!  He’s getting the word about what’s happening through the Mill 109 Restaurant & Pub’s Website, as well Mill 109’s Facebook page. Look out for many creative ideas and events at Seabrook’s favorite restaurant and pub.

Rob is already working hard on a brand new fall menu and rumor has it that by October you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor!  In the meantime, try the Mill 109 Beach Burger or Fish Tacos with one of Alameda Brewing’s craft beers (likely one of the Mill 109’s best kept secrets) which are on tap right now!

Rob has watched Seabrook grow quite a bit over the past eight years and is excited to be a part of its future.  Stop by the Mill 109 Restaurant and Pub and meet the newest addition to the team!

Blue Spa Ocean Bluff Studio

If relaxation is your desire, Seabrook’s newest business, Blue Spa massage studio, is your destination.

Owned and operated by Seabrook homeowner, Jim Whitney, Blue Spa recently opened its doors to wide acclaim with its ocean bluff location.   As the newest member of Seabrook’s group of retailers, Blue Spa is also one of the most anticipated.  After all, a day at the beach is synonymous with relaxation and rejuvenation and nothing could be more perfect than a day spa at the beach!

With the success of its original oceanfront location, Blue Spa now offers a second in-town studio just off of Front Street!  Opening today (July 29), the new space is ideal for those who want the convenience of an in-town location, an opportunity to invite friends and family for a massage party, or any other social gatherings. With access to a full kitchen, it is easy to entertain or be entertained at Blue Spa.

Each masseuse at Blue Spa is trained to address your specific needs and requests.  The studio offers a variety of massage styles including shiatsu, deep tissue, hot stone, and Swedish massage.  Don’t forget to take some time after your body work to relax,  have some tea or water, enjoy their offerings from Lil’s Pantry, read a book, or even take a nap – it is entirely up to you!

Click to See Blue Spa's Studio Locations

In addition, couples massages are available and quite popular.  “People come to Seabrook to be able to share time with loved ones. Sharing a massage time, or taking a few hours to receive body work, relax and refresh together just makes sense.” says, Whitney, proprietor of Blue Spa.

Blue Spa offers a variety of treatments for anyone longing for a coastal massage. You can even experience a massage in the serene atmosphere of your Seabrook cottage during your stay. If you’d like to unwind in one of their locations in town, you can relax and refresh in the new Front Street location or delight in the opportunity to enjoy your massage in Blue Spa’s Studio overlooking the ocean. Let the sounds of the waves soothe your body and mind.

Visit the Blue Spa website for a full list of services, then schedule a massage for your next visit to Seabrook! For reservation, questions, or comments, call Blue Spa directly at (206)-755-9674.

This month, Seabrook celebrated its 5th Annual Doggie Days event! The long-anticipated day of canine merriment proved to once again be one of the most enjoyable events held at Seabrook! Hosted for the second year in a row by Ann Kjelsberg, owner of The Salty Dog here at Seabrook, Doggie Days showed off just how dog-friendly our beach town can be!

With every size, shape, and breed of dog you can imagine, the “Bark in the Park” festivities of Doggie Days were especially fun this year. With numerous games, contests, and prizes given to dogs with unique talents such as “Best Kisser”, “Best Trick”, and “Best Barker”, everyone had an opportunity to participate. Also, special thanks to Seabrook homeowner and professional photographer Morgan of Morgan J. Miller Photography who provided a whimsical beach back-drop for both doggie and people portraits during the event.

The weather was perfect and ALL of the proceeds from the event benefited the North Beach PAWS animal shelter in Ocean Shores.

If you didn’t have a chance to join us last weekend, we hope you will enjoy the slideshow below of the festivities. A big thanks to everyone who came out, it was great meeting so many adorable pups on the park!

For those of you planning a trip to Seabrook in the coming months, check out our events calendar for upcoming fun happenings on the Washington Coast.

Enjoy the pictures!

You may not know it, but Norwegian heritage is an important part of Washington coast’s history. In fact, many of the area’s first settlers and coastal residents were Norwegian immigrants.

To honor this, one of our Seabrook homeowners, Ann Kjelsberg (also owner of our favorite doggie shop, The Salty Dog) is organizing Seabrook’s first annual Syttende Mai Celebration! The festivity will take place on Saturday, May 14. Syttende Mai literally means the “Seventeenth of May” in Norwegian and is the celebration of Norwegian Independence.

Since its inception, Seabrook has had strong Norwegian ties including one woman named Dorothy Anderson whose nearly 100 year-old cabin sits at the North end of Crescent Park here at Seabrook. In addition, both Ann and our Town Founder, Casey Roloff trace their roots to Norwegian immigrants.

So how does one celebrate Syttende Mai? In Norway, children parade through the community with flags and often make stops at homes of senior citizens, war memorials, and other important community landmarks. As the parade passes, bystanders often join in and follow the parade through the town. People typically wear red, white and blue ribbons, wave flags, and often wear a traditional folk garment, called bunad. There’s plenty of singing, blowing whistles, and shaking rattles as the parade fills the streets.

We hope you (and your dog!) will join us at the Dorothy Anderson Cabin at 10am on Saturday, May 14 for a parade through the streets of Seabrook. The parade will end at The Salty Dog for coffee and Norwegian pastries courtesy of Casey’s Grandmother, Sam Engelquist! You don’t have to be Norwegian to join the fun and everyone’s welcome! We do hope that you’ll dress up in red, white, and blue and celebrate the Norwegian heritage of the Washington Coast!

What: Syttende Mai Norwegian Celebration
Where: Dorothy Anderson Cabin/Crescent Park, Seabrook, WA
When: 10:00am, Saturday, May 14